7 months after creating the Shop Kind Club, I have decided to say a fond farewell to Life, Love and Little Things and fully embrace my bit on the side! It’s been quite the journey to reach this point, starting with Hugo’s cancer diagnosis and my Life, Love and Leukaemia blog back in 2015. I feel a little sad to be moving on from something that was such a big part of our lives for so long, but I’m grateful too, because it’s led me here. I felt strongly during Hugo’s treatment that I wanted to use our experience to make a difference, to have something positive come out of such a difficult time ..read more

For June’s ’Spotlight On’ feature we will be looking at the wonderful GVG Accessories. GVG is round by Claire from her fabulous, newly renovated workshop. Claire has loved handbags and all things accessories since a really young age. Having been thrown some life curveballs which affected her mental health, she decided she wanted to develop a brand that makes people smile. To create feel-good handbags and accessories that support amazing causes. GVG stands for ‘Giving’ and every purchase made gives a donation to a variety of charities. Each product features a pop of colour which represents th ..read more

Next up for the Spotlight On feature is the amazing BearHugs. Thoughtful Hug-in-a-Box gifts that can be personalised from top to toe. Every BearHug gift box is handpicked with love. They are perfect for saying Congratulations, Thinking of You, Happy Birthday or just about any other reason you can think of. I’ve been keen to share more information about this wonderful social enterprise for many reasons. Firstly, they were the first business I contacted about the Shop Kind Club to say ‘yes’, making them the first ever member. We, as a family, were also the lucky recipients of a BearHug through ..read more

I’ve had a little idea. A small seed of an idea planted itself in my head. This is nothing unusual for me, I have lots of ideas, dreams and plans. The usual pattern is that I have an idea. I dream, plan, organise and probably write a list or two. Then I start to overthink it. I imagine all the ways it could go wrong, think of all the negative things people could say and start to question whether it’s really a good idea after all. After a while I come to the conclusion that it either wasn’t a good idea, or that I’m just not up to the job. I get caught in a cycle of being forever the planner and ..read more

I don’t think 2021 is turning out the way anyone expected. At the end of 2020 I was full of hope and enthusiasm for the start of a new, better year. Then I was ill, with Covid, and it really floored me. I had neither the energy or the inclination to do very much when 2021 finally rolled around. Just as I started to feel better, home schooling started again…. However, I’m feeling much brighter now and ready to find some of that enthusiasm again. I don’t really do New Years resolutions, but I love the start of a fresh new year, making plans and embracing the changes that are to come. It’s all a ..read more

Christmas jumper day is the 11 December so I’ve found a few gorgeous jumpers that not only look good, but do good too. Happy shopping! Disko Kids I’m nice and organised for once and have already purchased a gorgeous green and gold Christmas Disco jumper. They come in a few other colours too if green isn’t your thing. Disko Kids support the charity Winston’s Wish and Alzheimer research charities. www.diskokids.co.uk Smith + Webb Next up is a bit of sparkle from Smith+Webb with their Black and Silver ‘Elf Love Club’ sweatshirt. You can’t see very well from this photograph, but the silver writi ..read more

This is the very first ‘Spotlight On’ since the launch of the Shop Kind Club. It’s a way of shining a spotlight on the members. Not just their products, but who they are, what they do and how they give back. It’s a chance to get to know these lovely people and their businesses a little better. This first one features the wonderful Smith+Webb. I’m a huge fan of their clothes, which are gorgeously soft and comfy, but also for their ethos. For every product sold, a percentage is donated to charity. Chloe and Caroline, who run Smith+Webb, are passionate about raising awareness, spreading kindness ..read more

It has now been over a month since my dad passed away from Covid-19. I lost my mum a few years ago, so I have a little experience of grief. I learnt that the grief process is different for everyone. That there is no right or wrong way to feel or act during the days, weeks and months that follow a loss. That being said, grief during CoronaVirus is different. Not harder, because losing a loved one is hard no matter what the circumstances, but it is complicated. It doesn’t follow the normal patterns and the differences make themselves known before the grief process even starts. I was fortunate in ..read more

The time has come. After lots of planning, working and plenty of overthinking, it’s finally time to launch the Shop Kind Club. I’m excited, nervous and worried that I’ve made too big a deal out of something that is really quite small. I’ve found some lovely members who have been wonderfully supportive of the idea and of me. It’s made me trust myself and believe that the idea could actually go somewhere and make a difference. It’s great to feel so passionate and excited about something. It’s been a tough few years and having a positive focus has been so refreshing. My head is bursting with idea ..read more

On the 18 September 2018, after 3 years, 2 months and 5 days, Hugo finished his treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. 6 weeks later he had his port-a-cath (bumpy) removed and rang the End of Treatment Bell at Great Ormond Street Hospital. This signalled the end of chemotherapy, steroids, weekly blood tests and all related medication. So what has Hugo done since? He has celebrated! There was a celebratory dinner, we partied with friends, spent a weekend at Thomas Land and took a family trip to Center Parcs during the first available school holiday. We were granted a wish trip to Paris a ..read more