This day I love.......: support

In May last year I damaged the ligaments in my left ankle. In all honesty running has never been the same on it since. Twinges and the odd pain here and there. Longer runs especially would cause a lot of pain in my foot. I held back on some runs knowing that the pain would appear later and it was really starting to worry me.

This year is a big year for running and training. I have, so far this year, 2 Ultra and 4 marathons booked. Whilst I am looking forward to the challenge I am also aware of the amount of miles that need to be put in with training and with that comes a sense of worry over my foot and causing further injury.

I have had gait analysis done and know I am in the right shoe, the issue is a previous injury that causes niggles. I wasn't sure what to expect when I received my pair of Sole Footbeds. I wasn't sure if they would make any difference to my running. They felt hard and inflexible and given I need cushioning due to the way my foot strikes the floor, I was dubious as to the difference they would make.

What a difference they have made though. Sole Footbeds mould to your feet. You can do this either by heating them in the oven, or by wearing over time. I chose to wear them, as I did not trust myself to put them in the oven. They have moulded beautifully to my feet and now I don't even notice them. More than this though after several longs runs the pain has disappeared completely. The first few runs I did I noticed the pain was still there but substantially less, and now 2 weeks later it has gone. What is interesting is that if I run without the Sole Footbeds in place I can tell straight away and the pain returns.

As Sole footbeds provide custom support they can also reduce plantar fascia strain, encourage good alignment of the feet and lower legs, improve balance and provide natural, shock-absorbing heel support. SOLE Active Footbeds gently lift your arch into its optimal position. I am in shock at the difference it has made to me. My only issue now is I need at least another pair so I don't have to keep swapping them between my different trainers!

Thanks to Sole for sending a pair to review, all words are my own opinion.

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My husband and I both have degrees in engineering, which means we both have a love and passion for maths and science. Our minds seem to work in a logical fashion and we enjoy the challenge that numbers bring. Our eldest daughter seems to also have an analytical mind and can spot patterns and sequences very quickly.

When I received an email from Numberbundle I actually got incredibly excited. Numberbundle are mathematical activity boxes which support both the Early years foundations stage and National Curriculum for children 3 -7. The boxes cost £21 for a single box or can be a monthly subscription and cost £16.99 per month. Each month the boxes take on a different topic from the national curriculum and cover a range of activities. The activities include cookery, arts, crafts, games, puzzles, cross stitch, outdoor play, science and story. I was very keen to see the boxes and see what the girls thought of them

First impressions on the boxes were great, both girls wanted to open the boxes up straight away and have a look inside. Inside the boxes there is a card explaining the activities and the topic they are supporting. Then cards for each of the activities, including full instructions and finally some of the materials you may need for each activity. Although not all materials are included those that are not are easy to source, such as glue, water and newspaper.

The girls had different boxes each suited to their specific age group, my youngest is Early years and my eldest is Year 1. Inside my youngest Numberbundle box the topic was big and small, the topic for my eldest was money. The girls looked through the enclosed activities and we picked one to do.

The great thing about the cards is that they not only contain full, clear instructions of the activity and how to do it, but they also contain discussion points. This gives me as a parent an idea of the topic that is taught at school and ways in which I can incorporate this into daily life. For the girls, they did not realise they were doing maths based activities, and instead simply had fun with the activities they had chosen.

My eldest wanted to make a papermache money box pig. We used this to discuss tearing paper into halves and quarters, used the legs to count and work out how many legs we would need. Calculate how many more money boxes we could make with the material we had left and calculate the fraction of water to glue for our mixture.

My youngest chose to do the playdough mat activity. We had already made some playdough, but there was a recipe to make playdough included. We used the playdough mats to make ears, tails and wings and discuss which animal had the bigger ears, the elephant or the mouse? Did my youngest have bigger or smaller ears? Whilst she could do some of the activity independently, making the ears for example, we discussed bigger and smaller together as she played.

I really love how Numberbundle encourages discussion around each activity in a fun way, so the girls did not feel like they were learning but instead just playing. It has helped me as a parent gain a better understanding of the activities the girls do at school, which means I can support their learning at home. Numberbundle are also a great way to engage with your children as they do each activity so you can do things together, as well as supporting independent learning also.

I am giving away a Numberbundle box worth £21 to one reader, giveaway is via the Gleam widget below and ends on the 12th March 2016 at midnight GMT. Full terms and conditions are on the widget.

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Thing 3 seems to be growing at a very fast rate, and perhaps a little too fast for my frame. My skin is stretching and added to this the pain I feel from the torn abdominal muscles and displaced hips my bump is in much need of support. I received a wonderful email from Secret Saviours at just the right moment and was very eager for my Secret Saviours package to arrive.

Secret Saviours is three products in one. A multitasking support band, day gel and night cream and using them combined has helped to prevent stretch marks in 70% of women. The support band has special pads which when combined with the day gel help stick to the skin. The random pattern of the pads helps to prevent stretch marks from forming and helps to support bump and lower back.

I was a little worried at first regarding this, wondering if the pads would perhaps feel too sticky against my skin or cause irritation. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I did wear it for the first time that I really did not know I had it on. I do reposition the band to get it comfortable for me and my bump and as I still have my piercing in my tummy button I do sometimes have to re adjust in the day. Somewhere between 8 and 9 hours of wear I do start to get a little itchy so I reapply some more of the day gel which takes the itching away. I have noticed this more as my bump has got bigger, and so it might be time for me to get the next size up.

The support band does leave a rather random pattern on my skin, which is completely normal

The support band can be washed at 40C but cannot be tumbled dried. To be honest though it does dry very quickly, I usually leave mine overnight and it is dry for the next morning.

The day gel has a tacky type texture which is to help the support band pads stick, but you do not notice this once you are wearing the band. The night cream is a real treat and has a relaxing aromatherapy style smell to it [very difficult to explain in words]. I really look forward to applying the night cream and have to admit to doing so several times in the night as it smells and feels fantastic.

Touch wood I have not yet seen any stretch marks forming and have been using the Secret Saviours products since 26 weeks pregnant. Obviously the earlier you start using Secret Saviours the bigger benefit you will see. With only 10 weeks left I am hoping those pesky stretch marks are going to be kept firmly at bay, fingers crossed!

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