This year has been a hard and mopey one. Apologies followers. I'm planning to share positive things that I'm thankful for each day of advent. Aiming to do 1 today, 2 tomorrow & so on ending with 24 on the 24th. Anyone fancy joining in? #positiveadventpic.twitter.com/0UjH0ULZEG
Now as much as I love the idea, I don’t think I have the time to commit to so many, but I am going to try and share one for each day up till Christmas. Things are hard for me but I know we can always find some positivity in each day.
Munchies and Munchkins
Please head over and take a look at the Munchies and Munchkins website here to read more about Positive Advent and if you are joining in, it would be lovely for you to follow them on social media and tag them into your positivity. They say:
Post something which you are thankful for each day or something positive happening in your life. Each day increased the amount. The important thing to note is each day you are increasing the amount of good things you are looking for rather than adding one new thing each day. Hopefully in time helping those partaking to notice positives over negatives more often.
Day 1 – one thankful or positive note Day 24 – twenty four thankful or positive notes
Don’t feel obligated to join in every day. This is meant to help improve your mental health not add more pressure. Join in once, every day, every week or not at all. Be a lurker and just join in from the sidelines. Do whatever suits you or nothing at all, I am doing this for me rather than to have hundreds joining in. Every one who does join is a bonus. If you want to follow this on social media you can do so by using the hashtag #positiveadvent
Day 1 of my Positive Advent
My #positiveadvent today is that my son who has gone off to uni called me to say he has 6 days off work over Christmas and so can come home for a proper visit. It made me cry! I miss him so much and cant wait to have all my bambinos together x
I am doing @WritingForFun#PositiveAdvent – my day 2 is a tough one as I am having a ready bad day. But remembering that even in my darkest times that I have the love and support of some amazing friends is a proper blessing ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HzR4fxkSwq
Have you heard of the Everly Pregnant Brothers? They are a ridiculously funny and brilliant band from Sheffield who play ukulele puntastic covers of modern classics and if you haven’t heard of them, I hope by Christmas day, you will have as they have released their hilarious cover of Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon, Chip Pan on Fire with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue to raise money for Shelter and Age UK to protect the elderly and vulnerable in their homes.
I first came across Everly Pregnant Brothers at Tramlines festival where they played at a tiny, riverside pub and took over the whole area with thousands of people hanging off railings to see them play. With classics such as Pork Pie (Parklike), No Oven No Pie (No Woman, No cry) and Sheffield Calling (you get the drift, right?) they are a Sheffield staple and quickly became a firm favourite in the So Bad Ass household. We bought all their albums and attended lots of their gigs for silly, funny and wonderfully Sheffield lols.
And so when I saw they were releasing this charity single for Christmas, it put a smile on my face. How fab, I thought, that’ll raise a few quid and more of my friends can fall in love with them. They started selling well, then it got serious, they were on TV on The Last Leg where they got a standing ovation, in the media and filling my Facebook and twitter feed, bloody hell, could they actually make it? A group of middle aged men playing ukuleles, not taking themselves or life too seriously, could they actually become the light at the end of the shitty tunnel that 2016 has been?
I became friends with Big Shaun (their singer) after a while, we would bump into each other at Tramlines and as anyone in Sheffield knows, EVERYONE KNOWS EVERYONE, so it was obvious that we would have mutual buddies. I saw him put out a call on Facebook for musicians to play at a one off charity night with him to raise money for the victims of sexual grooming and exploitation in South Yorkshire and shyly got in touch, offering the services of my then 14 year old bass playing son. He didn’t have much experience, not much more than a few gigs at school and so I fully expected to be politely turned down.
But I don’t think Big Shaun does turning people down, he has a big heart and a love of music and community and so he took my lad under his wing and welcomed him into the gang. Weeks of rehearsals followed, each one with me collecting Charlie from a room full of musicians apologising for any swear words they may have taught my lad that week, and then came the gig where they kicked arse and raised lots of money for a worthy cause. They also inspired my boy to have a love of old music, to realise that he could do this and to give his musical confidence a huge boost. And for that, I will always be truly grateful.
Photo by Timm Cleasby Photography
And so here comes the science bit, can you afford to buy this single for 99p and not only be raising money for great charities but getting this wonderful band to Christmas number 1?
If you are still in doubt, here are a few reasons why you should…
Ukuleles are flipping cool.
Raising money for Shelter and Age UK. Do it for the older people and those struggling with housing problems.
2016 has seen us lose so many musical geniuses, David Bowie would want you to buy this.
You could piss off Simon Cowell and keep another x factor conveyer belt, cookie cutter singer off the number one spot.
The video was shot with zero budget, these guys have no big marketing team and millions of pounds behind them, it’s just some Sheffielders doing what they love and playing tiiiiinnnnny guitars.
It will put a smile on your face, guaranteed.
All the cool kids are doing it.
Sheffield is basically the centre of the universe and it is only right that we host the xmas number one.
http://www.sobadass.me/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/664296_572642932828670_143415951_o.jpg8001200samhttp://www.sobadass.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/sobadasslogo.pngsam2016-12-19 19:51:442016-12-19 19:55:27Can we get this amazing song to Christmas number one?
Hey there big man, I thought I’d better jot down a quick note to say hi. It’s that time of year again so I know your inundated but here’s what I’d like for Christmas.
My first wish was going to be for me to have no surgeries in 2016, but this damn illness of mine has scuppered that already and I’m going in January for a biggie!
They’re removing my Jpouch and creating a permanent ostomy. Some people might wish for Barbies at chrimbo, me? I’m getting a Barbie Butt.
They’re going to remove everything and give me a new stoma, as well as sorting the other issues caused by all this illness.
It’s a long and complicated surgery, so Father Christmas, can I ask to come through it safely. I’m scared you see and I just want to know that I’ll be ok and come home to my babies.
It would be nice if I had no other operations next year too, if you can manage it.
I’d also like to ask for an easier time in general. This year has been tough, I’ve been ill a lot and I hate the pressure it puts in my husband and kids. They deserve a wife and mum who isn’t always ill, tired or in bed.
Whilst you’re at it, keep them healthy, happy and ridiculously weird. They’re my favourite people in the world and I want to see them smile more.
Please let this surgery work. I just want to be well and not exhausted. I don’t think it’s too much to ask at 34 if you could stop me crapping myself. I just want to be normal. Not too normal!! I just don’t want to be sick any more.
Better treatments and a cure would be good too! Crohn’s and Colitis UK are doing well but a little festive, magical boost wouldn’t go amiss!
Help me to deal with all the new year is bringing me. I know I’ve had an ostomy before but this is all so permanent and to be honest, I’m scared I’m not going to deal with it very well. A sprinkling of bravery from you would help.
Santa, please bring me the courage to keep speaking out. Give me the ability to help others who are struggling and be a beacon of confidence, weirdness and hope for those following my footsteps with shitty chronic illness. Help me to carry on being The Poo Lady with pride.
I may not have been all good this year, but fingers crossed, I am still on the nice list!
Sam xx
It is coming up to my favourite time of the year, I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! And so I thought I would pull together a few ideas for christmas gifts for friends or family with IBD, especially those with an ileostomy or a jpouch.
SPA TREATMENTS
I love a massage and adore a relaxation day in a spa, but with an ostomy there were a few alterations I needed to make. I could never feel comfortable laying on my front, the weight pressing on the bag made me nervous about leaks and the pressure on my stoma was uncomfortable. But there are tons of other treatments that would be great. Just be aware that some treatments require you to fill out medical forms before hand and may not offer treatments if surgery was recent. It is best to give them a call and chat with the therapist.
I would definitely recommend the Clumber Park Hotel and Spa, there are a variety of spa packages to all different budgets and the setting is gorgeous. I have been invited to spend the day at their spa and so look forward to giving you all a full review of the experience soon!
FOOD AND DRINK
A christmas hamper, bottle of fizz or box of chocolates are usually an easy gift, but it is worth considering that some people have to alter their diet quite a lot with IBD. Many people with an ostomy avoid nuts, some avoid carbonated drinks, some avoid dairy and some really struggle with fruit and veg.
It is such a minefield that it may be worth asking them first if there is anything they don’t eat or drink.
CLOTHES
If you are buying for someone with an ostomy, you need to be aware of waistbands, and unfortunately not all stomas are in the same place so it can be difficult to gauge. When people have asked me for advice I tend to go for the simplest option, so when asked which pyjamas to buy for a woman with a stoma, I suggested a nightie instead. For men I would go for a dressing gown and slippers.
Again everyone is so different, I didn’t mind wearing tight fitting clothes where you could see the outline of my bag, for others they may prefer something baggy and loose fitting.
GIFTS TO PASS THE TIME
For someone who is often ill and sometimes spends time either as an in patient or at many hospital appointments, items to pass the time can be a life saver. I bought myself a kobo e-reader last year and people bought me kobo vouchers so I could buy whichever books I wanted. It was fantastic to be able to have so many things to read on hand in a package that fit in my dressing gown pocket!
Other things could be a magazine subscription, my favourites are Psychologies (currently £22.85 for 12 months with a great free gift!) and National Geographic (currently just £19 for 12 months with a free fleece jacket)
App vouchers
Itunes vouchers
PAMPER TIME
For women I don’t think you can go wrong with some great beauty products, I ADORE L’Occitane hand creams, they are a bit of a luxury treat that always make me smile.
Lush also do some amazing ranges and I find the staff instore so helpful, go in and ask for help and advice. When I had my stoma I was very careful about using any bathing products or cream around the ostomy that could dry out or irritate the skin but found their products really lovely to use. Plus any gift given to me that is wrapped in a gorgeous scarf will always be a winner!
USEFUL GIFTS
I recently spoke to a reader by email who wanted to do something nice for a friend who was in hospital after having an ileostomy formed. She asked for advice on a gift and I suggested an IBD Hospital gift hamper including the following;
Eyemask and earplugs – Essential for getting any sleep in hospital!
Slippers – the ‘slip on’ kind as you don’t want anything that you need to bend down to put on
A home made voucher offering a cooked meal/house cleaning/babysitting/movie night – just to remind them you will be there when they get home.
FUNNY GIFTS
I would definitely laugh at a poo based joke gift. Only you know your friend/family member and so if you think they have a sense of humour about it all, what about something a little bit funny?
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I am an avid reader, I have always had a massive love for reading from a very early age and will read pretty much anything. I love modern fiction, horror, comedy, biographies, non fiction… I am not bookist!
And so I thought I would do a post about some books I am hoping Santa will bring me this year. Let me know your thoughts and also any books you have on your ‘to read’ list.
This looks AMAZING, she is an inspirational and outstanding woman and I can’t wait to get my hands on this one. She has led such an interesting life and this is the first time she has written a personal memoir. A living legend, I think this book will become a must have in the lives of British women.
I don’t have Sky TV and so missed the whole ‘Girls’ phenomenon, but Lena Dunham has been on my ‘bad ass woman’ radar for a while and so I am looking forward to reading her book on how to be an awesome modern woman. The book hit the headlines recently after she was accused of abusing her sister as she describes a memory of seeing her sibling’s vagina, I was impressed with how she dealt with the (ridiculous) criticism.
“I am not a sexpert, a psychologist, or a dietician. I am not a mother of three or the owner of a successful hosiery franchise. But I am a girl with a keen interest in having it all, and what follows are hopeful dispatches from the frontlines of that struggle.”
“Harry August is on his deathbed. Again. No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before.”
And with that sentence, I am hooked! The book was promoted by both the Richard and Judy book club and Radio 2 and it just sounds like the sort of great contemporary fiction that I like.
Richard Ayoade is possibly one of the coolest men in the world. I just read that back to check if I was exaggerating and I stand by it… A conversation with himself this book looks fantastic. Worth a buy just based on this AMAZING interview with Krishnan Guru Murthy.
I am not a massive Russell Brand fan, I liked his comedy a few years ago but his political shouting over the past year has at times seemed ill thought and attention seeking.
But obviously that has worked because despite my feelings I am still intrigued enough that I would like to have a read of his latest book!
“Russell Brand wants you to join the revolution… This book makes revolution not only possible, but inevitable and fun.”
“Imagine standing on a box in the middle of a busy city, dressed as a white-faced bride, and silently using your eyes to ask people for money. Or touring Europe in a punk cabaret band, and finding a place to sleep each night by reaching out to strangers on Twitter. For Amanda Palmer, actions like these have gone beyond satisfying her basic needs for food and shelter – they’ve taught her how to turn strangers into friends, build communities, and discover her own giving impulses. And because she had learned how to ask, she was able to go to the world to ask for the money to make a new album and tour with it, and to raise over a million dollars in a month. In The Art of Asking, Palmer expands upon her popular TED talk to reveal how ordinary people, those of us without thousands of Twitter followers and adoring fans, can use these same principles in our own lives.”
This just sounds awesome…
There we go folks, if anyone fancies buying me one or two (hint hint Timm… Or Santa), or just a big, fat Waterstones voucher, they would be gratefully received!
So what books are you hoping to find in your stocking on christmas morning?
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