If there ever comes a time when you look around and wish you were anywhere but here, yet family/finances/mortgage/jobs/relationships/every excuse under the sun mean that you’ve long since given up living the dream, then STOP what you’re doing. And think again. It’s never to late to climb Mount Everest, set up a donkey sanctuary or, in the case of Melissa Talago, compete in the first leg of the Clipper Round the World Race by sailing from the UK to Brazil.

I recently saw Melissa’s tweets (little messages posted on Twitter by @melissatalago) looking for items that she could use in an online auction to help raise funds for her expedition. Intrigued by the 140 characters, I decided to check out her website http://www.moretolifethanlaundry.com and was thrilled by what I read. As well as being a mum of two young boys, Melissa has her own business and of course has to find time for all those things that I’m sure most of us hate: domestic chores. Yet despite what she describes as “insurmountable obstacles”, Melissa has been determined to do something for herself and on seeing an ad in the Sunday Times back in January, applied to be a crew member.

An undertaking of this nature requires a huge amount of dedication and a fair amount of funding. One of the ways Melissa hopes to raise finance is by an online auction which finishes this Sunday, July 26th at 10pm. There is a fantastic range of items which can be bid on, including our gorgeous hooded cardigans from Green Eyed Monster. The cardigans are made in Peru by artisans using a fairly-traded luxury alpaca blend, on handlooms to create a beautifully soft garment that doesn’t irritate baby skin. Suitable for little ones between 1 and 2 years old, the cardigans come in either blue or lilac and you can bid on one at the online auction and hopefully be a happy winner!

I have complete admiration for Melissa and know that she’s going to have an amazing adventure. We’re nearly all guilty of putting everything else first and ourselves last, so I hope that by reading about her plans, more of you are motivated to follow your dreams and do something life-changing!