Think Before You Buy

This is a collaborative post with Kent County Council

Think before you buy, this was a phrase I was told often when my husband and I were looking to purchase our first house, I can't believe that it was almost two years ago. Although it feels like we've lived in this house forever, I still remember the process that led to us finally becoming homeowners and I won't lie it wasn't stress free and of course as I'm sure many of you will know when you move in there is so much to do. From simple decorating, to repairs and even renovating and the task of finding the right people to do these jobs is a tricky one.

More Sleep For Better Learning?

Experts have been known to say that a lack of sleep can cause a lot of problems for children this can include poor academic performance. As a mum to four children I would tend to agree with this. My kids are less likely to want to get on with any school work if they are tired from perhaps simply a poor nights sleep or going to bed late. So does more sleep mean better learning?

My youngest daughter has always been my hardest child shall we say, she's certainly different from her siblings, including sleeping at night time. This one has always had a tendency to wake up in the night, a lot of the time ending up in bed with me and with her due to start school in September I can't help but worry how this will affect her learning. She'll be one of the youngest in her class with a late July birthday and she hasn't got the best concentration span as it is.

Driving, Not As Easy As You'd Think

I got my provisional driving licence way back when I turned 16 years old, that's nearly 14 years ago, don't go trying to work out my age now will you!! Well it took me until 2011 to actually start taking driving lesson, lets just say life got in the way.

Turns out my little brother and I decided to start learning to drive at around the same time so we were in competition with each other as to who could pass first and how many attempts it would take us. The not so little pip squeek beat me, managing to pass first time.

The Importance of Summer Holidays

The Summer holidays is a time that divide peoples opinions. Some think that they are too long and that both kids and parents become bored very quickly. Others, like myself look forward to them, we find them necessary. I find myself on count down for the Summer holidays as soon as my children go back to school in September.

There are a few reasons why I feel this long period away from school benefits both child and parent :

* Studying/learning from long periods of time can lead to boredom, kids not concentrating as hard. This last term for my girls was 8 weeks long, it seemed to really drag and now we are nearing the end my kids attitude towards school and work has really changed, they've gone from enthusiastic to can't be bothered. I think this shows that a break is needed, in a sense it gives them time to miss what they've been doing.

* A long break from school gives our minds time to refresh, to recuperate. I mean our body needs time to recover when it exercises so surely our brains should be given the same option. Learning is tough at times, especially when you struggle in a certain subject, so really the Summer holidays are just giving us time as a family at home to settle down and destress together.

The Best of British Bingo

I have to be honest, I always saw Bingo as something that old people went and played. No offence to anyone it's just I imagined lots of elderly women, like my nan, all sitting around listening (or at least trying to listen) to the numbers being called out. You know the classics like, "two fat ladies, 88".

My opinion happened to change when a couple of my friends admitted to attending bingo with their dobbers in hand and not just girl friends but friends of the male variety too, that's right ladies and gents bingo is not gender specific I'll have you know!! It seems this is the new place to be when it comes to socialising.

Losing Weight Means New Clothes Needed

Since January I have lost almost a stone in weight, go me!! The issue with losing weight is that new clothes are needed, the old clothes don't fit anymore, they either fall down or are so baggy that they make me look bigger than what I am.

Now every girl loves an excuse to buy new outfits right? However this of course comes at a price. This means I am always on the look out for a bargain.

I tend to do a mix of online and high street shopping.

When on the laptop my first port of call is eBay, I have no issue with wearing second hand clothes and lets be honest you can end up with some fab items for a quarter of their normal price. I'm one of those people that waits for the last few seconds and manages to get a steal. It's about the only time that I get crowned a winner!!

One of my latest purchases was this amazing jumper, it's from Forever 21 but it cost me a small £4.20 including postage. #winning

Saving Money After Christmas

I don't know about you but I have the Christmas blues and so does my bank balance apparently. I love giving and receiving presents but it would be nice if we didn't have to spend money on anything else over the festive period, a nice month off from paying bills.

It has been particularly hard for me this year as we moved into our new house in the middle of December so the bills have already started to pile up.You know those dreaded brown envelopes that come in the post, the ones that want to take all your hard earned money, yep those pesky things.

And I'm sure you've noticed the prices of household utilities seem to go up year on year but I don't feel like I'm getting anything extra for the money that I'm paying.

A survey conducted by Santander recently actually revealed some quite shocking results when it comes to paying household bills. Just take a look at the infographic below :

What to check for when buying a car

Car safety is important whether you are driving by yourself or if you have your family in the car with you so whether you are buying a new car or a used car there are a number of things that you should check before you complete the deal to make sure it is safe for everyone. 

Buying a new car

* If you are collecting your new car or you are having it delivered it is important to be able to inspect it in daylight if at all possible. If you are unable to do so and it is dark or wet then you should record that on the sales invoice stating that you have not been able to carry out a complete inspection. 

* When you do inspect the car check all the body panels, bumpers and windows and ask if the car has been repaired. You might be surprised to know that many new cars get damaged in transport and have to be repaired. If you don’t ask you will never know. 

Sharing Flora's Potato and Herb Bake Recipe

There is nothing better than settling down with a big plate of comfort food on a rubbish weather day. I normally opt for a good stew or cheesy beans on toast but I when I spotted Flora's recipe for potato and herb bake, I just had to have a go at making it, so I thought it was only fair that I share the recipe with all of you.

Staying Healthy and Happy

As a child I never had to consider my diet and what I ate. Even as I progressed to adulthood, I always thought I was relatively healthy, even with the odd few chocolate bars and bottles of cherry coke I'd manage to consume.

If I'm honest I probably would have gone through life without worrying, I mean I didn't consider myself to be fat and I've been lucky that I haven't suffered from any serious illnesses.

This way of thinking changed when my dad had a heart attack around three years ago.

Shocked would be an understatement. It was one of those moments that you never thought you'd experience, I mean bad things happen to other people right? The initial phone call had me in tears but nothing could prepare me for seeing him lying there in that hospital bed.

Teething Over Time

Teething is one of those things that I think us as parents dread.

Noone wants to see their child in pain and I think we can totally sympathise with them, I mean wisdom teeth, one word, ouch!!

Knowing how to soothe our little ones can be tricky and I know my methods have changed with each child, it has always been a case of trial and error.

I was extremely lucky with my eldest child, I honestly never knew she was teething until she bit me one day.

This however lulled me into a false sense of security because when my 2nd child began the cutting her first teeth, boy did I know about it.

There were a lot of tell tell signs, excessive dribbling, red cheeks, constant chewing of hands.

Those were the days when I relied on Calpol, Bonjela and teething powders.

Keeping Cool in the Office: Top Five Work Outfits

When the sun is beating down on the windows at work, and the air con is trying its hardest to cut through the heat to keep you cool, the last thing that you want to be dressed in is something synthetic, knitted and oversized. Naturally, the type of work that you are in will dictate the sort of clothing that you’re allowed to wear; some industries have a particular uniform available, while some give you the chance to dress in what you like. However, if you have to dress in business attire and you need to look professional at all times, there are still ways in which you can keep cool during the hotter months. 

Here are five gorgeous work outfit ideas that will not only adhere to the business-like dress code, but will also keep you as cool as a cucumber. 

A Shift Dress 

Work dresses are available in various shapes, sizes and colours and the choice you make will depend largely on your individual style. While you may have to wear a tailored suit – in which case, lose the jacket as soon as you can – you may also be able to have a little more personal style by wearing various dress types during your working days. There are plenty of work dresses at George which are great value, including shift dresses that are elegant, stylish and above all, cool. 

Capped Sleeves 

Team a knee length skirt with a shirt with capped sleeves and you will automatically feel cooler than you would in a full sleeve blouse. Choose a blouse in a contemporary pattern to add a little uniqueness to this sophisticated outfit. 

Is Now The Time To Save Money

Each of my children has a bog standard saving account set up. All family members put money into them at various times of the year. We are hoping this will be a nice little nest egg for them when they turn eighteen. Whether it be money for driving lessons, deposit for a house, a new car, it is just nice to think that they won't have to struggle to pay for everything like my husband and I have in the past.

Now the silly thing is, is that we have these accounts set up for the kids but we don't have a savings account set up for ourselves, I think purely because we never seemed to have money spare at the end of each month to put aside.

Over the years our budgeting has got better and with my husband now in a better paid job we have recently started looking into opening up an ISA.

I don't know if you lot know but on the 1st of July this year, ISAs became known as new ISAs, NISA.

In simple terms, essentially they are still the same thing, tax free of tax effiecient accounts for your savings of investments. They are a way of increasing your returns by paying little or no tax.

I'm not clued up when it comes to money so I wasn't sure what the differences were between an ISA and a NISA?

Time to Dust Off The Bike

So far this year I have been extremely rubbish when it comes to losing weight and getting fit, this is why I didn't set a new years resolution as such because I knew I would end up failing. However I did set the goal to learn to love myself and I think I would like myself a lot more if I was just a tad fitter.

One thing that a lot of people have recommended to me to try is cycling, apparently you can burn up to 600 calories in an hour doing it, so I can see why people like using cycling as a form of exercise. The trouble is, is that I have never been super confident when it comes to cycling, falling of my bike one too many times when I was younger definitely knocked my confidence.

You may remember reading a post of mine that I wrote a while back when I talked about my eldest daughter wanting to learn to ride a bike and the safety elements involved when it comes to cycling. And of course being safe doesn't just apply to children, it applies to adults too.

What If I Was Rich??

I'm sure I'm not the only one who sits there and dreams about what it would be like to have lots of money. Every week I play the lottery, I'm not one of these people that picks the same numbers every week, I opt for the lucky dip option but so far when I've been waiting for those lottery results, the "lucky" part of the dip hasn't worked for me.

I often think about I would buy if I was rich, the things on my list aren't really that extravagant but they would provide a comfortable and happy life for my family.

1. House

I've always imagined my perfect house. 6 bedrooms, one for me and Daddy Hazelden to share, one for each of the girls and a spare room that I would change into a play room. I have always wanted a kitchen big enough to have an island in the middle, a place where everyone can "hang out" whilst I cook and top of my list would have to be a large garden, plenty of outdoor space for the kids to run around and of course there needs to be room for a large trampoline!!! I guess overall I want a real family home where everyone feels welcome.

2. Trip to Disney World

My family and I love going on holiday together. Our most recent trip to Ibiza was the best yet. However both my husband and I would love to be able to take our daughter's to Disney World, I mean come on who doesn't love Disney. My own dad always promised me when I was younger and it never happened so I would to make my own dream come true as well making my own kids extremely happy.

3. A Car For Me

With Daddy Hazelden working away a lot, it means he needs the car but sadly we can't afford to run two cars, this leaves me having to rely on other people to take me places when needed. I personally hate driving the car that we have, we need a big car to fit all of us in but I feel overwhelmed by it. I just want a little run around and it would be even better if it was purple!!!

How to Make Car Journeys Entertaining For Children

During the Christmas period a lot of you may have come across the challenge of how to keep your children occupied throughout a long car journey. I myself have problems sometimes keeping my kids entertained however there are ways to keep them busy. Here are 5 top tips :

Take different snacks for your little ones to eat.

Always think about what type of snacks you are providing them with though. Fruits and things like chunks of cheese are always good as I think it is a good idea to avoid any sugar rushes. I find water and squash are always better than fizzy drinks too. Another good way to keep those little hands busy is to give them their own snack boxes and drink bottles.

Think about a few games that they will enjoy.

Of course there are many different car games to choose from and many of them will be well known to you as I'm sure like me, you played them as a child too. My favourites have to be I-spy and spot the red car. Another good choice is the grocery game, this is a memory game where the objective for the players is to memorise what they want to buy at the supermarket. 

Sing along to music or read a story

I've always found a good distraction for my children is either putting the radio on or popping in their favourite CD and singing loud and proud, of course you can have a good wiggle in your seat too. Another great alternative is putting on an audiobook.  If your children are older, they may want to listen to something on theur own MP3 player.

Cycling Safely

As our children grow there are always new skills that they are beginning to develop such as learning to walk, learning to talk or even learning to read.

Recently my eldest daughter has started to show an interest in learning to ride a bike, now this is something that I am leaving up to Daddy Hazelden because I myself even though I can ride a bike, I've never been confident doing it. And the trouble is I know the lack of my own confidence mixed in with worrying about Elise won't help her.

I was recently reading an article from Bolt Burden Kemp, they had produced a cycling safety survey, asking 1000 children about certain aspects of cycling and just how much they really knew. It made for an interesting read and gave me a good idea as a parent of just what I should be teaching my child and how I can best prevent any accidents from occuring.

Just take a look at some of their findings below :

It was surprising to see just how many children answered yes to riding without a helmet and how many said they used some sort of device whilst our cycling too.

I think the trouble is as our children get older it becomes harder to inforce things especially when they are out of sight. I am hoping that my girls will be sensible enough to know to keep their helmets on and keep their eyes on the road!!

Are your children keen cyclists, do you have any tips on how to keep our kids safe when out on their bikes???

xxxx

*This is a sponsored post*

Half Term Viewing

It is that time again, kids are all off school for half term week. With the weather taking a turn for the worst, I've been having trouble trying to find things to keep the kids occupied and out of trouble.

I thought the best way to come up with ideas was to ask the girls what they would like to do.

The answers I got started to formed quite a list :

* Go to the park.

* Bake cakes.

* Go to the library

* Have a sleep over at nannie's house.

* Go to the cinema.

* Go swimming

* Go somewhere for dinner.

Well yesterday we got off to a bad start because I woke up with a sickness bug, so we didn't manage to tick anything off the list, it ended up being a lazy day snuggled up under blankets watching TV.

Today we have been to the library for the morning and we will be baking with Nannie this afternoon and we could possibly persuade Nannie to let have a sleepover later. However I'm already thinking ahead though, trying to organise the rest of our week in advance.

We all love films so a trip to the o2 cinema could be in order seen as Daddy Hazelden is working near there at the moment, it would be a great excuse to see him too.
The question is what to watch? I really like the look of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, the older two are voting for Turbo and my 3 year old wants to watch Smurfs 2, again!!!

What are all of you up to during half term week? Do you have any more suggestions which we can add to our list of things to do??

xxxx

*This is a sponsored post*