6 Facts About Fertility Everyone Should Know

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Regular readers will know that this blog first started as diary of our fertility struggle and I've recently decided to do more posts on the subject. Fertility is something lots of people struggle with and I'm a strong believe in being open about our journey and to stop the subject being taboo.

If you’re currently trying for a baby, or would like to start a family at some point in the future, you’ll find the following infographic particularly helpful. It contains six facts about fertility that have been compiled by a fertility clinic in London and may help you improve your chances of conception.

Here's Why Indonesia Should Be Your 2019 Travel Destination

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Are you still thinking of where to go for your big vacation this year? I'm sure that you've already got a few ideas whizzing around your head, but whittling it down to just the one could be proving difficult to do. 

Well, I could make things easier for you (or harder if you're indecisive!) and share a place that is proving to be really popular in 2019......Indonesia! It's the perfect spot to travel to if you want to experience the relaxation of a tropical beach getaway, but there are also lots of great activities and things to see and do! You certainly won't be bored!

Living DNA - The Results!!

Gifted

A few month's ago I reviewed the first part of the Living DNA ancestry testing. With the ability to breakdown ancestry to 80 worldwide regions, including 21 with the UK, Living DNA gives one of the most deep and accurate results around.

How To Help Your Child Learn A Foreign Language

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Learning a language can open up a whole new world for your children. But where should you start? Mill Hill School share their top tips on how you can help lay the foundations for your child’s foreign language learning success…



Start early

The earlier you introduce a second language, the easier it will be for your child to learn it later on. Start by introducing your chosen language to your child by learning a few words at a time.

As soon as your child starts to learn new words and begins to develop their vocabulary, start to point out to your child that food, animals and objects can all have two names. You can also use children’s music and television shows in a second language to encourage learning.

Use flashcards or labels

Using flashcard or labeling objects around your house is a quick and easy way to help your children learn the names of everyday items in another language. Simply purchase a pack of ready-made flashcards or make your own labels using sticky notes and a bold marker.

Reading the labels, whenever your child spots them around your home, will help them to store the names of the objects in their memory.

Online lessons and apps

There are many useful and often free online courses and apps that will allow your child to learn from the comfort of their own home. These resources can help to make learning a new language more fun and engaging for children by using interactive games.

These simple starting points will help to provide the essential language learning tools.

Learning languages doesn’t need to be a tiresome task. It is important to make the process fun and interesting for children. Try to incorporate language learning into your everyday lifestyle and use fun activities to increase attention and focus.

Mummy Snowy Owl
xx

Tidy Stuff - Trying To Achieve A Tidy Home

Whether you're kid free and working, managing a brood of little ones as a stay at home parent or doing something between the two, keeping a tidy home can be hard work.

When I was kid free and working full-time I always struggled to stay on top of laundry and ironing. Now, as a parent, it's keeping toys tidy and crumbs off the floor!

Boots Made For Memories

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Having fun means making memories, which often means exploring. We frolic through the trees quite often, and to do that, we need boots. They keep our feet warm, they're comfortable, and they provide support when we want to trollop through the leaves.

I always make sure I have a good pair of boots around for adventures such as these. Here are some of the tried and true styles that work for style, comfort, and use in all outdoor exploring weather.

Another February Giveaway!

As promised in the earlier giveaway post, this month there is a second giveway!!

This one is also book related but is for the grown-ups!! If you love books and TV, especially a good adaptation then these pair are for you.

February Giveaway!

This month's giveaway is a little late to the party but it's finally here! As Reading Week has taken place at our son's school this term and with World Book Day next month, I thought it was fit to have a book giveaway! Two of them!

The first is this selection of ten children's books! 

39 Ways To Make Money From Your Crafting Hobby

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Crafting is a great way of separating yourself from the day and letting your mind wander into something more creative. It’s also a fantastic way of making a little bit of extra cash here and there and if you don’t have time to run a full crafting business, you might be wondering how you can earn some extra money from your hobby. So, to help you out, here are some great way of making money from your crafting hobby.

Giving Conception The Best Start With Dr Fertility

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When I first started blogging 7 years ago it was all about our fertility struggle. It was an outlet for my emotions and a diary of our journey into eventual parenthood.

Becoming parents was a long road for us. Hospital referrals, two lap and dyes, endometriosis diagnosis, cauterisation, tube flush, repeated miscarriage and a round of Clomid, finally resulted in us having our wonderful, albeit a little feral and crazy, redheaded boy.

It was an incredibly hard 6 years of trying to conceive and at the time it was very lonely and isolating time, but when I began to be more open, I found others were too. The support of a select few then helped us through the darker days. Opening up the conversation helped both myself and others speak more freely about trying to conceive and the different struggles to do so.

Love Heart Cake

In our house there's a sweet treat for every occasion. Birthday? Let's bake a cake. Friends coming round? Let's bake a couple of dozen cookies. 

So, why not preheat the oven and bake a little V day treat like this one?

Getting Crafty With DesignBundles.net

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Many of you will know I love a bit of crafting! Most of my projects are aimed at children and are created from my years of experience as Brownie leader (aka Snowy Owl).

Just like when I create crafts and activities for my Brownies, a lot of the ones here on Mummy Snowy Owl are budget ones. Nobody wants to spend a lot of money on craft items that they may not use again. Many of us also don’t have the money to buy expensive craft materials or equipment that might only be used on a couple of projects.

Growing Your Business Via Email

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When I first started this blog it was all about fertility and our struggle to conceive. Then under the name of The Katie C Blog, it was an outlet for my emotions. The arrival of our son saw me moving things forward with posts on pregnancy and parenting. I then began to mix in craft ideas from my experience of being a Snowy Owl (Brownie leader) and Mummy Snowy Owl was born.
 

How We Potty Trained In A Week!

It's been a while since we potty trained, but after commenting on a couple of posts on social media about how long it took us and getting a lot of 'wow, that was so fast' and 'how did you do it', I thought I'd share our potty training experience with you.

Please don't mistake me for any kind of earth wonder mother or child psychologist though. Like many parents the thought of potty training filled me with dread and the thought of pee and poop on my carpet, furniture and me, made me feel a bit sick. As our little boy approached his third birthday though, it was time to get on with it!

Tidy Stuff - How To Wash Lego!

We love, love, love Lego!

Don't get me wrong walking on it isn't my favourite thing to do, but Lego is one one of out favourite toys. It gives the opportunity for creative play and a huge amount of imagination. Lots of play though can mean the Lego gets grubby. Sticky fingers, uncaught sneezes and crumbs can make it dirty but it's not all that easy to clean. 

Charity Spotlight - Calendar Boys & CALM

As January comes to a close it's time to share another good cause and charity with you. Although, it's a little late to be sharing January's Charity Spotlight it is certainly no lesser a good cause. It is in fact a very important one.

I recently came across the Calendar Boys on Twitter after a blogger friend retweeted one of their tweets, and because I'm nosy I headed over to their page to have a look. 

Calendar Boys are a group of men that met via a Slimming World Facebook group. Initially sharing ideas and support whilst on their weight loss journey, an ideal to do something for a great cause was formed. Later in the year the Calendar Boys will be releasing a 2020 calendar in aid of CALM.

Cherry & Apricot Cookies

We love a good cookie and they're one of my specialties! It's been a while since I've made a batch so I decided on a new recipe and this is the outcome.

How To Add Some Fun To Your Home Design

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If you want to do something a little different with your home, you might want to consider adding some fun to it. I realise this sounds a bit strange and you may be thinking 'how do I add fun to my home design?'! 

Well, it's much simpler than you think and this post is to help you step away from standard designs and go for fun ones!

Tinpo

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I don't know about any other parents but I get super excited when there's a new TV show in town. If, like Joseph, your little one watches the same shows on repeat a new bright and interesting kids TV show can act as light relief!

Tinpo is a brand new kids TV show for preschoolers, brought to you by the teams behind Thomas and Friends, and Nelly and Nora, so you know that it's going to be good!

New Year, New Home?

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So you've perfected the Rightmove scroll. You've filtered your search, set your radius, maybe even set up an alert for new properties, and then there it is! The home of your dreams! It's in the area that you want and at a price that you can afford, but your house isn't even on the market yet!

                                 

So, what do you need to do to get your home sale ready and ensure your prepared for moving house? 

Keeping Your Home Warm In Winter

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I recently posted about preparing for winter storms and as the temperature takes a dip it's time to think about keeping warm!

Colder weather can mean a chill in the house and our house used to be so draughty! But after we were part of a sustainable living project we began to think about how we could stay warm and keep out the cold, and now I'm going to share a few tips to help you too!

Preparing Your Winter Garden For The Spring

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Every year I plan to make a super early start on our garden so it's full of blooms come spring, but I'm always a little late to the planting party! This year though I'm keen to stick to my plan and have blooms in my garden come Easter! 

3 Little Tips For Buying A New Mattress!

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A bad night's sleep can ruin a day. Whether you're employed, a stay at home parent or a mix of both, having a bad night's sleep can leave you not able to function properly and a bit grumpy!

A bad night's sleep can happen for a number of reasons. Newborn babies, well any children for that matter, can play their part, as can noisy neighbours or the snoring of your other half. For many of us though, and myself included, it's simply because you can't get comfortable, but what's the reason?

If you can't get comfy the chances are it's time to think about buying a new mattress. 

19 Books For 2019!

I love books and when I was younger I was a keen reader but as I've got older I've found that I barely read. Distracted by the TV or busy scrolling social media I rarely pick up a book, but do you know what I buy a lot of or ask for every birthday or Christmas?

BOOKS!!

5 Tips To Help You Prepare For Winter Storms

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Believe it or not we're currently half way through winter! If last year is anything to go by though the end of February and the arrival of March will bring cold, snow and a winter that rolls into spring.

3 Sleep & Productivity Tips For Busy Mothers

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Being productive and getting a good sleep can be a challenge when you’re running a tight ship. While you may have the perfect plan in place and try to schedule everything to get the hours of sleep you need, you never know when an emergency can pop up and throw a wrench in your plans. 

There are some things that you can do as a mother to help you improve your sleep quality and be more productive too!

Popcorn Shed

Gifted

National Popcorn Day is approaching and we're big fans of popcorn! 

We regularly have a family movie night and popcorn is always one of the treats we have. Daddy and Joseph like sweet and salted, but I prefer the toffee kind so we often have a variety.

When I heard about all the different flavours that Popcorn Shed had created we were all keen to give them a try and there was definitely lots of ooooooosss when the gifted box of popcorn arrived!

January Giveaway!

January's giveaway is here and this time its a selection of Deep Freeze goodies.

Designed for muscle and joint pain, sprains and strains, Deep Freeze provides pain relief combined with cold therapy.

There's Nothing Wrong With A New Year's Resolution

So, it's a brand new year and lots of people see this time as a chance for change. Whether it be to eat healthier, exercise regularly, read more or spend less, it can be the fresh start that many of us want or need.

Goodbye December...........and 2018!!!

Wow! December, Christmas and New Year have been and gone! Whisked by in a blink of an eye! So, it's time to say goodbye to December.

Just like everyone else December was a busy month for us but following the very busy, and somewhat stressful, October and November I just about managed to stay on top of things. Steadily getting organised and prepping for Christmas since the summer definitely paid off, especially when it came to the cost!

With family parties, time with friends and the all in important visit to Santa, we found ourselves with something to do every weekend.

What To Do With Unwanted Christmas Gifts

Christmas has gone and we've rolled into a brand new year. Maybe you're back at work, maybe you've taken your tree down or maybe your still plodding along in a festive bubble! Either way it's time to start getting things back to normal.

Put away decorations, eat the last of the chocolates and tidy away presents, but what if you've got some unwanted gifts? Items that aren't to your taste, are the wrong size or something you have already?

Simple Ways To Upgrade Your Home

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When it comes to renovating your home you may think it's something that needs to be delayed and saved up for but the good news is that not all renovations have to cost a lot of money.

Of course there are bigger things that definitely will cost more but if you're simply looking to give your home a bit of a refreshing and want to change things up a bit it doesn't have to cost a lot. As long as you budget and approach it in the right way there are simple things you can do that will make a massive impact. 

5 Things To Make With Turkey Leftovers!

Christmas is over and you're probably full to the brim with food but if like us you've got leftovers in the fridge this post is to give you a few ideas on how to use up the last few slices of turkey!

Last Minute Christmas Checklist!!!

Christmas is now just days away and I've already posted about keeping calm and this is to help that! 

A little list to make sure you've ticked off the important parts, timers and reminders to set and what we need to forget! So here we go........

Gifts

Is everything wrapped and ready? If not do you have the time to get them done? Consider getting gift bags as alternatives or place straight into sacks for the kids. Hubs and I do this for Joseph and each other it saves so much time on wrapping but also means less mess on Christmas morning! 

Keep Calm! It's Christmas!

Christmas is less than a week away. The shops are busier and the queues longer. 

Portable North Pole

App gifted for review purposes.

As parents we tend to use Santa Claus as a behavioural tool on the run up to Christmas. Santa cam has been in effect and live for longer than I'd like to admit in our house!

Joseph has been working hard on his behaviour and has already received a Nice List certificate from Lapland Mailroom, but as the excitement grows there's been some silliness, so we've want to give him a little nudge in the right direction, whilst keeping the Christmas magic alive!

This is where the Portable North Pole comes in! 

Charity Spotlight - Women's Aid

For many of us Christmas is a time for happiness, fun and laughter but sadly this isn't the case for everyone. For those suffering domestic abuse Christmas can be a time of fear, manipulation and violence. A time where their experiences can worsen even more.

Christmas is one of the busiest times for charities like Women's Aid.

Christmas Gift Guide - A Gift For The Cat!

Item gifted for review purposes.

Christmas is just around the corner and in the hustle and bustle of getting everything ready getting a gift for the furry members of the family might slip your mind! Especially if they're a cat as they tend to only make you aware that they're around if they want something!

The latest gift to the guide is for our feline friends.

Messy Jam Tarts

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Jam tarts are a traditional treat, which plenty of us sample around Christmas time! As I've brought you an alternative to mince pies with my Christmas Star Bites, I thought I'd do an alternative to jam tarts by jazzing up the recipe a little!

Christmas Gift Guide - Dressing Up Outfit

Item gifted for review purposes.

After a few days off the gift guide is back!

This gift is for the kids that love fancy dress, creative play and most of all dinosaurs!!

Goodbye November!

How are we in December already!!! I can't believe it's time to look back on November! 

At the start of the month we enjoyed the last few days of Joseph's first half term! It was great to have some family time together and with Daddy at home we paid a visit to Cadbury World and the new visitors centre at Sherwood Forest!

December Giveaway!

It's a brand new month so it's time for a shiny new giveaway!!!

This one will close a little early than usual as I hope to get the prize out to the winner ready for the start of the new year! The reason for this is that this month's prize is a good one to start the year with and to help get you organised!

This month's giveaway is for this Harry Potter Collectors Box Set by Danilo!

How To Fight For Your Family

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As a parent you will always want to fight for your family so that they can lead the best possible life. Life though can be difficult and challenging which means that sometimes a parent needs to be there to help and there are many situations where this is required. Additionally, a good parent will know when to let a child fight their own battles and provide them with the skills that they need in order to do this effectively and well. Knowing how to do this as a parent is tricky but read on for a few tips on how you can fight for your family and help them to succeed in all walks of life.

Making Your Home Eco-Friendly: How To Transform Your Old Appliances

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It’s a great thing that the world is becoming more eco-aware. With the news of just how much plastic is suffocating our oceans and how our carbon emissions are putting the world at risk (with London reaching its whole year’s quota for air toxins in under one month this year!) everyone is starting to take pride in defending our planet. 

Brie & Cranberry Sharing Bread

Christmas is full of food, parties and time with family but if you're super busy there's not always the time to create tasty and amazing food from scratch.

This brie and cranberry bread is something that is easy to make, great to share and most importantly of all is yummy!!

Christmas Gift Guide - Family Board Game (5+)

Item gifted for review purposes.

Welcome back to my Christmas gift guide, where I'm sharing lots of ideas for your Christmas shopping list!

This latest item is another great board game and this one can be enjoyed by the younger members of the family with an age guideline of 5+.

Sherwood Forest

Growing up and living in Nottingham, Robin Hood is a legend I've grown up with. Movies, TV shows, and at one time a visitor centre in the city centre, keep the tale alive.

Unfortunately the visitor centre, The Tales of Robin Hood, closed a few years ago and with Nottingham Castle closed for a huge refurbishment you'll need to head a little further for Nottingham's history at the moment.

Around an hours drive north of the city centre sits the world famous Sherwood Forest. Made famous by Robin Hood and his Merry Men, Sherwood Forest is home to one of the oldest trees in the world, the Major Oak, along with ancient woodland that can be dated back to the Ice Age.

Christmas Gift Guide - For The Organised Family

Item gifted for review purposes.

The next gift in my Christmas gift guide is for the organised family or the the family that needs to get organised!!!

Things like calendars and diaries are always really useful gifts and they can go from plain to very fancy. For the best character themed and licensed I always look in the direction of Danilo. I was lucky enough to get a Disney calendar in my BlogOn goody bag and I love it!

They have a huge range available, with diaries and calendars for Disney and Marvel fans, gamers, movie lovers and more! We got a peak at the Peppa Pig calendar for kids, the Mary Poppins diary, the Rick and Morty cube and the amazing Harry Potter set!

Christmas Star Bites

Well, it's been a while since I've done a bake and as the festive feeling is spreading over my blog lets create some festive bakes too!

As always I've done this as cheap as possible and for a couple of pounds the results are yummy!