The Benefits of Artificial Grass

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Grass is a beautiful feature to any garden; however it is also high maintenance and sensitive to changing weather conditions. This is why artificial grass is becoming such a popular choice for many homeowners, especially parents who don't have the time to mow! If you’d like a low-maintenance lawn that looks fantastic all year round, then artificial grass could be the answer!

Here we take a look at some of the many benefits of artificial grass….

How to Study Medicine at University

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The NHS has been a big part of our families lives. Caring for my sister and her premature twins, our fertility treatment and Mum's cancer treatments have all shaped and changed our family. Throw in fixing of breaks and sprains, hip and knee replacements, and our family has definitely had our share of NHS care and treatments!

What if you or your child decide to study medicine?

Summer Crafting Essentials

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With the summer holidays just around the corner, many parents are probably wondering how they’re going to keep their little ones entertained every day for six weeks. Of course, if the weather permits, summer is a great time to explore the great outdoors, visit the seaside and have picnics in the park.

Summer is also a good opportunity to get creative with the kids, especially on days when the sun lets us down. Here are some great tools you’ll need if you plan on exploring your artistic talents with your children this summer:

Understanding the Key Stage 4 Curriculum

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If you’re a parent, there have probably been many occasions where you’ve reflected on everything you’re supposed to know about your child’s education and its left you feeling quite overwhelmed. Maybe you and your little ones are getting ready for Reception like we were last year, or maybe they'll be prepping for SATS or GCSE's, either way it can be hard to know how to best support your child through the process. With a big step for your child's future being GCSE's, I have teamed up with a Sixth Form in Hertfordshire to help parents of Key Stage 4 aged students so that they can have a better understanding of the overall curriculum and how it works.

Tidy Stuff - Toy Car Storage

We've all got 'stuff'. Whether it be books, shoes, handbags, collectables or toys, a house can soon become cluttered. A good declutter is often the way to reduce down the stuff in your home but parting with things can be hard.

Personally, I'm a fan of the Marie Kondo method and if it hasn't got a use or doesn't 'spark joy' it goes either to be recycled, upcycled, donated or binned. But what about the stuff you're left with? How do we store it and where do we keep it?

Well, my tidy stuff posts provide the answers and we've already covered how to store bras, keeping the cupboard under the sink tidy and the best ways to clean and store Lego. Now it's time for toy cars! 

Toy cars provide our little boy with hours of fun but he has hundreds, mostly hand me downs from Daddy and they can easily be untidy! So, how do we keep toy cars tidy? Here's some ideas!

I've Launched An Etsy Store!!

We've had a lot going on recently and part of that is that I've been quietly working on a little side business. I'd been considering creating an Etsy store for a while and have had one in the past when I was making candles. 

My idea for a new Etsy store though was a little different and I wanted to provide cute and funny printables. Prints that I create but buyers can print at home. 

5 Father's Day Gift Ideas

I've already shared the personalised gift we've bought for the Daddy of our house, along with three craft ideas, but if you're still a little stuck as to what to get Daddy for Father's Day here's five gift ideas. 

3 Easy Crafts You Can Make For Father's Day

Father's Day is just around the corner! If you're on a budget or just looking for a handmade gift, here's three Father's Day crafts that you can make with the kids!

Starting with a special canvas.

June Giveaway!

It's a brand new month, so it's time for a new giveaway! I've picked this one specially for the Disney fans among you!

I recently discovered that 2019 brings a big anniversary for one of my favourite Disney movies! The Little Mermaid is celebrating 30 years since it's US release. Can you believe we had to wait a whole year for our favourite mermaid to swim over to us in the UK, as it wasn't released here until October the following year!!

The adventures of Ariel and her friends were a huge success all around the world and she remains to be a favourite princess for many. 

For a little celebration I'm giving away two books that tie-in to The Little Mermaid.

Reliving The 90s With The Spice Girls!

Flashback to the 90s..........the Spice Girls are the biggest band on the planet, we all have our favourite Backstreet Boy and mousse in our hair. Scrunchies are a big deal. The boys want to be David Beckham and we want to date him (a la Posh Spice). You might have even had a pair of platform trainers!!

Clueless is the biggest lighthearted movie of the decade and we all wanted Cher's rotating wardrobe! Quentin Tarantino delivers hit after hit, and then there's big action movies with Speed and the groundbreaking The Matrix. Se7en, well that scarred us all for life.

The whole country went football crazy during Euro 96 and football star Gary Lineker went from England squad to selling us our favourite crisps.

Being at comprehensive school during the 90s meant my time was spent with my best girls, making up dance routines, picking which Spice Girl I was going to be that day. I really, really wanted to be in a girl band! We wrote songs, picked band names and our line up changed regularly. Members mostly left when they discovered boys!! 

Flash forward to 2019 and the Spice Girls have returned for us once again and to celebrate they've teamed up with Walkers to find their greatest fans!

The Importance of Outdoor Learning

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Outdoor learning offers a variety of benefits to young children and it’s undeniably an essential part of their education. Most importantly, it teaches children that learning can happen both inside and outside of the classroom; there is something to learn in everything around us. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum actually insists on outdoor experiences on a daily basis. Taunton School explore the advantages of outdoor learning below. 

May Giveaway

I'm sure I say this most months but where does the time go? We've had a lot going on lately and all of a sudden it's half term, nearly the end of May and we're half way through the year!

Realising it's so late in the month I thought I'd skip May's giveaway, but then I spotted these cute little books from The Works. 

Personalised Father's Day Gifts With I Just Love It

Regular readers will know I love a good gift. Whether it be unique or thoughtful, I always put a lot of effort into my gift buying.

Big birthdays, Christmas, and since becoming parents, Mother's Day and Father's Day are a big deal for us. With Father's Day just around the corner I was keen to find something special for the Daddy of our house. So, when I Just Love It reached out to me I was excited to see what they have to offer. 

Created in 2008, I Just Love It offer a range of gifts with a personal touch for the special people in your life. Asked to pick an item from their Father's Day range I had a scout round their website and found the perfect gift for Father's Day! This personalised garden beer trug!

5 Ways To Show Appreciation To Your Child’s Teachers

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Teachers spend every day of their lives shaping the future of our young people. They work hard for their students to help them grow and develop by encouraging and influencing them throughout their education. With this in mind, it’s hugely important for students and their parents to show gratitude towards teachers so that they know how much they are appreciated. This is particularly important at the end of the academic year, when many students move into different tutor groups or even different schools altogether. I have teamed up with St Catherine’s School to prepare the following list of ways you can show teachers you appreciate them.

Dining Room Design Ideas

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Dining rooms can be a little tricky. Ideally, you want to have enough space for everyone to eat comfortably, maybe with space for extra guests, and in most cases child friendly. But when it comes to upgrading your dining room, where do you start?

How To Budget For A Day At The Disney Parks

We all know that going to Disney is expensive. Whether it be Disneyland Paris or Walt Disney World Florida a day in the parks can be expensive. A Casey's Corner hot dog here, a Mickey cookie there and the odd bit of cotton candy all add up. 

Picking The Best Broadband Deal For Your Family

Whether or not we’d like to admit it, the internet is a huge part of our lives. Breaking news, social media, gaming, shopping, so much of our lives are powered by getting online.

4 Signs Your Child Is Unhappy At School

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Life can be full of ups and downs; everyone can feel unhappy sometimes including our children. It can be extremely worrying when you are unsure how your children are feeling especially when they are away from you at nursery or school. 

Easy Ways We're Practicing Phonics

Starting school can be a big transition for children and learning to read and write is a big part of that. Many children find it easy to to get to grips with their new learning experience but lots find it hard.

5 Ways To Reduce Your Weekly Shopping Bill

The cost of your weekly shop can soon add up and we've cut down lots on our budget since I went self employed. In this post I'm sharing five ways you can reduce your weekly shopping bill.

19 Books For 2019 - Mumboss by Vicki Psarias

At the beginning of the year I made a promise to myself that over 2019 I would read 19 books. To be honest it hasn't exactly got off to the best start!

I've read one! But one is a start, right? 

Being unwell recently, along with a few nights away in the caravan, have forced me to put down my phone, sit down and enjoy a little read.

Clear Signs You Are Ready To Invest In Property

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As you all know I'm a bit addicted to the Rightmove scroll! Lately, though the reason for this has changed a little. Yes, I'd love to move to a bigger house but we've decided that if we do move it has to be THE move to the home of dreams. The reason that I continue to scroll is we are seriously considering buying a property to rent out. 

This will be what I deem a super grown-up move for us, but I already know from my previous employment within the housing sector that taking on an investment property is not something to be done lightly.

5 Ways I Manage My Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a strange illness. One day your fine and the next you're off your feet, hardly able to move. Bad days can vary from migraines to stiff joints, IBS to exhaustion, and it takes a while to get yourself feeling normal again.

Having suffered with Fibro for a couple of years, I have a couple of ways I help to manage the chronic pain and illness that it brings with it. 

The Breastfeeding Journey That Never Was

Breast is best. Fed is best. Bottles share the parenting load. Combo feeding is better in the long run.

When you're pregnant a lot of these statements are thrown around. Whether it be friends, family, your midwife or Barbara who lives down the road and you sometimes see in Tesco, everyone has an opinion on breastfeeding. Modern approaches, traditional methods, when I was pregnant with JJ I heard every single one of them!

But what if you want to breastfeed and you simply can't? 

Our Favourite Baby & Toddler Books

We love a good book and since JJ was a tiny tot he's loved being read to. Whether it be at home or nursery, out and about or at Granny's, he will often have a book with him. We even have a selection of his favourite books in our caravan for when we're away!

Like many kids though, JJ would get obssessed with a book and we would read it over and over for a week. This lead me to create our Book of the Week posts, where I shared our current obsession and there's some very random choices.

Woolsthorpe Manor

Regular readers will know that we love a good day out and many of our adventures come in the form of a trip to National Trust properties. We've been members of the National Trust since a trip to the Lake District a couple of years ago and we try and use our passes at least six times a year.

We are frequent visitors to Belton House and not far from there, and similar travel difference from home, is place we'd never been too, Woolsthorpe Manor. A new place seemed a great way to start our adventures for the year.

Set in a Lincolnshire village, Woolsthorpe Manor is a 17th century manor house and childhood home of Sir Issac Newton. 

Essentials For Crafting With Kids

So, you want to get more creative with the kids. Get the paints out. Turn toilet rolls into amazing things. Whether you're a seasoned crafter or someone that has never crafted before, either with or without the kids, there's a couple of things you may need to get you started!

April Giveaway!

It's a little late in the month but lets have a last minute giveaway shall we!

I've decided to go with an item that many of you can make use of! A voucher for one of the biggest online stores in the world, Amazon! 

Seaside Spotters

We Brits love to be beside the seaside! Whether it be winter or summer, a shock February heatwave or a late summer day, a little bit of good weather sees people flock to the beach and revel in the sunshine.

Lots of you love the sunshine and you love my spotting activities for the kids too, so lets combine the two!

So, can you spot.............


The beach

3 Budget Parent Dates For Under £20

Recently, Daddy and I have started to spend a little more one on one time together. Once a month he's taking a day off work and whilst Joseph's at school we go on a little day date together.

5 Free Things You Can Do With Kids

Having kids can be expensive, especially when you're keeping them entertained during the school holidays. Sometimes everything you look at seems to have gone up in price or got very expensive and I know from experience how it feels to sit scrolling through your phone at things to do with the kids only to realise you can't afford them.

So, here's 5 free things you can do with kids.

A trip to the park
Most kids love a trip to the park but if you're regulars at the local swings your kids might not feel all that excited. 

30 Minute Quiet Time Activities To Do With Your Child

So, you're kids are over excited about something, hyper after school, wired on sugar after a friends party, or maybe they simply want your attention, but they are loud and need to settle down.

Maybe you've had a long, tiring day and you'd like to have a few minutes of quiet time too, or maybe you just want to sit alongside your child, cuddle them and do something together.

Well, here's a few things you and your child can do together for a quiet 30 minutes.

Puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles are something I used to do a lot of as a child and our son also took a shine to them from a very young age. 

5 Budget Easter Activities

Easter and half term are here, or just around the corner dependent on where you live! Whether your little ones are always asking for snacks, need constant entertainment or you've got the additional childcare costs, half terms are expensive!

Easter Tray Bake

As a cake lover I always find a bake for most occasions! Last year's Easter creation was very yummy so I thought it was only right for another new one, and here it is!

Tidy Stuff - Bras

Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head. No, not coconuts! Boobs! If' you've got them the chances are you've got bras too, but whether they are big or small, bras can be a bit fiddly to keep tidy and organised. 

5 Things You Need To Know Before Going To Disney With Under 5's

So, you've planned, or you're planning, to go to Disney and you're taking your little ones on the most magical adventure.

I've already written about planning your trip, how to get the best interactions, what you need for a day in the parks and our favourite rides. I've even shared our first experience of taking a toddler, so with these posts and everything else you've read online you're probably all prepared.

The Dishes You Should Have Mastered By The Time You Turn 30

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Cooking is often seen as a basic life skill and something that we all need to learn, and it's not just for the enjoyment of food. Being able fill your tummy and nourish yourself is part of being what I call a proper grownup! Not being able to cook will cause you to rely on takeouts and convenience foods, which are usually filled with all the bad stuff and aren't good for you.

Ideally by the time you're an adulting adult of 30 you will have mastered some of the basics of cooking and enjoy it. You may have even mastered a couple of signature dishes that are your go to when cooking for friends or family. But if you're reading this and thinking I'm not quite up to that level yet don't worry! As long as you can master these dishes you are off to a good start in the kitchen!

3 Budget Ideas To Get Your Little One Involved In The Garden

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It’s March and following the equinox on the 20^th, many people now say it is officially spring! The nights are lighter, the days brighter and air a little warmer. I’ve even started to hang washing out on the line so it must be warm!!

For many, and if budget allows, we start to think about holidays, school breaks and enjoying the outdoors. This year things will be low budget for us and we plan to have some time away in our little old bargain caravan!

We also plan to have a lot of time out in the garden and hope to spend some time entertaining friends and having a tipple or two! Every year we say we are going to make use of our garden and keep it weed free and well maintained but we never do! Now, with a four year old to entertain we’re finally acting like proper grownups and have made an early start. As mentioned in my Prepare Your Winter Garden For Spring post, we’ve cleaned and spruced, jet washed and scrubbed, weeded and cutback and planted seeds and bulbs. We still have some maintenance to do and, if I can get it cheap enough, I’d like some comfortable garden furniture but we are almost there.

Getting Mother's Day Crafty With Stampin' Up

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Mother's Day is just around the corner and if you're the crafty kind that's lots to craft and make. With cards, scrapbooks or a piece of artwork by the kids, there's lots to try.

But if you're wanting to try something new and take your crafting up a notch, stamping is an easy route to take. My mother in law is a big stamper and card maker and has a room full of supplies and although I've scrapbooked with her before, I've never made cards.

With a gifted bundle from Stampin' Up I've been able to get creative and make some cute little cards for Mother's Day.

5 Things You Need To Battle The Chickenpox

Disclaimer - I'm just a mum trying her best and am in no shape or form a medical professional. If you're concerned about your child's health please seek professional medical advice.

It'll be no surprise to those of you that follow me on Instagram that my latest blog post is about chickenpox!!

Just over a week ago we spotted the first few spots on JJ as we started to get ready for his friend's birthday party. As the afternoon went on there were more and more and soon enough they were everywhere! We had a really scary experience with JJ a few months ago were his temperature was out of control and he was monitored through the night by a GP via the 111 service and was very nearly admitted to hospital. With this in mind I was keen to get things under control and keep him as well as possible.

Using advice from the NHS website and from those that had recently had it themselves or children had, we complied our essentials for battling chickenpox.

How To Get Your Home Ready For Spring

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Spring is here and it is at this time of year when we start to think about a big spring clean or making some home improvements.  

March Giveaway!

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

The team at Danilo have kindly gifted this month's prize, a Peppa Pig calendar from their My First Calendar range. 

My First Calendar

Gifted

Since starting school back in September, JJ has become a little obsessed with the days of the week. Is it P.E. today? Is it the weekend yet? What day is scooter day? But when is Friday? We seem to have the same conversations everyday about where we are in the week, and then there's the seasons! When is it summer? Is it warm enough for shorts? It goes on and on!

So, when I heard Danilo had created My First Calendar range to help little ones get to grips with the days of the week, months and seasons, I was extremely excited! Could this bring the end of the what day is it and what are we doing today questions?!!

RedKangaroo

Gifted Trip

Trampolining parks are quickly growing in popularity and are a great place for kids to burn off some energy! Having never had a trip to a trampoline park, we were excited when RedKangaroo invited us for a bounce at their Nottingham branch.

Tidy Stuff - 5 Ways To Store Lego

Lego is a wonderful creative toy. Kids can spend hours and hours playing and building amazing things, but lets be honest......it can be a nightmare to store and clean.

3 Tips for Personalising Your Home (So That It’s Not Just a Generic Living Space)

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'Home is where the heart is', as the old saying goes, but with many of us shopping in the same places, more and more of us are living in homes with similar interiors and our homes are become a little bit generic, rather than personalised environments which bear our own unique mark.