A new season will soon be upon us. Our thoughts turn to how to make it a good one and fully embrace the change. As the cooler air moves in, it does feel like it is time to switch things up a little. So today we are sharing 3 new things to try this autumn.

Learning something new 

This is always fun to do and learning new things keeps us on our toes. You might fancy trying out a new exercise class, perhaps taking up a new fitness regime. Or perhaps you have been meaning to get around to taking a photography course and now is finally the right time. Learning new things can lead to new opportunities and also new friendships and connections. It also feels good to tick something off your bucket list.  

There are plenty of benefits of learning new skills, from boosting your self esteem to revitalising your creativity. As well as the fact that you have acquired a new skill and who knows where that might lead you? 

Products around the home

After spending weeks outside during the warmer summer months. We do start to move into hibernation mode as autumn draws in. We spend so much more time indoors as the darker evenings creep up on us. We want to stay all cosy and warm. As we are spending more time inside, it seems like a good time to try a few new products around the home.You might want to get a snuggly feeling going by buying a few candles, lamps and throws. It can be fun to refresh some of your home decor like this and get in a few new things for the season. 

You might want to get practical things that make your home more efficient such as smart meters or zonal heating through a WiFi Heater, as you know that your energy usage is now going to increase. 

Maybe a dryer is on the cards for you as you try to figure out how you are going to get through your piles of washing now that the weather has turned.  Perhaps you are dreaming of warm stews and hearty casseroles so plan to invest in a slow cooker and have fun experimenting with some slow cooker recipes. 

Autumn style

It is time to start moving into your warmer clothes, so perhaps it is time to add a few new pieces to your wardrobe. Take an hour or two to go through your wardrobe and throw anything that you haven’t worn for a while or that you just know you will not wear again. When you have finished decluttering it, you can see more clearly any items that you might benefit from adding.

You could add in some chunky knits, knee-length boots, warm coats and pinafores. Go for autumnal colours and pieces that make you feel good about yourself. 

Whilst you are refreshing your wardrobe, book yourself in for a haircut, and colour if you fancy it. Go for something new and it will give you an extra boost. You will be rocking it along with those new clothes.

What do you do when it comes to autumn?

Charlotte xx

Playing a team sport has plenty of benefits for children. It helps them to develop all sorts of positive behaviour, such as teamwork and camaraderie. As well as opening them up to some healthy competitiveness and increasing their levels of fitness. However, it is also important to be aware that the sports club that you choose for your little one makes them feel and safe and comfortable.  The wrong one can put them off sport for life. Here are a few tips to help you choose a sports club that will have a positive impact on your child:

Are they safe?

Children’s sports clubs have a duty of care. It is important that you check out their policies and fully understand them. If there is something that worries you or you are not sure about, ask. There should always be someone with first aid training on site at all times. It is also essential that any adults, particularly if they are being left alone with any children, to have the appropriate DBS checks in place as they would if they worked in a school. Also, try to get a sense of how they are with parents – are they happy for parents to come along to spectate or help out? If not, this may be a red flag to watch out for. 

The costs

It is important to make sure that the club is not out of your budget. Some sports can incur high costs, and the last thing that you want to do when your child settles into a team is have to pull them out because you can’t afford it. Make sure that you check out membership costs, the cost of uniforms. For example, a custom netball team kit if they choose to play netball. Transport to and from matches and games and any specialist equipment that they need. 

The rewards

This wholly depends on your child. If they are super competitive, a sports club that focuses entirely on competitions and winning is great. However, if your child is not competitive – and many are not – or just wants to play for fun or fitness, it is important that you choose the right club. Look for ones that offer a sense of inclusivity, whatever the level of ability and fair selection procedures to make sure that all children are getting a chance. 

Affiliation and Accreditation

Most sports have some sort of governing body. It is essential to make sure that the club that you choose is affiliated with the relevant sports authorities. This will also guarantee that in the event of your child being injured while in their care. They are covered by the correct form of insurance. The coaches should be certified as well, and as we mentioned above, there should always be a trained first aider on site. 

By following these tips, and making sure that you choose a sport that your child genuinely shows an interest in, you will hopefully foster a life long love of sport and fitness. 

I used to love playing sport as a child did you?

Charlotte xx

Autumn is going to be here before we know it. Gone are those nights where it is too warm to sleep and hours spent in the garden reading a book. As much as I love the long summers evenings autumn always holds a place in my heart. There is something which I just love about been super cosy. For sure it is something which I am looking forward to. Today I am going to be sharing some of our favourite things to do to keep kids entertained on rainy days.

Time4Sleep, a bed and furniture company (who sell some really nice stuff by the way) is holding an event on August 29th in Leeds to try and build the biggest ever blanket fort and break the current world record. To help set the scene, Time4Sleep have challenged parenting bloggers and their little ones to build their own forts at home. They sent us a kit of everything we needed to build a blanket fort.

Building a blanket fort is something which Jess loves to do when the weather is pants. She actually calls it a den. I think that she loves building a fort so much because it is something to hide in when the weather is pants. Usually we spend the majority of the day in the fort. They are super simple to build and the whole family can get involved. We usually use the sofa to make it extra comfortable.

We used two single fitted sheets which we attached to some brushes we used the handle. We used some pegs as well to make sure that it was all secure we do not want the blanket fort to collapse. As you can see we used some of the very bright duvets sets. Of course, you want to have some colour on a really dull day. We even used some pillow cases in order to make part of the den a secret hideaway. Of course, you can decorate your fort however,you want next time we build one we are going to use fairy lights. We did not do that this time as it was not as dull.

Some of favourite things to do in the den is play games. Who does not love playing board games on a rainy day. Jess is now at the stage where she has a bit of a longer attention span. One of the games which she loves playing is UNO. This game can take a long time so of course, you want to be comfortable in your fort. We also sometimes play guess who which is another game Jess is getting into. Of course, you can play which ever game you and your children love.

Watching films in the blanket fort is another thing which you could do. As you can see from the picture we always have blankets on hand. Been comfy and warm is something which I love so of course, we always have some to hand. With streaming services such as Netflix it means you do not have to hunt for the DVD’s. You can just stick on a film straight to your TV.  I know on a recent rainy day when Jess was home she watched Toy Story in the fort. Popcorn and sweets are great when you are having a cosy day in watching movies.

You could also bake this is one of the best things which me and Jess do. We both love to create tasty treats when the weather is rubbish. Of course, you can eat your goods when you have finished. For sure I know this is something which we will be doing more when the weather turns. You could have the treats while you are actually in the blanket fort or den which you may have built. They usually go down so well with a cuppa and also with a film.

Reading books is another thing which Jess loves to do so much. She has a whole range of different books on her bookshelves. On rainy days when she is not bothered about going out she will often come down and ask to read stories. We have managed to get a number of books for her preloved from charity shops including some of the Disney classics. Then this also helps her know who is who when she is watching some of the films. I am so glad that Jess is a little book worm.

What do you do to keep your kids entertained when the weather is not great?

Charlotte xx

As ‘Back To School Season’ fast approaches. Many parents minds are beginning to fill with dread regarding the stress that’s heading their way. Getting out of the holiday routine is as tough for parents as it is for children, yet there are several things you can do to make it easier for everyone involved. However, tackling the school run doesn’t have to be as chaotic as it so commonly is. There are many different things you can do in order to prepare yourself sufficiently and encounter no bumps of any kind along the way. If your nerves are starting to build and you want to find out how you can make the experience a positive for both you and your children, then read on to discover more!

Prepare The Essentials The Night Before 

One of the best things that you can do to reduce the risks of stress and chaos is to prepare the essentials the night before. Dashing around the house in order to arrive at school on time only to forget some of the most important things your children must take with them is not a situation you should encounter when you take some time in the evening to get a few items ready. Make a packed lunch, help your little ones to get their bag ready with the right books and lay out a clean uniform that can be thrown on in super fast time in the morning. This way, you can have peace of mind that you will not forget any essentials, nor will you lose time trying to gather everything together, meaning you can have a relaxed breakfast together with your family before the day begins. 

Get The Right Equipment For The Job

Attempting the school run without the right equipment for the job is near enough impossible. If it’s close enough to walk, then invest in some kind of bicycle or scooter that your little ones can speed down the path on to keep up with your pace whilst getting the chance to move a bit more, and consider purchasing a baby carrier that attaches to the front of your body to avoid having to push an unpractical pram when you must take younger children along with you. If you have to take the car to school, ensure that you visit some Jaguar dealers to purchase a safe vehicle that’s large enough to contain suitable children’s car seats to keep them secure throughout their journey. Teach your little ones the importance of car and road safety, such as putting on your seat belt and not distracting Mum or Dad whilst they are driving, and to always look both ways before crossing the street when they leave the vehicle. 

Hopefully this guide can teach you the basics of back to school preparation to help you and your children stay calm when the holidays come to an end. Get ready the evening before to avoid rushing the next morning, and invest in the best equipment to ensure your little ones can have fun and stay safe.

How are you going to get read for back to school?

Charlotte xx

Periods are something which affect a most women. For some women they barely feel their periods however, there is a lot of women who struggle every single month. Since having Jess period pain is something which I have struggled with more. This has seen me have to use a number of methods which have helped reduced the pain which I occur because of periods. Today I am going to share with you some of the tips to help reduce the amount of pain. Hopefully this will help some of you who may not have used some of these methods.

Keep Hydrated

This is something which I seem to neglect a lot. You need to be able to keep hydrated as of course, you are losing fluids. You need to make sure that you can drink between 6 to 8 glasses of water. I try and make sure that I always have water as close to me as possible. Of course, this is going to make sure that you are less bloated this is problem which can occur to me when it is time of the month.

Reduce Caffeine intake

If you reduce the amount of caffeine it can help reduce period pains. Of course, caffeine is in chocolate as well as tea and coffee. I have found this to be one which is a little bit effect for me. I do not completely cut it out but if I am in a lot of pain I do try and take less coffee. This could just be psychological however, it is something which does work for me.

Painkillers

You may want to have painkillers to hand this is something which I have to do. Make sure that you do not take too many of them because you need the safe amount. Tablets such as ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This will help reduce the pain because of course period pain is caused as a result of uterine contractions. In some cases you may want to visit the doctors to be able to get stronger painkillers such as Naproxen if you really suffer.

Heat

Applying a heating pad, heat wrap, or hot water bottle this can work wonders for reducing period pains. This is because heat helps muscles relax. I can often be found with a hot water bottle on my stomach. Usually this is something which I have to do at night. Sometimes a hot shower can help. Make sure that you do not use too much heat because you do not want to boil. Sometimes I can find myself getting too warm in the night if I apply too much heat.

Exercise

This is something which most of us want to avoid when period pain hit. Exercise releases endorphins which make you feel better. I am not saying that you should go all out and do a hard session however, a light amount of exercise may be ideal. Something such as going for a brisk walk or a jog. Stretching can also help so much something like Yoga I can imagine is amazing for this. Light exercise may reduce period pains which means you do not need to curl in a ball as often. Of course, listening to your own body and not over doing it is important.

Massage

I am unsure if this is one which applies to people who do not get period pains in their back. I find there to be nothing better than a back massage. I usually demand Joe to give me one of those because it does seem to help reduce the pain. Massage does actually increase blood flow. Of course, you could use oils however, this is something which I usually opt against. Usually this is because I want a massage when we are going to bed.

Sleep

Of course, sleep is something which we all love and usually want more of. Going to bed at the same time and getting adequate sleep can help your overall health and mood. If you feel better about yourself a bit more human this is going to help you cope with the pain.  I try and sleep as much as possible when I am suffering because for me it doesn’t hurt as much when I am asleep.  If I am trying to cut down on the amount of caffeine I am drinking sleep is something for sure I should get more of.

Baths

Of course, these are going to help soothe muscle cramps. It is the hot water which helps soothe the muscles cramps. You can use your favourite bubble bath if this is going to help make you feel better. I like to use some Lush products in order to reduce my pain. Of course when you are struggling with pain self care is as important if not more so.

What do you do to help reduce period pains?

It’s something that every parent finds themselves thinking about when they struggle to get to sleep: how safe are your children in your home? Statistically, the home is where something is most likely to happen, so you need to make sure that you are doing absolutely everything you can to keep your children as safe as possible there as you can. There is actually plenty involved in the process of trying to keep your children safe at home, and the more aware you are of these, the more likely it is that you can keep your kids as safe as you would hope. In this article, we are going to look at some of the most important aspects of this, so you can make sure that you are going to absolutely keep your children safe at home.

Install A Security System

If you want to try and keep your children as safe as possible, one of the ways in which you will need to do that is by installing a security system in the home. You might not feel that you really need this, but if you live somewhere where you are at particular risk from break-ins then it might be something that you want to consider doing. After all, having a security system installed will be a huge deterrent in the first place, especially if you have a home CCTV installation done and there are visible cameras on the property. For that reason, this is something that you will definitely find helps you to have peace of mind with regard to how safe your children are, and it is, therefore, the kind of thing you should think about doing.

Get Childproofing

The act of childproofing is something that is likely to be very important, as it ensures that your home is actually set up in such a way that your children are not going to be harmed accidentally in the ways that can often happen in the home. You can never take the risk absolutely zero, but you can bring it down to a very low number. Before you even ever bring your child home, you should make sure that you have childproofed the home as best as you can. Things, like locking low cupboard doors and keeping certain products out of reach, are hugely important here, as is avoiding any sharp objects and so on. Childproofing in this way is going to really make a huge difference.

Teach Them About Safety

To a certain extent, once your kids start getting older they need to take responsibility for their own safety. But they can only do this well if they are taught how to and what it means, so that is something that you are going to have to think about too. Doing whatever you can to teach your children about safety is definitely going to help, so make sure that you are doing so from as young an age as possible. That will definitely mean that they are going to be much safer in the home at all times.

How do you keep your home safe for your kids?

Charlotte x

When you become a new parent, you realise how difficult it is to do anything with children. You used only to have to grab your purse and hop in the car when you wanted to go out shopping, but when you have kids in tow, it takes hours to get everyone ready. Cleaning the house is another one of those things that gets much harder with little ones. However, that doesn’t mean that you should succumb to a life of mess. Here are five tricks for keeping a spotless house with kids. 

1. Have A Cleaning Routine

When you know where you’re headed and what you’re doing, you’ll be able to clean your house much quicker. You also eliminate the risk of you forgetting to tackle a certain chore or two. For this reason, you should write a list of every household chore that you ever do. With that, you can then designate tasks for specific days. This will allow you to knock things out in small bites.  I know a lot of people do team TOMM when it comes to cleaning. 

2. Share Out The Chores

Make sure that you don’t take on too many responsibilities for yourself. Even if you’re the only adult in the house, you can delegate chores to your children. The little ones could tidy their toys away, while the older ones wash up, for example. You might also want to consider hiring a cleaner or gardener to lend a hand. Trying to do it all will only make it harder to do anything. 

3. Automate What You Can

There are some chores you simply don’t need a living, breathing human to do. From vacuuming to washing up, you can rely on technology to do these jobs instead. Although dishwashers and other appliances can cost a pretty penny, you can’t put a price on convenience. If you simply don’t have the time to get everything done, then stop trying to and automate the tasks instead. 

4. Keep Cleaning Supplies Close

When you have a few moments to spare, there is no reason why you can’t use them to get some cleaning done. You could clean the toilet while your kids are in the bath, for instance, or dust the kitchen while you cook dinner. To make this much easier, you should assemble cleaning stations all over the house. Just a caddy with a rag, sponge, cleaner, and wipes should do the trick. 

5. Clear Out Any Clutter

The more cluttered your home is, the harder you’ll find it to keep it clean. With that in mind, you should take a few days to clear out all of the unwanted junk from your home. Pick a room to start in and then slowly work your way around the entire house. Any belongings that are broken should be thrown away, but the stuff in good condition could be donated to charity or sold online. 

Although it might seem too good to be true, it is possible to keep your house spotless, even with kids running around. Hopefully, with the advice above, you’ll find this much easier to do from now on. This is something which I am trying however, of course, this is not always possible.

What do you do to keep a clean and spotless home with children?

Charlotte xx

Much has been written online about the need to reduce wedding traditions.  To go down your own path, and to find something that is completely, uniquely yours. It’s not hard to see why. That sounds tremendous, and for the right people, it can be a blessing. But should we focus on only this? It can feel that in an attempt to be unique and different in our wedding advice, we can easily disparage traditions and those who enjoy them. But why? Why should this be the case?

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with breaking tradition. In fact, if you feel the same way – feel free to do it! This posts geared towards those who would quite like to follow some traditions, not only because they provide a fantastic template, but because they simply wish to. You shouldn’t feel bad for doing so in the least. After all, traditions come forward for many reasons. Of course, perhaps a dowry or other olden customs are likely not to be represented here, but whatever tradition means to you, it could be a great means forward.

It Provides The Template – You Focus On What Matters

It’s easy to think of a traditional wedding as something that is stifling in its decision-making process, but that’s not the case. Sure, you might decide to get married in a religious institution of your choice, or you might wish to simply do it somewhere else. But a traditional template is not limiting so much as it is guiding. You are still able to change certain matters, or perhaps focus on those expected things.  More closely now that the format has already been decided. For example, you might decide to pay closer attention to DIY wedding invites instead of worrying about if people can make it to a unique venue.  Or the catering will be easier to organize in an actual place designed for this rather than an exterior environment. A traditional wedding can actually save you plenty of headaches or worries about going overboard.  As you know the formula, you know the schedule, and you can them focus on the trimmings.

Every Can Appreciate It

You and your partner might be into some very interesting, oddball activities. For example, you might enjoy free climbing or bungie jumping twice a week. You might wish to skydive or enjoy extreme sports. You might have a fascination with the goth or alternative aesthetic. All of this is great – diversity in interest and expression can only be a good thing! But it might be that your family does not share in these interests that deeply, and so might struggle to enjoy the wedding as much as you can. Now, a hard question comes up here. Should you get married in a form that you enjoy, or that your family enjoys? Often, a compromise can be made. But instead of being overtly selfless or selfish, it can be nice to think of what would make the day more enjoyable. Perhaps you’re happy to rescind your decision to speak your vows while in mid-flight skydive. So that your grandparents can see the event up close, too. After all, it’s not always that you get married, and often the people you share it with can mean more than the unique content of a few minutes. 

On top of that, think of the costs of wedding attendance for those involved. For example, it could be that your plan to get married on a greek beach means hundreds of pounds worth of expenses for your family to simply attend.  As you’ll be not be paying for every ticket. Issues like this can lead a wedding to become quite exclusionary.

Costs & Payments

On top of that, this can save plenty of worrisome arguments should one or both of your parents/in laws be paying for some of the wedding. For example, your parents might be happy to pay for the catering of the wedding as a gift to you and your partner. But if you wish to opt for an exotic catering affair in a strange location, this generosity might dry up quite quickly. Being given a friendly donation for your wedding doesn’t necessarily mean you can use it carte blanche. When money is concerned, emotions can become fickle. Sometimes, a traditional wedding can help subvert that. It’s not the only reason to opt for a traditional wedding of course, and should never be. But it can be one among many.

Of course, you are free to opt for whatever wedding you want. But if you’re on the verge of deciding from going all out or enjoying a traditional ceremony. I hope this article can help you become a little more textured in your reasoning – no matter what you end up going with.

How did you decide what you was going to do for your wedding?

Charlotte x