Encouraging your kids to have good spending habits

AD Road safety? Check. Stranger danger? Check. Healthy eating? Check. Why we brush our teeth? Check. The importance of good spending habits which you can apply later in life? Erm…. maybe not. It’s not an easy subject to tackle with younger children… in fact, most adults find the prospect of money management relentlessly dull. And not all of us have been lucky enough to have money or investments put aside for us by our parents or family members – click here to find out more about investments and the latest trends – so life itself tends to be a bit of learning curve when it comes to our finances. With this in mind, we’ve come up with some super simple ways you can teach your children about the importance of good spending habits, without boring them (and yourself) in the process!

Valentine’s Day Heart Face Craft with a toddler

If you’re looking for a last minute Valentine’s Day craft to make with your preschooler, carry on reading! This craft is quick, easy and very versatile. You can make of it what you will, as I’ll go on to demonstrate. Even better, this Valentine’s heart is made from things I just had laying around in the house. I didn’t have to make any special trips to the shop for craft supplies! 

Why I’ve banned my toddler from Masha and the Bear

Before having a child, I always thought I’d only let my child watch CBeebies, with a limited amount of screen time per week. Whilst she’s not watching TV all the time, my daughter does watch more than the pre-parent me thought she would. I think most of us are the same, it’s a way of helping us to get all the things we need to get done completed. However, are we paying close enough attention to what they watch? One programme she likes, Masha and the Bear, has recently been banned by me as I believe it has been having a negative effect on her.

Review: Dinner at Côte Brasserie, Maidstone

On winter nights like these, there’s often nothing I want to do more than sit somewhere cosy and eat some delicious, comforting food. I was recently invited to Côte Brasserie in Maidstone and asked my husband to come with me for a rare child-free evening out (thanks Mum and Dad!) There is something romantic and a little luxurious about French cuisine, perfect for a cold evening. It provided me the opportunity to dress up, although it certainly isn’t a necessity! Fortunately, given the heels I’d chosen, it was only a 5 minute walk from the three nearest car parks. Stepping inside, I was excited to see what Côte Brasserie would be like as I’d never been to any of the restaurants in the chain before.

5 simple ways to refresh your bedroom over a weekend

After the bright dazzling lights of the Christmas season, after the tree and decorations have all been put away for another year, and the miserable weather (hopefully) starts to brighten up again, your bedroom might be looking a little tired.

Stuffy, cramped, messy and cluttered – all these things stop our bedrooms from being the relaxing and calming retreats we need to unwind after a busy day at work or running around after the kids. So, with that in mind, how can you quickly transform and refresh your bedroom with as little disruption as possible? Well, check out these 5 simple ways to refresh your bedroom over a weekend!

Are ghosts real?

Do you believe in ghosts? A 2013 poll indicated that around 52% of people in the UK do. I wasn’t surprised by this percentage. Around half of people I’ve spoken to about ghosts believe in them and half don’t. I used to fall in the latter group. However, a few years ago something happened which left me not quite so sure.

Frugi SS19 Summer of Scillyness!

Yesterday, I had the privilege of being invited to the Frugi SS19 press launch in London. Many of you will know that I am a huge fan of Frugi, their soft organic cotton and bright, fun designs! The upcoming collection is inspired by the Isles of Scilly, which lay 28 miles off of the Cornish coast. Think bright colours, seashells, puffins and ice cream! As is standard for Frugi, these designs will appeal just as much to the children wearing them as the adults buying them.

Celebrating my 27th Birthday in Brighton

Happy New Year! It feels a little late to say it now, but I’ve only returned to blogging this week after Christmas. As it was my birthday on New Year’s Day and the first week of January is often quiet, I decided to take it off. If you’re interested, my first post of the new year was about how you can help wild birds this winter, which was published on Monday. I wasn’t sure if I was going to write a post about it. However, I had such a lovely time celebrating my birthday in Brighton that I wanted to relive it by writing about it here!