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Category: Family and Lifestyle

  5. Outdoor activities I enjoyed as a child, that my kids will too

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    Technology always moves so fast and it’s crazy to think when I was a child there were no iPads, no iPhones, not even a computer!  Yep, you might be thinking I’m ancient by now, but I’m only 32.  I didn’t have a laptop or the internet until I was in my twenties!  We never had one at home when I was growing up and it was all kind of a new thing.  Even my senior school had only just started putting in computer rooms and most of us were like ‘why would we need to use a computer?’ Ha!

    My children are already whizzes on the iPads at ages five and two.  It’s quite crazy, but also a sign of the times as no doubt it’s going to be imperative for most to know how to work them.  I’m sure they’re going to take over our lives even more in the future, which we’re already beginning to see with the likes of voice-activated home hubs like Alexa.

    There’s also a lot of negativity around children using technology so much.  We sometimes depend on it a little too much to entertain our children.  After all it’s an amazing way to keep them entertained and calm them if they’re being crazy!  We still encourage our children to get outdoors as much as possible.  It’s important to keep in touch with nature and for the children to invent their own games as well as keep active in the fresh air.

    Outdoor activities don’t seem to have changed too much since I was a youngster.  There are those crazy hover board things, which don’t actually hover, but that’s all I’ve really noticed that’s any different.  It’s still kind of a skateboard, just with a few additions!  I wonder if technology will ever catch up and take over outdoor play with some crazy inventions, or perhaps the good old fashioned ways to play outdoors will always remain.

    Here are outdoor activities I enjoyed as a child and my children will too:

  13. 5 options to keep fit as a parent (whatever your circumstances)

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    It’s no surprise that becoming a parent takes up a lot of time and doesn’t provide the flexibility you once had to partake in exercise.  However, it’s a common misconception that parents are too busy to exercise or don’t have the time.  It’s entirely possible for anyone, whatever their circumstances, to squeeze 10-15 minutes of exercise into each day as a bare minimum.  Plus this can easily be done with the children if need be and there are plenty of affordable options, some are even free.

    Here are 5 ways you can keep fit (and squeeze it in around the children):

  16. 7 ways I’ve got healthier in 7 years

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    Being healthy is one of the most important things to me.  Becoming pregnant with my daughter six and a half years ago really inspired my healthy journey once and for all.  Before this I was always sort of healthy, or so I thought.  I’d get my five a day, so that was healthy right?  I’d regularly eat vegetables and salad, so that was healthy too right?  I’d go for runs, they were healthy, yes?  Only thing was I’d usually head to the pub after the run and have a couple of pints of cider and black, a few cigarettes and a 99p chicken burger on the way home.  Nice.  Nowadays I can’t believe I used to do that!  I probably undid all the goodness I was giving myself as I was equally as bad with naughty snacks, way too much sugar, smoking and regular drinking, including binge drinking at the weekends.

    Over the past few years I’ve become more and more healthy and I feel impossibly better for it.  I never get sick and if I do it’s perhaps once every couple of years for a day or two.  I no longer get a winter cough or cold which I was guaranteed before.  My skin is clearer and softer than it’s ever been.  I feel lighter and cleaner.  I rarely have any medical complaints.  I truly believe what we do to our bodies both inside and out really effects our health and mental wellbeing, much more than most of us realise.

    Here are 7 ways I ramped up my healthy lifestyle:

  22. 5 fun ways to keep fit with a little one

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    There seems to be a common complaint amongst parents that they don’t have enough time for exercise once they have children.  While that may be true to a certain extent and we parents can no longer partake in the long after work gym sessions we enjoyed before children, we just need to be inventive and realise ways we can exercise with our children instead.  Here are some fun ways you can keep fit with your young kids.

  30. [Blog Giveaway] Summer Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

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    Planning a summer birthday party for your kids can be a fun and exciting experience. With the right ideas and activities, you can create an event that your kids will never forget. From outdoor games to creative decorations, there are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to planning the perfect summer birthday party for your little ones. With these ideas, you’ll be able to make sure that your kids have a blast on their special day!

  36. A midwife’s guide to understanding newborn cries

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    Newborns communicate through cries, and understanding them is an important part of parenting. Cries can tell us if a baby is hungry, tired, or in pain. They can also tell us if a baby needs to be cuddled or just wants some attention. Knowing how to interpret these cries can help parents respond quickly and accurately to their newborn’s needs. With the right knowledge and understanding of newborn cries, parents can create a more peaceful home for their little one.  Here is our experience with our baby's crying and an explanation from a midwife to understand different baby crys.

  48. 5 tips to get a better night’s sleep naturally *

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    Did you know you spend up to 25 years of your life sleeping?  That’s like a whole quarter of your life if you live to 100 or even more if not.  Crazy right?  I had no idea we spent so much time sleeping.  In fact, I had no idea about half the things in this video which highlights how important it is to get a good night’s sleep in the right position.

    Read on to discover my top tips for getting a great night’s sleep.

  60. Cooking with a four year old: veggie spaghetti chilli

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    Four year olds absolutely love helping around the house and as parents we should take advantage of this before they are teenagers who don't want to help with a thing!  Encouraging your child to help with food preparation can instill a love of cooking and healthy eating from a young age.  There are lots of simple recipes a four year old can help with.  For chopping and slicing, buy a Kiddy Kutter child safe knife - these saw the food, but are unable to cut a child.

    We recently cooked a vegetarian chilli together and I'll share the recipe with you here.

  73. Top 100 Baby Names 2016 – Are your names there?

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    Baby Centre has released the top 100 baby names for both girls and boys and I’ve been having a nosey.  I don’t know why, but I find names fascinating.  It’s always an interesting conversation to have, to discover why people chose their children’s names, or even how they got their own name!

    Here’s how my little family ranks in the 2016 charts:

  83. TOTSUP | Big Red Bus Reward Chart

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    We were kindly sent a TOTSUP ‘Big Red Bus Reward Chart’ to review with our daughter Bella.  Bella is almost four and has been going through a ‘threenager’ stage for a good few months now!  We thought it was easing at one point, then she seemed to get a million times worse!  She’s not a naughty child, but learning right from wrong, asserting independence and pushing boundaries like any normal three year old.  It can certainly be frustrating as a parent and there are days when no amount of pleading or bribes of treats will work!  There are also days when Bella doesn’t seem to care if I raise my voice, get upset or angry.  She’ll just carry on doing the exact opposite of what I’ve said.  Grrr!

    We had tried rewards charts, but with little success.  She’d be rather excited by them for a day or so, but would quickly revert to the unwanted behaviour and not seem bothered by the promise of a reward.  We’d only tried printable charts with star stickers and they were pretty boring, resembling a worksheet rather than something fun and interacting.  I was unsure whether the bus would be any different to the charts we had already tried, but the reviews were very impressive and it looked so much more fun than a bog standard sticker reward chart.

    Would Bella be convinced?

  93. 3 Interesting things to do when you’re bored

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    Boredom is something that we enjoy sometimes and dislike other times.  Luckily I’m always so busy nowadays I rarely have the pleasure of being bored.  I saw a blogger mention they were bored the other day and had one hour to kill. ‘What can I do?’ they asked.  Why not do something interesting with your spare time?

    Here are 3 interesting things that you can do which will not only banish the beast of boredom, but you will enjoy doing them!

  94. Braces at 30 – another dentist appointment!

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    Just a quick update as I want to document my entire 'braces at 30' journey from start to finish.  Yet again I had to go to my dentist as they were concerned that my orthodontist was not leaving enough time between the dentist removing two baby teeth and the orthodontist fitting my brace.

    Read on to see what happened when I had to visit the dentist for them to check my baby teeth before they removed them.  Totally pointless if you ask me!

    But then again, I'd better get used to having a LOT of appointments now I'm going ahead with train track braces and cosmetic dentistry,  It's going to be a journey for sure!

  96. A sneak peek at our garden 'wedfest' wedding!

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    Ben and I tied the knot in August this year (2015) and I've meant to devote a whole blog post to the event for a while now.  I'll share a snippet so you get a feel of the day and perhaps some inspiration from some of the ideas we had for our Wedfest.   We did a DIY backyard wedding in our garden.  It was low cost, so budget-friendly, and perfect for those who don't like the idea of a traditional wedding day.  Read on as I share how we planned our outdoor wedfest for lots of DIY backyard wedding ideas on a budget!