Get More Out Of Your Garden! *

Posted on 7:27am Friday 30th Sep 2016

Your garden doesn’t need to be just a pretty view out of your window. If you’re lucky enough to have outdoor space- take advantage! There are lots of ways you can utilize your gardens, and allow them to become an extension of your home, rather than just be wasted space.

Grow Your Own Produce

One great way to put your garden to work is by growing your own produce. It’s a fun, worthwhile hobby to have. You’ll save money, and will know exactly where your food has come from. No dodgy pesticides or thousands of air miles! Plus, growing your own is incredibly satisfying. You could excavate an area in the garden to use as a vegetable patch. You could plant some fruit trees, or grow herbs in pots and containers.

Keep Chickens

As well as having access to your own freshly grown food, why not take it a step further and have fresh eggs each day too? Chickens are relatively easy to take care of, and as well as making great feathered friends you’re also rewarded with fresh eggs. You could buy a chicken coop or make it a DIY project to work on if you’re handy kind of person. The good thing about chickens is they don’t need masses of space, so could be something to consider even if you only have a medium sized yard.

Credit: Pexels

Build a Garden Room

You need more rooms in your house, but have plenty of space outside. It’s a no-brainer- have a garden room built! Our needs can change over time. A house that was perfect a few years ago can quickly feel cramped and small if your family has grown, or you’ve started to work from home. A fully insulated garden room can be ideal in all weathers. You don’t usually need planning permission and they’re cheaper than building an extension. All in all, a win-win. Choosing the right materials will help the room look best in its surroundings. Plus, encircling it with gorgeous plants and flowers will help it look ‘at one’ with the garden. If you’re not sure, you could consider contacting a couple of landscaping companies for advice.

Set Up The Perfect Seating Area

Without a proper seating area, chances are your garden is going to waste. Investing in some good garden furniture encourages you to move from inside to the garden. A table with a parasol, chairs, a garden swing and even added extras such as a fire pit out on the patio will make the garden much more inviting to spend time in.

Get Cooking

To accompany your seating area, adding a place to cook will again encourage you to spend time outside. You could build a pizza oven or a barbeque which would be perfect for hosting parties. If you were looking to go all out, you could even have a full outdoor kitchen installed!

Do you put your garden to good use, or is it wasted space for most of the year?

I Can’t Even Eat Omelette!

Posted on 1:25pm Thursday 29th Sep 2016

6 month brace update & bottom brace fitting

Oh my goodness. I’ve just tried to eat what I thought would be an easy lunch of cheese omelette with a drink of banana and strawberry smoothie. The smoothie went down just fine, but the omelette was difficult. Uh oh. I think I’ve possibly had it quite lucky with my top brace and now the fun will begin!

I’d been pretty much eating most things with just my top brace. I couldn’t bite into apples, carrots, etc, but I could still even eat these chopped up. I’d been eating certain meals (like treat night pizza) with a knife and fork to make it easier and more manageable. The only thing I really hadn’t been eating which I used to love was wraps and fajitas. I think the wrap would mush all over the brace and as my top bite has moved forward so far away from my bottom teeth, biting things off with my teeth has been quite tricky. But, if there’s a knife and fork to hand, I can eat it. Or I could until today!

This morning I had my bottom brace fitted. Exciting! BUT I also had biting blocks fitted. These are the issue!

The biting blocks look like blue tac – yep they’re blue. They are on my top back teeth and are the same (or similar) material to a temporary filling. At the moment they are sticking out to stop my teeth from biting together. Eventually they’ll wear down and away. But for now, the purpose is to stop me biting my teeth together. This will enable my teeth to move as my top canines are currently getting stuck on my bottom canines meaning they’re not moving any more. One of the top brackets was also catching on a bottom bracket so it will stop this until my bottom bite is corrected.

So basically I now can’t bite ANY of my teeth together! I can just bite the weird feeling biting blocks onto one lower back tooth on each side. So all I have for chewing at the moment is two weird biting block feeling things on two back teeth. I attempted an omelette just now thinking it would be easy, but it was quite tricky! Really hard to only chew on one tooth on each side and I kept biting my cheek – ouch! This is certainly going to take some getting used to and I fear a liquid diet is going to be on the cards for a while.

The exciting thing is my teeth should now move even quicker. The orthodontist said the good thing is the teeth are no longer obstructed in any way so can get a move on!

Aside from these block things, the fitting went well. I’m now a fully fledged brace face. Top and bottom! The fitting was fine, no more than half hour. I can feel the spikey brace against the inside of my mouth, but hopefully my mouth will quickly adjust and give the brace room. My top brace only took a week or so of getting used to, so I hope this will be quick too. I have wax on hand for any sores and it’s good to know what to expect this time. My teeth have been feeling quite itchy since! It’s a strange sensation and makes me want to bite my teeth really hard together – but I can’t because of the blocks!!! There’s no pain though and maybe there won’t be, as with the top brace it hurt when I bit my teeth together, but I can’t currently do this!

It could all be a different story in a few days once things have settled, so if there’s anything worth writing about I’ll update again. I have another two appointments before the end of this year, so my bottom teeth could really be in position and the gap start to be closed before the year is out! That’s exciting.

Options For The Christmas Break - The Easy, The Difficult, And The Almost Impossible! *

Posted on 3:48pm Tuesday 27th Sep 2016

When you’ve got children that are still enchanted by the magic of Christmas, then few short weeks leading up to the big day can be tough. And it’s not all about the toys! Many kids have already started to ask for the big Christmas experience. Meeting Santa, travelling to Lapland, and eating lots of chocolate yule log. Then there’s the advent calendar, the twelve-foot tree, and all the lights that will illuminate the planet from your own home.

When the kids finish school, there will only be a few days before the 25th to worry about. But by then, parents need to be ready. Try to get everything prepared and purchased in advance. You’re less likely to have to battle your way through the mayhem of last minute shoppers. And the kids are less likely to become over-excited by all the last minute promotions the stores will put on!

An easy Christmas for some would involve very little of the hard work that inevitably occurs for us mums. If you work, you may already be having to book up your Christmas parties for the office. It’s always nice to have someone else do all the cooking, catering and cleaning up. Why not see if you can book a Christmas meal for the family too? If you’re travelling to be with family, this may be the easiest option for you.

It can be difficult to juggle the cooking for a house full of family and guests. Vegetarian cooking is often thought to be easier. But it takes just as much preparation and attention to detail as other meals. Of course, it can be wonderful to see everyone and let the kids lap up all the attention from their favourite relatives. If you’re lucky enough to have people that like to help with the cleaning up, then it can turn into a really great event.

Of course, it is every parent’s dream to provide the most memorable and awe-inspiring Christmas for their kids. Many choose to take their holiday so they can enjoy a winter break with a Christmas theme for the kids. The trouble is, this can be incredibly expensive. And it’s almost impossible to gauge how your children will react. If they’re absolutely terrified of the jolly Santa or the reindeer, it can be a pretty heartbreaking Christmas.

Most of us have to budget for Christmas each year. The cost of lights, decorations, food, and gifts can really hurt your wallet. It’s so hard to say no to your kids sometimes. And even Santa can’t give them everything! In the warmer months, it’s easy to engage them in garden activities like football, or tending to the patio garden. At the end of December, chances are the weather will be awful, so indoor activities may be best.

We all want the Christmas break to be a wonderful couple of weeks for the kids. It’s not always easy, and sometimes it can be almost impossible to satisfy the little ones. Whether you cook at home or choose the Christmas party approach, make sure you have a little fun yourself too!

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The Eden Project

Posted on 9:37am Tuesday 20th Sep 2016

The Eden Project Review

Our family day out at The Eden Project, Cornwall, and my favourite photos

In July we returned to The Eden Project in Cornwall for our second visit. We’d been before when Bella was only a dinky one year old, so three years on we noticed how the biomes had really changed and the rainforest one in particular seemed to have boomed! I’d really recommend The Eden Project as a family day out. It’s perhaps more beneficial for older children as they will learn so much, but our littles (1 and 4) still had a great time exploring all the plants and enjoying delicious food in the cafes - Reuben even had his very first green juice all to himself!

The Eden Project is where a china clay pit once stood. Or rather, lay or whatever the word is as it was dug into the ground rather than standing on the ground! The pictures remind me of a quarry; dug out land with rocks exposed over a huge amount of space. No greenery in sight, just ruined land. The idea of The Eden Project began on napkins in a pub by a chap called Tim Smit. He had an idea to showcase the world’s most magnificent plants and needed a very big space.

Once funding was secured, the big build began in 2000. The entire project is made with being environmentally friendly in mind and incredibly, they even made their own soil for the entire place! Some of the plants were bought in, but many were grown from seed on site. The rainforest biome became home to over 1000 plants from across the globe. The Eden Project proudly opened to the public on March 17^th 2001 and by June already had over 1 million visitors – really quite something.

I was really excited to return for a second time and was not disappointed. As we visited during the summer holidays they had an extra exhibition… dinosaurs! This was an unexpected surprise and the exhibition was quite remarkable. The best costumes I’ve ever seen for dinosaurs – Bella was quite literally terrified! She had to confirm the dinosaurs weren’t real with us several times! If you check out my Lylia Rose Instagram, you’ll find a video of a dinosaur walking around!

It’s an amazing experience to be able to see pineapples and bananas growing in the rainforest biome! Who knew pineapples grew up from the ground? I’m sure they’re meant to grow on trees like coconuts?! Other favourites of mine were seeing the rubber trees, palm trees and cocoa trees. This year I was excited to see a baobab smoothie bar as I’ve told of my love for baobab many times in this blog. We also say the remnants of the titans which had amazingly all flowered in May (click here to see). These mighty (and stinky) flowers grow for a whopping 10 years before flowering and die 48 hours after bloom. They look like something prehistoric. I can just imagine dinosaurs walking around them!

Can you see the pineapple?

Spot the bananas!

Who knew wellie boots were so ancient!

New baobab smoothie bar! Yum!

The second and smaller biome is the Mediterranean biome. With a more familiar European feel, it reminds me of holidays to the Greek Islands, South of France and even Lanzarote with its white painted walls, citrus and olive trees. It certainly makes me want to jump on a plane and show Ben these beautiful places! Being quite a cactus fan, I loved the aloe vera plants; really huge and again quite a prehistoric feel to them.

One of my favourite parts of any day out is meal times! We were lucky to enjoy both lunch and dinner at The Eden Project and both were equally fantastic. There are plenty of vegetarian options and loads of scrumptious looking healthy foods with many ingredients grown on site! This type of food is right up my street. I enjoyed a veggie kebab, every mouthful just delicious. For dinner we ate in the big hall on long benched tables. I chose some sort of veggie tart with salad and potatoes. The quality of the food is so good. I made lots of satisfied mmmmmm noises the whole way through. I also recommend the juice bar next to the Mediterranean biome entrance. There’s a bit of a wait as they only have one juicing machine, but it’s so worth it. I chose two green smoothies for us all to share. Reuben even had some (his first drink other than milk and water so far) and loved it!

I’d highly recommend a trip to The Eden Project. I look forward to returning again. The tickets do seem a little steep, I think we paid £25 per adult and both children were free as so young. The tickets last for one year though so you can return any time. Plus, it’s a charity so you’re supporting a great cause & educational project.

Have you been to the ‘eighth wonder of the world’?

Reliving The 90's: How To Wear This Season's Freshest Catwalk Trend *

Posted on 10:23am Monday 19th Sep 2016

If you’re a fashion aficionado, you may have noticed that the 90’s are back with a vengeance. If you’re keen to get on board the 90’s train, this guide will show you exactly how to embrace the freshest autumn/winter trend out there.

Starting from the bottom

Hands up if you had Stan Smiths the first time round? If you can dust off those classics, you’ll gain extra style points this autumn. If you don’t already have these Adidas gems in your wardrobe, it’s time to invest. The good news is that these trainers are as versatile as they come. Wear with turned up chinos and a printed shirt for a casual lunch date or team with slim fit jeans and a sweater if you’re kicking back and chilling out. If you’re looking for a sportier model sneaker, go for some retro Nikes. You can’t go wrong with monochrome.

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/idhren/14013502780

90’s brands are back!

Did you spend your youth exposing a Calvin Klein waistband or spraying on bucketloads of Tommy Hilfiger fragrance? Did you have endless supplies of Nike, Reebok or Ellesse tees? Fast forward 20 years and the big hitters of the 90’s are officially back. You’ll find them everywhere from billboards to online stores.

Image credit https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeepersmedia/16581561305

The puffer: this season’s must-have jacket

The puffer jacket is enjoying an unlikely revival thanks to designers like Armani, Boss, and Tom Ford. This jacket is instantly recognisable, but the 90’s version has undergone something of a luxury revamp. This year’s rails feature expensive feather down, fur collars and expensive-looking jewel shades. If you can’t afford designer originals, don’t worry. You’ll find catwalk imitations at a fraction of the price on the high street in no time. Take full advantage of offers like Sears discount codes to get the look for less.

Image by https://www.pexels.com/search/leather%20jackets/

Exposed ankles

In the 90’s the cropped trouser was a feature of both men’s and women’s fashion. We’re not going as far as the pedal-pusher or the ¾ length in 2016. But exposed ankles are big news. Think tailored trousers that skim the ankles and brogues for the office. Or go for shorter-length jeans, jumpers and tasselled loafers for a day of retail therapy.

Image from https://pixabay.com/en/photos/pants/

The bomber: your transitional saviour

It’s too cold for t-shirts and too warm for jumpers and coats. Transitional dressing can be tricky, but there is a solution. The bomber jacket hit the headlines last year, and it’s here to stay. This is a great piece to add to your wardrobe for those grey days when the weather looks like it could go either way. Pair with a plain t-shirt and some relaxed jeans and sneakers for a stylish look you can throw on in two minutes. Go for khaki, navy or burgundy to tick some more autumnal trends off the list.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/en/photos/jacket/

Fashion is cyclical, and old-school classics are constantly popping up on the catwalks. This season, it’s all about the 90’s revival. Invest in those best-selling brands, get your ankles out and keep the winter weather at bay with a luxurious-looking puffer.