Our Summer Favourites

Year upon year, us Brits complain about the weather. Well, I think all that whinging has finally paid off because what a summer we've had so far! I can't remember a summer like this, we've had pretty much three months of none stop sunshine. I've loved every minute of it, even when the temperatures broke into the 30's! With this in mind, I thought I'd put together a post all about our summer favourites and the things which we've been loving lately.

Boys Trilby - various prices

I decided to start the post with three favourite pieces of clothing, one from Noah, one from Ava and one from myself. Noah is such a fan of sun hats and this year he wanted a straw trilby, just like his older cousins. It's such a versatile piece as it goes with so many different of his outfits, making him looks stylish whilst protecting his face from the sun too.

Patent Leather Pumps - from £450.00

Now, these beauties from Jimmy Choo have been on my wishlist for years, the only thing is I think I want them in every colour! Luisaviaroma has so many different shoes for women, in all styles and sizes, from so many different high-end brands. I can easily spend hours browsing through the website, planning the shoes I want to buy next!

Bergia Girl Dress - £78.00

I had to list this stunning dress which we were recently gifted, we are in love with it. It's from La Coqueta, a website which stocks beautiful Spanish clothing for babies and children. I was invited to browse through the girls dresses section and fell head over heels in love with the Bergia dress because it's just perfect. From the styling to the colour, to the cut. It's a dress that can be worn from season to season and I hope that Ava gets lots of wear out of it!

The Body Shop All In One BB Cream - £12.00

I don't know about you but the last thing I want to do when it's hot outside is to wear makeup. I don't really like wearing it at the best of times, never mind when it's that hot that it's sweats off in minutes. Enriched with 24hr hydration it's a hardworking, multi-tasking cream that leaves your skin gloriously glowing and almost picture perfect. It blends into your complexion for a colour adapting, dewy, even-finish that perfectly matches your skin tone. I've been going through so much of the all in one BB Cream from The Body Shop that I just had to mention it in this post.

Ion8 Quench 1000ml Water Bottle - £16.99

I'm always trying to up my water intake and this water bottle from Ion8 has really encouraged me to do so. It's great for everyday use, at the gym or for outdoor fitness. The 1000ml capacity will see you through an intense workout or gruelling bike ride. It's totally leak proof and can be used in a dishwasher too.

Milton Antibacterial Products - from £1.39

Antibacterial cleaning products are an essential no matter the time of year but they are a parent's best friend during the summer holidays! Milton's fast and effective germ-killing action in a ready to use spray gun format for use all around the kitchen, nursery and home. Clinically proven to kill a wide range of bacteria and fungi, including E Coli 157, Listeria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella and Candida Albicans.

- This is a PR Collaboration.

5 Ways To Keep Your Energy Levels High This Summer

Many people are enjoying the start of another summer and parents, in particular, are going to have their hands full. This is because they’re likely to have kids with balls of energy to burn which means they’d need to have activities lined up to keep them busy. The good thing about summertime is that there is usually a range of things that you can get up to such as summer school, arts and crafts, sports, and fun fairs. As a parent, partaking in these activities or getting the kids to do so means you could end up pretty drained on a daily basis. One way to keep up with the kid's energy levels is to reach for supplements - not sure where to look? Take a look at the Multi-GI 5 reviews to see if this could be a good fit for keeping you alert.
 
To help prevent this, you’re going to find five ways that you can keep your energy levels high this summer.

Eat Fruits and Vegetables

You’ve likely heard it a thousand times over, but eating fruits and vegetables is one of the most natural ways to ensure your energy levels are high enough this summer. Ideally, if you want to fight sleep and tiredness, you should be eating five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. Some of them include banana, papaya, spinach, sweet potato, citrus fruits, and pineapples for those who have a sweet tooth. In case you find it difficult to keep up with eating your fruits and veggies considering meal planning, juicing, or carrying them around with you as snacks so that you don’t forget to eat them.

Avoid Excess Sugar

Often times, when you’re looking for ways to get more energy, the first thing that may come to mind is consuming sugar. In as much as sugar can give you an energy boost, it isn’t typically as effective as the boost you get from eating fruits and vegetables as mentioned above. When consuming sugars, you should try and reduce the number of simple sugars such as glucose, sucrose, maltose, syrup, and grains that aren’t 100% whole. You should also remember that too much sugar can cause excess weight gain which could also slow you down in the long run.

Reduce Refined Carbs

If you want to have as much energy as your kids this summer, another thing you should do is reduce the number of refined carbs that you consume. While normal carbs have the ability to give you an energy boost, refined carbs, on the other hand, can cause a rise in blood sugar and then a drop in your insulin levels which in turn may have you feeling tired and weak. If you aren’t exactly sure what refined carbs are, they are grain-based foods that have had both the germ and bran removed from them during the process. Some examples include white bread, pasta, and white rice. You should also avoid too many refined carbs as it isn’t good for you, especially if you have type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, a low-carb low-calorie diet could help reverse type 2 diabetes, ensure you’re healthy and increase your energy levels. If you want to learn more about low-carb, low-calorie diets, click here and see how you can implement it in your meal plans.

Take Breaks

Most parents tend to behave like energizer bunnies throughout the day, and that is one way to ensure your energy is completely zapped before the end of the day. It’s important that you learn how to take regular breaks throughout the day in which you sit down, do something relaxing, or eat energy-boosting snacks. By doing so, you should be better able to preserve your energy and avoid being burnt out.

Get Enough Sleep

You should never underestimate the power of getting enough rest. As a parent, it may seem impossible on most days, but it’s essential that you try and find the time. Not getting enough sleep could result in headaches, weight gain, irritability, colds, car accidents, and depression. It is probably obvious that you’re also going to be fatigue, sloppy and slow to make matters worse, so just as you schedule everything else in your life, make sure you create a schedule for sleep as well.

Keeping your energy levels high during the summer is key. Not only is it important because you’re likely to be busy with various plans, but it’s also essential if you want to remain healthy. For this reason, you should try and make a conscious effort to eat the right foods and rest so that you can keep up with your little ones until they head back to school.

- This a collaborative post.

photo credit: toptenalternatives abundance-agriculture-bananas-264537 via photopin (license)

How To Improve Your Family’s Budget For Better Living

Raising a family is one of the most rewarding things you can do, but that does not mean it isn’t stressful, nor that it is easy on your wallet. Money matters when you care for your family, and without financial stability, your family can suffer. That is why, if you haven’t already, you need to re-evaluate your spending habits and learn how to be more conscientious with your money by following this guide. You can give your kids everything, you just need to know what to spend your money on, and where to save it:

Understand and Sort Your Spending

The first step to improving your family’s budget is to understand your money and where it is going. To do this, sort through your spending. There should be three categories:

1. Fixed necessary spending (rent, fixed utilities)

2. Variable necessary spending (food, variable utilities)

3. Miscellaneous spending (clothes, toys, etc.)

These three categories will help you determine what your monthly spending is. For example, everything in the fixed necessary spending category should be automatically wiped away from the money you are bringing in. What you have left after you have accounted for these costs needs to go towards living, fun, and savings. The better you can manage the second category, the more money you have to spend on the things you want. One necessity we always prioritise is our internet services. It's a must-have when it comes to families who rely on it for both work and play - hughesnet internet plans are a top choice for satellite internet and offer an array of different speeds and data options.

Prioritise Saving for an Emergency Fund

If you don’t have an emergency savings fund, this should be the first thing that you start saving for. For a few months, try to minimise or completely stop any unnecessary spending. Not only will this help you save up enough to keep your family comfortable even if you or your partner lose a job, it can help test you. Find ways to make use of what you already have and try to work out your variable necessary costs so that you can live comfortably for as little as possible. Bulk buys for food are a great place to start.

Build Your Credit Score

Though it can seem antithesis to your goal to better your budget, getting a credit card or using other credit-building methods can help you in the long run. You just need to ensure that you keep track of what you have in your bank account and what you spend on your credit card. This way you can start to improve your credit score, and therefore spend less on any loan you need in the future.

Know Where You Can Get Money If You Need It

Once you have built up your credit score, you have so many options. From better deals to better interest rates, to more opportunities to obtain a personal loan if you need one. Don’t take these extra choices lightly, however. Research beforehand so that you know where you can get money for the big purchases in your life so that you don’t lose out on a great deal just because you have yet to be pre-approved. Look online and read reviews, from the Best Egg Personal Loans review and beyond. You owe it to yourself to find the best options for you, and the best time to do that is when there isn’t pressure.

There are many steps to becoming completely financially savvy, but the sooner you start, the better use you can make of the money you have. Not only that, but the lifestyle changes you will need to make will help you and your family be more mindful, and resourceful, and even help bring you together.

- This is a PR Collaboration.

My Sunday Photo - 31/52

Hape Discovery Box - Review & Giveaway

Ava is inquisitive and intelligent, with a preference for books over toys, or toys which require a little dexterity. I often find her creating her own games or playing with Noah's toys because bog standard baby toys no longer cut it for her. With this in mind, I was really excited when I was asked to review the Hape Discovery Box as I thought it looked perfect for Ava. 

The Discovery Box is a five sided solid wood box with a different activity on each side. There's a wire bead maze, large mirror, colour wheel, a spinning fish and a classic abacus. It's designed to help build fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination while helping develop counting skills, colour and shape recognition too. I was so impressed when it arrived and I couldn't wait to see what Ava would make of it.

As you can see the Discovery Box has been a huge hit with Ava, she beams from ear to eat when she is playing with it! She spends a lot of time sitting beside it, to explore all the different sides and has a favourite side already, the wire bead maze! It didn't take her long to figure out each side and you can see the sense of accomplishment in her face when she's completed an activity, it's so very sweet! 

I'm looking forward to using the Discovery Box over the next couple of years because I know it's a toy that will grow with Ava. It will be an invaluable learning aid when it comes to teaching her to count and when it comes to learning shapes and colours. Once she's finished with it I'll donate it to their nursery so all the children there can enjoy it too.

The Hape Discovery Box is suitable for children of 2 years and onwards, it retails at £32.49 and is available to buy online at Amazon. Now here's your chance to win 1 of 2 prizes from Hape; the Hape Rolling Roadster or the Hape Sky Flyer! To enter, simply use the Gleam form below and don't forget to enter my other blog competitions!

1 of 2 Wooden Vehicle Toys from Hape

Terms & Conditions.         
1. There will be 2 winner who will each win one of the prizes mentioned above.
2. Winners details sent to HAPE to arrange the prize. 
3. Competition ends 26/08/18.
4. Incomplete entries with be disqualified.
5. UK entries only.

Maintaining Your Motor Vehicle

It’s that time of the year again. Your car is telling you that it is due a service and the first thing you think is, “oh great more money going on the car! Maybe I’ll put it off for another month or so, the car seems fine!” The truth is, car servicing is an absolutely essential procedure we all must put our vehicles through. Neglected vehicle care will almost definitely cost you more money down the line as more is likely to go wrong. Most car manufacturers recommend you give your vehicle a full service every 12 months, or, every 12000 miles, whichever comes first (and no, an MOT does not count!). Heavy travellers who rack up lots of miles should look at servicing every 6 months, or, 6000 miles. People don’t often realise how quickly car parts can wear and degrade and ignoring a service can have potentially fatal consequences.

Another point to remember is that a vehicle which has been serviced regularly and has had the service book stamped will become much more desirable to a potential buyer should you come to sell it at a later date. It shows that you have looked after it and kept it running as it should. Servicing should not be seen as an unwarranted cost, it is the best way to ensure your vehicle is safe and guarantee a piece of mind.

Why is it different from an MOT?

An MOT is basically a test which vehicles go through to assess their safety and roadworthiness as well as testing things like emissions. During an MOT, a certified mechanic will work through a checklist of safety aspects which your vehicle must meet in order to be deemed “road worthy”. They will not perform any maintenance on your vehicle unless it’s something which causes the vehicle to fail the test. A pass on an MOT does not mean that you don’t need to carry out basic vehicle maintenance.

What does a service include?
A full vehicle service includes a wide range of tasks:
* Replace Fuel Filter

* Replace Air Filter

* Full oil change and replacement of oil filter

* Brakes check

* Replace spark plugs

* Tyre check

* Clutch check

* Exhaust system check

* Coolant check

* Windscreen washers check

* Lights check

* Seat belts check

An interim service is much less thorough and usually includes check such as:
* Oil and filter change

* Coolant check

* Anti-Freeze check

* Brake Fluid

* General visual check

* Tyre check

* Exhaust check

It is important to check with your local servicing garage, such as Iverson Tyres in London, to see what exactly you will get in your service as not all garages will carry out the same checks.

- This is a PR collaboration.