Embracing a No-spend Weekend

As much as we love to explore further afield it can become pricey so during our down time we love to embrace simple weekends staying close to home and taking advantage of all the amazing things on our doorstep here in South Wales. Living a stone's throw away from the city can mean that even local days out can end up costing a fair amount so taking steps to be more frugal especially on the weekends is important. Luckily we have plenty of outdoor places to explore in and around Cardiff which makes a great base for low-cost days out. We had recently been set a challenge by Scottish Friendly to get as much out of a weekend for as little as possible and who doesn't like a challenge? I thought the main thing we would struggle with was the little extras we pick up when we are out and about, such as coffee, a cheeky piece of cake or a sandwich. I always pack some apples, snacks and water but as we are often out over lunch time we do end up spending on food. This usua......

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My Minimalist Challenge

As all the New Year resolutions have rolled out, everyone is juicing their food and trying to live clean I decided this year instead of any resolutions I was going to give myself a challenge for the whole year because it's simply the type of challenge that cannot be done overnight and will take time.  When it's come to living I have always swayed towards a more sustainable and ethical choices although these can be hard when we live in an age of instant gratification and disposable goods. The thing is I have always preferred to spend my hard earned money on experiences rather than stuff but when you go from living as one person to two then three then four things quickly change and suddenly you find yourself surrounding by so much stuff that at times you actually feel like your drowning in a plastic sea of toys, useless baby items and beauty products that are never going to get rid of those dark sleep deprived circles. Of course in life we need to replace thing......

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Styling the perfect White Shirt

When it comes to classic style that never fades you really can't beat a well tailored white shirt, it literally goes with everything and can be styled up or down. They really are a staple for any wardrobe and investing in a few quality shirts is an investment well spent. So when I was recently invited by McArthur Glen in Bridgend to come and check out the American Heritage brand Brooks Brothers pop-up vintage truck store I couldn't wait. For those who have been hiding under a rock and have not heard of the Brooks Brothers, it happens to be one of the oldest clothiers in the US and was the first to introduce the concept of the button down shirt. I was set the White Shirt Challenge to put an outfit together around the white shirt from some of the amazing shops in McArthur Glen. With so much choice it wasn't a quick decision, in fact I walked around the centre first, weighing up all the option and then decided to go back with fresh eyes after a delicious m......

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Games to stimulate your brain

As a mum, you want to keep your brain active, and a great way of doing so is through games, with many of the best games for stimulating your brain available to download. You will likely have read about research pointing to a general decline in people’s IQ and concentration levels, and there is something to the idea that modern life, with its relentless focus on technology and what is happening in the immediate moment, is having an adverse effect on our ability to concentrate. At the same time, technology offers solutions to help stimulate the mind. Specifically, there are many games and apps available to download to get your mind working. As a mum, you need an active mind, both for your sake and for that of your children. What are some of the best games available to help stimulate the brain ? 1. Lumosity - One of the most popular brain games available to download. It boasts more than 70 million users worldwide. Lumosity is described as a cognitive science app and uses s......

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The Freshest apple

We have been slowly making our way through the National Trust 50 things to do before your 11 3/4 and are at about the half way mark. We don't really plan when we are going to tick something off this adventure inspired challenge so it's always really fun when something happens naturally like when we were at St Fagans a few weeks ago and walked through the small apple and pear orchard. Mr A loves apples and spotted some low hanging ones and before I knew it he had picked one and taken a big bite, which meant we can ticket off challenge No.9 - Eat an apple straight from a tree" We grow what we can in our small vegetable patch at home and it's always wonderful to see the journey of where our food comes from first hand, even with something simple like picking an apple from a tree. We are hoping to tick of a few more challenges this autumn such as playing conkers and setting up a snail race. These slower quieter days are the ones we treasure the most and even ......

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A taste of Greece

Growing up in a warm country has meant I have always had a love for Mediterranean inspired food as the idea of sitting in the sun with a white wine spritzer, bowls of juicy olives, sundried tomatoes and a fresh salad totally captures summer and reminds me of the family adventures we had in Greece when I was younger, jumping on the ferries and exploring various islands in this stunning part of the world. So I was very excited when Expedia ask us to be apart of their World on a Plate Challenge and rustle up little Greek fest at home and despite the recent rainy wether this has not damped our spirit and imagination that through food we can at least get a taste of Mediterranean sunshine. What I love about Mediterranean food is the nibbles, I think I could literally live off Kalamata Olives and Feta cheese and we indulged in little bowls of mild chilis, sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers and a big family sized Greek salad seasoned in Extra Virgin Olive oil of cour......

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Making Memories 2/52

So as some of you may know I am participating in the 52 memories challenge with The Mumdrum which encourages people to take photos and make at least one visual memory a week. Now this photo above is certainly not the best quality wise but was taken on one of our wintery outdoor adventures and it was such a simple but wonderful day that it felt natural to capture that moment. I took the little man down our local cycle path with Sam the dog, we jumped in puddles and kicked up leaves and was a wonderful way to let off some steam it had been raining on and off during the week so having a fairly dry day was blissful even though it was only 5 degrees. Here is to lots more memories this year....

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Solving an interior challenge with a bedroom makeover

After doing a social media shout out to my followers and having a great response, I was really excited to be working with young couple Rhian and Gareth, who have only recently moved into their first home and need some help in turning their uninspiring bedroom into a place that showcases their personalities and brings a little bit more style and colour into their home. They are planning their wedding later this year and have no budget to do anything with their bedroom which made the makeover that little bit more special. I discussed with them what they wanted to achieve and we put together and inspiration board of ideas. We also discussed simple storage ideas as there was a little bit of an issue with clutter. “By simply organising books and beauty products into stylish storage cases it really makes the room feel more streamline and spacious.” Bedroom before the makeover We were really excited to see what we would find at HomeSense and went in with an open mind a......

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The Age of Believing

Bedknobs and Broomsticks - an original disney production  In our house we believe that everything in moderation is the best way to approach most things and so far it has seemed to work fairly well. For example we don't do TV during the week but we allow for some light watching over the weekend and "movie" night on Sunday as John is a huge cinema and film buff and to deny him the satisfaction of watching a film with the little man would be unfair. It's something that ends our weekend and is quite relaxing and since it's only once a week it's a special time, so when we were asked to take part in the "age of believing" challenge which involved watching the original 1971 Bedknobs and Broomsticks disney film we couldn't wait. I had't seen the film in full before and I wondered if it would be too much for the little man but he absolutely loved it and at various points throughout the film he burst into laughter, which is a good sign. The bo......

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