Planning for the future, 3 things all parents should do

*This post contains affiliate links  I will be the first to admit that I live most of my life in the present, I don't have a 10yr plan, at the moment my focus is being the best parent I can be while covering all the bills and as life is especially chaotic at the moment with two young kids, my focus is mainly around how to get through each day in a positive way. Saying that I also know there are a few key things every parent should do, to help future-proof their lives and their children's lives and provide some kind of financial safety even when you are not a big earner or live on a tiny budget and this goes for each parent, not just the main earner.  When I had my first child I was on maternity leave from a part-time job and my income was minimal, which made me more aware of how I need to have some basics in place, should anything happen to me. Here are the 3 things I made sure to have when becoming a parent.  1. Life Insurance This is one of the first things I did after ......

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A Dad's Guide to Learning Online

As a dad, going back to school may be something that you never saw yourself doing. Perhaps you’ve graduated from college and are already working in your dream career and have decided to further your education in order to pursue a promotion, or maybe you never went to college after graduating from high school and have decided that you want to go back and get a degree in order to be able to work your way up the career ladder and be financially better off. Whatever your reasons for returning to the classroom, mature students – especially parents – face a lot of different challenges. When I was pregnant with our youngest child John was very unhappy with his role as a shop manager, there was no way to progress and his hours had actually been reduced due to the recession so we both felt it was a good time to go back to college and retrain in a profession he had wanted to get into for years. Luckily he excelled in Barbering and had a real naturally talent and has not looked back and......

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House maintenance tips for busy parents

Storage and keeping things organised is key for keeping on top of things So you run a busy household, balancing day-to-day tasks such as cooking and cleaning with taking care of the kids, and at times, if you are being honest, it all seems like too much. An easy remedy is to ensure that home maintenance is kept to an absolute minimum, freeing you up to focus on other tasks or even increasing your leisure time. Keep it simple A great way to ensure that your house is easy to maintain is to keep the furnishings and layout simple. A minimalist approach to interior design ensures that there is less to clean and, just as importantly, fewer tight spaces to get into for the purposes of cleaning. Having an open-plan design in the house means that you can see what needs to be cleaned and when, thus preventing a backlog of cleaning tasks. Trying keep clutter to a minimum in a family home can be hard but worth it A follow-on tip from minimalist furnishings is to prevent clut......

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Why working from home rocks

Of course with anything there are pro's and con's but there is nothing wrong with seeing the world in a half glass full kind of why and I mean of course there are some downfalls to working from home but also some amazing bonuses. For one I get to spend loads of time with the little man and we can even dress up the same should be feel the urge (see us rocking striped above) with no one to question it or we can start the day by rocking out to some Queen in the kitchen, or make dens in the bedroom. Another major bonus is I can spend a lot of time in these bad boys (my pyjamas), of course I like looking nice but there is no mad rush in the morning which means I get to take my time and I also get to do some of my best work in the evening in these comfy PJ's which to be honest the evening is when I am most productive. I am normally a barefoot kinda girl as growing up in South Africa I hardly ever use to wear shoes so as far as I will go now is a funky pair of socks,......

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