How to Make Your Kitchen Feel Warm This Winter

In the middle of winter, everyone wants to return to warm kitchen after being outside. There’s nothing quite like taking off your boots, sitting at the table and taking that first sip of hot tea after a chilly walk. Whether you’re decorating your first home or planning a renovation, it’s worth putting time and effort into the kitchen and it's an area of the home I have priortised myself. There has been a lot of learning curves and I've learnt a lot along the way so I thought. Below, we’ve shared some of the most practical and stylish ideas for a cosy kitchen this winter. Introduce warm colour palettes Rich, warm hues make for an inviting kitchen atmosphere, especially during the colder months. From deep terracotta to mustard yellow and forest green, earthy tones can be paired or used as statement walls to evoke a snug, characterful ambience. Whether applied through ornaments, fixtures or textiles, green kitchens are versatile, refreshing spaces . Why not change your kitchen cup......

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5 ways to keep your tyres in tip top shape this winter

*contains affiliate links As we move into the colder seasons it's really important to make sure we are prepared and if your a car owner this includes your car as breaking down in sub-zero temperatures is not fun and believe me I know, I've been there! The roads also tend to become more treacherous during the winter months so with safety in mind it's really important to spend some time now making sure your car is ready to take on the roads this winter, especially your tyres, so I thought I would share 5 ways to keep your tyres in top condition this winter 1. Reguarly check your tyre tread Not only does the correct tread help the overall performance of your car but it's extremely important in terms of safety especially in poor weather conditions. It's also against the law if you go below the legal tread limit and one of the major reasons a car fails its MOT and if that does happen they need to be replaced straight away. Don't leave your tyres until they......

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5 Ways to get your home ready for winter

*Contains Affiliate links If you haven't already heard the news that the UK is apparently going to have the coldest Winter for 30yrs this year! Yes, apparently we are going to be hit with another Beast from the East around January time according to a long-range weather forecast. While we can't really depend on such long-term predictions and if you live in the UK you will know that the weather changes pretty much on the hour but regardless our winters do seem to be getting colder year on year and now is the time to start getting your home ready for the deep freeze. Getting your home ready is all about putting preventatives in place so that you save money, not spend it and you don't have to be a DIY guru either, just some elbow grease and common sense is key when it comes to home maintenance. Here is a list of essentials you really need to find time before the winter season starts. 1. Clear your gutters and drains - not the most exciting or favourite of chores to......

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Be ready for the outdoors with Simply Hike

I love getting outdoors, having always been active and one for an adventure I also know how important it is to make sure you have the right clothes for the occasion. Making sure your dress appropriately will mean enjoying what your doing that much more, no one likes being cold and wet on a hike or too hot for that matter so when it comes to outdoor pursuits investing in some decent clothing is key, also they tend to last much longer making it a much more economical choice long-term. I do think that outdoor clothing gets a bit of a bad wrap for not being cool, on trend or stylish and that simply isn't true! The people over at Simply Hike have asked me to put together an outdoor wish list of what looks great but will keep you outdoor ready this winter season so if you have some adventures planned to take a look. One of the most important things if your planning on heading outdoors for a few hours during the colder months is a good jacket and fleece and opting for a dec......

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Great Weekend Reads for Home or On Your Travels

I found last year I just didn't make enough time to read and I think there is something very relaxing, calming and positive about picking up a book and being immersed into a story and with this ever increasing manic world we live in taking a moment to just step back and detach yourself from the now and get lost in a book is very important. I have put together a small reading list which I feel is doable even around working from home, travel and running after two small children. I have included a mix of fiction and non-fiction as well as one or two books to help keep me inspired and help with different areas of my life. So I thought I would share my reading list for 2018 with you and perhaps encourage you to take some time out and enjoy reading. 1. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway This is such a fantastic pocket sized book perfect for when your travelling, it's lightweight and less than 100 pages long and great if your taking a train across country or just goi......

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How to Have More Fun with Your Kids in Winter

Recently it feels like all it's done is rain and while Christmas distracted us from the cold of winter it now seems to be really lingering with many of us looking for those early signs of spring. It can be easy to get a little cabin fever around this time of the year, even when your passionate about getting outdoors as much as possible it's just so cold that most head back inside after an hour which means we need to get creative when it comes to having fun as a family. Spending time with your children is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but between keeping on top of the house, work, the weather, things can gets in the way of making fun memories that will last a lifetime and even when we are all stuck inside it's easy to reach for the remote rather than connect over some fun activities so here are a few low budget ideas on having fun this winter. Have an indoor Picnic My boys absolutely love having picnics and get really excited when the weather becomes warmer a......

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4 things to keep your kids inspired to learn this winter

So close and yet so far. We’re slowly closing in on the end of the school year. With just a few months left, you’ll want your child to finish out the year with enthusiasm and success. As parents it’s our job to give our children the necessary resources to excel. With about a quarter of the year remaining our youngsters might be a bit burnt out. If you think your little girl or guy is in need of a little boost, equip them with a couple of these essential items. New Shoes Being in the same environment everyday will inevitably produce monotonous results. Seeing the same things everyday leads to doing the same thing. Give your child a new outlook and confidence boost with a new pair of shoes. Not only will they look good, but they’ll feel confident as they strut their stuff in their footware. Confidence leads to raised hands and hand raising leads to better learning. We opted for a pair of Dr Martens for my eldest, check out the post I did about their kids school shoes ......

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Kids Clothes That Make a Splash

If you love exploring the outdoors as much as we do then you will know how important it is to have the right equipment to keep yourself warm and dry over the colder months and this of course doesn't just mean for yourself but also for your children. Investing in well made clothes is really the most sustainable way to shop as they will last longer meaning less waste and having to replace them as often. The Scandinavians have this down to a tee by keeping the need for fully waterproof kids clothing that is also fun, well designed and on trend and doesn't sacrifice on any of these things. I always believe that as long as you are dressed with the weather in mind it really doesn't matter if it's going to rain because you will be well prepared and as long as you have a decent jacket and pair of wellies than whatever you have underneath will be protected, especially if your planning on going somewhere a little smarter after a muddy afternoon walk. My youngest......

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Autumn Style Inspiration

Even though it's been pretty mild we are very much in the heart of Autumn with Winter fast approaching. I don't know about you but I have packed away all my summer clothes and out have come the boots, jeans and an array of jackets from the waterproof ones suitable for our many weekly adventures or the more stylish ones for jaunts around the city. I really picked up a beautiful Camel jacket from Jaeger which I absolutely love and I am currently on the lookout for a new snood that will see me through the colder months. The one great thing about this time of the year is being able to layer your clothing as well as indulge in cosy knitted jumpers and soft knitted gloves giving you the chance to get creative with a whole range of warm fabrics and textures. Like most busy mothers I don't have much time to hit the shops these days so I order most of my clothes online, although it can be harder to see an outfit altogether before purchasing it so I like to put little mood b......

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Winter style tips for hair

Winter weather can wreak havoc on hair no matter wether you have long, short, curly or straight when it comes to winter we really can’t afford to let our guard down! Personally I always find it easier to achieve well behaved hair in the spring, when the cool breezes and spells of sunshine are just the right temperature to avoid both frizz and damage. However, even summer with its heat waves and dry spells, can still be kinder on our scalps than winter is. So what do we do when the temperature drops and the snow clouds roll in ? Despite the undeniable harshness of winter weather, there are things you can do to prevent it from ruining your favourite hairstyles. And don’t worry, none of these involve shaving your head or using harsh chemicals - Quite the opposite in fact! The key to surviving winter is to shield your hair from the freezing temperatures. Over the past few years I have had long hair to very short hair and here are my top tips on keeping your hair in the ......

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Winter Sun

It's felt like all it's done since the start of the new year is rain, well in Wales anyway but luckily during the last week we had a blissful break from that, for two days the clouds cleared and sun shone and the blue sky felt endless. We make a point of going out each day regardless of the weather but as you can imagine we made full use of the beautiful winter sun even though it was bitterly cold. As we had planned to pop into my mothers we decided to head up to"The Common" - a lovely greenbelt looking across the welsh valleys with Druid ruins, trees to climb, a small river to splash in and long grass to run through. I normally take Baby G in my Ergo sling but with the dry weather I thought I would put our new Eco friendly Greentom stroller to the test. I will be sharing a proper review of the stroller with you soon but I cant tell people enough how much we love it and it also happens to be "the greenest stroller" on earth with......

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Wintery picks for a cosy home

It may have been a very mild start to winter but today sure did feel colder with that fresh snap in the air. It's such a special time of the year, almost Christmas, fireplaces dressed up, the throws out on the sofas and time to make the home nice and cosy. There is something so comforting about going for a wintery walk to come back home to warm house, a cup of hot chocolate and some relaxing time with the family so I thought I would put together a few little things I have my eye on to bring in the cosy feel from now throughout the New year 1. Haden orange throw - Habitat £12 2. Hearthwick Cedar 16oz Candle - Fishpools £22 3. Thermosoft Prisma Red Throw - Fishpools £29 4. Glencoe pillow - Made.com £25 5. Knot Natural knitted Pouf - Habitat £75 This time of the year is all about those simple pleasures, nature fibres, big knits and warming fabrics, with the main aim of being a sense of comfort to these long evenings. I love these two throws with autum......

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Embracing winter outdoors, getting creative indoors

I thought I would write a little post about what we have been getting up to outdoors of late as well as our favourite things to keep us entertained indoors when the rain hits. We made the most of the mild autumn, seeing the leaves change in dramatic fashion and spent every dry day running around outside, unfortunately the start of winter saw us all come down coughs and colds and in Baby G's case teething coupled with Bronchitis. Luckily and fingers crossed we have got most of that out of the way and have started going on some mini adventures and enjoying the wonderful festive season and our "activity" advent has been going very well so far. Last weekend before picking up our Christmas tree we enjoyed a little jaunt around one of our favourite spots - St Fagans where we spotted lots of Robin Redbreasts darting around as well as trying to name different leaves as we are trying to learn all the names of Britain's most common trees. The past fortnigh......

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