Planning a Vacation The Safe, Sane and Smart Way

Me in Paris If you've had enough of the winter blues, it may just be time to cash in some of your hard earned vacation days. This article contains some handy tips you can use to make your vacation a sweet success. When it comes time to plan for your vacation travel, it's a wise idea to plan ahead in order to enjoy your trip. Planning for all of the possible hiccups and headaches that might come from traveling to a far off location is the best way to avoid serious trouble, especially if you are going to be visiting a foreign land that you don't have family or friends to guide you around in. A guard in Prague Be Sure To Choose A Safe Destination To Travel To Perhaps the first piece of advice that should be given to the modern traveler is the admonishment to choose a safe destination to travel to. You can browse the Internet to find plenty of safe locations that you can spend a relaxing vacation, free from all of your worries and cares, and without break......

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Simple ways to brighten up a room

Our terraced cottage is over 100 years old and therefore has very thick walls and low ceilings and at times can feel quite dark especially with the summer day's gone and autumn here it's important to inject as much light into our living spaces as possible and it's something I have been working on for a while and thought I would share my top tips with you on how to brighten up even the smallest of spaces. 1. Keep it simple - don't clutter a small area, especially not with dark furniture. Keep your spaces simple and light, the less things you have the more space it creates allowing for light to flow better and feeling less cramped. Also add a few pops of colour to uplift the room. 2. Hang some mirrors - I know you have probably heard this before but they really are the easiest way to reflect natural light into a room and you can have more than one reflective surface in a room and they are also perfect for those awkward spaces such as hallways or landings. 3. ......

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Street Style Sunday - Autumn crossover

John picked up this denim pinafore dress for me from Topshop for my birthday earlier this month and I have been enjoying wearing it with a long sleeve top from M&S which is perfect for the summer to autumn crossover, I have paired it up with some gold slip-ons from Zara. Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year when you can start layering, wearing stylish jackets and it's no longer warm but neither is it so cold that you are uncomfortable, to me these mild days are fantastic for throwing different outfits together. Mr A has shaped his shorts for these cords from MiniClub and a Rugby jumper from Ralph Lauren. I hope you can come and join in with Street Style Sunday and share what you have been wearing this past week An InLinkz Link-up ...

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Strada Cardiff Bay Family review

We were recently invited to come and try out the new kids menu at our local Strada  in Cardiff Bay and I have to admit for some reason we had never visited this one before so we didn't quite know what to expect but we certainly left knowing we would visit again and when you see the food I am sure you will understand why. One of our favourite things about travelling is trying the local food, we all love the flavours and freshness of Italian cuisine and the day of the review it was gloriously sunny in Cardiff, with Strada based in the heart of the bay with views across the harbour and sea it felt for a moment like we were on holiday. When we arrived the staff were very friendly and made Mr A feel very welcome and brought over some crayons and balloons as the kids menu doubles up as an activity booklet. We decided to have some olives for starters, which Mr A loves alongside a little wine spritzer for ourselves. When eating out we usually tend to go for sli......

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Wine, Storage & Growing up

We are not huge drinkers in our house but growing up in SA, a Wine Producing country I do have a soft spot for a glass on the weekend with a nice home cooked meal and some adult conversation once in a while. I have been saying since we bought the house it would be nice to get a small wine rack, it just seems like something a "grown-up" house should have even though we don't regularly buy a bottle it would still be great to have somewhere nice to store them and this would of been especially useful when we recently received a VineBox from Wine & Sympathy  - a wine subscription box which delivers carefully selected wine to your doorstep every month and best of all they also do a cheese box, what could be better paired with a glass of vino at the end of the day. The nice thing about these boxes is not only does it take the stress out shopping but each bottle comes with information and tips on how to serve it best. Our favourite by far was the Bodegas Fontana red......

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5yrs old and what we've learnt

Mr A on his birthday Wow 5yrs old, both John and I cannot quite believe that our eldest turned 5 this week and long have the days passed that he would be considered a toddler but is now an adventuring spirited young boy on his own journey of discovery. I think with your first you never really know what to expect as becoming a parent is like nothing else, there is no manual, no prior training given, it's a learn on the job scenario which has both ups and downs a long the way but no matter how trying some days have been it's completely worth it. So after 5 years of parenting what have we learnt so far 1. The saying "Don't sweat the small stuff" really does apply here, there will be lots of things that will cause you stress on the parenting journey so don't get caught up in the smaller details of things and instead just try and enjoy the moment. I am naturally a person who likes to be in control and you simply cannot be all the time when it comes ......

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Street Style Sunday - Get Baby Cosy

Baby G in a beautiful Panda and the Sparrow baby grow  I do love warm weather but I have to say as a family Autumn is one of our favourite seasons, it's so visual, so many changes, the beautiful colours of the autumn leaves and getting snuggly on the sofa with blankets and a cup of coco in the evenings is one of those wonderful simple pleasures we don't take for granted. It's also Baby G's first proper winter as well as all the fun and celebrations that happen over the festive season which makes this year a little bit more exciting that normal. Panda and the Sparrow , a small independent clothing brand started by two mums who wanted to find eco-friendly and hypoallergenic clothing for their kids are totally embracing the idea of #GetBabyCosy and we were very excited to be apart of it as for one their clothing is beautifully made and as soft as cashmere and secondly it's made out of breathable bamboo and organic cotton. Baby G in Panda and t......

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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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Luna Cinema & Chaplin and Cork comes to Cardiff

This month Chaplin and Cork’s is delivering the perfect summer combination – cider and cinema under the stars. As official cider partner of the Luna Cinema, Chaplin and Cork’s will be travelling the length and breadth of the country, bringing its range of premium award winning ciders to iconic outdoor venues, including Cardiff Castle from 18th – 20th September. Chaplin and Cork’s is available in two delicious variants – Somerset Gold and Somerset Reserve. To celebrate the Luna cinema’s arrival in Cardiff, one lucky Side Street Style reader will be in with the chance of winning an exclusive Chaplin and Cork’s summer cinema pack. The pack includes a pair of tickets to a local outdoor screening, picnic rug and a crate of Chaplin and Cork’s cider – the perfect ingredients for a summertime evening under the stars. Terms & Conditions: • Prize includes one Chaplin and Cork’s summer cinema pack If you pick a Cardiff Screening the tickets will be supplied on the ......

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Wanderlust interiors for kids

Map bunting from Peony & Thistle We are currently in the process of updating Mr A's room as he will be turning 5 next week and has long out-grown his toddler bed. We have felt this has also marked the time that now he has really started his journey of boyhood and is no longer the baby of the family but rather an adventurous, confident and spirited young boy, who needs a space that reflects his interests and passions such as travel and his love of the outdoors. Here are a few things that we are loving at the moment and would work perfectly in a travel inspired kids room. Steamer travel trunk from Notonthehighstreet I love this handmade Steamer travel trunk which would work perfectly as a kids toys storage box. The vintage travel stamps add a lovely retro feel to the box and its so well made it should it could be passed down from child to child or even work well in a living room. We are also trying to encourage Mr A to make notes, start writing and drawing more as......

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Stylish stay at Mercure Amsterdam Canal Hotel

Our summer was so action packed this year with the highlight being our trip to Amsterdam from London on Stena Lines and with so many other things happening it's taken a bit longer than normal to  edit the hundreds of photos we took during our trip and sit down and write a review of this amazing hotel we stayed at - The Mercure Amsterdam Centre Canal District. The two boys relaxing in our amazing hotel room So after a long journey including an overnight ferry to the Hoek Of Holland during the heatwave it was such a refreshing sight to finally get into Centraal Station, take a short tram ride across the city and step inside this perfectly located boutique hotel right in the heart of this vibrant city. The reception area is well designed with comfy seating and very helpful staff, we felt immediately welcome and they even gave Mr A two little soft toys to keep. Once we checked into our room we had a little bit of down time, enjoying the space and beautiful interior, be......

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