Recalibrating and finding a balance

Being self-employed can give you so much freedom which when you become a parent is something I am forever grateful for but equally working freelance and for yourself brings along a kind of stress you don't get with other jobs. Your income purely relies on your own ability and productivity and what is currently on offer. Some weeks you will be inundated with work and at other times it can be worryingly slow, although even so I wouldn't change it for a minute.  I have been self employed for a few years now and I have worked very hard to ensure I have a constant stream of work and a steady income although this year I have faced a few obstacles that have certainly taught me a few things about life as a freelance writer and blogger. Firstly I didn't take any maternity leave when my youngest arrived on the scene 18months ago, this was simply down to not actually having time to stop working, to put this into perspective I had emails asking for when posts would be going......

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5 Ways to Enjoy Bonfire Night with Your Children

For parents, Bonfire Night can be as stressful as it is exciting. Some children are able to embrace the excitement straight away, but keeping them safe while allowing them to enjoy themselves can be tricky. Then there are the children who are intimidated by the loud explosions and flashes of colour that Bonfire Night brings. For those children, Bonfire Night needs to be reintroduced to them, slowly and carefully, as something which is about more than loud explosions. Thankfully, though, there are many other ways that you can help your children to love Bonfire Night for the exciting time of year that it should be. 1. Make Safety your main priority  It sounds obvious, but the most important thing to do when introducing children to bonfire night is to set a great example. If your children’s first experience with sparklers or fireworks is a safe enjoyable one and you explain how important it is to respect fire and sparklers than you are setting a good example fo......

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For the love of Modern Period interiors

We are edging closer and closer to putting our house on the market and we cannot wait, our time in our little welsh hobbit house as we refer to it as the ceilings are so low are coming to an end. We are all in need of more space, more light and in Johns case a doorway he doesn't bang his head on everyday. As much as the rustic appeal is to us and it really does, our home is a bit neither here or there in terms of location, only 20mins from the city on the edge of a small town so it doesn't have the slower pace feel as you would find in a more rural location and equally does not have the colour and culture of living within walking distance of the city. We have also found over time our real passion and dream would be to find a small bay fronted Victorian property as we absolutely love the combination of a period property with a fresh and modern look that embraces the original features of that time rather than covers them up. I think the Scandinavian inspiration that has b......

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Don't commit another Gift Crime

With my eldest birthday this week and my birthday last week it has been a time of both giving and receiving in our household. When it come to Birthdays (and Christmas) we are very much about Less is More and rather pick a few quality gifts than hundreds of plastic toys which will break in a matter of hours. This means that the few gifts we do pick have to be both meaningful, practical and of course perfect for the individual receiving them, this does however causes some pressure on us to get it right, as it can be really easy to get it wrong. I have to say I am pretty lucky as John has really good taste when it comes to clothes, books and music and I am very rarely am I disappointed in anyway but that doesn't extended to everyone. I have always been brought up to be grateful for every and any gift received because at the end of the day it's a wonderful thing to be given something by someone else no matter how large, small or useful it is although some have in the past ......

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My 40 before 40 List and making it happen

Having turned 32 last week it's reminded me how fast time flies by, it feels like only yesterday I was celebrating my 30th in the South of France with family and friends. I was pregnant at the time with my youngest who is now nearly 19months old and it feels like our feet have not touched the ground since he came on the scene. Having always had itchy feet and following on from my father's passion to travel I managed to fit a whole lot of living into my life before turning 30 including celebrating New Years in more than 4 different countries and travelling to 25 countries as well as learning to drive, having a family, taking a cargo ship from Africa to the UK and loads in between. Although things did slow down slightly after having kids and traipsing around Europe with a backpack working at hostels as I went along was not so much an option anymore, now things need to be planned and thought out far more in advance. I do think putting pen to paper and making plans is the f......

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5 Healthy Food Options to Pack for a Road Trip

Traveling to a vacation destination by car can add an extra element of fun to any family trip. However, traveling by car is not without its challenges, and eating healthy while on the road is one of the biggest you might face, from avoiding the possible health risks of eating fast food to ensuring the nutritional needs of the family are met. However, there are several healthy food options you can pack up and bring along that may help keep the entire family happy and healthy until you arrive at your final destination. 1. Breakfast Foods Since you will be likely hitting the road early in the morning, packing healthy breakfast foods is important for allowing everyone to fill up and feel satisfied for the first leg of the trip. This can also help you log some miles as early as possible by skipping those long drive-thru lines at the local fast food place while you avoid greasy or fattening breakfast burritos at the same time. While a thermos of coffee, tea, or juice is a must......

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Top 3 Family Friendly Destinations for Winter Sun

Being a South African expat I find that even after nearly a decade living in the UK that the winters are still a struggle, as much as the magic of snow will never fade the idea of those short days and long nights and the biting wind that lingers just a little bit too long for me are always hard. I find my main coping method to this is seeking out a little winter sunshine as it's surprising what a week or two away in a different country, culture and climate really does wonders for the soul and goes a long way to breaking up those cold winter months. If you are a regular reader to my blog you will know we always travel as a family so that is always a factor when deciding and planning trips away. It doesn't necessarily mean we need everything tailor towards children but knowing where ever we decided to go that children are welcome is important to us wether it be a city, beach or culture break. I have put together our top 3 destinations if your looking for a does of sunshi......

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Street Style - My Kanken

Since my youngest has started running around like really keeping me on my toes I have dropped the changing backs and wanted to opt for something more practical but also very stylish to carry our day to day essentials. Of course, the first thing that came to mind was a Kanken by the Swedish outdoor brand Fjall Raven, a backpack that was designed in 1978 and has continued its popularity through it's simple and modern design. Wearing Kanken backpack, Toyshop chambray, Jojo Mama Bebe dress Sometimes when I do go out I opt for a smarter bag but these are perfect for when your busy and on the go, plus the choice of colour waves is amazing. I decided to opt for this fun blue one which adds a pop of colour to any casual outfit. Today I paired it up with a Chambray from Toyshop and a dress from Jojo Mama Bebe and necklace from Anchor and Crew. As daily backpacks go these are these are slightly more pricey than normal high street brands (but far more durable) retailing at a......

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Getting Storage Savvy

There is nothing that I love more about interior design than savvy storage solutions, in fact I am attracted most to small spaces that work very well, have ingenious features that get the maximum out of each space. As like most freelance workers my office is somewhat on the very small size so it needs to be well planned otherwise it easily gets cluttered and messy and when we move I hope to not only have a larger working space but also have the chance to increase the size through ingenious solutions. In the UK most of us are limited to square footage when it comes to our homes offices as well as business premises and retail properties and therefore getting creative and learning how to make the most of those spaces is key. In the future I may opt to rent a small office space and everyone knows when it comes to retail or commercial properties you pay per square footage and the more you pay the less profit you make. Whether it's a commercial property or a box room in your ......

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Summer in Cardiff City

So the summer holidays are officially over and even though the weather was a little hit and miss we still managed to do loads of fun things in the Welsh capital. I was lucky enough to attend a few events, try out some new places to eat, spend time with friends and local bloggers, so I thought I would share a few of the happy moments captured over the summer holidays. Like many cities around the UK there has been a real food revolution, especially with the more unusual, interesting and quirky, seeing a rise in food trucks and street food which accumulated in the Street Food Circus serving up some delicious bites on the weekends in Sophia Gardens. So of course we made sure to stop by after a wonderful walk in Bute Park and while the boys enjoyed the Brûlée Bar we enjoyed some  halloumi  bites and local craft ciders. Two of my favourite events and meet ups over the summer were firstly a Pizza and Cider pairing night at The Stable which has become one......

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Learning, labels and morning hacks for busy parents

This September has been a very exciting, emotional and equally daunting month for us as a family, not only is it a double birthday month as both my eldest and myself turn a year older but also our eldest is going to school, yes thats right school! If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know we have homeschooled our nearly 6yr old up to this point so you may ask why the change, why now? Well we have always approach learning with an open mind and this decision has been a family one with everyones feelings and emotions being accounted for and we feel this is the right decision for our dynamic as it stands right now, I will be sharing more about our decision and change in direction on a separate post very soon. This has also been the first year things like uniform and stationary have had any real impact or meaning to us as is an efficient morning routine involving two kids dressed and out the door at a specific time and things like the idea of labelling clothing, sho......

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Travel essentials - Staying Safe in the Sun

As we wave goodbye to summer and start getting our heads around the idea that Autumn is almost on our doorstep we still need to take precautions when it comes to the sun and looking after our skin, especially if you are planning a winter sun break abroad. In the south of Wales it's been very up and down recently with some unseasonal hot and sunny days and these abnormally sunny spells are what catch people out. Like most parents in the UK as soon as the clouds part we are out the door, exploring everything the Welsh coastline has to offer but just because we are now in the latter stages of summer it doesn't mean you can't burn and therefore precautions still have to be made if your planning a couple of hours outdoors or even a short break in the coming half term, home or away. Having grown up in South Africa we often had talks and lectures on the importance of sun care as skin cancer is a real problem there which is no surprise as Cape Town, my hometown, has very l......

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Cool kids on the block

Wow is it's just me or have the summer holidays just flown by! I cannot believe we are officially into September and soon instead of jumpsuits and dresses we are going to be going for our scarves and gloves and picking up Pumpkin Lattes to warm ourselves up. Another big milestone for most is the start of a new school year and that means picking up all those Back to School essentials. Even if your little ones are not school ready perhaps they attend nursery, play groups or even home school sessions, either way now is the time to get rid of the old and bring in the new when it comes to stationary, creative craft supplies and of course clothes and shoes that are going to stand the up to active kids no matter what stage of learning they are in. If you read my blog regularly you will know we love style and fashion, especially heritage brands so when Dr Martens got in touch to as if we would head to their Cardiff store to check out their back to school range for kids I may have do......

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