With a young baby in the house one of the things I’ve been trying to do is find a washing detergent that works for all the family. I’ve recently been trying out the Ecover ZERO range thanks to recieving a sample as it’s supposed to be great for sensitive skin containing 0% fragrances and 0% colourants. I received the sample of Ecover ZERO liquid non-bio in exchange for this feature.
ecover ZERO sensitive non-bio laundry liquid contains no colours or fragrances and is suitable for sensitive and allergy prone skin.
Ideally I am wanting to be more eco concious so I’m interested in brands that have a eco consideration to them as well as products that are good all rounders for the family. Ecover ZERO is from an eco concious company, suitable for all the family and vegan friendly. The bottles are made from a minimum of 25% recycled plastic with the rest formed of PlantPlastic, which is reusable, recyclable, and renewable and reduces the need for fossil-fuel based plastic. The bottle isn’t something I could reuse personally, however, Ecover are available in a lot of refill shops which is great so it’s good to know this is a brand that can work with these small businesses to help eliminate some plastic bottle use. There is however, a box of non-bio available which is of course much more environmentally friendly.
The ZERO range has plenty more to offer too, not just detergent but a multipurpose cleaner, fabric softener and dishwasher tablets amongst others. It is good to see a good variety in these ZERO products which are designed for a greener clean and to minimalise allergies. This has been approved by Allergy UK. With the detergent we can maximise this as our washing machine has an allergy setting. No one in the home suffers with any obvious skin allergies but we do have sensitive skin and a baby to think of. I know sometimes harsh fragrances can be too much for babies and this has no fragrance added at all.
This does mean however that the clean laundry doesn’t really smell of anything. I do miss having a lovely fragrance, especially on the bedsheets but it’s not really an issue especially as theses fragrances can be quite harmfull. I was really suprised at the lack of any fragrance to be honest. Compared to other fragrance free brands this really does not have any scent whereas others have had some kind of chemical clean scent. Hopefully this is just because its a greener clean and trying to make this as suitable and eco friendly as possible.
The best thing about the Ecover ZERO laundry detergent is that a capful cleans a full load of washing and no one has had any reactions to this detergent. It’s a brand I would use in the future however I would more likely opt for the box next time rather than the plastic bottle as I always feel I get more for my money when it comes to detergent powder rather than liquid.
Ecover have some fantastic aims that they want to reach by 2020 to try and continue being as green as possible.
By 2020 Ecover aims to only use 100% recycled plastic (PCR) in all its bottles
By 2020 Ecover aims to trial the use of alternative biodegradable and bio sourced packaging
Disclosure: I received a sample of ECover ZERO washing detergent for the purpose of this feature. All opinions remain my own.
Visiting Bophut as a Family for a beachfront holiday
I love travelling and there are so many beautiful places I want my children to see around the world. When it comes to travelling with children you feel like you sometimes have to compromise with beautiful places for family friendly however with a little digging and a bit of research I think you can find the best of both worlds. I know when it comes to travelling with my family I want to experience a bit of culture but I also want an area I can feel relaxed and safe. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a beach holiday abroad and I’m fully convinced to go self catering in a villa next time we do.
Villa Accomodation
One area I would love to visit and hadn’t thought about before was Thailand but digging a little further and finding some of the beautiful islands off the mainland you come across Koh Samui. An area I think my family would absolutely love exploring is Bophut. It looks like an ideal family friendly destination with plenty of beachfront accomodation. Villa accomodation in Bophut is very popular and an ideal way to get a bit of privacy during your holiday. There are some beautiful villas in Bophut on Koh Samui to choose from with a range of prices per night, room sizes and suitable for all sorts of family sizes. Many of these have a private or shared pool which is ideal for us as we all love to swim. There are lots of gorgeous villas in Bophut to choose from.
I think somewhere like this would be great to visit as a larger family group so that we can make the most of our stay. It’s great to see there are a range of options and most are very close to the beach. I know I’d love to have access to a pool as well as a comfortable place to sleep and of course some sort of air conditioning is a bit of a must for us. Some villas even come with staff so it’s worth having a good look and thinking about what you really need on your family friendly holiday to Bophut.
There are plenty of beautiful villas in Bophut to visit including many with a private or shared pool.
Visiting the beach in Bophut
We always love a trip to the beach and being so close is ideal for us. Bophut has so much beautiful scenery and a stunning coastline too which I think will enable those perfect holiday shots. For a bit of a change of beach there are plenty of others around the island that you can travel to aswell. One thing to note for families is that Thailand is a modest country and therefore children do need to be in swimwear when on the beach which is something worth considering. Considering the warm weather and tropical climate you will want to keep skin protected in the heat too so plenty of sun protection is a must. Bophut beach does experience a narrow coastline at high tide which is something to be wary of but makes it ideal for families with young children in Bophut to use during the day.
Bophut is situated on the beautiful island of Koh Samui close to the mainland of Thailand.
Fishermans Village
Fishermans Village in Bophut is one of the oldest parts on the island and is regarded as very well preserved and elegant. It is located in the middle part of Bophut beach and is very popular. This is an excellent place to take the kids for shopping amongst the boutiques and housing plenty of dining venues. Another must see location with children is Big Budda Temple. It’s an iconic desintation.
Dining Options
There are plenty of places to eat in Bophut including western staples for picky eaters – ideal for young children as well as plenty of options for those wanting to try some local cuisine. There are plenty of freshly picked fresh thai fruit including bananas and coconuts which is great to know and they’re favourites here in our house already. Trational thai food in Bophut is the most affordable in the local resturants and markets. If you’re self catering a good idea is to have things available for breakfast and then eat out for the rest of your meals. Alternatively there are two Tesco Lotus stores in Chaweng and Lamai for snacks and supplies should you need them.
Visiting Bophut, Koh Samui, Thailand with children and staying in a family friendly villa on a beach front location
This is a collaborative post
Planning a family garden party is a lovely way to get together over the summer holidays. You don’t need a reason to have a family garden party either it can just be a nice way to make the most out of this lovely warm summer we are having. Family garden parties do not have to be an expense either, it’s something everyone can equally contribute to to make sure the whole family have a really lovely time together.
My parents usually have a lovely family garden party on the August bank holiday weekend so that they can enjoy everyone’s company. It usually involves a lovely big BBQ, sitting around in the garden until late into the evening chatting, laughing and listening to music. Having a gazebo or even an outdoor party tent set up gives you a great hub for a family garden party too. Something else to consider could be renting a social photo booth which are a great way to get some fun photos, especially if it’s a special occassion. There is bound to be one available in your area such as Photo Booth Rental Fort Worth
another fun feature if you have a family could be adding a hammock. this could be a great thing for parties and family gatherings to keep kids amused but also used when the sun is shining for reading and relaxing. there are a great range of hammocks available online like hammock giant.
Here are some of my tips to consider making your family garden party a fun occasion that everyone remembers and to really celebrate the summer.
Will you have a theme? There doesn’t really need to be a big theme for this type of party or get together as really you can just use the season as the theme. For me summer just means lots of lovely ice cold drinks, BBQ and picnic food, plenty of places to sit outside and lots of smiles and laughter. As it’s a family garden party you could add in a paddling pool or maybe even a hot tub if you’re lucky enough to own one!
Consider the food. For me summer food is all about grab and go. Having a good mix of hot and cold food usually caters to everyone. Grilled meats and BBQ food can be paired really nicely with salads, cold meat platters and cheeses. Children seem to love a buffet so things like cocktail sausages, crackers and crudites are great options. Summer, for me, is all about colour so when planning a family garden party you might want to feed the family a rainbow. When it comes to desserts you could do something really fun like a chocolate fountain with fruit kebabs which children just seem to absolutely love.
Budgeting the family garden party. It doesn’t have to come with a big price tag and there are plenty of ways of reducing the cost right town to create a lovely family garden party atmosphere. Getting some battery operated tea lights or fairy lights are a lovely way to decorate the garden if you don’t want to use candles. You could also ask family members to bring a favourite dish or bottle of drink to share.
Extra celebrations. If you have lots of things to celebrate over the summer break having one big family garden party might be a really nice way to celebrate everyone together, especially if there are lots of birthdays in a short space of time. Or perhaps lots of family members have graduated or finished school and you want to celebrate exam results together. A family garden party is a really lovely way to mark the occasion and spend time celebrating together. If you have anyone that is expecting a baby perhaps throwing a garden baby shower party would be something you could organise?
Plan ahead and get your invites out. With social media and technology these days it’s really easy to organise a family event and make it known to all that you want to invite. You could send around a group message or text or even create an event online and invite people to join with all the information. I find setting up an event on social media like this an easy way to include as many people as possible and get all the information across easily.
So there are my tips for planning a summer family garden party. Do you have any you would like to add?
I have always had big boobs. Always. From about the age of ten. It’s been a huge burden, something I’ve been bullied about, teased and sexualised because of from a young age. My bust size has made me self conscious, it’s affected my ability and confidence to breast feed and it’s made bra shopping an absolute nightmare. I have never liked my boobs.
Clothes shopping has always been hard and I’ve only been measured three times, once during pregnancy, and I think only once was it correct. I am putting a lot of time, effort and energy into ridding myself of the diet culture industry, the body positive movement and what it’s like to be a fat woman living in a fatphobic world. Clothing has been a huge eye opener because I want to wear nicer things that fit me properly. I want to wear clothes that look nice and make me feel good.
One of the first things I have done in an effort to feel better about myself and be more comfortable when it comes to fashion is to get an accurate bra measurement. It helped watching a feature on daytime TV the other week featuring Strictly dancer Oti Mabuse who had self concious feelings about her boobs. I had also heard a lot of fantastic things about the online calculator Boob or Bust and decided to give it a go.
Boob or Bust measure differently to any other way I’ve done before and actually get you to provide 4 measurements as well as you’re dress size to help them give a recommended bra size. I’ve been trying to squeeze into cheap bras from Asda for years because the bigger the bra the bigger the price tag and so have mostly been guessing my actual size.
Since having my second baby and despite not breastfeeding I was recommended a 46H. At first I worried because I just imagined the money I would have to spend to find one plain black, white or beige bra in that size to fit me. I know there are places for bigger busts specifically but I know they are expensive and often I just couldn’t justify the cost. I ended up just searching 46H bras on google and had a few sites come up to shop from. I felt a bit better knowing I had some options and could just go with as cheap an option as I could find.
Thankfully, Simple Be had the answer and I purchased a multipack of two pink bras in the recommended size in the sale. I can not moan at £23 for two bras and I’m so glad it’s on a website that has a lot of plus size fashion available. I was really happy with them when they arrived. The are comfortable, colourful, fit well and have made a huge difference to making me feel supported.
It’s #plasticfreejuly which means lots of people are discussing all of the ways you can be more plastic free and more sustainable and more eco friendly. However, with the growing attitude that we need to do more in this climate crisis I can’t help but feel that it is providing a bit of a toxic attitude between those that can do something and those that can’t.
Don’t get me wrong, the more eco friendly and plastic free and spend free you can be the better but I think it’s important to remember that being zero waste and eco friendly right now is not sustainable because it isn’t inclusive. It will only be truly sustainable if everyone can be as eco friendly as possible.
I read all these amazing stories about families, mostly middle class families with two incomes in well respected and well paid jobs, that save up and quit their lives to go off the grid. They are inspirational of course but I couldn’t do that. We can barely save for Christmas let alone a house deposit and let alone going completely off the grid. Being zero waste is not worth getting into debt for, racking up credit card bills for. Do you, do the best you can do with what you have.
You can only do what you can afford, and that is fine.
Firstly, whilst I am thankful that I do not live on the breadline anymore I am not exactly middle class. My partner is on a zero hour contract for one and whilst his wage is okay, he works through the night. I am self employed but there are days I go without earning money and my wage is, for the most part, very part time. However, I can afford to cut down on my waste, plastic use and general consumption in this society.
I also feel that as individuals we all have a duty to care about and respect the planet we live in and it’s very hard to be completely inclusive with something that is very clearly a class issue. I wanted to write this post to help share that it isn’t down to the individual to make eco friendly the go to, it’s down to the government and the greedy corporations desperate for profit to make huge changes. You shouldn’t blame someone for making a single use plastic choice if that is all they can afford. You can bang on all you like about how you save money in the long term but if you don’t have the money upfront to make huge changes then you can’t make them.
I also feel that a lot of people, especially families, already do quite a lot which you might not see or acknowledge as being zero waste. They might always buy second hand, in charity shops, sell things they don’t need and rely on hand me downs to dress their children. However, they may also have to rely on supermarket clothing, a big part of fast fashion, because it is cheap. Especially if they have children that consistently need new school uniform. Poor people are more likely to make sure no food is wasted because they can’t afford to waste anything. Whilst refill shops might be a great alternative they are few and far between, not always easy to get to and are going to be more expensive.
Being poor isn’t exactly a choice in a capatalist society with over a million families and households relying on foodbanks
Lower income families are already at risk of so many things because they are poor and are forced to buy cheap, plastic, processed food and household products. This is because of how inaccessible eco friendly, plastic free products are to them so we really need to stop putting the blame on the person and start putting the blame on the people that actually can make a change. Do you not think you might be making them feel even more guilt and shame about their purchasing choices if you keep telling them about your middle class eco friendly zero waste refill station?
We can all only do what we can do. If you can’t swap to everything because you can’t afford to then that is fine. If you can afford it then brilliant. I am not saying to stop the conversations because they are important but I am saying to stop the shame and blame game because not everyone can afford to be eco friendly.
And If you want to shame and blame someone here’s what you can do
Sign every petition you can to get eco friendly plastic free products sustainable and inclusive to everyone
When you donate to food banks/refuges/period poverty boxes then make sure the products are plastic free. Even though it doesn’t contribute to a reduction in landfill it still makes these products accessible to people in need and you may find that these places do not accept reusables.
Get your nursery to use reusable wipes in place of disposables. That in itself would be a huge reduction in terms of things going to landfill and would save parents that having to send in disposables and therefore using less and saving themselves a bit of money.
Petition your local MP/Council about a cloth nappy scheme in the area to make these more affordable for all parents. These work successfully around the country but they aren’t in all areas. This can often mean subsidised cloth nappy kits and even better if you can get a group of cloth nappy friends to start a cloth nappy library – which again, aren’t in every single area.
Plastic Free swaps you can make
If you are living on the breadline or on a low income then there are some things that you might be able to change but please do not feel guilty if you can’t. I have been homeless, I have relied on food banks and I have been swimming in debt on the breadline. It is hard. It is hard when single use plastic is basically you’re only option.
Washing powder in a cardboard box – I used to get this from poundland because it was all I could afford.
Buy products in tins/jars/glass/cardboard & paper over plastic.
Anything you can buy loose wrapped is great.
If you can afford it reusable wipes can be a great swap as it’s not too expensive to change over. All you need is a mesh bag, plastic box and a set of wipes. It is one of the things that I can genuinely say has saved me money because wipes are a few pound a week.
Cloth nappies – it does not have to be all or nothing. If you can afford to buy one a month then gradually swapping out is fantastic. They also have excellent resell value. They can be anywhere from £7-£18 per nappy brand new however look for them second hand. I started with a set of second hand ones which have been really helpful.
There seems to be a big thing about plastic straws. My argument would be do you really need straws, if you do then fine, I am fully aware that some individuals with additional needs may need and rely on plastic bendy disposable straws, but if you don’t really need them then just not buying them is better than converting to a metal straw or bamboo ones.
Can you afford to change energy suppliers? We have changed to ecotricity, a green supplier, and we pay by electric key metre topping up weekly or two weekly. It is not much difference money wise. You can compare prices and if it’s about the same money wise and you can afford the swap then this might be a great alternative for you.
Being zero waste is a luxury and it’s not sustainable if it isn’t truly inclusive and affordable for everyone.
My point really is that not everyone can afford being zero waste or eco friendly or plastic free. The single working mum might not be able to try and buy several menstrual cups before she finds one that fits. Those that buy plastic straws could do for accessible reasons. Cloth nappies are very expensive and not everyone can afford to buy a kit outright. Plastic is in and covering everything, it’s cheap and easy to produce. Fast fashion is damaging but if you’ve got kids growing and you need to get them clothes you’re going to turn to the cheapest and most affordable way. It’s not even about kids, if you happen to be poor and fat you’re not left with a lot of choices either.
Let’s continue educating because some people who want to make the swap might not know what they can change. Let’s continue spreading awareness so those that can afford to be more eco friendly can do even more than they’re currently doing. But most importantly let’s collectively agree to stop shaming the individual whose circumstances we do not fully know or understand and instead put more pressure on corporations and the government to make zero waste, low emission, eco friendly living an inclusive lifestyle for every single person.
On a lasting note the point of being zero waste is having less. So if you can’t afford the alternatives but you do want to try and do something, look for ways you can reduce your waste, reuse as much as you can, mend things as you go and recycle as much as you can.
