Candyfloss & Dreams

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  • Fitting Your Child’s Needs Around Your Hectic Lifestyle

    Fitting Your Child’s Needs Around Your Hectic Lifestyle

    This is a collaborative post.

    Life is pretty intense when you’re a parent. You’re juggling a job, a household, a relationship, and trying to be a parent all at the same time. It’s not easy by anyone’s standards. While parents can keep everything more or less together, there’s always the chance that they’re overlooking a key part of their child’s development, purely through a lack of time and too much stuff going on. But there are ways to streamline the essential aspects of being a parent, building them around your hectic lifestyle.

    Source: Pexels.com

    Managing Playtime

    All children love to play, but when a parent gets home from work, they’re usually too tired to play with them. The key here is to essentially make your child do all the work. If you don’t have the energy to match theirs, simply lie on the floor next to them; they’ll provide all the energy necessary. They might just be climbing over you, but it’ll be fun to them. This of course only really works with small children – you don’t want a grown child jumping on top of you!

    Keeping Their Health in Check

    We think of children as naturally healthy because they’re always playing, but they still need to be educated about diet and lifestyle, and they also pick up a fair few bugs and illnesses just through the course of school life. If you’re always busy, you won’t have always have the time to take them to the doctor to get these illnesses taken care of. Instead, streamline the process by having an online GP at hand; they’ll get the medical advice they need, and you’ll have peace of mind without losing some of your precious time. You can also ensure they eat correctly by learning to cook a few simple, healthy meals. It doesn’t take as much time as you might think to prepare healthy meals for the family!

    Keeping Things Simple

    Your child has plenty of needs that come naturally; they don’t always need new ones invented more for them. While it’s a good idea for them to have extracurricular activities, if they’re learning to play the violin, learning Spanish, and joining a sports team then they’re probably doing too much. These things are usually enforced by the parent; instead, ask them to select one or two activities that they really enjoy. They’ll develop a stronger connection to that activity, and you won’t have to run them around to a host of different lessons multiple nights a week.

    Being a Relaxed Parent

    Your life is hectic; you do not need to be. Children learn a lot from the way their parents act, and if you’re constantly on edge, acting frantically, then your child might too. This will only make the problem worse if you’re trying to keep everything under control, but both you and your child are not relaxed. Instead, try to maintain a calm demeanor in life. You can’t always control one happens to you, but you can control how you react – and it’ll make life much more enjoyable.

  • Stylish Homewears – Coppi Bowl

    Stylish Homewears – Coppi Bowl

    Coppi Bowl from Banbayu

    I’ve recently got into crystal healing a bit. I’m still learning so I probably don’t actually know anything but I know I am trying to declutter and create a positive home space for us all. Living in a two bedroom flat we don’t really have much space, especially for storage, so everything looks a bit cluttered. I’ve been looking for something to hold my crystals and incense in while not in use and something that would fit in with my home. This Coppi Bowl is working really nicely.

    Coppi Bowl Homewares

    I like having nice furnishings and I especially like items that serve more than one purpose. I received this gorgeous Coppi bowl from Banbayu which is sitting quite nicely on my end table in my living room. I selected this bowl because I wanted something to hold my crystals in that I’m collecting at the moment and this looked stylish and large enough for them.

    I love it, it’s gorgeous, stylish and a really nice size. I can see this holding many uses in the home from keeping belongings, keys, fruit, decorative items…whatever you wish really. I think it’s always really useful to have something like the Coppi bowl in the home. Storage space is always needed and it’s even better if it looks good. The size of the bowl is great and what makes it so functional. It can easily be used for many different things and would suit any home and decor style.

    Coppi Bowl

    Banyubu feature sustainable, authentic and luxury homewears and jewellery on their site. They have a fantastic ethical policy and with every piece being handmade, you know you have something special. The Coppi bowl is exactly that for me. I really love it and I love that it’s from a place that cares about the people and cultures that make the products.

    Disclaimer: I received this Coppi bowl in exchange for this feature. All opinions made are my own.

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  • 7 Tips to Help You Create a Welcoming Guest Room

    7 Tips to Help You Create a Welcoming Guest Room

    This is a collaborative post.

    Not every house has a guest room, but those who do have a guest room often find it hard to try and make their guest room welcoming enough to be able to invite people around. When you pick up the phone and speak to a distant relative, the last thing on your mind is going to be inviting them over to stay a week. However, with a fantastic guest room that’s full of comforts, you’re more likely to invite them over and it could help you build long-lasting relationships and friendships with people. So to give you a hand, here are 7 tips to help you create a wonderful guest room that you can be proud of.

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    1. Let them know the WiFi password

     

    Simply telling them “oh, by the way, the WiFi password is…” isn’t going to cut it. For starters, they probably won’t remember it and secondly, you can’t expect them to get out every single device as soon as you tell them so they can input your password. This is an easy fix; just simply get a card or a framed sign on a table in your guest room and keep the WiFi password displayed. It means they can do it in their own time after they’ve put their luggage down and they don’t need to ask you for each device they have.

     

    1. Empty power outlets

     

    Don’t hide your power outlets behind furniture or underneath tables and force your guests to crouch down just to reach a power source. If your power outlets are in awkward locations, then do your guests a favour and buy a surge protected power strip and place it in an easy to spot location. Now your guests can charge their devices, use their laptop and other electronic devices they may have brought with them.

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    1. Comfortable bedding

     

    Ensure that you have an extra blanket for your guests regardless of what season it is. Some people prefer to sleep a little more comfortably, others like to have a blanket to wrap themselves in while they do a bit of work on the laptop. A duvet insert is a great way to add extra comfort to your bedding as well without costing too much. If your guest bedroom mattress is a bit worn out, then consider replacing it as well. If you’re unsure how comfortable the bed is, then sleep it in for a few nights and make your own judgement.

     

    1. Storage space

     

    From empty hangers to a bedside table, make sure there’s plenty of storage for your guests to use. You want to make them feel at home, so allow them to use your cupboards and storage like they would at home. They’ll hang their clothes, keep their glasses and other small items on your bedside table, and they’ll make use of your hangers to keep their clothes crease-free and fresh for when they need it.

     

    1. Fitting decor

     

    Don’t make your guest room stand out too much from the rest of your home. You want to focus on function over form, so don’t add too many things to the guest room that the rest of your home doesn’t have. Use the same lighting, the same carpet or flooring, the same wallpaper and so on. You don’t want to try too hard to make your guest room look better than it actually is, just focus on making it comfortable enough to sleep in without looking like you’re trying too hard.

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    1. A tray or cart of essentials

     

    A guest cart is a fantastic way to pamper your guests. On the cart, you could put things like drinks, a pot of flowers to add a bit of style, fruit, additional towels or blankets, slippers, and so on. You can even include additional toiletries, reading material or tea and drinks. It also helps to have a small kettle in the guest room so that your guests can make their own tea and coffee if needed. However, if they’re close guests such as family members, then you don’t want to alienate them by giving them too many essentials that they could get by coming down to the kitchen. If you don’t have a cart or you don’t have enough things to put on the cart, then a tray serves the same purpose.

     

    1. Bathroom additions

     

    If you have an en-suite bathroom for your guest bedroom, then you don’t really need to worry about this. However, if you have a shared bathroom then you might want to consider giving your guests their own place to hang towels, store toothbrushes and so on.

  • Summer Style for Men with Jacamo

    As it was Adam’s Birthday last week he’s been enjoying a few new treats. When Jacamo got in touch asking if Adam would be interested in trying some of their clothes we said yes! We have our holiday to Cornwall coming up, we’re both losing weight and we both want to look good. We had a good look around their website and settled on two polo shirts and a pair of shorts. I may be biased but I think he looks quite lovely. I can’t comment on the fit so here’s what Adam had to say about the clothes from Jacamo.

    “I’m really pleased with the fit and the quality of the clothing. I always get a bit worried ordering online because you don’t have the chance to try something on and where it’s a brand I’ve not tried before I wasn’t sure on the fit. I’m quite tall too but the Polo shirts had an extra long range which were just right. The shorts are great, really comfortable and I think they’ll be used a lot over the summer, especially on our holiday. I don’t usually wear Polo shirts but I thought it was about time to try something new. I would really recommend Jacamo clothing and I will certainly be using them in the future.”

    Jacamo have clothing from S to 5XL and there are ranges to fit every man for any occassion. Adam is 6’5″ so he does struggle sometimes finding clothes to be a great fit for him. We were both really impressed with the quality and styling available. There is so much choice on the website that I really do think there is something for everyone. Jacamo has plenty of spring and summer inspired items too if you’re looking for something new now it’s getting a little warmer.

    Jacamo Clothing For Men, Jacamo Polo Shirts
    Polo Shirt and Shorts thanks to Jacamo

    Disclaimer: We were kindly sent the items photographed and described in exchange for this feature. All opinions remain my own and of my partners.

     

  • How Expressive Can Interior Design Be?

    This is a collaborative post.

    If you feel that your home is in the need of a bit of a fresh start, then that can be one of the most exciting times of all. The fact is, re-designing the home can be a project which takes you months to complete, but it is one of the most enjoyable and enlivening projects you can go for. If you think your home needs a new lease on life, then making that happen should fill you with joy. Whether you live alone or with a family doesn’t matter – either way, you can do a whole load of things to make your home considerably better, probably for less money than you had thought. What’s more, it might even turn out that interior design can be a useful way to express your own personality. And when that happens, it often makes for a much more liveable space in which you can easily grow as a person.

    Pic Credit

    Functional Kitchen

    For most homeowners, the kitchen is the most important room in the house. Every room has its own character, of course, but the kitchen is often where you really want to focus first and foremost. If you think about it, you will probably find that you spend a surprising amount of time in the kitchen – and yet you probably don’t relax and hang out there much. This makes it a perfect room to renovate, because your home life won’t be too disrupted, but when it’s finished your best room will be – well, even better.

     

    There are so many things you can do to improve any kitchen, but for many people what they really want to go or is something which brings out the actual function of the kitchen as it is meant to be. Many of us have accidentally allowed our kitchens to become sites for other activities over the years. If you want to breathe new life into your kitchen, that might mean taking it back to its original function: as a place to cook and eat food. This means getting rid of any of that old clutter, no more using it as a dumping ground, and maybe even going through your utensils and gadgets to check whether any need replacing. If you follow these simple steps, you will already be well on your way to a brand new, perfectly functional kitchen. But that’s not all you can do.

    Pic Credit

    If you are super keen on improving your kitchen to great new heights, then you could consider a renovation. As we have seen, renovating the kitchen is one of the best things you can ever do for your home, but that is not to say that it is easy – quite the opposite. One of the major difficulties will be in deciding what you actually want to do with it – but here is where your opportunity for self-expression can come in quite easily. If you think in your mind’s eye about your ideal kitchen, to suit you specifically, there is probably something strong that comes to mind. Focusing on that image should help you: try to see yourself in the space, and build the space around you. You might not end up with exactly what you imagined, but this is still a powerful way to help you go in the right direction towards your dream kitchen.

    If you do this first and find yourself with a kitchen which just screams you, you will no doubt be quite delighted and be spurred on to look at the other rooms of your home too. Speaking of which: what about the bathroom?

    Fresh Bathroom

    There is no doubt that the bathroom is important, but completely renovating it is often a real difficulty. It is particularly tricky if you only have one, for obvious reasons. It is for this reason that it is often best to simply make a few changes at a time to this room. Fortunately, even just doing that can help to completely re-invigorate the room as a whole. If you hope for a new and fresh bathroom, then you might want to think about some of the smaller-scale things you can do first, before you move on to anything bigger.

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    Fortunately, there are plenty of those to think of. It could be that you want to turn the space into more of a safe haven for you personally, while also allowing your personality to shine through. There are few better ways of achieving that than by installing vanity units in the bathroom. Although not everyone has these anymore, they can be really good for allowing you to feel more at home in the space – while the mirror also adds a feeling of space to the room as a whole. Similarly, you could consider completely changing your towels and so on into an entirely new set, maybe even changing the color scheme in the process. Doing so is a low-key, fast, but surprisingly effective way, of ensuring that you get a new kind of life out of your old bathroom. It is well worth considering doing this, even if nothing else.

    Your bathroom can be a space in which you truly come alive, albeit entirely by yourself. If you work hard to make yours into a fresh and engaging space, you might find that this makes a huge difference to your home as a whole. Either way, it is well worth considering if you want to give your home a more peaceful and personal vibe, as there is no easier room to change up fast.

    Inviting Hallway

    Whenever you have guests, it is always nice if you feel that you are able to invite them in in a strong way. If you don’t feel that way at the moment, then taking a look at your hallway area might be a good idea. There are countless things you can do to make your hallway a more inviting area, and doing so will probably help you to feel more at home in the space as well, even when you don’t have any guests coming knocking. The first thing to look at is the colour scheme. Colour affects us emotionally more than you might think, so it is well worth looking into which colours you want for that part of the house. Doing so will mean that you can ensure people feel welcome, calm and happy to be there straight away.

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    But colour is not your only tool in making the area inviting and welcoming. You might want to think about clearing it, decluttering it, so that you can have more open space. This works psychologically very well for ensuring that the home feels like somewhere you really want to be. Of course, you could also work on your front door, ensuring that it is new and freshly painted and so on, and this will add to the desired effect as well. It is surprising how often hallways are completely overlooked, and yet they are actually one of the most important parts of the house for everyone. Get this right, and you will be one step closer towards making your home much more suitable to you, and a home which speaks to you personally much more effectively.

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    Clean & Tidy

    Let’s not forget about the simple power of making your home clean and tidy, as well. If you want your home to be expressive of your true nature, you can only do that by letting it actually show. If there is stuff everywhere and it’s dirty, you are not using the space to its full expressive advantage. So make sure that you keep your home clean and tidy – in a subtle way, it is another way of showing yourself respect.