Fighting Flies - Best Fly Prevention and Repellents

Here in the UK, flies are only really a problem during the hottest part of summer, which can range from seemingly a couple of days, to several weeks, depending on how kind the British weather is feeling. This being the case, no one wants to spend a lot of money on swanky electric fly-zappers, or other costly and cumbersome gadgets, but flies are still irritating and gross, so what else works to prevent, or repel flies? Included in this post are some of the most effective and low-cost fly prevention and repellents available, all-natural, humane and pesticide free. Feel free to let me know in the comments if I'm missing any brilliant ideas, we need all the help we can get!  

How to Declutter and Still Be Sentimental

 I've never considered myself to be a hoarder, but I do like to hang onto things. Not necessarily out of sentimentality, although that is often the case, sometimes because there is no real reason not to keep something. I look after things and keep them in good condition, so why not just let it all stay? Like most people, though, my house is not huge, and recently I've found myself dreaming of a bigger place even more than usual. Something had to give and it was time to either buy an awful lot of lottery tickets or get tough. I started with my dressing table, which I talked about in Creating my Small Space Home Office and I've carried on from there. Here's how I decluttered my whole house successfully, without losing my mind, or anything I didn't want to. 

Inexpensive Chidren's Bedroom Ideas

A big financial challenge when raising children is keeping up with their interests and, dare I say it, 'fads'. It's not unreasonable to expect a child to go through their interests quite quickly, as they change from being little children to almost-adults in a few short years. There's a lot of pressure from their peers, too, so subjects that were once everything to them can suddenly seem babyish and uncool. So how do you create a bedroom that will stand the test of time without needing completely revamping every time they go through a new phase? Having raised a couple of teenagers now, I've put together some inexpensive children's bedroom ideas to keep things current without breaking the budget or creating a lot of work for yourself. 

Creating my Small Space Home Office

I had to take a long break from 'serious' blogging, due to ill health and a certain global virus that has turned everyone's lives upside down, one way or another. In many respects, the enforced break did me good, and I've come back with a renewed determination to make the most of my little slice of the internet. So, I did something I'd been talking about for years, I set up a home office. The fun part was, I had zero available space in my little house, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. Here's how I got creative and created a quiet, comfortable working environment, without taking any space from the room layouts I already had. 

Top Tips for Choosing your Indoor Furniture

Choosing indoor furniture should be a fun and exciting activity, but for many, it can prove to be a nightmare. There are many different aspects to consider when selecting furniture, such as comfort, style, size and colour, so it's unsurprising that many rows take place around buying the perfect sofa or dining set. New furniture can completely transform a room, so it is worth taking time to get it right, but if it's not something you find easy, there is a lot you can do to make choosing furniture a more enjoyable experience.  At Rattan Garden Furniture Ltd. our design experts would like to share with you when and how to invest in indoor furniture, whether it's for dining or leisure. 

Ingenious Space Saving Small Home Ideas

I once wrote a jokey post about small space living, based on my experiences in my first small flat. I was thinking, though, that I might actually have picked up some useful ideas over the years that could be useful, so this is a sensible post about managing when you don't have much storage space. Our house isn't tiny, it's certainly bigger than that first flat, but it's modern and therefore efficient space-wise, not offering much in the way of storage or, indeed, any surplus space. These ideas make the most of the space you have. There are some affiliate links which give us a small profit if you buy through them, and also illustrate what I'm talking about!

Free Printable Fun Bathroom Reminder Signs

We all know that potty training can be a tricky time, with some children taking to it straight away and others needing a lot more encouragement. However long it takes, there is definitely a sense of euphoria that this potentially messy milestone has been nailed successfully. However, often it doesn't end there and phase two is encouraging children to use the toilet correctly, and hygienically. These fun, printable bathroom signs, offer a timely reminder to everyone, with simple rules we all need to follow, presented in a light-hearted way. As we all know, it's not only children who need an occasional nudge in this department!

Encouraging Children to be Tidier

Over the years, I have developed a few ideas for encouraging children to be tidier, I have also learned what doesn't work. In this post I will endeavour to impart this knowledge, so that you can learn from my successes and failures and hopefully have a tidier home and an easier parenting life. I make no guarantees, however, as all children are as individual as all adults, so you may have your work cut out, since I know quite a few adults who find being tidy a challenge. Perhaps, though, starting young might be the answer and you could maybe break the cycle of untidy child to untidy adult. Future housemates will thank you.

Flooring Options for a Family Home

I have a dilemma. We really need to update our home interior, which includes replacing our downstairs carpet, but we can't decide what with, and it's getting more and more threadbare by the day. I would love to try wood flooring, as I am fed up with trying to keep the thoroughfare between the kitchen and the dining table clean, but the husband isn't keen. I wondered if other people have this issue too, so thought I would set out the pros and cons of different flooring types, to try to help me decide, and maybe help out anyone else who's undecided too. So here it is, my guide to modern flooring for a family home and what I like about them all!

House Cleaning: Budget Tricks and Short Cuts!

I do love a good old fashioned housewifely remedy for a tricky cleaning task. In our current economy, you can really save a lot of money by having a few household staples in your cupboard for tackling a variety of cleaning tasks. Sometimes, even if you are really short of cash and everything is looking a bit tired and dated, a good spring clean can make you feel so much better and give your home a much needed lift. It's also much better for the environment and your health too. Everyone would love a sparkly clean home, but no one once the bleach smell and rough hands that often comes with it. 

Win a Luxury Faux Fur Hot Water Bottle in Mink

Housework Myths and Truths with Vorwerk

I got involved in a conversation over on Facebook yesterday, about how often people actually change their sheets. According to Mumsnet, this task should be done weekly, and it's one of those situations where a lot of us probably feel we are the only ones who fail to do this and the rest of the world has freshly laundered and ironed sheets every Monday. I can assure you that, according to some of the answers I read, many of us don't make this imaginary deadline at all, and it left me wondering how many other household tasks we probably 'should' be tackling more often. One thing I do know, is that I am always perfectly happy with the state of my house until I know we are having guests to visit.

Quality Built to Last with Vorwerk's Kobold VK200

There was a time when, if you bought something, such as a fridge, or a toaster, you would assume it would last for years. In my parent's day, no one expected to replace an electrical appliance. Perhaps perform a repair now and again, but you would anticipate having the same one until it got a bit battered and loved, then replacing it would be a major event. In today's 'consumable' society, everything seems to need replacing every few years and its driving me mad. In the last five years, I have been through three vacuum cleaners, the quality has been that bad. So, in this review I am investigating what you get for your money when you invest in the Kobold VK200, from Vorwerk. An appliance designed to last.

Cleaning Short Cuts and Tips to Keep Up with the Housework

It's very easy to get completely overwhelmed with housework. I do. It feels like I blink (or get absorbed in Facebook arguments) for a second couple of hours, and Armeggedon appears, uninvited, in my house. There are various issues that can cause this unwelcome phenomenon to occur. Maybe you are a bit of a hoarder, or have a brood of mini-hoarders, or just have other things you'd rather be doing. Whatever the reason, you are left with two choices; you can either dedicate yourself to a life maintaining a spotless showhome, worthy of a spot in Good Housekeeping or, you can do what I do and cheat a bit, fake it, and have a clean and happy home, without the hours of rubber-gloved drudgery. Here's how.

Win the New Look Astonish Range

Beautiful Bowood House and Gardens - Review

Bowood is somewhere that I remember going as a child and I have wanted to visit again ever since. I remember it being very beautiful and having lovely gardens, as well as a stunning lake. There is also an imposing stately home too, which I knew Phil would love, as he is a massive history buff. It's situated in Calne, in Wiltshire and is famous for its rhodedendrons, which are available to view at an additional cost. There is also a private walled garden that you can pay extra to visit. So, we set off in the middle of half term through the country lanes of Wiltshire to Bowood House and Gardens. This is our review of what we found there and if it lived up to my wonderful memories!

SS Great Britain - Step Aboard and Back in Time

The SS Great Britain has always been one of our favourite Bristol attractions. What I love about it, is that it is perfect for all weathers. The deck is gorgeous in the summer sun, but if it rains, there is plenty to see undercover. We haven't been for a while now, though and I had wondered if it would still appeal to L now that he is older. We took Phil along this time, too, and he hadn't been since he was at school. What I noticed was that, we all got something different out of it and there was something for everyone. We were lucky with the weather this time, it was really warm and sunny, although it did make the Dry Dock a bit humid, it was like the tropical house at the zoo! I suppose all that glass will do that...

It's National Bed Month! #ReclaimYourMattress and Your Health!

We are a family of allergy sufferers. We snuffle our way through summer, and then, when the heating comes on, some of us even sneeze our way through winter! This winter has been particularly snuffly, and we have suspected many different culprits for the itchy eyes and endless sneezing. Dust, heating, winter bugs, but it was only recently I turned my attention to the beds. I invested in anti-allergy pillows, but they didn't seem to make much difference. I have, however, just found out a wealth of facinating, and, in some cases, a little bit gross, facts about mattresses. In case you were also unaware, your mattress is not the innocent bed-bystander that it would seem.

Review of the Airram Mark 2, It's Even Better and We Love It!

Last year, I reveiwed the Gtech Multi and I was really pleased with it. It had some great, well-thought-out features and I am still amazed by how powerful it is, and how far it goes on a single battery charge. So, when Gtech told me about the improvements they had made to the famous Airram design, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to put it through its paces. I was given it to try, and am, as always, impartial in my views. I have tried to find negatives, honest, but it really is a great little vacuum cleaner. The first thing I noticed, as soon as I opened it, was how few parts it has. It was ridiculously easy to put together, and very straightforward to use. The husband does not 'do' instructions, and even he hasn't had an issue with it! 

Win £50 Astonish Cleaning Bundle - Review and Giveaway

The husband is fairly unique in that he does his fair share of the housework, without grumbling. Like a lot of men, he does like a pat on the head and a KFC now and again, but he is generally quite happy to pitch in. So, when I was asked to review a range of products from Astonish, who better to pose for the photographs! We were sent a number of products to review and are also pleased to announce that we have a Back to School Pack worth £50, containing a selection of essential laundry busters to make life as a parent just that little bit easier. The pack will ensure that your child is top of the class when it comes to looking smart. Just what every parent needs after Day 1 of the new term! Read on to find out if our kitchen really did sparkle after trying out some of the products!