Are You Retiresavvy?

Um... no. I am not. I can't deny it, I am woefully unprepared. I have been thinking about it a lot lately, though. Which is why I was more than happy to be given the task of critiquing the new Retiresavvy website. Pension provision effects everyone and I think a lot of us, like me, tend to bury their heads in the sand and hope for the best. However, options for retirement and pensions are changing and it is really important to stay in the loop of what's available and how to prepare for the future.

My Sunday Photo; A Moment of Pride

Win: Evo Cycle Helmet Kit for Global Road Safety Week

This week's competition features an essential element for keeping your child safe on the road. Did you know that around 186,300 children under 18 years die every year on the world's roads? Children in developing countries are three times more likely to die in a road traffic accident than those in developed countries. The Third UN Global Road Safety Week - #SaveKidsLives - aims to highlight and hopefully change this statistic, by raising awareness and finding ways to tackle the problem. By entering this competition, you can help, because every tweet hashtags to this important cause. 

Living with Asthma from a Young Age - How to Help

This guest post is written by my daughter Jade, who would like to tell you about her experiences as an Asthma sufferer. She was first diagnosed at the age of 2 and has lots of advice to help young people cope with asthma, based on her own experience. If you know a young asthma sufferer, you might find this post helpful, because no one knows this illness better than someone who has battled it for 20 years. Asthma is dangerous and prolific and it costs lives. Many people are affected by it and the charity Asthma UK is campaigning for Change to improve the lives of the millions of sufferers in this country. Please click the links to find out how you can help. Over to Jade, who I'd like to thank for writing such a lovely post!

Ode to Too Much Junk Mail!

Stop shoving stuff through my door,

It’s really becoming a bore,

All kinds of media tat,

Arrives on my mat

And I really can’t take anymore!

Every day with a sure certainty,

There arrives, more or less, half a tree,

Of leaflets and bumf,

Political gumf,

And an advert for podiatry.

Remedies for the Common Cold

I have a cold. And like anyone else cursed with the evil ailment, I can think about nothing else. So I might as well blog about it, because I have reached that stage of desperation, where I will try pretty much ANYTHING to be able to taste things again. To be able to speak like a normal person, who doesn't sound like they have their head jammed in a pumpkin. Most importantly, though, what I would really like, right now, more than anything else in the world, just for a little while at least, is to not look like Gollum. There is really nothing I don't want to complain about right now, and I am not alone. So, whether you have a cold yourself, or are tolerating a snuffling, moaning whingebag of your own, this post may just help you out!

Avengers: Age of Ultron Parent's Guide

Avengers: Age of Ultron has a 12A certificate, which, according to the British Board of Classification means: "Containing material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child." However, as this is a Marvel film and, therefore, heavily marketed at children with costumes widely available for under 10s and Lego set for 6-12 year olds, you may find yourself pestered by a small person to see this film. I saw it today with my 9 year old and thought I would publish this guide, based solely on my opinions. I hope you find it helpful.