Five Cheap Easy Meals to Teach your Child for University

 Sending your children off to University is a very strange time. As parents, it's in the job description to try to raise confident, healthy, happy people, who can make their own way in the world and be successful. Then the time comes for them to do just that and it's suddenly a bit nerve-wracking. It comes around so quick, it's easy to forget they've become adults, while we haven't been concentrating. One of the biggest concerns for parents is whether or not their offspring might starve, or become very unhealthy, due to a mix of ineptitude and laziness, so here are the five meals I taught my daughter to make before she went to university, they're cheap and easy, so will suit every budget and motivation level! 

Antique Jewellery - Why and How to Buy It

A hot topic right now is fast fashion; cheap clothes which may be a bargain but don't last very long and have to be frequently replaced. This is obviously not good for the environment, as the cast-offs often end up in landfill, but have you ever considered that the same can apply to jewellery? When I decluttered to make my office space recently, I was surprised at how much of my jewellery had quickly become tarnished and unwearable, because it was made from cheap metal. Cheap metal goes from shiny to shoddy very quickly and often has a limited lifespan. Here's how you can look for quality when you buy a piece of jewellery and how antique jewellery, such as the collections you can find at Carus Jewellery, could be the answer to sustainability. 

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. 

Creativity and Family Life

When you first become a parent, no one tells you how arty you suddenly have to be. For some people, this isn't necessarily a problem, but for others, the creative juices can be a little less forthcoming. One theory is that the creative side of the brain is more dominant in some people than others, which leads a proportion of us to relish creative tasks, whilst the rest run screaming for the hills at the merest glimpse of a Pritt stick. No matter how hard you try to avoid messy creative tasks, it becomes much harder once the children start school. It's not just the homework and the art projects, it's the party invites, cards for relatives and endless competitive dress-up days, to name but a few.

Little Lifts: 9 Easy Ways to Boost your Mood

I don't want to state the obvious here, but the last few months have been really tough for lots of people for all sorts of reasons. It has become harder for even the most upbeat personality to stay positive and anxiety and low mood have become a lot more common and harder to shake off. It may not be possible to do the things you normally do to make yourself feel better at the moment, so here are my favourite ways to lift a low mood, within the confines of your own home. I hope they help you too when you're feeling down and please feel free to add your own tried and tested mood lifters in the comments.

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. 

When Your Child Hates School

Not all children like going to school for a number of reasons, such as; separation anxiety, not enjoying certain lessons, not appreciating some of their teacher's methods or even just objecting to following someone else's rules! If any of those descriptions applies to your child, or even if you have one of those children who are generally fine with school and loves it once they get there, but you still have endless problems getting them to go, then this may interest you. Many children go through phases of hating school and I've put together this guide with some ideas to help if your child is reluctant to go to school, based on my own, and other parents' experiences.