Five things to think about before getting a pet

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about what it would be like to have another pet. The kids have reached the age where all I hear about it how much they want a pet of their own, but it’s a life-altering decision. I thought I’d put together a quick blog post on the top five things to consider, in case you are in the same situation.

1. Your lifestyle

First and foremost, what kind of lifestyle do you have? Are you flying solo and prefer to spend most of your evenings out on a run, and you’d love the company of a large dog beside you? Or are you a loving family unit, currently searching for an exuberant kitten that’s just as happy to play with the kids as he is to sit on your lap of an evening? You need to make sure that you pick the right kind of animal to suit your lifestyle, otherwise you will both end up miserable.

2. Your environment

It’s all well and good choosing an animal you like the most, but take a look at your environment and be honest with yourself about how suitable it is. Cats love to climb, so you might want to think about modifying your space to include some platforms for it to jump to or scratching posts beside walls. If this isn’t something you’re prepared to do, then you shouldn’t be thinking about that animal – even rabbits need a run!

3. Your allergies

Purposely getting a pet you’re allergic to could land you on a hospital ward, so if you have your heart set on a cat for example but suffer with terrible allergies, the Siberian breed might be the one for you, as studies have shown them to have far less of the protein in their saliva that causes a reaction than any other cat. Always do your research and see if there’s a breed to suit you.

4. Your budget

Of course, there’s no point in picking the perfect pet for yourself if you can’t actually afford to keep it, so you should always look at exactly what the monthly costs involved will be. With animals like dogs and cats, you can expect food, toys, vet bills, insurance and so on to be at the top of the list, but what about more exotic pets like amphibians? They will probably require a special diet and habitat requirements. Be honest about what all of this is likely to cost you.

5. Where do you go?

Finally, you should do a search in your local area for where you can actually pick up an animal from. If you’re going for a specific breed, it’s vital that you select someone who is registered with the local authorities or you pick an establishment such as Douglas Hall Kennels who hand-pick breeders for you. Don’t dismiss charities either though, as they’re a great opportunity to give a loving animal a fresh start.

I hope this post has helped you – are you getting an animal soon?

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Travel Easy, Not Queasy With Sea-Band

I've written before about the challenges of travelling with queasy kids and was interested to hear how many mums and dads recommended taking a drug free approach to motion sickness by using Sea-Band acupressure wrist bands for their children. I've heard good things about their effectiveness against morning sickness too.

There's nothing more miserable than being stuck in a car for hours feeling nauseous, apart from being stuck in a car with someone else who is feeling nauseous!

The last get-away weekend of the year is coming up and Sea-Band have come up with a great list of tips to help you and your kids feel less green.

First things first: take their queasy calculator quiz to detect your risk of feeling queasy on your next trip: http://queasycalculator.com/ and then take note of the following:-

Plan ahead - avoid excessive alcohol and spicy or fat-rich foods that leave you feeling over-full, as they can increase the chances of motion sickness in some people

Avoiding strong food odours may also help prevent nausea, and position yourself near a source of fresh air if possible

Try to choose a seat where you will experience the least motion. The middle of an airplane over the wing is the calmest area of an airplane. On a ship, those in lower level cabins near the centre of a ship generally experience less motion than passengers in higher or outer cabins

Try and sit in the front seat of a car and where possible avoid sitting away from your direction of travel whenever possible

Do not read or spend too much time on your phone or electronic devices while traveling if you are at all prone to motion sickness

Isolate yourself from others who may be suffering from motion sickness, listening to others talk about motion sickness or seeing others becoming ill is the last thing you need to see or hear!

Be prepared and take a pair of Sea-Bands with you - acupressure wrist bands clinically proven to relieve motion sickness and morning sickness, in addition to helping with post-operative and chemotherapy-induced nausea.

They come in both adult and child versions so that the whole family can be travel sickness-free 

They work by applying pressure on the Nei-Kuan acupressure point on each wrist by means of a plastic stud. Because the bands do not use drugs, they do not cause any of the side effects associated with anti-nausea drugs. ·

Sea-Bands are a great choice for drug free relief of all types of nausea and they have no side effects. You can also wash and reuse them. More information is available on the Sea-Band website: www.sea-band.com

You can buy Sea-Bands from all major retailers and online.  (Adult Sea-Band RRP: £8.59, Child Sea-Band RRP: £8.59).

GIVEAWAY

I have 5 sets of Adult and Child Sea-Bands to give away (1 adult set and 1 child set per winner).

Entry is via the Rafflecopter widget below.  Terms and conditions apply (please see my competitions page).UK entrants only and the giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Sunday 11th September.


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Tips For The Perfect Kids' Lunchbox With Hartley's

Now that the new school term is looming, many parents will be bracing themselves for the daily challenge of assembling a lunchbox for their kids that has the right balance of nutrition and excitement.

Kids are fussy eaters at the best of times and it can be too easy to stuff a lunchbox with packets of crisps and chocolate, particularly when you're short on time and haven't done the weekly shop yet.

So how do you come up with a lunchbox whose contents will be eaten with gusto whilst making the preparation as easy on yourself as possible?

Here are my top tips.

* Don't buy single loaves.  If you can, buy a spare loaf or some bread rolls for the freezer.

* Prepare the lunchbox the night before and place in the fridge to keep fresh.

* Buy lunchbox staples in bulk and portion them up as soon as you get home. You can pop individual portions of snacks like trail mix into separate sandwich bags ready to drop in to the lunchbox to save time.

* a healthy lunch will keep your child alert and able to focus at school so try to include a variety of food types, fruit and veg, starchy food (for example wholemeal or granary bread), protein (sliced ham) and dairy (cheese).  The best drink to pack is water.

Fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients essential for optimal health, whilst proteins are the building blocks of cellular growth which also help to balance blood sugar levels and keep us feeling fuller for longer.

* you can make things a little more interesting by packing each item separately so that the unwrapping creates a little fun, plus this helps keep food fresher.

* your freezer is your friend - there are plenty of places online to find lunchbox recipes you can freeze so that you could cook in bulk on a Sunday to be ready for the rest of the week.

For example:

Lunch box ideas you can freeze from Planningwithkids.com

25 Freezer Friendly Lunch Box Ideas from Childhood101

Freezer Friendly School Lunch Foods from Super Healthy Kids

* in hot weather you may need to include a ice pack to keep the food cool and in cold weather you could put a warming soup in a thermos.

* ring the changes by making sandwiches with different types of bread or substitute the sandwich for some pasta salad or a chopped vegetable salad with extra nuts and Chia seeds to add some extra Omega 3.

* Pots of Hartley's No Added Sugar Jelly are a great standby to pop in as a healthier sweet treat and at the moment if you collect 12 individual pots with the green promotional lids, you can exchange these for a fun bright yellow lunchbox and stickers for your child to create their own lunchbox with the Hartley's Lunchbox Collector Scheme.

* make sure that snack foods are as healthy as possible without relying on shop bought sugary treats. You could include a selection of things like hard boiled eggs, unsalted popcorn, a savoury scone, a granola bar, some yogurt, fruity jelly and some nuts and seeds.

Be careful with granola bars as some of these contain more sugar than a chocolate bar.  A Hartley's No Added Sugar Jelly Pot is a better alternative with a banana or a small bunch of grapes.

The Hartley's No Added Sugar Jelly Pots come in strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, orange, apple and tropical flavours and contain just 6 calories per pot (great for those of us watching our weight too).

You may need to check that your school allows nuts to be included in case of allergies.

The key to a perfect kids' lunchbox is planning.  Why not sit down with your child and draw up a list of their favourites.  You could then create a lunchbox menu plan where your child gets to choose one item on their list each day if they also include one fruit or veggie choice. Caitlin, for example, loves olives and Ieuan loves carrot batons.

If you find that lots of food is coming back uneaten then it may be that your portion sizes are too large or you need a more interesting mix of foods (whilst still keeping to healthier choices of course).

Sometimes kids get so involved in what they are doing they simply forget to eat but if you are finding that all the snack food goes whilst the sandwiches and more filling food doesn't then it's time to reduce the snack elements until the sandwiches start to disappear.

There's no guarantee the local birds aren't being well fed of course but at least you'll be nearer to getting the balance right.

You could also involve your kids in the making of their sandwiches or snacks and get them to do it under your supervision.

You don't want to still be making their lunchboxes when they get to secondary school now, do you!

This post is an entry from BritMums #HartleysYourLunchbox Linky Challenge sponsored by Hartley's Jelly.

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Review: Nurture Fruity Water+ - A Healthier Children's Drink

There has been much publicity lately about the proposed sugar tax on kids' sugary drinks as a way of trying to halt the escalating levels of child obesity here in the UK.

You have probably heard chef Jamie Oliver talking about why this could make such a difference to our children's health.

My view?  It's really not as simple as that, however, anything we can do to reduce our kids' sugar intake is to be welcomed - by parents, doctors and dentists.

We are all guilty of turning a little too quickly sometimes to bottled fruit drinks and squashes and equally we know that it can be quite difficult to get children to consume plain old water - no matter how many themed cups, bottles and novelty straws you throw at the problem.

I was interested to read about a new children's drink which claims to be healthier because it contains lower naturally occuring sugars.

NURTURE Fruity Water+ which is targeted specifically at young children (from 1 year) also claims to support children's immunity through its added nutrients, being the "first functional drink of its kind".

These added nutrients are Vitamin B6, Folate (B9), B12, C, D and Zinc, as well as Calcium.  There is also 25mg of "Wellmune® Beta 1.3/1.6 Glucans 100% Natural Brewers Yeast".

The drinks are lactose and gluten free and are vegan friendly.

There are 2 flavours: Cherry & Strawberry and Orange & Pineapple and Nurture Fruity Water+ is made with 45% natural juice and 55% water.

Nurture Fruity Water+ contains no added sugar and less than 1 teaspoon of naturally occurring sugar per 100ml, making it exempt from the upcoming UK sugar tax relating to unhealthy sugary drinks.

It's also school approved, and comes in a mess-free pouch for on-the-go convenience.

Caitlin & Ieuan taking a break after running around our local woods

Nurture was developed by parents Lucie and Derek Sanders who, with three children of their own, wanted to find a way to reduce children's sugar consumption from an early age in order to halt the development of a sweet tooth and to encourage them to make healthier choices later on.

“Children’s immune systems are least developed and most at risk to germs and infection the younger their age”, says founder Derek Sanders.

“Nothing nurtures better than breast milk and all baby formula producers strive to replicate it. However, there is a gap in the market after children stop breast-feeding and formula, as there are currently no functional juice drinks with added nutrients available for children from 1 to 5 years. Nurture Fruity Water+ has been formulated to support children’s immunity and be part of a solution to help busy, on-the-go families stay healthy.”

We tried both flavours on a walk around our local woods and, whilst the quantity per pouch is a little small for older children (or at least children who have been running around a lot), both flavours are pleasant without having an obvious sugary taste.  I found Nurture Fruity Water+ to taste much more natural than some of its competitor products and there's no artificial after-taste.

I liked the mess-free spout which helps avoid those moments when no matter how many times you tell your kids not to squeeze the juice box because the drink will slop out, you can guarantee it will happen anyway. You have to squeeze the Nurture pouch with a bit more force than usual to get the drink to rise to the spout.

I think Nurture FruityWater+ is an interesting alternative to the usual juice and squash brands but it is not the cheapest option on the market.  For those parents who are concerned about developing their kids' immune systems and who are prepared to take a longer view in terms of developing good nutritional habits in their younger children, then the drinks are certainly worth a try.

NURTURE Fruity Water+ is available in 200ml pouches with a RRP of 99p to £1.49. Retailers include: Ocado, Whole Foods Market, and Holland & Barrett.

You can find more information at www.nurtureimmunity.com.

*PR samples were received for the purposes of this post

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On Trend Menswear For Autumn & A Fab Giveaway From Mainline Menswear

The approach of autumn usually signals that it's time to update our wardrobes and whilst there are some stylish men who will already have worked out which of the upcoming trends they want to adopt, I suspect the average bloke is still muttering about how his range of Motorhead, Black Sabbath and tropical patterned tee-shirts will be quite enough to last throughout the winter.

The answer is some sensible negotiation and a spruce up of the Husband's wardrobe with some stylish shirts, tees and hoodies.

We recently discovered Mainline Menswear, a leading retailer specialising in men's designer clothing, footwear, and accessories.

Established in 2004 the Mainline Menswear website carries a huge range from top men's fashion brands such as Armani Jeans, Armani, Hugo Boss, Diesel Jeans, G-Star, Adidas Originals, Fila Vintage, Franklin and Marshall, Ralph Lauren, Original Penguin Clothing, Superdry, Lyle and Scott, Pretty Green, Levis Jeans, Replay Jeans, Stone Island, CP Company, Paul Smith, Henri Lloyd, Ted Baker, Belstaff Jackets, Lacoste Trainers, J Lindeberg, Fred Perry, Mens Timberland Boots, Luke 1977, Edwin Jeans, Cruyff Trainers, Nike and more!

You can find Designer Jeans, Designer Jackets, Designer T-Shirts, Designer Jumpers, Designer Long Sleeved Shirts, Designer Shirts, Designer Shoes, Footwear and Trainers, Designer Socks, Watches, Designer Flip Flops, Designer Boxers and Designer Swimwear.

All orders are dispatched using their premium UK next day delivery service.

We were offered a Hugo Boss Polo Tee Shirt to try and the husband chose the one pictured above. The quality is excellent and the sizing 'true', with no pulling under the arms and with a sensible length in the body.

And Mainline Menswear have kindly given me a £100 gift voucher for one lucky winner so that they can update their autumn wardrobe.

Entry is via the Rafflecopter widget below and the usual terms and conditions apply (on my competitions page). The giveaway is open to UK entrants only and ends at 11:59 pm on Sunday 18th September.

For more information visit Mainline Menswear online or you can find them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Good luck!

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Review: Our Holiday Home Rental From Toad Hall Cottages, Kingsbridge, Devon

We have just returned from a week's holiday in Devon where we rented a lovely house in the small town of Kingsbridge from Toad Hall Cottages.

This is our third time using Toad Hall Cottages and we remain quietly impressed.  The company specialises in holiday property hire in Dorset, Devon and Cornwall and many of its properties are situated in lovely, picturesque locations.

Bralo, Kingsbridge courtesy of Toad Hall Cottages

Our first two hires were of a property called Blue Skies in one of my favourite locations, Noss Mayo, which is about 10 miles from Plymouth.

Devon has a special place in my heart as my parents were both born there and our childhood holidays always involved a stay with our grandparents who lived in Cattedown and Peverell.   The Husband has become resigned to the fact that the area is always my first choice of holiday location.  

Booking is easy, as you would expect.  You simply select the property which interests you and check online availability and pricing.  You do have to be quick because the properties are booked well in advance of school holidays and a deposit of one third is payable on booking, plus a security deposit which is refunded 3-4 days on return, provided you have not damaged the property or left it in a mess.  The security deposit for Bralo was £175.  The balance of your holiday is payable 6 weeks before the start of your booking.

A UK staycation has the reputation of costing more than a comparable holiday abroad but, to us, the benefits of a home-spun holiday far outweigh anything the Costas have to offer - although I am sure we will venture abroad at some point in the near future.

Once you ignore the galling fact that the price of all the holiday rental properties rockets in August (we paid around £1400 for a week) and then sink like a stone again in September (a comparable week would cost £570), the price is actually bearable if you are in a location where much of the entertainment is free and you are not being stung in excess of £50 entrance fees every time you enter a theme park or other similar attraction.

In terms of budget, it is possible to have a cost-effective holiday if you are happy with the simple pleasures of a bucket and spade and an ice cream, provided that the weather holds.  

The other thing to remember is that the M5 can resemble a car park at peak periods so if you are travelling to Devon in August you may want to be flexible with the times you travel.  It took us over 6 hours to return to Cardiff and on our next trip we may well travel home on the last night (the journey usually takes half that) to avoid numb bottoms and the suspicion that getting out of your car and walking might actually be quicker.

We stayed in "Bralo", a 4 bedroomed detached property in Kingsbridge which is just a few miles from many great beaches - Thurlestone, Hope Cove, Salcombe, Slapton, Blackpool Sands, Torcross and Bigbury - and that's without taking into account all the sights of Plymouth and the beauty of Dartmoor which are also practically on your doorstep.

You can access your holiday property from 3 pm in the afternoon and are asked to leave by 10 am on the morning of your departure date.

Bralo has a garage large enough for one standard saloon which you can use but parking is a little difficult as the house is directly opposite a primary school.  It being school holidays, this was not a problem although the school was in constant use and I imagine that there would be lots more congestion during school run times.

The property was in immaculate condition and spotlessly clean.  The quality of the fixtures and fittings was high (can't go wrong with John Lewis, can you?!) and everything had been thought of, with the exception of pegs for the washing line and some bathroom cleaner.

Today though, everyone is so health and safety conscious I suspect that these items are deliberately not included.

There was plenty of space for up to 8 people to relax and spread out.  The wood burning fire must be lovely in winter.

There's a generously sized table to accommodate some great family meals when all you want to do is chill in your own space.  There are only so many restaurant and pub meals we can take in a week.

One of the things we love most about self-catering is that you have the freedom to choose when and where you eat.  Kingsbridge has a range of good local shops plus the ubiquitous Tesco and Morrisons so it's easy to stock up for at least a couple of meals.

The kitchen was well equipped with a large fridge/freezer, washing machine, dishwasher and double oven.

There were lovely little personal touches everywhere.

There were two twin rooms downstairs both with TVs.  My only gripe was that the blinds in the second twin room were too light to prevent the moonlight flooding through.  Caitlin and Ieuan managed to share one of the two rooms without killing each other.

There was also a separate toilet with vanity unit and walk-in shower downstairs. The light / air con unit for this was great but if switched on in the middle of the night was rather loud if you were a light sleeper.

Upstairs there were two beautiful bedrooms, one with an ensuite and the other next to a bathroom with a stand-alone bath.

This particular property would work really well for two families or for a family with members of a variety of ages.  There is, however, no disabled access and dogs are not welcome at Bralo, although many of Toad Hall Cottages' other properties do welcome them - you just have to check before you book.

One of Bralo's main strengths is its lovely garden which has clearly been landscaped and has a dining table to seat 8 in the back garden and a barbecue area in the front.

We loved Bralo and would highly recommend it as a holiday rental for a larger family.

Ieuan loved it so much he made his own mini guide with some charming selfies at the end of it.  Alastair Sawday watch out.

You can find more information about Toad Hall Cottages on their website www.toadhallcottages.co.uk and they will also send you a brochure if you prefer.  Just call 01503 272303.  You can also find Toad Hall Cottages on Twitter and Facebook.

They will certainly be our first choice for our next holiday booking.

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Keeping Kids Entertained On Holiday With Help From iCarhireinsurance.com

Entertaining kids on holiday can be just as challenging as it is at home.  There's nothing like trying to encourage a game of iSpy whilst driving lost down a single track road only to find the SatNav cable has dropped out again and someone needs a wee.

The Husband and I did earn some parenting brownie points while we were on holiday as we managed to get the kids to put their iPads down for a bit and to enjoy some 'non-i' activities.

A telling reminder of how easy it is to let technology completely take over and become a not-so-silent babysitter is that moment when you hear that chorus of "but we've got nothing to doooooo".

To help us and other bewildered parenting bloggers about to set off on their hols, icarhireinsurance.com, who provide insurance which protects you from having to pay your car hire insurance excess in the event of an accident abroad, (part of the Halo Insurance Group), sent us a rather natty cardboard suitcase specially for the kids which contained a number of exciting things to keep them entertained.

Caitlin explains the contents of the suitcase in her extremely informative and unintentionally hilarious video below.



And since insurance is all about taking care of your belongings, entrusting your kids with their own suitcase or bag is a great way of teaching them a little responsibility and the importance of looking after their own things.

We even got Ieuan to pack a few things himself.  Caitlin had already selected a range of outfits and accessories.  Ieuan wanted to take a light saber, Stretch Armstrong and his cuddly Yoda.  The idea that he might actually need some clothes hadn't dawned on him.

One particularly useful item in the iCarhireinsurance.com suitcase was a very handy book of games to play in the car, such as car badge bingo and even a version of consequences which I haven't played in eons.

Don't panic - this is the version where you draw a man / woman / creature's head then everyone adds their own bit and folds the paper over.  When all the paper is used up, a strange and mysterious creature is revealed. When I first read it I had horrible visions of some sort of 'truth or dare' game but that's what watching too much Channel 5 does for you.

And obviously Caitlin had to personalise the suitcase - along with the odd desultory squiggle from Ieuan.

We took our own car but if you are hiring a car and want to protect your car hire insurance excess then you can find out more at icarhireinsurance.com.

It's easy to think that you won't be involved in any accidents but having just had to cough up £350 for a non-fault prang to my beloved Skoda thanks to a dodgy driver here in Cardiff, it's certainly something we'd consider the next time we hire a car.

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