Mother Distracted

Saturday, 24 September 2016

Tips For Protecting Your Car Against The Winter Weather

Running and maintaining a car is a costly business these days and as the weather gets colder and the nights become darker, it makes sense to consider ways to protect our cars from the elements and, if we don't have a garage, to increase the security of our vehicles.

Insurers would prefer us to keep our cars nicely locked up in a garage of course, but with land space at a premium and many houses and apartments being built without garages, lots of us are forced to keep our cars on a driveway or parked on the road - hopefully near to our home!

Here are some tips you may find useful to weatherproof your vehicle and increase its security during the winter months.

Consider a carport

If you don't have a garage but you do have some space on your property, installing a carport from a specialist provider such as 123v will give you the advantage of off road parking without the expense of building a garage - and the annoyance of having to fight for a parking space.

A carport is a covered structure which can either be free standing or attached to a wall and has a canopy which offers protection for your vehicle from extreme weather conditions and can be tailored to fit around any driveway area. These can prevent rain, frost and snow from collecting on your vehicle and allow you to leave your home on time - without spending time digging your car out of the snow!

Keep your car extra clean

Make sure you regularly wash your vehicle to get rid of any salt or grit. You'll need to clean the underside of your car too.

Your lights will benefit from being kept sparkling too to ensure you can see and are seen on the road.

Keep your car waxed & sealed

You can protect your car against the elements by keeping it waxed and polished. Bad weather can make your car more susceptible to rust and oxidation. You can buy car waxes specially designed to protect your vehicle's surface from road salt and snow, for example, Turtle Wax Ice Liquid or Paste Wax. They recommend that you concentrate on the lower parts of your car - behind the wheels, quarter panels, and front grille where ice, snow and salt have the greatest effect.

Check fluids

Make sure you check that your car's fluid levels are accurate. Don't forget to replace or top up summer windshield wiper fluid with one suitable for winter that won't freeze when the temperature drops. Check your antifreeze and oil levels to prevent internal damage to your car.

It's also a good idea to keep your gas tank at least half full to help just in case you get stranded somewhere miles from a petrol station!

Check wheels & tyres

If you're going to doing a lot of driving, you might want to invest in a set of winter tyres. These tyres, more commonly called cold weather tyres, are made from a softer material which means that they are soft enough to grip in temperatures below 7 degrees centigrade. They also have different tread patterns which allow the tyre to bite into the snow better.

A car fitted with winter tyres should stop more quickly and be less prone to skidding in any weather conditions if the temperature drops below the 7 degrees mark.

Otherwise check your current tyres for wear and tear and ensure that they are inflated to the correct pressure. You'll need to check this more frequently in winter as the cold will make your tyre pressure drop. You can also use a high quality tyre dressing to provide a barrier to the elements.

If you live in a rural area you may want to keep a set of tyre chains in your boot.

Check your windscreen wipers

The time to replace these and check for wear and tear is before the bad weather sets in. Make sure you have a good stock of de-icer and an ice scraper to hand - although I'm sure we've all used a credit card for this purpose when pushed.

Inspect your battery

You can guarantee that you'll discover your battery is flat on the morning which it's vital you get somewhere on time! Check your battery for signs of corrosion and invest in a battery charger.

Make sure you're properly prepared for winter journeys

It makes sense to go fully prepared. As well as plenty of de-icer and your ice scraper, make sure you've got warning signs, snacks, water, blankets, torches and a shovel to dig yourself out!

It's a good idea to check your breakdown cover is in place and that your policy will get you to where you want to go. For example, some policies will only cover a home start - not much use if you're stranded on the M25.

A bit of investment in some extra care and maintenance of your car may help keep you safe this winter and your car on the road for longer.

Sources: Hints & Things; Turtle Wax; Telegraph.co.uk

Parents: Do You Want To See An End To The Traditional Primary School Report?

Research from Capita SIMS has revealed that over half of parents (57%) feel primary school reports are either too generic or do not contain enough information about how their child is doing.

Capita SIMS is the leading supplier of information systems to the education sector, providing a range of software and services to schools and local authorities to help raise standards and reduce administration.

The survey, undertaken by Opinion Matters, interviewed 1014 parents with children at state primary schools in England, as well as 850 teachers at state primary schools in England.

More than a third of primary school teachers (35%) agree with the findings, despite the fact that schools are now recording more information about the children they teach than ever before.

Knowing whether their child is happy and confident in class tops the list of information parents want to know from teachers, suggesting that mums and dads do not just want academic results on their reports.

And although three quarters of parents (74%) stated that it was very important to have information on happiness and confidence, less than half (46%) reported actually receiving it from their child’s primary school.

Teachers too felt information on a child’s happiness was crucial, with 75% stating it was very important for parents to have this information.

The results suggest that primary schools’ communication with parents needs to evolve.

Phil Neal, a director at Capita SIMS, commented "The vast majority of parents believe teachers are doing a great job, but the research does indicate that information about how a child is doing in school needs updating.

“Schools should look at the type of information they send home. Details such as whether a child helped a friend in class or is working hard on a particular project is often just as important as test results".

Jayne Mullane, headteacher at Mersey Vale Primary School in Stockport, said: “We need to listen to parents to find out what information they want to receive. In my school, parents gave us feedback on our reports and we changed them as a result. They now include information about how much effort a child makes in class as well as details of academic performance.”

A guide for parents and schools is available, entitled, ‘Could do better: is it time to change the school report?’ It can be downloaded from www.capita-sims.co.uk/evolution, and contains a list of questions parents should ask schools about pupil progress and tips for schools on improving reporting.

How are you all this week? The nights are drawing in, as my dad would say and we're swamped by apples from his two old apple trees. I've got my 'crumble on' as there's nothing like a warm pud to cheer up a school night, is there?

I'm not sure what Paul and Mary would say about my efforts and I'm trying not to be too annoyed about The Great British Bake Off's impending move to Channel 4.

If I'm not lost in the latest novel from Beck Valley Books, I'm wading through my extensive collection of cookery books. If you enter the author giveaway here on my review of Late For Fate by Lori M. Jones, you'll have enough to treat yourself to a new cookery book.

Or you could just go bargain and freebie hunting on this link.

Have a great week!

Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
Life as Leels | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble | All Romance Reader
Tuesday
It's My Side of Life | Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures
Wednesday
Beck Valley Books | Cinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance | Mother Distracted | Colorimetry | The Ultimate Fan Blog
Saturday
Totally Addicted to Reading | 3 Partners in Shopping | Angie's Angle | I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings
Sunday
Lynchburg Mama | LibriAmoriMiei | Ali - The Dragon Slayer | Wondermom Wannabe | Deal Sharing Aunt | Rambling Reviews

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author

For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author

For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date

For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please. Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Click here for this weeks awesome selection!

Simple Tips For Hot Healthy Hair

All women are probably guilty of looking at another woman’s hair at some point and wishing they had it. Our hair is considered our crowning glory, and can make a huge difference to our appearance.

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Some women are born with naturally gorgeous tresses, but others aren’t. Some have thin, lifeless hair. Some even have less than desireable hair because of the things they’ve subjected it to over the years. Good news! With these methods, you can finally have hair other women are envious of…

Don’t Wash Your Hair Too Often

Washing your hair too often strips it of the all important natural oils it’s infused with. Moisture will leave your hair, and it might even become greasy more often. Your hair will get used to not being washed as much. If you’re worried about grease, a good dry shampoo can help to combat that. There are some people who rarely wash their hair at all, and have incredible locks!

Stay Away From Heat

Using too much heat on your hair is a one way ticket to snap city. Unless you want split ends, frizz, and other problems, you shouldn’t use heat on your hair too often. When you do use heat on your hair, use a protectant spray to ensure you’re not damaging it too much.

Take Supplements

Supplements can be amazing for hair. There are supplements formulated especially for the skin, hair, and nails. Obviously, you should make sure you’re eating a healthy diet alongside your supplements. Getting plenty of healthy fats in your diet should improve the condition of your hair. If supplements just aren't cutting it for you, you may want to try a medication. Looking at a price comparison of propecia hair loss tablets could help you to figure out if it’s the right route for you.

Use The Proper Type Of Brush

Make sure you’re using the right kind of brush for your hair type. You should also make sure you’re selecting the right brush depending on whether it’s wet or dry. Tangle Teezers are great brushes and can minimize damage. Never tug on your hair with your brush!

Protect It Before Bedtime

Protecting your hair before bedtime can be a good way to nourish your hair as you sleep. Rather than tying it in a bun or plaiting it, try using a silk scarf or head wrap. Pile your hair on top of your head before putting on your head wrap. The silk will evenly distribute your hair’s natural oils, giving you a natural conditioning treatment. Not only that, you should notice an improvement in thickness, split ends, and other problems. When we toss and turn on our regular pillows all night, we can damage our hair in all kinds of ways!

Use Products That Suit Your Hair Type

Make sure you know your hair type and you’re using products to suit it. You can find products for thin hair, fine hair, colored hair, and so on. It’ll help the condition and enhance your locks!

Start Now To Help Your Child Grow Up Healthy

It’s normal for parents to want the best for their children. After all, you want to ensure your child grows up to be a happy and healthy adult.

But it’s easy for parents to make vital mistakes when it comes to health when their child is young. Therefore, here are some steps to take so that your child is healthier when they are an adult.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Take control of their diet now

It’s so easy to fall into bad habits when it comes to your kids. They want to eat sugary snacks after school, and it's easy to give in to crisps and chocolate. You might be surprised to know recent government reports found that 1 in 3 UK kids are overweight by the time they reach the age of 11 so it’s more important than ever to try and limit their intake of high fat and sugary foods while they are young.

Try to find healthier snacks for your kids. Encourage them to eat carrot sticks with hummus and fruit with yoghurt, rather than heading for the crisps. Also, you need to make healthy dinners that you can eat as a family. If you are all eating the same meal, your children hopefully won’t moan as much about the lack of chicken nuggets and chips!

Image Credit: Pexels

Let them cook with you

A lot of the reason why people fall into unhealthy territory with foods is that they don’t actually know how to cook healthy dishes. It leads to people just sticking in an unhealthy ready meal into the oven! Therefore, you need to try and implement cooking skills into your kids as young as possible. That way, they will be able to cook and make healthy dishes when they are older. And as this article says, involving your kids in the cooking and preparation will mean they are more likely to eat fruit and vegetables.

Image credit: Pixabay

Make them brush their teeth daily

It’s an unfortunate fact that a lot of people in the UK have bad dental health. They end up having teeth removed sooner rather than later. A lot of the reason is down to us not brushing our teeth enough. You can read in my previous blog post that 40% of us don’t even brush our teeth once a day!

By not brushing, plaque builds up, and people end up needing fillings and cheap dental implants to cover the imperfections. Therefore, you need to encourage your kids to brush their teeth every day. Also, make sure they attend their dental appointments every year. You should also be limiting their fizzy drink intake as this will cause long-term damage to your teeth.

Encourage them to exercise daily

You might not realise that only one in three kids is actually getting enough physical exercise every day. Instead of getting outside and being active, a lot of kids prefer to sit inside on their tablets, computers, and phones. But by doing this, they are more at risk of obesity and heart problems when they are older. Therefore, sign them up for an energetic class in the evening such as gymnastics or martial arts. By doing this, it will ensure they are getting regular exercise in their life.

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Remember that parents are one of the biggest influences in their children’s lives. So you need to lead by example and follow the above so that your children are inspired to follows suit.

74% Motorists Fear Being Ripped off by Garages - Can You Trust Yours?

We've been pretty lucky with our cars so far. The Husband has an 8 year old Beemer and I have my beloved and equally old Skoda Roomster.

In the absence of much mechanical knowledge and having an inherent distrust of garages, we tend to stick to where we know (i.e. the local dealerships). Whilst the service is reliable, the price is reliably higher than some of the smaller independent garages.

But how do you know who to trust. We've all heard the horror stories about parts not being replaced, or replaced with second-hand bits. Then there are the tales of oil not changed or topped up, brakes not checked and unnecessary repairs undertaken to make a quick buck.

Let's be honest - when the car is in for its service or MOT, everyone dreads that phone call from the mechanic where they start listing everything that needs to be fixed.

How do you know if they are telling the truth?

74% of respondents to a survey of 1,000 car owners, by BookMyGarage.com, an online booking directory of UK garages, stated that either hidden costs or being oversold were their main worries when using a garage.

Depending on where we live, mind you, we seem to be more or less relaxed about being ripped off

The survey found that those in the North East feared being oversold the most, with 74% of respondents stating this as a concern. Northern Irish respondents fretted the least about being oversold, with just 22% stating this as a worry.

People living in North West appear to be the most worried most about hidden costs, with 43% of those surveyed indicating that this was an issue for them. However, only 22% of Welsh respondents said that the chance of garages hitting them with hidden costs was a major concern.

I am not one of the 22%!

As Karen Rotberg, director of BookMyGarage.com, says: “Our survey shows that garages have a long way still to go to build trust with their customers. As cars become more complicated, due to new technologies, many motorists don’t always know what maintenance their cars need and feel that mechanics take advantage of this lack of knowledge.”

“This is why we launched BookMyGarage.com. By being able to compare prices of local garages and see genuine customer reviews, garages and customers can start to trust each other again.”

What customers want from their garages?

• 53% of the UK population uses a preferred garage because they trust them to resolve the issue or because they have used the same garage for years

• Only 3% of the UK population selects its garage because it is a well-known brand

• Only 9% fear poor customer service when booking a garage, which suggests that financial issues, rather than customer care concerns, are at the front of customers’ minds

• 51% of respondents book a car service by phone with 31% doing so in person. Only 18% book a car service online

• Reputation is the key deciding factor when choosing a new garage, according to 54% of the UK sample.

BookMyGarage.com is a nifty website which gives you a list of garages according to your postcode, together with the services they offer.

Just by popping in my postcode I'm told there are 66 garages near me and the date of my MOT renewal. There's a map of their location and I can compare three garages side by side. I can then book online and there is a contact number which allows me to talk to an expert mechanic.

Some of the garages already have customer reviews available to read which is just what you want to have to hand.

Certainly worth a look if you have the dreaded MOT or service approaching.

Because some of our family members have had a squint, both Caitlin and Ieuan were taken to the optician at a very early age because we were advised that the sooner child vision problems are sorted out, the better.

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Luckily everything was fine but, because both Mat and I wear glasses, we are keeping a watchful eye (if you'll pardon the pun) on our two's sight.

This week is National Eye Health Week (19 – 25 September 2016) which aims to raise awareness of the importance of good eye health and the need for regular sight tests for all.

New figures released by National Eye Health Week and Boots Opticians show that more than 1.6 Million school–aged children in England could be living with an undiagnosed vision problem that impacts on their educational and social development.

And, a study by a team of UK academics published in the British Medical Journal found that children with reduced visual acuity had significantly lower literacy development.

Poor Vision In Children

Poor vision in younger children is often due to the presence of Amblyopia (lazy eye) – a developmental disorder that leads to reduced vision.

The human eye continues to develop until we reach about eight years of age giving just a small window of time where good vision can be restored through early detection and treatment.

Unfortunately, there are few signs and symptoms to observe so detection is very difficult for parents, carers and teachers.

David Cartwright, Chairman of National Eye Health Week advises “As a child’s eyesight is usually fully developed by the age of eight, regular sight tests, every two years unless advised otherwise by your optometrist, are crucial. Sight tests for all children in the UK are free and funded by the NHS – the only investment parents have to make is time.

Conditions such as squint or amblyopia can lead to lifelong problems so it really is a case of ‘After Eight is too Late’. If detected early amblyopia and squint can often be corrected and other visual problems such as childhood myopia can be managed effectively, yet, fifty per cent of parents with children aged eight and under have never taken their child for a sight test.”

Levels of Myopia (short-sight), which typically occurs in childhood between the ages of six and 13, have more than doubled over the last 50 years and currently affect around a fifth of all teenagers in the UK.

Tell-tale Signs Your Child Is Struggling With Their Vision

It's often difficult to tell if your child is having problems with their eyes but some tell-tale signs that there could be something wrong include struggling to recognise colours and shapes; frequently bumping into things; not showing any interest in learning to read; not progressing or being disengaged at school; complaining about headaches and sitting very close to the TV.

You may also recognise some physical signs, including:

• Rubbing eyes frequently
• Squinting, head-tilting or closing one eye when trying to focus
• One eye turning in or out
• Blinking a lot
• Excessive tearing
• Red, sore or encrusted eye lids

A New Guide To Help Care For Your Child's Eyes

Working with Boots Opticians, National Eye Health Week is launching a guide to help care for your child's eyes.

This digital resource includes seven ways to help keep kids’ eyes healthy, tell-tale signs your child could be struggling with their vision and common childhood eye conditions explained.

There are also links to resources such as the Boots Opticians eye check story book, Zookeeper Zoe which contains a range of interactive eye check activities to help parents and carers understand if their child might need support with their vision.

For more information visit www.visionmatters.org.uk/children or to share Zookeeper Zoe’s adventures visit www.zookeeperzoe.co.uk.