Safe Journey - Essential Tips For Family Car Safety

Most people these days have a car if their finances allow and it must be extremely difficult to cope with a young family if you don't. But, as our cars are so important for a smooth running family routine, it's important to ensure that your vehicle is roadworthy, and your driving is up to scratch.

There are lots of things you can do to keep your family safe while driving. Read on to discover what they are.

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Entertainment

It can be very distracting when you are trying to drive if your little ones are screaming or asking you lots of questions. That it why it's essential to keep them entertained, especially on long journeys.

There are quite a few ways you can do this, and some of it will depend on your views on entertainment, and some of it will be related to what your kids enjoy.

The first idea is an in-car DVD player. This works by hanging two mini screens over the back of the front two seats. Then the kids listen to the audio through headphones so they are quiet and happy, while you take car of the driving.

If you are not too keen on just plugging your child into a media system, then you can provide them with colouring books and reading materials instead. Just make sure that reading doesn't make them car sick!

Car Seats

One of the most essential items for child safety in vehicles is a car seat - and these are of course a legal requirement.

These not only help them to be boosted up so that they can see out of the window, but they perform an essential safety function as well.

Car seats allow your kids to sit in the best possible position to preserve their safety if there is any kind of accident. There are new EU rules on the car seat that have come out this year, so make sure you are up to date with them, by reading the information here.

Child Locks

Child locks are a fantastic way of ensuring your little ones' safety in the car. When you activate them, it makes sure that your children can't open the door from their side.

This works well if they are still very small and don't understand when it's safe to have an open door. It also stops any accidental door opening that could cause a safety problem.

Car Maintenance

Something that is imperative in car safety is making sure that your vehicle is well maintained. Having a valid MOT certificate is a legal requirement and you'll also need one of these to take out car insurance. Cars are complex machines these days so it's worth getting your car regularly checked and tuned up to avoid a hefty repair bill when your MOT inspection comes around.

Things like brake pads, oil and water levels need to be monitored as they can affect the safety of the car's handling. It is important you find a mechanic who is a specialist in the make and model of car that you have to help you maintain your vehicle. There are even search sites set up to help you find a specialist mechanic like whocanfixmycar.com. You can check it out by clicking the link.

Rules

It's also a good idea to have rules for behaviour when the kids are in the car. They need to be reminded that they shouldn’t poke their head through the gap in the front seats or try to take their seat belt off while the car is moving.

Sticking to the rules will keep them safe and ensure your attention isn't distracted from the road and other drivers.

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Top Tips To Get Your Kids To Do Their Homework & A Homework Station Makeover

Now that Caitlin is in Year 4 and Ieuan in Year 3, the volume of homework is beginning to increase.  And so are the 'homework battles'.

Even the concept of homework is under fire at the moment. There are those who say that it is an unnecessary burden on our kids who are already tested far more than previous generations of school children.

On the other hand, research says that 30% of a child's learning comes from their teachers with a whopping 70% coming from us, their parents and carers.

To me, that indicates clearly that home learning is pretty important, whether in the form of formal homework or not.

So what can you do to help your child with their homework?

Revamp their homework workstation

Action Storage, makers of school cloakroom lockers for over 30 years, suggest a workstation makeover may help considerably. It's important to create a space for your child to work in relative peace so that they can concentrate.

All accessories from Flying Tiger.

Having all their books and stationery to hand will make it easier to get the work done.  It's also a great opportunity to work with your child to design their space together - which will hopefully add more encouragement to open their school bags and actually get the books out!

We're revamping Caitlin's bedroom at the moment and are fitting new wardrobes but we have created a desk area where she can work in peace and escape her noisy younger brother. Once our DIY is finished we plan to add more shelving for books and some task lighting.

It doesn't have to cost a lot.  We found all our accessories for under £20 at Flying Tiger. (see my current giveaway to win Halloween decorations here).

Create a homework timetable

When your kids are younger, this really has to be a 'team effort'. I'm sure you have experienced that sinking Sunday night feeling when you find a piece of urgent homework that has to be handed in on Monday which has been languishing at the bottom of your child's backpack.

I've learned now to empty out all the scraps of paper on Friday to check we know what is needed over the weekend.

That way, we can create a simple homework timetable and split library books up into a set number of chapters per night, for example.  

No TV, Gaming, or iPad until they've done their homework

There are times when your child comes home exhausted and it's obvious that they need a break before starting any homework.  

But when the work has to be done, we found it's best to hide the remotes and tablets until it's done.  If you wanted to be extra tough, you could change the WiFi password until it is!  

Sit down and do it with them

Not all the time and I'm not suggesting you do the work for them but taking an active interest in what they're doing and letting them show you their workings out or designs will show them that you're there to help and may even encourage a bit of inspired collaboration.

Take the homework away from home

Sometimes it makes a refreshing change to do their homework somewhere else.  You could sit with them in your local library or take their spelling books when you're sat waiting in a car for ballet / Taekwondo/swimming to end.

Ieuan is particularly fond of spelling practice in a restaurant down the road from Caitlins ballet class where we bribe him with a large blackcurrant squash and a packet of crisps.

Take learning into the real world

If, for example, they're studying money then take them to the supermarket and show them how much things cost.  Get them to work out the value of what you're putting in your basket.  Let them hand over the money and check the change.

If they're studying weights and measurements, do some baking and let them weigh out the ingredients or help with some DIY and take the measurements.

Teaching children how to actually apply what they're learning will help the subject matter to stick much easier.

There are many ways to help your child with their homework but the most important thing is to encourage them and help them to understand that learning is a continuous process that needs daily application.

Recognise when your child is struggling

If you think your child is not coping with their homework, then you could consider hiring a private tutor.  You should also talk to your child's teacher to see if there are extra resources to help them in school.  

You might also want to check that there is nothing else interfering with your child's learning such as health or friendship issues.

It's perfectly normal to hate doing your homework but as I tell my two, it's a competitive world and a good standard of academic achievement can only stand them in good stead for supporting the Husband and I in our old age!

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Win A Haribo Halloween Hamper - No Trick But A Real Treat [closed]

As you've probably guessed by now, we love Halloween in the Hobbis household and although we don't usually go trick or treating, we always have plenty of treats ready to hand out to the witches and ghouls who turn up on our doorstep.  And of course, that means plenty of sweets.

This year, HARIBO has brewed up a magical mix of tricks and treats for Halloween and I have a spooky hamper to give away that’s perfect for trick or treating, Halloween parties or ghostly movie nights in with friends and family.

Included in the hamper is new HARIBO Scaremix. Ideal for sharing, this bag offers the iconic shapes found in Starmix, but in a terrifyingly good mix of new colours and flavours including Toffee Apple Monster’s Eyeballs; Blackcurrant and Bubblegum Vampire Hearts; Blood Orange Brew; Cherry Boo Bears; and Blackberry and Apple Dracula’s Rings.



Next is TangfasTricks but watch out, what looks like a treat could be a trick with this naughty and nice bag that not only contains standard tangy pieces but also hot and super-sour ones too!

There’s also new Scaremix and TangfasTricks Duo Tub which brings together these two terrifyingly good treats in a pumpkin shaped, sharing tub.

HARIBO’s popular Trick or Treat multipacks also feature. Containing a delicious bundle of Halloween themed gums and jellies, these mini bags can be handed out to any demon or devil that knocks on your door.

Entry is via the Rafflecopter below.  UK entrants only.  The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Tuesday 18th October.



via GIPHY

The winner must respond by Wednesday 19th October in order to guarantee delivery of their prize in time for Halloween.

There are plenty of ways to win but you MUST leave a blog comment in order to qualify.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Further information is available from Haribo's website, on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Take The Flora Lunchbox Challenge & Pack A Healthier Lunch For Your Child

My two have school dinners but occasionally I am required to rustle up that nutritional challenge known as 'the lunchbox'.

If you don't prepare one regularly, and aren't a pro at assembling something Bento-style which is Instagram worthy and would find favour with Jamie Oliver, then you'll experience the heart-sinking moment when you receive the school trip form which instructs you to provide a 'packed lunch'.

I briefly consider whether jam sandwiches are actually an acceptable alternative to something involving seeds, nuts and a rather hefty boost to my Clubcard points.

Yes, you can exchange these for more pizza but that's not really the point, is it?

So for Caitlin it's usually a Ham and Tomato sarnie, a packet of crisps and something with too much sugar wrapped in too much plastic.

Ieuan will eat any sandwich as long as it's Peanut Butter and Banana.  Or Ham if there's a full moon rising in Pisces (picky, Ieuan?  Never!).

But, if you are a poor lunchbox packer, then you're not alone.  Recent research commissioned by Flora revealed that a paltry 1.6% of children's lunchboxes are meeting the school food national standards and only 1 in 5 lunchboxes, just 17%, contain any sort of vegetables or salad.

I'd add, given Ieuan's fear of anything green, that you have to wonder how many of the veggies and salads in that 17% actually get eaten.

In order to do something about the Nations below-par lunchbox packing, Flora has distributed 631,000 lunchboxes with handy recipe planners to retailers across the UK in a bid to help make packing lunches an easier task for parents, especially those with picky eaters.

We were lucky enough to receive one of these cute lunchboxes which contain some easy to make recipes to try out on the kids and a menu planner (the lunchbox builder) which shows you which items to add to vastly improve your nutritional score.

Flora suggest four combinations named after dinosaurs (who were all plant eaters apparently).  There's the T-Rex Lunchbox for monster appetites, the Florasaurus Lunchbox for herbivores, the Velociraptor Lunchbox (a beast of a lunch) and the Stegosaurus Lunchbox (the epic size lunch).

Each combination contains the best mix of carbs, protein, dairy, fruit and veg and healthy fats, in the form of Flora Spreads which are a lower saturated fat alternative to butter and provide a source of the essential Omega 3 and 6 fats that are needed to support the normal growth and development of children.

Flora comes in a range of  tasty varieties - Flora Original, Flora Lite, Flora Buttery and Flora Freedom which is dairy free.  We tried the Original and Lite varieties. 

But you don't have to go for sandwiches - sometimes it's good to think outside of the lunchbox (sorry).

Flora suggest Pasta Tossed with Tuna and Fresh Herbs, Chicken Pittas or how about an Egg, Mayo and Pepper Wrap or something more exotic such as a Moroccan Couscous Salad?  

And you could be a little more inspired with your fruit choices than just an apple - how about a small pot of fruit salad or a fruit kebab?  You could include some banana bread or flapjack which are both easy enough to make yourself.

You can find all of the recipes here along with hints and tips on how to make the most of a lunch box meal.

Here's a few extra tips:-

*Buy bread and rolls in bulk and keep some in your freezer for emergencies.

*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. 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. The Flora Lunchbox Builder will help you to put together the best combination.

* The best drink to pack is water.

*Add some extra interest by packing each item separately so that the unwrapping creates a little fun, plus this helps keep food fresher.

*Use your freezer - batch cook on a Sunday so that you are ready for the rest of the week.

*In hot weather include ice packs to keep food cool and in cold weather why not add some warming soup in a thermos.

*Make sure that snack foods are as healthy as possible without relying on shop bought sugary treats. Better choices include 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.

Healthy doesn't have to mean boring when it comes to lunchboxes.  A little preparation and planning goes a long way when it comes to giving your child a lunchbox that tastes good, does them good and comes back empty!

“This post is an entry for the #FloraLunchbox Linky Challenge, sponsored by Flora. Check out their lunch planner and recipe ideas here ”

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How To Keep Your Kids Safe This Halloween

As Halloween approaches, many parents (including me) love to indulge their children by dressing them up in scary costumes, going trick or treating and hosting ghoulish Halloween parties.

But it's so easy to put your kids at risk in ways you might not even consider in the rush to make ghostly cupcakes or stock up on sweets.

The evening has a real party atmosphere now, inherited from our US cousins and we need to keep just as close an eye on our teenagers as we do our little ones.

So when I came across this infographic from fancy dress specialists Smiffys.com, I thought it well worth a share.  See what you think - and have a scary, but safe Halloween.

Halloween Safety Tips From Smiffys.com

 

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Review: A Fuss Free Way To Find The Perfect Private Tutor For Your Child At Tutora.co.uk

Many years ago I use to be an English Tutor.  I taught basic literacy and English Literature up to GCSE 'O' Level.

Finding the right tutor for your kids can sometimes be quite challenging!

An English Graduate myself, I have retained my love of classic literature and am a firm believer in the importance of kids having a good standard of written and spoken English.  If we can instill in them a love of literature too, so much the better.

As our schools get fuller and staff are not always able to give individual pupils the attention they need, hiring a tutor is an obvious solution.

You can hire a tutor for almost any subject you can think of, science, language, business but understandably maths and english are two of the most popular.

Time poor parents may struggle to know where to find the best tutor to work with their child but at Tutora.co.uk, who specialise in providing private tutors for home tuition, it is easy to locate a tutor close by and to ensure that they are fully qualified and security (DBS checked). They have over 3000 expert tutors from £15/hr and cover the major cities and surrounding areas in the UK.

Simply enter your chosen subject and your postcode and you will be presented with a list of tutors local to you with all the information you need about their qualifications, what their travel policy is (some will only travel within a set radius) and whether they are DBS checked.

You can then message them direct to book a lesson which can cost from £15 an hour upwards depending on where you live and how experienced your tutor is.

Some of the tutors already have reviews against their name which gives you an idea about the sort of person they are, however, there's no substitute for meeting your chosen tutor and seeing if they get on with your child.

When I was tutoring, I found that the most important thing was to listen to the pupil and to work out the best way to encourage them.  When you're a teenager, you often need to be listened to and to have your confidence boosted.  It was amazing how often my pupils hadn't received any positive feedback - they were only told what they had done wrong.

The other shocker was that the Shakespearean plays on the syllabus were often not read from beginning to end and never read out loud in class.  It's pretty obvious that the best way to appreciate a drama is to perform it!

Some kids will respond well to a strict tutor, some will rebel and pay no attention to them.  Others prefer someone who can use friendliness, humour and a coaching approach to get the best out of them.

The first tutor you choose may not necessarily be the right one but with Tutora there are plenty to choose from if your first choice doesn't work out.

You can also register a tutor yourself free of charge.  To get started you complete your profile, which is your chance to tell parents and students why you would be the ideal tutor for them or their child. You need to write your bio, mentioning your experience and expertise in your chosen subject and add a clear photo.

You will be asked to upload a copy of your ID - either a driving licence or passport and if you have a DBS check you can send it to Tutora to add to your profile.  If you don't have one, they can help you get one for £50.  It is not obligatory to register as a tutor with them but, as a parent, I would certainly be looking for tutors who are DBS checked.

You will also need to add your payment details and set your rate. There's a quiz for you to complete before your registration is complete. Tutora will take a commission of between 15% and 25% based on the number of sessions you have taught in the last 12 months. The higher this number, the lower the rate of commission.

Tutora.co.uk was founded by Scott Woodley and Mark Hughes.  Whilst working as a teacher in Sheffield, Scott was often asked by parents of children in his class to recommend good tutors. As I'm sure many of you know if you've tried to find a good tutor, this can take ages.

Scott joined forces with Mark, a Technology Analyst and long-time friend and the two created a website that brings parents and tutors together without having to pay large sums to tuition agencies, scour through endless message boards or worry about finding the right person for them.

I was impressed by how simple Tutora is to use and, if I weren't so busy blogging I'd be registering as an English Tutor with them.

If you're looking for the right tutor for your kids to help them get to grips with the next key stage or to cope with an increase in homework, or if GCSEs are looming,  my recommendation would be to find a tutor now.

In my English tutor days, I was often called in with 6 weeks to go before exams - that's really not enough time to build the kind of relationship you need to encourage a youngster who has had their confidence dented or to help them read through and analyse core texts.

The sooner you start the better.

You can find out more about Tutora at www.tutora.co.uk.

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We Took The Love Your Mouth Challenge With Aquafresh

We were recently asked to take the Love Your Mouth challenge from GlaxoSmithKline, who make leading toothpaste brands such as Sensodyne, Corsodyl, Poligrip and Aquafresh.

The aim of the challenge is to get people to understand that everyone's mouth is unique and will have different needs, so using specialised dental products is important.

You simply complete an online quiz, either for yourself of your kids which asks questions about your dental health - for example do you spit blood when you brush, do your teeth twinge when you sip hot drinks and do you wear a partial denture.

Depending on your answers, your recommended dental product is shown.

I completed the quiz for Caitlin and Ieuan and was recommended a brand with which we are already familiar and have used many times - Aquafresh My Big Teeth - since they are both over 6 years old.

We have used Aquafresh Milk Teeth and Aquafresh Little Teeth toothpastes too as dental hygiene is so important for good health and we have ensured that the kids have stuck to a strict teeth-cleaning regime from the moment their teeth started to appear.

We make sure that they both brush for the recommended 2 minutes each time and we were sent a sweet little 'tooth timer' to make sure they stick to this time properly.  You can also download the Love Your Mouth app which lets your kids brush a long to a song for 2 minutes.

Did you know that children's enamel is 50% thinner than an adult's? Their teeth need a little extra care to help avoid tooth decay and ensure they grow healthy and strong.

You can find some top tips about how to get your kids to look after their teeth and gums in this video.



Aquafresh My Big Teeth with Sugar Acid Protection is a gentle, foaming toothpaste specially designed for children six+ years plus. The Sugar Acid Protection helps strengthen enamel and protects not only their milk teeth from decay, but also their new adult teeth.

Aquafresh My Big Teeth comes in child friendly mint flavour. It is priced from £1.20 and available from Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, Waitrose, Boots and Superdrug.

And grown-ups should make sure they avoid the 7 Oral Health Sins:-

Sin 1 - not brushing for 2 minutes
Sin 2 - using a finger nail to floss and adding lots of yucky bacteria to your mouth
Sin 3 - rinsing with water after brushing - don't wash away the fluoride protection from your toothpaste
Sin 4 - not brushing your teeth twice a day
Sin 5 - using the same toothbrush for longer than 3 months
Sin 6 - not using specialist products
Sin 7 - infrequent dental visits

Are you guilty of any of those?

For more information on the Love Your Mouth challenge go to LoveYourMouth.co.uk.

*PR samples were received for the purpose of this post.

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