Investing in a new vehicle is a huge step that you must take considerable time to mull over, as there are thousands upon thousands of different options that might just be the perfect car for your needs. Spending some time searching for the most suitable family car is essential, as you don’t want to find out minutes before a holiday road trip that you’re unable to install a booster seat or can’t fit any luggage in the boot. Luckily, identifying the very best car for your family needn’t be as difficult as you might initially expect, as there are in fact a few key tips and tricks that you can make the most of to find your dream vehicle in no time at all. So, if you would like to find out more, then read on to uncover some of the best steps to utilise now. 

Image Source - Pexels 

Set Your Budget 

One of the most important aspects of your purchase that you must decide upon before you even begin searching for a vehicle is the budget you have to spend. Failing to put a limit on your total spend could mean that you end up paying thousands and thousands more than expected for a suitable vehicle, potentially putting you in a position of financial distress. Setting your budget has to be the very first step that you take, so consider how much you can spend without experiencing difficulty and do not stray from this number. 

Choosing A Make & Model 

There are so many different makes and models that you can explore when searching for a new family car, from larger SUV vehicles that are perfect for rural living to compact smart cars that are ideal for the hustle and bustle of a popular city. It’s a good idea to take some time to research each of these options, as many experienced drivers and car fanatics have test driven and reviewed a large number of vehicles available on the market today. Consider which journeys you plan on taking when your new family car, such as cross country trips or nothing more than the school run, as this can influence the make and model that you require. Though you have already set an initial investment budget, you should also consider how much each vehicle costs you to run (including insurance payment, fuel and more). 

Plan Ahead 

Though you may only have a young family of 2 or 3 at this moment in time, you must use your initiative and acknowledge the fact that this may change. Purchasing a car that accommodates your families growth will make it so much easier for you to handle in the future, as you don’t want to find that you need to search for another different vehicle in a couple of years time. Something like the new Vauxhall combo could be the perfect choice, as it has 7 seats and a whole load of room to ensure the whole family can travel as a group together. 

Nobody likes the cold winter days, they're wet, gloomy and most of all blooming freezing! But being a parent means you have to brave the cold for school runs, shopping trips and even just to go to the park for some exercise or a runabout.

Keeping warm is essential for trips like this and a warm raincoat is defiantly a must-have as well as some good boots or even wellies!
Make sure the little ones have gloves and a scarf as their hands get cold extremely easy, unlike us adults, finding a cute little set is great but you can pick them up really cheap from stores like B&M or even Poundland.

Photo by Victoria Borodinova from Pexels

Once you have your warm clothing and bits grab a thermos of coffee or tea and get on your way for an adventure (even if that is only to the supermarket) We love doing this and just going for a walk through the woods or muddy puddle jumping its so much fun to just get out even if it cold outside, the air will clear your head and being in nature is brilliant for your mental health.

So make sure you wrap up super warm and keep you and your family safe and well, And come back soon for more content!

It’s no secret that old people fall victim to more health problems than the rest of us. You can find multiple reasons for this, but the main one is that they’re old. When you reach a certain age, your body starts shutting down, but you also feel the effects of everything that happened earlier in your life. 

Treat your body poorly, and you’ll see more health problems when you’re old and grey. 

However, if you look after your body, then you can prevent some of the most common issues from occurring. That’s the topic for today’s discussion; common elderly health issues and how you can prevent them right now!

Credit - CC0 License

Arthritis

Arthritis can occur when you’re any age, but it’s most prevalent in the older generation. Again, it comes from decades of increased wear and tear on your joints. This leads to constant inflammation and pain. Sometimes, it’s so bad that you can’t even walk. 

You can avoid all of this suffering by looking after your body when you’re young. Don’t put too much pressure on your joints, and make sure you stretch and work on your mobility. Try and keep your weight at a healthy level to stop adding pressure onto your lower body joints. Take supplements that aid joint and muscle/bone health too. This can prevent common joint issues that turn into arthritis when you’re older. 

Credit - CC0 License

Cataracts

A significant portion of elderly people suffers from an eye problem called cataracts. By definition, this is when the lens in your eye clouds over and causes bad vision. It’s one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. The only solution to this problem is to have an intraocular lens inserted into your eye via surgery. Yes, that is far from ideal, but at least you can reverse the issue. 

Ideally, the best course of action is to prevent cataracts from forming. Most people don’t know this, but you can actually stop them while you’re young. At least, you can reduce the chances of cataracts forming. It revolves around a good diet packed full of vitamins that are good for your vision. Furthermore, you need to follow good habits like avoiding ultraviolet lights and limiting the time you spend staring at screens. 

Dementia

Dementia is one of the most common health problems for elderly people. It leads to memory loss, which then leads to a loss of cognitive function. Dementia is a terrible disease that can never be 100% prevented or cured. 

However, you can reduce the risks of developing dementia by looking after yourself. Live a healthy lifestyle, and you will lower the chances of getting this condition. Also, take time to take care of your brain. Do cognitive exercises and play memory games to train your brain. This keeps it healthy and can also reduce the chances of dementia forming. 

Hearing loss

Going deaf is a very common thing in old age but not if you look after your ears while your young, having ear wax is healthy and actually protects your ears but a build up of too much is bad and can lead to hearing loss, ear infections and sometimes even tinnitus Auris Ear Care can help you get on top of this with a range of treatments and help available for better happier ears. 

Prevention is always better than finding a cure. Do you want to spend your senior years in and out of various doctor’s offices? I certainly don’t! Look at the advice given above to see how you can prevent some of the most common health issues that plague elderly people. 

 From the breath-taking Great Barrier Reef to the sensational sandy beaches in Port Douglas, there is no doubt that Cairns is a touristic centre when visiting Australia and a great starting point if you wish to explore Australia’s wildlife. A memorable and interactive way of meeting Australia’s animals up close, is undoubtedly one of Australia’s nature parks and there are several to choose from near Cairns! Here are the top 4 nature parks to look out for near close to the city: 

Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas

Home to Australia's iconic species such as koalas, possums, wallabies and crocodiles, Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas boasts the largest number of macropods (big-footed mammals) in the whole of Queensland! The ideal place to visit Australian mammals  mammals, including kangaroos, wallabies and bettongs, Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas also offers the opportunity to meet crocodiles, water dragons and a colourful array of birds. An eco certified wildlife sanctuary, Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas is committed to protecting and preserving Australia’s wildlife and offers educational experiences. Located just down the road from Cairns in Port Douglas, Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas is easy to reach by both car and public transport.

Rainforestation Nature Park

Venture deep into the magical Kuranda rainforest and come face to face with koalas, wallabies, lizards and more at the Rainforestation Nature Park! A multi-purpose park featuring aboriginal experiences and the legendary Army Duck Tour, the Koala and Wildlife Park is undoubtedly a focal point of the park, offering the unforgettable experience of hand-feeding wallabies and kangaroos! You can reach Rainforestation Nature park by car or shuttle bus from the Kuranda Village close to Cairns. 

Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome 

If you don’t fancy moving far from Cairns to experience Australia’s wildlife, then you can discover wildlife in the city itself! Situated in the centre of Cairns, Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome is home to an impressive selection of Australian wildlife, offering the once-in-a-lifetime experience of taking a photo with a friendly koala which the kids will remember forever! Yet the fun does not stop there - this incredible park also features challenge courses of varying difficulties, making it a unique, non-stop day out all in one dome! 

Kuranda Koala Gardens 

As  the name suggests, Kuranda Koala Gardens provides the ultimate experience of meeting these curious creatures up close! A boutique nature park, Kuranda Koala Gardens offers educational tours including fascinating day-time and nocturnal tours, which involve spotting the animals which hide in the depths of the Kuranda Rainforest. Easy to get to from Cairns by both public transport and by car, Kuranda Koala Gardens is a must-visit for any koala lovers!  

 Anxiety can sometimes be misunderstood by people that haven’t experienced it before. In most people, anxiety manifests as a fast heartbeat and sweating whenever you’re faced with a stressful situation. Sometimes your palms get sweaty, and you might have lots of negative and troubling thoughts racing through your head. Everyone faces anxiety differently, but it’s important to take some practical steps to help you control it better.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/yHG6llFLjS0 (CC0)

Fast remedies to help soothe your anxiety

If you’re prone to facing anxiety attacks on a regular basis then we highly suggest speaking to a professional to get expert assistance that will help with your condition. To help you soothe those symptoms as soon as possible, we suggest trying the following:

• Trace your thoughts back to their roots. Negative thoughts can often manifest from many different sources, so tracing them back and dealing with those problems or challenging your fears can help soothe your mind.

• Focused meditation is one of the best ways to help you deal with anxiety. Try closing your eyes and resting in a quiet location. Focus on your breathing and try not to let your mind wander too much. This should help you slow your heart rate and calm you down.

• Write down your thoughts in a diary. This is a known strategy that helps some people cope with their anxiety in a quick and efficient manner. It also helps you trace your negative thoughts so you can challenge your anxiety and fears.

Long-term strategies to help you cope with anxiety

There are also a couple of long-term tips that will help you cope with anxiety. For starters, consider changing your diet or taking supplements to improve your overall health. This could include omega-3 fatty acids, green tea, dark chocolate, and also CBD gummies. It can take a long time for these supplements and dietary changes to have positive effects, hence why it’s important to stick with these routines for a long time.

It’s also a good idea to keep both your body and mind healthy. This involves:

• Keeping your body in good condition by exercising regularly and working your heart.

• Getting plenty of good-quality sleep.

• Eat balanced meals to ensure you’re getting all the right nutrition.

• Staying connected with loved ones so you can stay social and get support.

These four things are the pillars of good long-term health. They’ll ensure that your body and mind stay healthy, and this can help you deal with most symptoms of anxiety.

When should I be concerned about my anxiety?

Anxiety is usually something you can deal with by yourself, but there are times where it might interfere with your daily activities or even cause damage to your body. Anxiety might always be a part of your life, but it should never get to a point where it starts to have negative effects on your body and mind.

If you feel that your anxiety is limiting what you can do in life, it’s a good idea to speak to a specialist to help you cope with it or potentially treat it.

If you liked this post why not head over to Be Happy Be You for more great posts like this!

*This is a collaborative post*

Everyone's feeling it right now with lockdown 2 and Christmas being possibly on hold it's scary and even a little sad so we've teamed up with Trendhim to host a giveaway to boost your spirits and your wardrobe!

Choose from hats, gloves, belts, beard care or even some jewellery for you or a man in your life, the quality is amazing and they are so stylish too, just in time for this cold winter ahead!

You could be in for a chance to WIN £49 to spend on Trendhim to boost that festive wardrobe or even treat a man in your life! Enter below and come back each day for a bonus entry!

Trendhim Festive

Giveaway ends 22/11/20 11:59pm 

Open to UK only.

Best of luck! 

We love baths, with bubbles and toys and soap and SLIME?!

Yes, I said that right, Slime Baff! Zimpli Kids make amazing fun products just for kids to enjoy! We got sent a whole load of products from Zimpli Kids and we had such a blast trying them out!

First off we tried the Ryans World Geli Play which was fantastic and so easy to set up! We took the inflatable out of the box, blew it up and filled it with water, we then emptied a packet of the Geli power into the water and stirred it up to make the Geli, it was great, we then took the Ryans World characters and played with them, after we had a play we then took the toys out and tipped it down the toilet to flush effortlessly.

After we cleared up we decided to try the Glitter Slime Baff and oh my wow! it was incredibly pretty to look at! We ran a warm bath then emptied the contents into the bath and gave it a good stir and waited about 3 minutes for it to set. It was so much fun and so slimy, the kids loved it and had a blast getting covered in it! After they had a long play we turned on the slower to shower them down (while adding more water in to thin out the slime) then pulled the plug, the slime went very easy but the glitter stayed for a while so I just gave it a little scrub and it was gone! 

We love the products from Zimpli Kids and they make great presents especially for Christmas or birthdays, the kids absolutely love them and constantly ask to do more so we'll definitely be buying some more!!

We recently got invited to come back and visit Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure in Lenwade, Norwich for their Halloween special Dippys Dinosaur Days, we were so super excited to come back to visit the park especially at our favourite time of year!

We booked a time slot 11:15-11:45 for 3 adults and 3 children (2 under 5) we got a bus to Norwich bus station and then got a taxi from ABC Taxi's to take us to Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure (ABC taxi's partner with Roarr! for flat rates to and from the park)

We arrived in time and there was little to no queue with plenty of social distancing in place, we then booked our time slot for the soft play and found the nearest food spot. After getting some beautiful pizza and having a very very long play we decided to go visit Bobble-De-Boop the witch inside Dippy-ville which had crafts set out to do for the younger ones. (I was very impressed with the sanitation and social distancing in the part)

We then took a stroll around the park looking at the dinosaurs and we stopped to hear a spooky story from Vincent The Vampire! After grabbing a coffee to warm ourselves up we took a couple of rides on Dippys Raceway we had so much fun and the queue wasn't long at all!
We then took a walk around the Animal Encounters Barn and has so much fun seeing all the animals (we didn't do this in the summer as it was extremely hot) and they were all so adorable and so well looked after.

Our time slot for the Dinomite Indoor Play Area came around (we booked 4pm) and we had so much fun! YES even us adults joined in and we had a blast! I even went down the drop slide and I tell ya it's been a long ol' time since I've done that!! After that we were all so very tired, the park was closing and it was already dark out so we ordered a taxi then visited the gift shop.

We had such an amazing day it was brilliant!

Bedtime routines are so important, and a massive part of Lilli and Olli's routine is a bedtime story, we love to read and look at the bright illustrations, it's so relaxing for them to read or listen to me read and it's such an important and beautiful family time we share together.

In The Book mentioned to us about having a personalised book and I instantly thought it was such a cute idea, having their names in the story sounded like so much fun and I couldn't wait to see their faces, so I ordered a book each for Lilli and Olli, one being Toy Story and the other was Babrie but there's so many to choose from wirh so many different personalisations. 

The books arrived boxed in the most adorable little case that protects them and is a really lovely keepsake. Lilli and Olli were so incredibly excited and were so surprised to see their names on the cover of the books, The first page has a printed message (chosen by you) for them and it's such a nice touch, their name is all the way through the story and makes it so magical and to top it off right at the end you can include a photo of them which Lilli thought was absolutely incredible! 

I have to say the barbie book threw me off as it wasn't a story, and just had Barbie's you can be anything dream career options in it, but Lilli still loves it and is so excited its hers because it has her name inside it. 

The Toy Story book is my favourite and I absolutely love the story inside it really Involved Olli and he was so excited to be part of his own Toy Story.

Im so Impressed with the books and how they turned out, I'd definitely recommend these as a gift or even just a bedtime story they're so easy to personalise and put a beaming smile on children's faces. 

In The Book gifted us two personalised books in exchange for this review, all opinions are honest and my own. 

Giving birth is the most magical thing any woman can ever do. Think about it, you are literally bringing another life into this world - how crazy is that!? Having a baby is a blessing, but let's not act like everything will be perfect. You'll come across some troubling times, mainly in the weeks following the baby's birth. 

Any parent will tell you to prepare for sleepless nights with a newborn in the house. They can stay up crying all night long, meaning you can barely get any sleep. Still, with the right advice, it's possible to get plenty of sleep as a new parent. 

Credit (CC0 License)

Work out a shift pattern with your partner

There's no 'I' in parents, but there is a tean - which is very close to team! This describes what you two will be when the baby comes home. You have to work together, or else neither one of you will have a good night's sleep. Work out some sort of shift pattern where one of you will deal with the baby on one night, then the other takes over the next day. You can also set specific hours during the night where one of you sleeps, and the other stays with the baby just in case it wakes up. This should mean that at least one of you can get a few hours of sleep each night. 

Take any opportunity to sleep

Normally, you're used to a relatively structured sleeping pattern. You go to sleep in the evening and wake up in the morning. With a newborn, you have to adjust this. Don't think of the night as the only time to sleep - get some shuteye whenever there's a chance! A good rule of thumb is to sleep when your baby sleeps. If they've gone down for a nap, sleep with them! This ensures you can get a decent bit of sleep during the day. You might need the assistance of your partner or some family members if there's work to do. They'll be happy to help if it means you can sleep for a bit. 

Take sleep supplements

Do whatever you can to avoid being too alert. There's nothing worse than having a quiet night and being unable to sleep. Consider things like CBD gummies for sleep that will help you relax and drift off. Avoid caffeine as much as possible, and do a brief bit of yoga before bedtime. All of this will move you to a more relaxed state where sleep is just a few moments away. It ensures that, when you have a chance to sleep, you grasp it with both hands and sleep deeply. 

The hardest thing about having a newborn is that you have no control over their sleep cycle. Nothing you do will guarantee if they sleep through the night or not. It largely depends on the baby and how they're feeling. Some parents enjoy quiet nights, others barely get a wink of sleep. With these tips, you should be able to increase your time asleep and avoid feeling exhausted.

 The world can feel very overwhelming when you are parenting. You are managing your life, the house and the lives of small children. When you only have one set of hands, it can become difficult and that difficulty can turn into anxiety and postpartum worries that really don't feel like they’re going to go away. 

No one is perfectly in control of every aspect of their lives, and yet so many parents believe that perfection is necessary to be good at looking after the small people they created. It can be very easy to lose your grip on everything that is going in your life, and while you can read all of the CBD oil tips to reduce anxiety in the world, if you don't believe that there is a problem it will be hard to fix the issues in the first place! You’re a parent, which means that the first person you think of isn't you anymore, and yet you have to give yourself an element of care - especially when parenting gets tough. Children are unpredictable and they’re feisty and they have no control over their emotions.

But you do. And it’s for this reason that you need to learn to stay calm when children get too tough to handle. Let’s check out some tips that will help you.

Image Source: Pexels

• Embracing self-care is the first thing that you can do. When your kids are screaming and crying a lot more than usual, your day becomes more difficult to handle. You forget that there is a “you” in the equation and you forget how to handle yourself. When you start your day with something just for you, you start it grounded and prepared for anything.

• You need to be as organised as possible when you’re a parent. Lists will help you to do that, and you can keep track of what everyone is going to be doing when you have lists to follow. Bullet journals are an excellent help when you are trying to organise the kids, so invest in some today.

• You need something for you to focus on after bedtime. Parenting is not always easy - but you need something to ground your mood afterwards. A hobby can help you to do it. Many parents turn to exercise to burn off frustration or colouring books to calm their minds. No matter what is, you need to do something that doesn't involve anyone else.

• In the middle of the chaos, turn up the music and start dancing. It doesn't matter if it’s the wrong time of day and it doesn't matter if you perplex the kids. The chances are you’re all going to snap out of a bad mood with the hormones released when you dance. A dance party will entertain the kids and it will help you to get your blood flowing.

• Manage your time as much as possible with rotas, activities and exercises that will ensure the kids learn how to manage their own emotions. You are their role model for how to control themselves, and how you behave is how they will behave. Remember that on the hard days.

* This is a collaborative post*