5 Ways To Prepare Your Life For Kids

It might seem like a hazy idea on the horizon that you’d like to have kids someday. But does your heart
skip a beat at the thought of the organization levels involved to prepare your life for a new addition? Try
not to panic, as here are some simple tips for you to sail into parenthood with your sanity (hopefully)
intact. 

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Get The Right Car

The first question is can you drive? If you haven’t experienced the joys of driving, search
'more info on driving test’ to find out about how you can get in the car and get moving. The second
question is whether you have a child-friendly vehicle. It doesn’t have to be a 7-seater kid mobile, but if
you have a flashy two-seater on a lease scheme, it might be time to consider trading it in for a four-door
if you’ve got kids on the horizon.

Rearrange Your Finances

You might think that your finances are in pretty good shape. But remember, your little bundle of joy will be
a massive gain to your life, but might mean a slight hit to your finances. If possible, try to build a cushion
of 3 or so months of expenses to ease the financial stress of a new arrival. At the very least try and
reduce your debts so you’re not adding to the build-up.

Think About Work

It’s inevitable that both you and your partner will spend some time away from work when your new arrival
first arrives. If you’re planning a little way ahead it could be worth reevaluating your career options. Is this
what you really want to do? It might be worth making a career change if you aren’t happy, so you have
enough time to settle into a new role before planning for kids. 

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Consider Your Support Network

Many parents might not have the benefit of going down to one salary, and need to rely on close relatives
at least one day a week. Consider your network and who could potentially provide that support for you. If
that’s not an option and you find out you’re expecting, take the time to explore mother and baby classes so
you can spend time with new parents in a similar position to you.

Don’t Overplan

You’ve done everything you can to reduce stress, so now it’s time to live your life without overthinking the
journey to parenthood. Every new parent will find themselves in the same position, wondering what they’re
doing, or if they’re ready. Try to enjoy the journey and don’t let the decision to have kids stop you from
taking risks in your career or making new decisions.

Taking the above steps will reduce the strain on your finances and get you thinking realistically about the
future. Parenthood is meant to be a joy, but can also be a slog (of love, but still). So here’s to the future and
embarking on the fun ride that is having children with as little stress as possible.

5 Valentine’s Day Dates for Outdoorsy Couples

During the summer, outdoorsy couples have it easy. Rather than veg out at a movie theatre or pig out at a
restaurant, you can simply take off to the great outdoors for your dates, with nature as your entertainment
and a picnic as your meal. There are numerous outdoor sports and activities you to try, and you never need
to give a second thought to staying warm or comfortable. 

This all changes in the winter, though. As the temperature drops, your options for outdoor dates become
increasingly limited. Unfortunately, the winter also coincides with the most romantic date of the entire year –
Valentine’s Day. 

That’s not to say you can’t have a great time doing something outdoorsy for Valentine’s Day. You just have
to pick the right activity, plan ahead and stay warm (that last part shouldn’t be hard on Valentine’s Day!) For
a little inspiration, read these five entries, each real Valentine’s Day activities that couples have tried, and
loved.  

Ice Fishing

If you’re anywhere in the vicinity of a frozen lake, chances are there’s ice fishing available. There are fewer
outdoor activities more intimate than ice fishing – sitting in a tiny, warmed cabin on the middle of an isolated
lake, drinking schnapps for warmth and waiting for a tug on the line. It’s that rare outdoor winter activity
that’s actually romantic. 

Winter Camping

Who says camping belongs entirely to the summer? Sure, winter camping takes a little more planning
(figuring out how to keep warm, primarily), but it’s worth it for the beautiful, glacial scenery and the
satisfaction you get from braving the elements. To make things a little easier, forego the tent and go
“vanping”, which is essentially just camping, only you sleep in the back of a van. 

Axe Throwing

While not technically an outdoor activity, axe throwing is, nevertheless, an outdoorsy activity. And it just so
happens to be a fantastic date spot. Rather than shuffle around in your winter coats on Valentine’s Day,
settle in to an indoor competition, pitting you and your Valentine against one another to see whose axe
throwing aim is better. Don’t worry if you’ve never tried it before – booking an axe throwing date, which you
can do when you click here and reserve, comes with a free introductory tutorial. 

A Winter Picnic

Swap the summer lemonade for a thermos full of hot chocolate, and you’ve got yourself a winter picnic.
Bundle up in your warmest clothes, choose a secluded spot at a nearby park, and enjoy a winter picnic.
If you really want to keep warm, you can prep hot food in advance and carry it in an insulated cooler (which
is just as good at retaining heat as it is keeping outside heat away!)  

Curling

Another indoor sport that nevertheless captures the winter spirit, curling is like the low key lovechild of
bowling and hockey. If you’re unfamiliar with this northern sport, this YouTube series should explain
everything. Once you get the hang of it, it’s an addictive sport that’s perfect for a winter date. 

Just because Valentine’s Day falls in the middle of winter, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a little outdoorsy
fun.

What To Do When You Struggle With Creativity In Your Online Business

When it comes to natural gifts, I was blessed with many. For example, I am naturally a great speller, and I am really good at cleaning and organizing. I can plan and schedule like nobody's business, and I am pretty great at problem solving, if I do say so myself! However, one of the things that I was definitely NOT blessed with when it comes to natural talents is creativity. Creative is not in my vocabulary, artsy is not something that has EVER been said about me, and great at design is definitely NOT something I'm adding to my resume.

When it comes to anything creative or artistic, I have ZERO hope. I cannot decorate to save my life, I am not a "let's wing it" kind of gal when it comes to recipes, and you can go ahead and give it up when it comes to being artsy or crafty in any sort of way. Luckily, I have learned many tips and tricks to get around this one pitfall of being me. For example, I can find some super cute pre-made cupcakes at my local bakery to get me around bake sale issues, and Pinterest has been heaven sent when it comes to how to hang photos on my walls or put together cute outfits. It's great that we live in a time where there are so many great resources out there to help with creative design needs.

Another great thing that I have found that can help me out when I am needing to be a little bit creative are websites that can help me to get digital items for my website. I know a lot of other bloggers out there are super creative and are able to come up with things on their own, but for me, having a go to website where I can find a certain template, mockup or photo whenever I need it. It is a really great feeling to have these things right at my fingertips!

One of my favorite websites for this sort of thing has been Design Bundles. I love that Design Bundles is a clean, organized website where I can simply and easily find everything I am looking for, whether it be for my blog or for one of my many side hustles. For example, I have recently been looking for a few mockups to use for the holidays. There is NO way I could ever come up with something creative and cute on my own, so I am so happy that Design Bundles is here for me! Hang on, I'll show you guys a few of my very favorite holiday mockups that I have my eye on right now:

I mean really, aren't these mockups the cutest? What do you guys think? Which one is your very favorite? I love the one with the white Christmas tree and the chair! It's adorable! It's not just mockups either, this site has tons of stuff, whether you are looking for amazing business card templates or SVG's to make something awesome! They even have super high quality photos that are affordable, if photography is not your strong point! (Like me!) So, if you are looking for some kind of inspiration for your creative needs, definitely check out this site to find everything you will need! Leave me a comment below and let me know what you struggle with most when it comes to creativity- for me, photos are definitely one of the big things! 

How To Get Your Children Outdoors More Often

With so many of our households relying on technology and using it in some form every waking
hour, it can easily be something that your children rely on too much, and they miss out on things
that you might have done as a child, and that didn’t need electronics like board games for
example. Here are some tips to get your children outdoors more often.

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Take Them To A Local Park

The local park is a perfect place to encourage a bit of outdoor fun, and there will likely be one or
two near you. It’s a great opportunity to get them interested in the local area that surrounds
them, and usually, these parks will have swings and other play areas that are worth using. Make
this a regular thing that they can end up enjoying alone when they’re a little older. It’s always
good to scope out the park itself to ensure that it’s safe enough and that no one is loitering
around that shouldn’t be. It’s great as an adult to go back to a park and live out that nostalgic
time but now with your own children.

Organize Days Out With Fellow Parents

A family day out is always a good opportunity to get away from the home where all the
electronics are and make it a no-screen day. Fellow parents that you know may wish to organize
something together, like a trip to a soft obstacles playground or maybe going to the zoo. Set up a
group and take it in turns to organize something fun for your children to get involved with. They
don’t need to be anything too wild but giving your children something to do that doesn’t involve
an iPad or a mobile phone is important. There are plenty of opportunities to see cute animals at
the zoo and campingfunzone.com has a few pictures of some adorable animals that you might
see at yours.

Have Limited Screen Time

Screen time is very important to limit when you can because it can be very easy to let that
screen time go on and on for hours at a time. And although that may keep them entertained, it’s a
good idea to limit it so that they don’t always rely on it to relieve their boredom. They should also
be taking advantage of playing with toys and creating mud pies in the yard. Try to be strict with
limiting screen time and ensure that they’re getting homework done before having fun.

Go Out And Play With Them

Sometimes outdoor play can be boring, particularly when they’re on their own or feeling left out.
Give yourself a break from work and the internet too and get outside to play with your kids. You
only have them around for so long, so it’s important you’re making time for them.

Get your children outdoors more often with trips to the park and cutting back on screen time so
that they don’t rely on it as much as possible.

When You Can't Help Your Kids With Their Math Homework Anymore

Well, you guys, it is officially here. The time has come when I am no longer able to help ANY of my kids with their math homework. I mean, my 8th graders, they stopped asking me for homework help LONG ago, when it was apparent that their math skills were far superior to mine, even though I am 20ish years older than they are! But, I still had a tiny bit of pride because I was still able to help my tiny guy with his math!

Now, he is in 4th grade, and let's just say, not so much. I am no longer able to help him with his math homework. I mean, maybe I can take my calculator and come up with the actual answer that he is looking for, but as for HOW to get to that answer, the way they do math these days is the most complicated thing I have ever seen! Let's just say that this "new school" math is DEFINITELY NOT mommy's strong point!

However, just because I don't understand my kid's math homework these days doesn't mean that I can just turn my back on them and not give them help if they need it. I have been able to show them some really helpful YouTube videos which have been able to explain things to them much better than I can, and sometimes they even have tutoring sessions at their school, which is really nice. Plus, I do have my older two kids who are usually able to help my little one out with his schoolwork and homework, even if they sigh dramatically about 2904 times while they do it, since, you know they have SO many more important things to do!

What about you guys? Are you still able to help your kids with their math homework or are those days way behind for you guys too? Have you been able to get maths tutoring from Tavistock Tutors  or do you just wing it on your own? I am looking for any help or advice you guys might be able to give me and I am open to any and all suggestions! (Except telling me to actually LEARN how to do today's math, that is WAY too hard for me!) Let me know in the comments below what your thoughts are on helping your kids with their homework when it has gotten way past what you understand, and let me know your tips and tricks so maybe I can try some of them too!