Finding The Time

Like a lot of mums and dads out there I struggle to keep the balance of working and being a parent. As a mum who has recently returned to work I find that my days just seem to pass by like a speeding bullet. Now granted I have only returned to work on a part time basis and have a huge respect to those that work full time and still find time to get everything else done, but it still feels like mission impossible to cram everything that needs doing into a normal working day.

Normally I work all day on a Sunday and Aalliyah usually goes round to my mums or sometimes my sisters for the day. On the weekdays that I work its only usually a 4/5 hour shift so she will go to school then go to after school club until 6 oclock. I always finish at 6 so she would normally get picked up and stay round my mums for half an hour or so until I come home. Although these are the days I work the shortest hours and I have school and school club, these are the days I hate the most. 

The mornings starts like any other. I get up, sort out breakfast, make Aalliyahs school lunch and then make sure she gets off to school OK and on time. We live on the same street as the school so most mornings she likes to assert her independence by walking alone. By the time I have had a quick tidy round the flat and got ready for work, I barely have time for a coffee before having to run for the bus. Then its straight to pick Aalliyah up after work and by the time I get home Its literally only enough time for dinner before its her bed time. I absolutely love my days off as I am not so rushed and get time to spend with Aalliyah even if its just a few hours play time before bed.

Have you ever seen that movie "Click"? The one with the universal remote control? How great would that be? Not so much to fast forward anything. I think life goes by far too quick without the need to help it along its way but it would certainly be great to stop the clock sometimes and have as much extra time as we needed to get things done or to simply savor our most precious memories. Well sadly no such thing has been invented yet, but hey you never know what the future holds right?

However the super smart people at Hive have come up with a fantastic new device that lets you monitor, control and alter your heating from your smart phone or computer. Meaning you can control your heating at the touch of the button where ever you are. Now this may not give you endless more hours to enjoy in the day but it certainly saves time and hassle by allowing you to preset your temperature schedules,adjust levels or set up helpful alerts when your temperature drops below a certain amount. Is there any better feeling after a long day than coming home to a nicely warmed house? I normally have to switch my heating on when I get home and it takes ages to warm up.

The only other thing I like to come home to more is a cooked meal ready and waiting. Thankfully something has already been invented to help with that.... A slow cooker! My godsend when working late!

If you fancy learning more about Hive Active Heating and how it can make a difference in your home then click here to head on over to their site. 

*This post was written in collaboration with Hive Active Heating 

Saving The Planet In 10 Simple Steps

Going green is not as hard as some people may think. Everyone assumes that its going to take something on a massive scale to help save the planet, and that one single person making a change would be insignificant, but this is so untrue. If we all thought like that, there would be no hope of turning things around and helping our planet to go greener.

Getting our children involved is even better as we are doubling our efforts and helping to save the planet by twice the amount. Plus we are passing on our knowledge in the hope that they will grow up and continue on a greener path 

I have put together a list of 10 simple ways to go green and help save the planet. They are easy and simple changes we can implement. You can do them without breaking a sweat or your bank balance :-)

1) Saving water - There are many simple yet effective ways to do this such as turning the taps off while you are brushing your teeth. This is great as the kids can get involved too. What's more is you can save up to 8 gallons of water a day! (Based on brushing morning and night). Another fun way of conserving water is to collect rainwater. Its great for watering the plants and kids will love collecting up the water in their buckets.

2) Wash at 30 or below - I have always washed at 40/60 and 90 degrees depending on the load. But for the past year all I have ever washed at is 30 degrees. My laundry comes out just as clean and reduces your electricity consumption by an average of 40%. Most leading washing detergent brands are now designed to clean just as good at lower temperatures.

3) Switch To Energy Efficient Lighting - By switching just one of your standard light bulbs to an energy efficient one can save you an average of £3 a year and by changing all our lighting to energy efficient lighting can save us up to £55 per year. Most leading supermarkets no longer stock standard bulbs which is fantastic as it gets us all changing to a more efficient source of lighting.

4) Recycle - An obvious one, but many of us still do not recycle our everyday materials like glass, aluminium and card. Most of us don't even have to go further than our doorstep and we have weekly collections of all our recyclable materials. On average, we will all throw away our own body weight in waste in just 7 weeks! That's crazy!

5) Change your batteries - Stop using regular disposable batteries and change to rechargeables. Over 15 billion batteries are made and sold each year, most of which are disposable. That's nearly 15 billion batteries disposed of in our landfills. For a small price tag you can buy a battery charger with a set of rechargeable batteries. Saving you endless money in the long run and believe me come Christmas day you will be glad you have rechargeables.

6) Pull The Plug - We waste a massive amount of electricity every year by leaving things on standby, such as out televisions, dvd players, sky/virgin boxes and laptops. Having something on standby still uses on average up to 90% of there power still. You wouldn't leave every appliance on when you went to bed as you would see this as a massive waste of electricity, so switch off and then turn off at the mains. Less harmful to the environment and your annual electricity bill.

7) Plot it - Making your own vegetable plot is a fantastic way to go green. It is  a brilliant thing to do with the kids, and how satisfying is it to be "living off your own land". Growing your own produce is a fun way to teach your children about going green. It costs millions to transport vegetables to local supermarkets. That's a lot of exhaust fumes!

8) Make Over - Turn your old disused items into something better by giving them a new lease of life! Make over your old furniture or clothes. Make some handmade jewellery. The possibilities are endless and definitely a number one activity that the kids will love being a part of. Don't fill up the landfill with yet more waste! Jazz it up into something you CAN reuse.

9) Bag it - Plastic shopping bags are not biodegradable, even the ones that say they are will never fully decompose. They will hang around our landfill for years to come. Think of the billions of bags used in our supermarkets everyday? That's a lot of waste! Always try to use a cotton/canvas reusable bag which are sold in most shops now. You can use them again and again. You could even get a plain bag and lets the kids paint it for you! 

10) Branch out - Plant a tree! Simple and to the point but just by planting a tree you could be making a massive future change. An adult tree can absorb approximately 48 pounds of carbon monoxide in a single year and produce enough oxygen to sustain two people for a lifetime. That is incredible and your little ones will love being a part of this one! :-)

So there you have it, my top 10 ways to help save the planet :-)

Have fun going that little bit greener...