Young Driver – Did you know you can learn from age 5?

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If you like me have young children desperate to learn to drive then this post is for you! This weekend we had a new experience. Well one of us did! Thomas was invited along to his first ever driving lesson!

If you’re aged between 5 and 17 you can learn to drive a car with Young Driver in an area near you. Little people aged between 5 and 10 years old they offer lessons in a firefly car. These little cars tour the country and slots book up quickly so be sure to book early. For those young people ages 11 and above get to drive in a real car!

 

Information sent by email after we’d booked was very clear so we easily found the venue (just look for the big red bus!).

 

Thomas was super excited to get signed in when we arrived. Everything was well signed so we knew where to go. Theres a short disclaimer form to sign upon arrival by the accompanying adult but after that its get set go!

Ready, Set…Go!

 

The little ones who are taking part in the firefly vehicles get 20 minutes in the car. This is broken down into a 5 minute instruction session with a member of the staff and 15 minutes driving in the car on the road system laid out.

 

 

 

 

When the instructions are finished it’s time for the parent or guardian to get in the car and be driven around! Don’t worry though you get an emergency stop button just in case your child goes wild!

The little fireflys are great fun! There’s an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal, as well as a switch to change between forwards and backwards motion.

Theres venues all over the country including Scotland and Belfast so where ever you are based there will hopefully be one based near you. You can check venues on the website.

20 minutes passed quickly however I think it was just long enough to enjoy everything and park up at the end.

Felix couldn’t miss the opportunity for a photograph too although he’s still a little young to drive or have a ride.

Passing his Test

At the end of the lesson Thomas was given his very own driving licence which he was super chuffed with. I did have to explain though that he couldn’t actually drive us home afterwards in our car!

Thanks to the Young Driver company for invited us along to take part in a lesson. I’m sure we’ll be back when the middle monkey turns 5 as he was desperate to have a go! Thomas has made us promise for his 11th birthday he can go in the real cars too!

We did take some footage on camera and as soon as I’ve edited a video together I will be posting it up too!

You can find out more information about the Young Driver lessons here.

My Sunday Photo – Adventures in eating at 6 months

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Where did the last 6 months go? Blink and you missed it. I can not believe that this little guy is 6 months already. Let the adventures in baby led weaning begin! Spaghetti and meatballs certainly went down well! I love baby led weaning for the ease of just having what you are having. I’m not super keen on the mess but it’s only short term and at least with this glorious weather we can eat outside!

 

Photalife

Total Satisfaction – A day full of gratitude

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Theres no other point to this post except to list all the things I am grateful for today and to put in words what a great day I’ve had.

Today as soon as the older two were at school and nursery I headed out to one of my favourite places to go to spend some time…. Intu The Trafford Centre! If you don’t know Intu Trafford Centre its a huge shopping centre. Now this might sound like I’m a massive spender, I’m not. I like to browse, get ideas, have some lunch. More browsing. Grab a bargain or two. Have a coffee. Meet a friend.

I’ve been coming to the Intu Trafford Centre for years, probably around 18 now. I love the place.

So Roo and I drove there, he slept and I drove!

When we arrived I sat in the car for a little while whilst he finished his nap. In those moments just sitting there watching him sleep I realised again how lucky I am. I always have a grateful attitude. I know that by being grateful for ever little thing it makes me a happier person. The realisation once again that I have three beautiful children in my life who I adore. My husband is a wonderful man, he works hard to provide things for us and he comes home from work and helps around the house and helps with the boys too. He’s always there for me when I need him, he is my rock.

Once Roo was awake I put him in the Bugaboo and set off for a browse.

We are going on holiday later in the year so I’m on the lookout for a really comfy sandle/shoe for the boys to wear whilst we are there. Ideally they would be waterproof and made of quick drying material.

I found these in Schuh and thought they’d be great. The boys weren’t with me so I couldn’t try them to buy but has anyone already bought them? If so please do let me know what you think.

 

We wandered around for a little while and stopped for a coffee. Roo was getting hungry so I breastfed him in the coffee shop whilst I tried to eat a yoghurt. After eating and burping he seemed tierd again so I took him for a walk outside. The weather has been so sunny and beautiful. I’m so grateful to be able to walk in the sunshine under the amazing blue sky. I listened to the birds and took in the smell of the flowers.

When he finally fell asleep I walked over to the canal nearby for a wander along the tow path. There were people out for a cycle and boats passing by. Others were walking their dogs. I loved it. The trees provided enough shade to not be too warm and the breeze was really refreshing.

At a recent blogging conference I heard the keynote speech about happiness. In the presentation it was mentioned that a certain hotel chain has a 5/10 rule for staff. If someone is within 5 feet of staff you should say hello. If they are within 10 feet you should smile and acknowledge them. I don’t know why I remember this above all else but I really try to practice it daily now when I’m on a walk. Obviously not in a crowded place, that would be daft. However along the tow path I said hello to everyone I passed, or the people on the boats. There was only one person who didn’t reply. That’s ok though, maybe they were having a bad day?

gratitude

It made me think though about how much I’d love to do a canal boat holiday. I’ve never done one and it seems so peaceful. It’s on my bucket list now for sure. I have a feeling though we’ll have to wait until the boys are a little older.

It was in that moment walking along in the sunshine that I felt total happiness and took a moment to just be silently thankful for the day and all it had given me.

I guess the point of the post is to prompt you to be thankful too. List all the things right now in life you are thankful for and it will give you a lift and make you feel happier. Gratitude truly is the key to happiness.

 

 

 

 

Everything You Need to Know About Ceiling Baffles

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Guest Post

While the office designers are now advocating for the open-plan office for its neat and clean look, such open-plan offices are responsible for creating noisy work environments. These swanky offices are vulnerable to the resonating sound in the office and could be a major cause of distraction and ultimate loss of productivity.

Maybe, you have had the experience of being in a noisy restaurant and had problems of hearing what your friend sitting across the table is saying. Such places also have an open sitting arrangement with chairs and tables scattered all over the floor.  

No matter if it is a commercial office, auditorium, restaurant, gym, a city court or any other public spaces, the resonating sound could be a major issue as these lead to deterioration of health, hampers communication and impair the learning process.

For soundproofing any commercial interior we have to treat ceiling along with the walls and the floor and this is a very tricky affair. To block the sound resonating from the ceiling, you have to make it sound absorbing and that can only be done by increasing the amount of mass in the ceiling. But, this is not desired. This is because the heavier ceiling will face much stronger gravity pull. 

Of course, you can build an acoustic ceiling using acoustical ceiling tiles for noise reduction. You can either glue these to the ceiling or have a drop ceiling with these tiles. In the first case, there will be a substantial increase in weight and in the second case you will reduce the headspace.

Hanging sound baffles provide an easy and low-cost solution to noise control problems. Suspended from the ceiling these absorb the airborne reverberated sound and reduces noise pollution in the interior.

What are ceiling sound baffles?

These are unique sound absorbing mediums that are hanged from the ceiling. These are mostly used when a commercial interior needs acoustic treatment but do not have much wall space or where soundproofing panels cannot be installed due to design limitation.  These can be used in the isolation room or on the stage for improving the acoustic effect. Designed for vertical suspension in rows and columns spreading the entire area, these can be suspended from the truss or from any other pre-designed suspension system. Sound baffles also have excellent echo blocking capacity.  In large rooms sound cause echo and reverberation due to multiple bouncing off the walls and the ceiling. Using sound baffles significantly reduces such noise pollution.

Different types of ceiling sound baffles

As both sides of the ceiling sound baffles remain exposed, these deliver great noise reducing solution. These can be of different types.

  • Foam Sound Baffles: These are made of class 1 fire rated melamine foam and can absorb the sound of almost all frequencies. You can get these in a wide range colors and in standard sizes of 2 x 4 feet and 4 x 8 feet with options for customization to meet specific décor needs.
  • PVC and Sailcloth Sound Baffles: This is made of acoustic fiberglass core in PVC or Sailcloth cover with heat seal.  This is lightweight and cost effective but good noise reducer and great for use in wet areas like swimming pool, gymnasium and animal shelters. These budget panels are also available in definite geometric shapes.
  • Polywarp Sound Baffles: Coming in white polythene bags, these contain sound absorbing fiberglass and are used in the factories and the manufacturing facilities. This is also an economical option.
  • Sanitary Baffles: These come in reinforced Mylar light and reflective white bags and are used in food processing and drug manufacturing units. Only FDA approved durable, chemically resistant, dimensionally stable and washable materials are used in the construction of these baffles.
  • Fabric wrapped Sound Baffles: Made using decorative fabric, these are designed to reduce the sound level and provide great noise reduction with increased speech intelligibility and clarity of the music. They have an eye-catching look.

Features of the Ceiling Sound Baffles

  • These are made in custom sizes and are available in light to moderate weight.
  • Coming in a variety of finishes, these great sound absorbing capacity.
  • Available with suspension system and the vertical drop can be customized.
  • Entails considerable reduction in noise level.
  • Can be installed easily.
  • Suitable for noisy spaces with large areas.

Benefits you can enjoy

By installing sound baffles you can enjoy many benefits. Other than affecting a drop in the ambient noise it also changes the entire look of the commercial indoor. This is an affordable option when compared to the other sound absorbing options and allows enough installation flexibility. These also have good reflectivity and can improve the interior illumination.

The CSISOUNDCORE advantage

Being a leading designer and manufacturer of noise reducing elements, CSISOUNDCORE can help you out in your journey for noise reduction starting from the planning to the implementation stage. Having more than 160 designs in 6 different core materials they can deliver you the right noise controlling solution regardless the type and size of the commercial interior.

Their Flaps Collection includes a wide range of ceiling baffles and acoustic baffles. These uniquely designed hanging sound baffles have the capacity to fulfill both architectural and functional requirements of any commercial interior. These ceiling baffles sound absorption collection is made from high-quality acoustic fibers and 100% wool fabric. The Cumulus collection sound baffles are also available in a range of materials, colors, sizes, and shapes and you can have almost endless combinations.

Materials used in manufacturing these sound baffles contain no VOC and are non-toxic and non-allergenic making these absolutely safe for the people and environment as well. These are durable and weather resistant and hence undergo no change of color. The sound baffles comply with the requirements of ASTM E84 and are rated class ‘A’ fire safe.

Coming in modular designs these require minimum installation effort CSIsoundcore have solutions for your every need. Just spell out your requirement and they will return with a unique turnkey solution for soundproofing without compromising with decoration requirements.

When I Die – A post about death (because no one ever talks about it)

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If you’ve read my blog before you may realise I talk about birth a lot. I love giving birth. I have enjoyed my last two births at home. You can read about my home birth here.

It’s socially acceptable to talk about birth. However at the other end of life is death. It will happen to everyone at some time. Yet most people shy away from talking about death. I’ll quite happily chat about it though.

The trigger for this post came this week when I spotted a rainbow hearse out on the road (twice in the same week).

I just thought it was beautiful. The second time it passed me I noticed it was owned by co-op funeral care. This isn’t a sponsored post by the way. I just wanted to mention that it’s beautiful.

So thinking about death I thought I’d write a post to explain what I’d like to happen when I pass away (not that I plan to for a very very long time!)

First and foremost I’d like to be cremated. As I understand it’s cheaper than a burial and the last thing I want to be is a financial burden for my family. Also I prefer the idea of being ashes and floating on the wind than being got by the worms. Plus I’m claustrophobic so at least I won’t feel cooped up in a box buried in the earth. Cremation is for me.

If my family want to see my body when I’m dead then that’s fine by me. If it helps to heal the hurt and say goodbye that’s ok. But please make sure I look ok. Ask someone to do my makeup as I would have in life, give them a photo! I don’t want to look like a clown upon departure from the earth.

I love the rainbow hearse and so if possible would love to travel in that to the place of service. I also love flowers, so ask that if you are putting any in the hearse don’t waste money on ones that die quickly and you end up leaving at the crematorium. By all means put a bunch or two in to make it look cheery for my final journey but take them away with you after the service. Put them in water at home in a vase. Get joy from them as I would have. Don’t leave them to die on the pavement. I’ve never been a fan of the flowers that spell a word. You know the ones I mean. I know some people like them but I just think they are a waste of money, not for me please.

At the service plan songs and hymns, I love music.

Children – now I know when people die the question of children is often asked for the service. Please don’t think you can’t bring them. Death is part of life. I think it’s perfectly ok for them to see people upset about death. Its normal. Please don’t try to make them be quiet either. Let them run around if they want to. It’s ok, no etiquette for me. Let them sing and play, let them be them. Let them be children.

Don’t wear black because you think you have to. Wear anything that feels comfy. If you want to wear leggings and a yoga top because you feel comfy, do it!

Have a celebration afterwards. Talk about me and relive the good times. Don’t make it morbid. I have and am still living a wonderful life. I try to make the most of everyday. I am eternally grateful for all I have in life. Be grateful for my life.

And finally most importantly, go on and live your own life. (This one is mainly for my own children) No amount of being upset about my passing will improve your own life. I want you to make the best of it. It’s ok to always remember me but don’t make your life down because I’m not in it.

I love living and when I’m gone you should too x

Bents Garden and Home – Minigolf Family Fun

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This week we were kindly invited to try the new Jurassic Cove adventure golf at Bents Garden and Home centre.

I’ve written about Bents lots of times before, more recently at Christmas for their fantastic Christmas food market. I love Bents, it’s such a fantastic family friendly destination. I’m lucky that we only live 20 minutes away from it. I’d definatly recommend a trip if it’s within reach for you. Bents has grown to be an amazing place over the last few years.

It’s a shopping destination for everyone, young to old. The food is fantastic wherever you chose to eat while there and for children they playground and indoor beach will keep them entertained for ages.

Bents have had a 9 hole dinosaur adventure golf for a while but this year they have doubled the size of the course.

You can now play 18 holes which are both dinosaur and pirate themed!

The first 9 holes are the original dinosaur theme, whilst the last 9 are the pirate ones. Yarrrrrrr me hearties (thats pirate speak!).

We played all 18 holes and had a fab time. The boys were loving it. It has all the elements of a great adventure golf. Fun obstacles combined with tilts and curves. It’s sure to be a fun time for the whole family. When you’ve worked up an appetite I highly recommend eating there too.

After the Golf

 

Even after all the years Bents is still a family buisness and it shines through with how proud they are and how lovely all the staff are when you visit.

The food is locally sourced where available and is soooooo delicious!

If you’re interested in a visit to Bents their website can be found here.

We made a video of our trip too, we loved it!

Thanks to Bents for inviting us to try the adventure golf. I have not been paid for the post and all opinions are my own.

Thomas Puzzle Track Playset – Toy Tester

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Thomas tests Thomas Track Playset!

This week the boys were sent a new toy to test, and test it they did. With thanks again to Bladez toyz who sent us the Thomas Track Playset. As always I only ever mention things on my blog that we would buy ourselves. I have not been paid for the review, the words are my own. We always only give our honest opinion.

First off where can you buy one? You can buy it from Argos here. If it’s something you think your children would enjoy too. The link is not an affiliate link so I won’t make any money at all if you click through.

Thomas Track playlet comes with 8 puzzle pieces and a motorised Thomas train. The Thomas train requires 1 AAA battery to be installed which is not included. You will need a tiny philips head screw driver for installing the battery.

The concept is simple. Just click the pieces together to make a track for Thomas to run along on. There are grooves in the puzzle pieces for the motorised wheel to run along.Apparently there are 50+ track combinations. The boys enjoyed using the pictures on the back of the box to make some tracks before going off and making their own combinations.

Overall the boys loved it. The pieces are really easy for small hands to connect together which is a bonus. The fact that you can make so many different tracks keeps play interesting. Thomas will also run without the track which is another bonus and way to play. It has provided hours of entertainment so far and we haven’t had to change the single battery yet. The only downside I could see is that it does need a battery so at some point it would need replacing.

We thought we’d make a little video to demonstrate it to you! Enjoy!

Beach Day Essentials – What to take to the Beach

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Last bank holiday we headed to the beach. Living in the UK we are very lucky to be surrounded by beautiful beaches. No matter where you live you’re never that far away from a beach. Even if you don’t drive you can get out and about with a trian or bus!

On bank holiday Monday we went to St Annes beach in Lancashire. We are quite practised at beach days. We tend to go to the beach quite a lot. So we know what to take with us to have a great day. However while we were there I realised there are still things I’d forgotten. So this is how the blog post was born. A list of things to take with us, a reminder to myself and others what things make a great day!

Beach Essential List

  1. Sun Shelter

We have had a few beach shelters in our time. The one we found to be most useful is a pop up one as it offers the most protection from the sun as well as being ready in seconds. My only word of warning though is practice putting it down before you use it on the beach for the first time! Once you know how to put it down its really easy to do in future. You don’t want to look like a complete fool on the beach though when you come to pack up! This one is a fab pop up version as it has mesh panels which are great if its windy!

 

2.Wind shelter

When you think of a beach wind break, you think big stripes and poles. Thats exactly what I’m talking about. I made the mistake first of buying one that you would use at camping and on the beach its no good as the poles you drive into the ground aren’t sturdy enough for sand. You need to get one with big wooden poles. This one is so cheery and I love it!

3.Dry Bag

Use this once your set up to store your valuables in so you know where they are when it’s time to leave. Things such as house keys, car keys, wallet, purse etc. The last thing you want to do is get to the end of a wonderful day to find that you’ve lost your car keys in the sand somewhere when they fell out of your pocket! As the description says the bag will keep things dry (and most importantly safe!)

 

4. Picnic Basket

Apart from the obvious a picnic basket is great for storing all your food in to keep it cool of rite day. IF you get a silver lined one like below the frozen ice packs will keep your food and drink nice and cool all day long. Be sure to store it in the shade of the sun shelter though.

beach day essentials

5. Chairs

Rather than lugging big fold out chairs with us to the beach we prefer these anywhere chairs as they literally fold up when your done and are so easy and light to carry. The weight of your bottom makes a great support for the back part and as a breastfeeding mum you defiantly need that when feeding on a beach. No one wants to come home with a sore back after a day in the sun!

beach

6. Towel

I always take one or two travel towels with us. They are super lightweight but absorb a lot of liquids. Great for drying of wet children (if they venture into the sea) or mopping up spills if there are any in the sun shelter.

7. Bucket and Spades

It’ kind of obvious but I forget nearly everytime and end up having to buy more! Theres so many great sets you can pick up for making sand castles etc. Our boys use the buckets and spades in all sorts of different games using their imagination.

8. Picnic Blankets

Now I’ve purposely written picnic blankets as a plural because we always need more than one. We use one to line the bottom of the sunshade tent to sit on then one out a little bit onto the sand for picnics etc. They are not expensive but save wet bottoms for those not wanting to sit on any wet sand! Again they fold up small and are lightweight.

9. Travel Potty

Ive had this one for years but its ideal, you can use swing bin liner bags so nothing to tip away and I line it with cheap sanitary pads (the really cheap value ones)

Potette travel potty 

There are other things we take too like spare clothes just in case I need to change the boys as well as a travel potty. Of course all the things that you need with a baby nappies etc. As long as I’ve got the above items though I feel like we are set up for a fab day on the beach. Is there anything else you like to take? I’d love to know so please drop me a line in the comments below!

I’ve dropped the link below for the short video I made of our day out!

Items on this list are affiliate links which means if you click through to buy an item I will get a couple of pence at NO EXTRA cost to you at all.

BlogOnX Goody Bag Unpacking

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BlogOnX Goody Bag

This last Sunday I went to BlogOnX at Hotel Football in Manchester. I’ve been to BlogOn lots of times before, it’s always a fabulous event. A huge thank you has to go out to Laura Seaton the founder and all her fabulous team who pull off BlogOn every time which makes it appear seamless to the attendees. I know a huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes all year long to make it the amazing event it always is!

BlogOnX if you don’t know is a one day conference for bloggers. During the day there are a series of sessions to attend as well as a brand den to go and chat with various brands. The sessions are really really useful and I always learn lots and come away feeling enthused about my blog and being able to have fantastic new ideas.

BlogOn is known or its fabulous goody bags. Every time I’ve been I think that it won’t get better, every time I go back it does!

This time I’ve decided to film the boys and I opening the goody bag so that other people can see what was in it.

I love youtube and spend a long time watching other peoples video in the background during the day whilst I’m busy or when I’m exercising, or just having some down time. So opening ours on film seemed like a good idea!

So here it is, the link to our goody bag unpacking!

 

Hope you enjoy it if you want to see whats inside!

 

My Sunday Photo – This sums them up!

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Last Sunday, despite it being cold we went out to a local country woodland park for a walk. This particular place has had a lot of investment over the last few years. It’s now a marvellous place to go. It’s called Haigh Hall Woodland Park. If you are local to Wigan area I highly recommend a visit.

Theres a HUGE children playground. Several cafes and eating places can be found in the courtyard. Theres also a fabulous mini golf and a high ropes experience amongst other attractions. I even noticed a train running.

Anyway we went out for a walk and managed to capture (not on purpose) some lovely shots of the boys together. This one however made me laugh. It sums them up perfectly.

The eldest, sweet clever little guy (never stops talking!). The middle one who is super cheeky and very funny but still such a loving little monster (he also never looks at the camera!). The youngest absent as he was sleeping for a short nap in his pram. You couldn’t put it on a canvas but I love it all the same!

Photalife