Nine golden rules to effective communication at home, work and in business
Posted inChildren & Relationships Work and career tips and advice

Nine golden rules to effective communication at home, work and in business

Everyone has at least one thing that they are good at in life. Some are good at making others laugh, others are natural organisers, and some are fantastic communicators. All these skills, however, are essential at some point in our lives – and if you don’t know how to communicate effectively, it can have a damning effect on many areas of your life.

Here are nine golden rules for effective communication that you can use in your home, workplace and business:

How to plan your meals for school and work to save yourself a small fortune
Posted inFamily life Money - how to keep it and how to make it

How to plan your meals for school and work to save yourself a small fortune

Once you know your family’s lunch budget, you can cut your spending by meal planning.

Put pen to paper at the weekend and decide what you’ll be packing for your lunch at work and for the kids (if they take a packed lunch to school) for the coming week.

Posted inFamily life

How to make your home safe for a babysitter

We all need some help sometimes – last-minute crises,  or just an evening out with friends to let your hair down.

Whatever the case may be, the last thing any parent wants is to come back home to pandemonium or an accident. This video will show you how to make your home safe for a babysitter.

Hate commuting to work? Top tips on how to stay productive – and sane
Posted inCareers Coach Blog Children & Relationships

Hate commuting to work? Top tips on how to stay productive – and sane

Commuting to work can be a real waste of time…if you just commute and do nothing else. While some employers have women up to the fact that you can get a lot more out of employees by letting them work more efficiently (from home, for example), others haven’t.

Posted inNews for mums

Are you getting your money’s worth for your time?

Do you ever feel like you’re always doing a lot more for the money you get? If you’re a small business owner or a freelancer, you could be right!

Feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day?
Posted inWork and career tips and advice

Feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day?

Being a working mum or a business mum is nome us for not getting the job done! Millions of mums around the world are making great strides in whatever they do, and you can, too, if you know how to remain productive.

Top tips to avoid feeling burnt out that every busy working mum should know
Posted inChildren & Relationships Staying sane

Top tips to avoid feeling burnt out that every busy working mum should know

Being a working mum may be the best job you’ll ever get, but it can be hard, sometimes…ok a lot of the time! You’re on call 24/7, and when you go on annual leave, you still have the same responsibilities.

Posted inChildren & Relationships Parenting tips Things to do with the kids

How to help your child develop a love of reading

With World Book Day just complete last week, many children have find memories of their favourite book character – or how much they enjoyed dressing up and getting into all the fun their school had prepared for them.

Posted inChildren & Relationships Money - how to keep it and how to make it

Top tips for budgeting with children

Having children can be expensive, especially for parents with several mouths to feed, shoes to buy and school outings and uniforms to pay for, not to mention holidays, birthdays and Christmas.
Keeping up with everything can be difficult, making it so easy to get into debt. Luckily, there are a few steps and clever budgeting methods you can use to ensure you can still afford the things you want without spiralling into debt.

Almost half of small business startups fail in the first year – find out why
Posted inStarting and running your business

Almost half of small business startups fail in the first year – find out why

For many parents, the idea of running a business that fits in with family life and makes enough for a decent life is a distant dream. For some it’s a raw subject of failure, and for others, they are living the dream.

A guide to your rights when you work as a temp
Posted inCareers Coach Blog Work and career tips and advice

A guide to your rights when you work as a temp

Temping has many benefits, and you have a right to be treated with respect, just as much as a full-time employee. Find  out what your rights are when you work as a temp (an agency worker).

Take inspiration from these women: unsung entrepreneurial success
Posted inChildren & Relationships Real mums

Take inspiration from these women: unsung entrepreneurial success

Hands up anyone who can’t by now, after several series of The Apprentice, recite exactly, Karen Brady’s business career almost as well as Alan Sugar’s? Who doesn’t know about the nerve and willpower of Margaret Thatcher as she took on the Old Boys’ Network and won? 

How to help a child that’s falling behind at school
Posted inChildren & Relationships What's in the news?

How to help a child that’s falling behind at school

Let’s face it, with all the best will in the world, not every child is going to be like Einstein (and neither should they!), but you as a parent will know when your child is falling behind at school.
So what can you do about it? Here are some tips:

Child tax credits:what you should know
Posted inFamily life Money - how to keep it and how to make it

Child tax credits:what you should know

If you’ve been stung with a huge childcare bill this half term, then you’ll appreciate getting up to 70% of that money paid back to you by way of tax credits.

Many families qualify for tax credits but don’t know they should be applying or how to apply – is yours one of them?

coffee burns fat
Posted inChildren & Relationships What's in the news?

Could you survive the Slim.Fast challenge?

Now that the weather is warming up (a little), the reminder that summer isn’t far off is not far from most of our minds – especially where those jiggly bits are concerned.
Losing weight can be such a chore, so we’re always up for finding ways to make it as easy as possible. Here’s what one of our reader’s found a week’s challenge, compliments of Slim.Fast:

office politics and how to deal with them
Posted inHow to cope with problems at work Work and career tips and advice

Workplace Politics and How to Cope

Every office has its quirks and unspoken rules when it comes to etiquette, but some of the universal rules of good behaviour seem so obvious that they’re easily overlooked.

Are you the person who’s always leaving your coffee mug in the kitchen sink and leaving it for others to wash up for you? Did you think that your colleagues haven’t noticed? What does that sloppiness say about your ability to finish a task for the team or your willingness to take responsibility?

Online tutoring: a convenient and fun way for children to learn
Posted inChildren & Relationships Parenting tips Things to do with the kids

Online tutoring: a convenient and fun way for children to learn

We all share a desire to give our children the best possible opportunities to succeed and to reach their full potential – it’s just that juggling the commitments of our own work and of current after-school activities can make this hard to achieve.

Adding more activities to your child’s schedule can mean losing out on something in your life, or your child may miss out on some much needed downtime.

Posted inMoney - how to keep it and how to make it

How to be and stay financial free in 2014

All of us have done it, making New Year’s resolutions and promising ourselves that this will be the year that we’ll keep them for definite, only for a couple of weeks to pass and for us to find ourselves falling back into our old habits.

Video: how to make a studded or embellished shirt collar
Posted inWhat's in the news?

Video: how to make a studded or embellished shirt collar

Keeping up with the latest fashion can be costly. If you’re smart, you’ll be cutting back and saving as much money as you can in 2014. And one way to do that is with a little DIY where possible – even clothes.

Watch today’s video on how to make a studded shirt collar. If you have a fashion-conscious daughter, this is a nice project you can do together.

How to save money on the cost of childcare
Posted inChildren & Relationships Family life Money - how to keep it and how to make it

How to save money on the cost of childcare

Make savings on your childcare costs
Going back to work after having a baby can be a hard decision. Do you go back full time or part time, will your employer let you alter your working hours to do the school run and what will you do for childcare?