How to stop young children making costly in-app purchases on your mobile phone or tablet
Posted inFamily life Parenting tips

How to stop young children making costly in-app purchases on your mobile phone or tablet

This year, mobile app revenues are set to make in excess of £20bn, according to research firm Garner. Is that money being contributed to by in-app purchases your child is making without your awareness?

Why is it happening?
It may seem strange that a four or five year old child can amass a small fortune worth of purchases when they don’t have the email password  or understanding about buying on your tablet. And this is precisely why the Office of Fair Trading investigated the issue for five months, investigating 38 games.

How to make your childcare and activities for the kids cost less
Posted inChildren & Relationships Family life Money - how to keep it and how to make it Parenting tips

How to make your childcare and activities for the kids cost less

Raising a family today costs parents thousands of pounds every year, but there are ways to reduce that cost if you know how.

If you could save money on childcare and the club’s and activities you enrol your children into, that money could go a long way and be used on other essentials.

Here are just three things you can do to reign back some of your hard earned money:

Urghh! Monday morning blues?Here are three tips to make it better next week
Posted inCareers Coach Blog Children & Relationships Family life

Urghh! Monday morning blues?Here are three tips to make it better next week

After the weekends slumber it can be hard to drag yourself out of bed attend crack of dawn on Monday mornings. And if your children are typical, they’ve likely had birthday parties or had some sort of extra class(es) that have required you to ferry them around.

By the time Sunday night comes, the weekend seems so far away, and feels like you didn’t get the rest and chillax time you promised yourself during the week.

Sound all-too familiar? Well, no one said being a working mum would be easy, but here are three steps to help you achieve that all-important Monday morning balance:

How to make skiing work as an activity holiday for your family
Posted inChildren & Relationships Family life Things to do with the kids

How to make skiing work as an activity holiday for your family

It doesn’t seem that long ago since the school summer holidays, but it’s still not too early to start looking at holiday deals for the family.

If you’re looking for an activity break, there are some limitations to what you can do, but skiing can be a great way to stay fit and active, and children as young as three can take to the slopes.

Here are some tips on preparing for a skiing holiday:

How to child proof your home
Posted inFamily life Parenting tips

How to child proof your home

If you’re expecting a child soon, you will probably be thinking of making your home child friendly.

A child friendly home is a safe home for your child and a home with more freedom for your child.

How to make extra money while on maternity leave
Posted inFamily life Money - how to keep it and how to make it Mothers' rights at work

How to make extra money while on maternity leave

The average cost of a new baby is £5,464 in the first year of their child’s life – increasing by four per cent to £5,666 for those living in London.

It’s obviously excludes the cost of living, and any childcare required to raise the child, so it’s easy to see how money can be tight for new mums in maternity leave.

How to write an invoice
Posted inFamily life

How to teach children about money

Now that the schools are open again,and the pressure of having keep children suitably entertained (with expensive activities and gadgets) has wained, it’s probably a good time start teaching the value of money.

We think this video from Money Supermarket is fantastic, and shows you how you can encourage children to be more appreciative and responsible with money:

It’s not too late to take a staycation break! Here’s how
Posted inFamily life Things to do with the kids

It’s not too late to take a staycation break! Here’s how

When you spend your time juggling between looking after the kids and working for a living, it can almost feel like too much effort to organise a holiday on top of everything else – no matter how much you love getting away from it all.

But if you don’t go away, you won’t reap the benefits of a real break from the normal routine; a chance to leave work behind for a week or two and enjoy some real quality time with the kids and your partner.

Posted inFamily life Starting and running your business

How to set up a home office with a new baby in tow

Setting up a home office is relatively simple – you decide which part of your home you want to work in, set your working hours and get started.

But what if you have some company…a new baby to join you? Here are some tips to make it work:

Get answers on all questions with help of android parental control apps
Posted inFamily life

Get answers on all questions with help of android parental control apps

There is no doubt that the internet has made parenting a lot tougher.  Many children often become engrossed with the latest developments in technology, and it is not easy to keep them away from things like mobile phones, tablets and electronic gadgets.

However, there are ways in which you will be able to ensure that your children are protected from the ill effects of unwanted internet information. Here are some tips:

No holiday this year? Create one at home
Posted inFamily life Things to do with the kids

No holiday this year? Create one at home

If your family couldn’t afford a holiday this summer holiday don’t feel bad.

Holidays are all about memories and experiencing something new – you can do that from home. Here’s how:

Cheap last-minute holiday ideas for families
Posted inFamily life Things to do with the kids

Cheap last-minute holiday ideas for families

Left it late to plan a family holiday,and running out of ideas? Here are some great ideas for every budget and no matter the age of your children:

Parents feel the pinch most during the school summer holidays, finds poll
Posted inChildren & Relationships Family life

Parents feel the pinch most during the school summer holidays, finds poll

The average family will spend £2,102.16 per child keeping their children entertained during the summer holidays*, according to the results of a recent poll carried out as part of the Mums’ SOS (Summer of Stress) campaign for the drink brand Royal Crown Cola.

How to keep your home tidy during the school summer holidays
Posted inChildren & Relationships Family life Parenting tips

How to keep your home tidy during the school summer holidays

Who knew children can create so much mess. From using multiple cups, to endless piles of washing, the school summer holidays can create a battlefield at home.

August is here, but there still is a good four weeks to go until schools open again. How do you make sure the mess doesn’t drive everyone to distraction? Here are some tips:

How to embarrass the kids this summer holiday
Posted inFamily life

How to embarrass the kids this summer holiday

Now that all schools have (finally) broken up for the summer, it’s a time for working parents to have more quality time with the kids. It it’s not without a cringe or two – for the children, anyway.

Research by Zeamu Music on 700 children aged between 4 and 10, a new record label for children, found that parents taking to the dance floor after one Pimms too many topped the list of embarrassing parent behaviour.

Posted inFamily life Money - how to keep it and how to make it

Pregnant? How do you plan to keep the money coming in when the baby arrives?

Finding out that you are expecting your first child can be a mix of feelings – joy, excitement, fear and confusion.

You may have already started thinking about how you’ll cope with an extra mouth to feed and how you’ll do that. Will you leave your job and become a full-time mum, will you cut back your hours so you can spend more time with your baby, or will you work full-time because you need the money?

How to find good childcare for summer
Posted inFamily life

How to find good childcare for summer

Are you looking for childcare for your child during the school summer holidays? Perhaps you’re starting a new job and your child starts school in September.

Whatever the reason for needing childcare, you’ll want to find the best you can afford, and with a reputable provider you can trust. Today’s video will give you some tips and advice on finding childcare.

Posted inFamily life

4 simple ways to teach children to be grateful this summer

School summer holidays have already begun for some children, and the rest will follow suit in the next week or so. Typically a time when parents try to juggle the many activities for children, along with a budget that never seems to cover everything, summer holidays can also be a good time to teach children how to be grateful for what they get.

So the trip to Disney World didn’t happen this year (and may not happen next year!), but a few days away at a seaside resort did…and it’s still a holiday that cost money! How do you teach children to appreciate the time, money and organisation that goes into their care? Here are a few tips:

A mother’s work is never done – so how do we do it?
Posted inFamily life

A mother’s work is never done – so how do we do it?

Being a mum. It’s a full time, unpaid job. Replete with (sometimes) moody customers, a myriad of paperwork and an ever growing list of ‘to-do’ items, it’s a wonder any mother can find the time or inclination to go out and work alongside their domestic duties.

But work they frequently do and, as the Office for National Statistics cheerily informs us, the number of mothers working full time in the UK has risen from a quarter to a third in the past 15 years.