-

How To Make Your Move Stress Free

Sponsored Post

Moving house can be one of the most stressful things you do in your life. There are so many different things you need to remember, so much you need to pack and if you’ve got kids, you have got to think about what you are going to do with them while you do the big move.

I’ve moved three times in my life – out of my parents into the first house Steve and I lived in, back out of there into my parents when our landlady had to unexpectedly move back in and then out of my parents again into the house we are in now.

The last two were by far the most stressful. The one back into my parents was when I was six months pregnant with Jack so I couldn’t do much and felt utterly useless. The move into the house we are in now was also fairly stressful as Jack was exactly a month old so someone had to remain with him at all times. I remember him sitting in his little bouncing chair in the middle of living room whilst we moved boxes in around him.

Flo Pappert

Here are some top tips to make your house move as stress free as possible.

Pack Early

Start packing long before you actually move so you aren’t rushing it all in the final few days leading up to the move. Pack the stuff that barely gets used first and then make your way down the list until, finally, everything is packed.

Put All Your Important Documents Away Safely

It is easy to lose things in a move and the things you definitely don’t want to lose are important documents like birth certificates, insurance papers and wills. Put them away safely somewhere you know they won’t get lost or ask someone to look after them until the move is complete. My mum always looks after mine until our moves are complete.

Consider Using A Company For Help

Utilising the help of a moving company might be just what you need. They are professionals and know what they’re doing in a quick and efficient manner. Some even offer an expert packing service so if you can’t get too much time off work, this may be a good idea for you and your family.

Have A Moving Day Kit

Now I don’t know about you but after a day of moving, I never want to start packing everything right away. Keep stuff like some drinks, some snacks, phone chargers, toiletries and money in a little moving day kit so they are easily accessible without unpacking loads of boxes. Use the money to grab a ready meal from the nearest shop or order a takeaway – there’s no way you are going to be willing to cook a whole meal from scratch.

Get Enough Sleep The Night Before

It might sound strange but go to bed early the night before. You will want to be as fresh and as alert as possible on the day so you can get stuff done without flagging. A good nights sleep will do you the world of good and you won’t find yourself wanting to constantly take rests and delaying the time it will take you to move. Your body will thank you for it.

Do you have any tips for making moving house as stress free an experience as possible?

In Weight Loss

Weigh In | Week 1

Rebecca Smith12 Comments

I wrote a post last week, titled Time To Take It Seriously. I talked all about my weight loss journey so far and how I have been feeling recently. I also talked about why I am starting on another weight loss journey and what I would be doing. I also forgot to add my starting weight in that original post so I am including it here at the top of the post.

I must admit I was quite shocked to see this starting weight – the heaviest I have ever been in my life (even when pregnant!). I now know what I need to lose and how I’m going to go about it. But how have I been getting on with the Tesco Ultraslim range and the evening meals?

I must admit that I did find it quite difficult at the beginning – I love a good breakfast so switching to a milkshake was a bit of a shock to the system. We’ve tried all the flavours and I like them all except vanilla, that is far too bland for my liking. I am finding them filling and I am not even considering a snack until late morning. For my morning snack, I tend to have a snack bar. Lunch is usually a meal replacement bar or a milkshake, if we run out of bars. I then have fruit for an afternoon snack and a tasty low calorie meal for my evening meal.

This week we have been quite adventurous with our evening meals. What I’ve loved about this is that although I am opting for low calorie meals, it does mean I don’t always have to cook from scratch – I can pick up something low in calories from the shop if pushed for time and still know I am being good. This week I picked up the Co-Op Whole Mexican Chicken and paired it with some salad, another day we had a chicken breast with roast potatoes and veg and another, pork chops with a cheese sauce, chips and peas – all within our calorie range. I’ve been considering getting an air fryer a lot recently – for ease and to make some dishes a little healthier. I really want to try some dishes like this crispy air fryer chicken breast that I discovered over on Bintu’s blog.

I weighed myself Monday morning and was pleased to see that I had already lost a couple of pounds. However I knew we had a planned meal out that evening at Prezzo and whilst I was going to try to be good, the food was just too tempting and I opted for cheesy garlic bread to share with Steve, mozzarella dippers to share with Steve, a mushroom risotto for my main and honeycomb cheesecake for dessert. Weighing myself Tuesday morning, I knew that the weight would have gone back on but I enjoyed myself and that is what counts. I did get straight back on the plan though and have been consistently on plan since.

I weighed myself this morning and am pleased to say that I have managed to lose that 2lb again. Perhaps if I hadn’t had that meal out on Monday, it might have even been more! Going ahead, I’d like to lose 1lb this week – we are going away for a little bit so won’t be keeping to the plan 100% but we will be doing plenty of exercise so I think 1lb is a reasonable amount to strive for – I’ll be very happy if I get more.

I’ll keep you updated next week!

In Business

The Top 11 Elements Of An Epic Email Newsletter

Rebecca SmithFebruary 15, 2019February 17, 20191 Comment

Sponsored Post

Something I have been considering for a while but have yet to get sorted (even after eight years, oops) is an email newsletter. The reason I am still yet to get this sorted is that I just don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to write to make readers open my email in their inbox, not sure how to format it etc. I have taken the first steps and started setting one up but always bail out before it gets sorted completely.

Email newsletters are a great way to enhance the engagement of your business or your blog. 90% of consumers prefer to receive updates via a newsletter rather than via their social channels. I too like to take a leisurely look through newsletters, I only choose to check social media if I am pushed for time.

I’m happy to share this infographic today, detailing the eleven elements of an epic email newsletter. Do you have a newsletter? Do you implement any of these?

Source: 11 Elements of an Epic Email Newsletter by Campaign MonitorDo you use any of these elements when it comes to sending your email newsletter? Do any of these make you click on newsletters in your inbox? A must click subject line and eye-catching graphics always reel me in!

In Books, Giveaways, Reviews

Review & Giveaway | It’s A Kid’s Life by Kerry Gibb

Rebecca Smith29 Comments

We were sent a copy of the book for review. All thoughts and opinions are our own. This post contains affiliate links.

Jack is a little bookworm – I have probably mentioned that already. He is on one of the highest reading levels in his class and always has his head in a book if he can. He likes a wide variety of stuff – he usually chooses a fiction book for his everyday reading book from school and checks out a non fiction book when it comes to visiting the school library once a week. He is also very lucky to have a wide variety of books in our house – he not only has the books bought for him by us or other family or friends, he also has some books I’ve won (mainly from Toppsta or social media) and also has some of mine and Steve’s books from childhood. He certainly isn’t short on reading material.

Jack was recently given the chance to read and review It’s A Kid’s Life, written by Kerry Gibb and illustrated by Ellie Barrett. Kerry very kindly signed it for him which he was very excited and happy about – there’s just something about a signed book that makes it all the more special, right?

It’s A Kid’s Life {affiliate link} is the first book in a series for ages 7 and up and tells the story of Ben Collins, a typical nine year old boy. Forced to start a new school, It’s A Kid’s Life tells all about his adventures. From planning to make his millions by running a secret school tuck shop or being distracted by the beautiful Lottie Jones, Ben Collins is an adventurous little soul and nothing ever goes to plan. A humourous read, by all accounts. But I didn’t read it – Jack did. So what did he think?

Jack settled down to read and couldn’t get enough. He kept disappearing for ages and I’d find him curled up in his room, devouring the book some more. When he eventually finished, he ran downstairs and told me to go on Amazon. When I enquired why, he told me that he wanted the next book in the series RIGHT NOW.

Being seven years old, being able to write (or even dictate) a review isn’t his strongpoint so I am going to do my best to paraphrase what he told me his thoughts were about the book. He found the book to be very funny and that it kept drawing him back in – he just had to find out what happened next. He liked the sound of Ben, thought he’d be a fun friend to have and thought that the idea of some of the things that happened to Ben happening at his school was quite the hilarious notion. So interested in Ben’s life, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on the next book – which he may be getting during half term if he behaves, as a treat.

Jack really liked reading Chapter 1 of It’s A Kid’s Life 2: Arch Enemies {affiliate link} and can’t wait to read the book himself. I really think adding the excerpt was good as it gets children excited for the next installment. Another thing he liked was the wordsearch at the back too – he’s a puzzle fiend and really enjoyed doing this.

Overall, Jack really enjoyed the book and is excited for the rest of the books in the series. Kerry has kindly offered one lucky reader the chance to win a copy of It’s A Kid’s Life themselves, all you need to do is fill in the Gleam widget below. This giveaway is UK only and ends at 23.59pm on the 28th of February 2019. Good luck!

In Personal Posts

Our Half Term Plans

Rebecca Smith9 Comments

This is a sponsored post.

Can you believe it is half term next week? I know that some of the country have had it this week but we are lucky enough to have it next week when everything will be a little quieter. What have you got planned for half term if yours is next week too?

We are having a lazy day on Saturday – relaxing and enjoying the first day off. We’re also heading off for a couple of days (with Mum keeping an eye on things here) so there will be plenty of content coming in the next few weeks about what we got up to! I’m so excited – it is going to be nice to get out and about with my little family because it has been far too long since we did something like this as a family. Steve also has to work some of the week unfortunately – getting the school all ready and sorted for when the kids go back the week after, so we’ve got to factor this into our plans. This happens every school holidays so we have to work around it as best we can – it isn’t always easy but we do try.

I’ve also got a few different errands I need to run and things I need to get done. I’m considering getting a good quality locksmith in to check over our locks – they seem to be working fine but get stuck every now and again and I want a professional to take a look and check everything is okay. I also want to get on top of my admin, get caught up with blog stuff and reviews and perhaps even find some time to get some more reading done. I’ve got a few books that have come in for review in the past few weeks so I want to get them read and get my thoughts drafted up. However, I might take advantage of going away and read them then!

Other than that, I want to chill and relax. It is going to be nice not having to do the school run for a week – it is my most dreaded part of the day because trying to get Jack up and out the door for school is an absolute nightmare. So I want to have some days where we just stay in and watch some movies, read some books and play some games. Not too much to ask, right?

Have you got anything nice planned for the half term? Or did you have half term this week? What did you get up to? I’d love to hear all about it.