There is no question that I love shopping and the bargain hunter in me loves sale shopping even more. In my mind, if something is half price I can buy twice as much! I am terrible when my favourite shops email me with sale notifications but I am not so much a fan of standing queuing in shops, so when Vertbaudet emailed to tell me about their BIG sale with up to 60% off, I had to go and check it out online. Surprisingly for me, I was not all about the clothes (which is most unusual) and was quite taken with their home collection, which is perfect for children's bedrooms and fantastic prices in the sale.

Sale shopping can give you a thrill like no other, especially when you find that dress you have been coveting or a pair of shoes at a price that you simply can't resist. There are obvious pitfalls too, so here are our top tips for sale shopping!

Do you really need it?

Do go with a VERY level head. Yes, your eyes will be on stalks at all those reduced tickets – but with everything you pick up, consider whether you really like it. Would you have considered saving up for it if it hadn't been reduced?

Buy bigger sizes for next year

Children don't stop growing but that doesn't mean that you can't be savvy about their clothes. Buy bigger sizes this year in the sale and put them away for next year.

Check the returns policy

Clearance buys are often a great deal, but it’s important to read the fine print. Finding a top for £2 is great, but not if you can’t return it if it doesn’t fit.

Shop online to save more

Shopping online can sometimes means even more savings – websites like KidStart offer members money back for their children on online shopping from loads of major stores, so it is worth checking out prior to clicking buy now!

And finally ....

Set a budget

It is worth making a list of the things you actually need and want to look for and decide in your mind how many more you’re prepared to buy so you have something to aim for. Getting a bargain is great but not if you can't actually afford it in the first place so set a budget and decide how much are you prepared to spend in advance.

With sales popping up everywhere this summer, it is a great time to grab a bargain. Now I really must go and look at that Vertbaudet sale again ......

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The tooth fairy had a little problem last night. She couldn't find the tooth and was left with the dilemma of leaving a note asking for the tooth tomorrow night or just simply leaving the money without taking the tooth. Now I think there is a reason that the tooth was "missing" as a certain 10 year old is challenging the simple magical characters that have always been in her life.

She knows in her heart that the tooth fairy is not real (I think she just pretends now for her little sisters sake and for the £1 coin) and she has openly laughed about the validity of the Easter Bunny but as we get closer to Christmas, do I need to finally give in and accept she may no longer believe in Father Christmas? Most psychologists will suggest that children need to know they can trust their parents to tell them the truth, even about things like this. In other words, when your kids ask if Father Christmas, the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny are real, you should tell them the truth.

That's obviously easier said than done.

What age should you tell them the truth?

This really depends on the parents, and to a very large extent, the child. 

Last year she asked me if Father Christmas was real as one of her classmates had said it was his mum (they were 9 years old). It was one of those moments where I held my breath for a minute. I had hoped and wished this day would never come. But it did. And so with it brought another phase of parenting. It’s that phase where my baby girl is no longer a baby, she is no longer naïve and I have to accept that a part of her childhood innocence is a thing of the past.

If I am honest, I may have dodged the question last year but I know that I have to face it as much as she is going to. I don't want her to be ridiculed at school and whilst the age of every child is different, the truth about her childhood magic will be as much as loss to me as her. 

How to deal with their new knowledge?

Encourage your child to help younger siblings, cousins, and other children keep believing in the tooth fairy and Father Christmas. This can be an great way to build nurturing skills in your own child, and help them feel more grown up. By having her join us in teaching her younger sister about these magical creatures, can hopefully help make the transition into a world where magic can still exist but in a more realistic context.

Let's be honest, everyone needs a little magic in their lives don't they?

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Our blogs recently have been very lifestyle focused with posts like how to makeover a bedroom in a weekend or top tips for gardening with a toddler  but we have well and truly now got the decorating bug, so today's post is all about top tips for decorating a kitchen .... with a toddler in tow!

If you don't want to go to the trouble (or expense) of replacing your kitchen cupboards, a few subtle (or not so subtle) changes can make a huge difference in a kitchen and as ever, we are always looking for a thrifty way to update and modernise for every family budget!

Create a statement colour wall, or in the case of my husband get artistic with the statement colour wall.

When creating something that is going to stand out, it is important to make sure that you get quality painting and decorating supplies as, in all honesty, cheap alternatives never last or don't give you the same effect.

Add dashes of color throughout the kitchen

You can add vibrancy without going overboard, a bouquet of flowers is a really cheap way of doing this!

Add a mirror

Adding a mirror into your space, (especially a small kitchen) will instantly make a room look bigger reflecting the surrounding colors and patterns.

Be artistic 

 

There has been a distinct lack of blog posts lately but it is the summer and we all get the summer off right? Well no, not really the children may be free of work for 7 weeks but as parents, we have the 7 week juggle to contend with.

So the essential (paying ) work is being done (not to mention the mountain of washing and ironing) but the other stuff, well that will get done when it gets done because there are only so many times a child will ask you to play with them before they stop asking completely.

I worry that my girls are growing up so fast and I can't hold on to it all.

I worry that one day, they won't want me to play any more because they will have grown up while I wasn't looking.

How do you juggle work throughout the summer?

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