Category: Sleep

1. Baby Budgeting - How to get started

   Posted on 8:16pm Wednesday 24th Sep 2014

   Our baby blogger has some exciting news. 

   She is expecting another baby, in December, so it is going to be an even more exciting festive season.

   So when you have told everyone the good news and you’re eagerly anticipating the arrival of your baby, it is easy to let money worries cloud your joy but by taking a few simple steps to think about your baby budget – before baby arrives and during that first year – can really help to ease the pressure.

   Crucially, talk about your budget and plan together – a new baby and financial challenges can place pressure on a relationship. Having a shared understanding of exactly where you stand can make you feel more in control, visit www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk for loads of useful information on budgeting for baby.

   

   Getting ready for baby

   It can be tempting to buy the best of everything for your impending arrival – but babies often use equipment for such a short time, that good quality second hand furniture and accessories can do the job just as well. Look on eBay or local selling sites, and even let family and friends know you’re on the lookout for good quality pre-loved baby goods – you’ll probably be amazed at what people have lying around waiting for a good home! The National Childbirth Trust holds regular local sales of good as new equipment, clothes and toys. To find your local group and sale visit www.nct.org.uk.

   Also, take this time to fully understand the maternity and paternity benefits available to you from your employer. All Mums are entitled to time off for antenatal appointments and free NHS prescriptions and dental care will kick in.

   A good way to start planning your new budget is to use the free, online baby costs calculator which is available from the Money Advice Service.

   The first year

   It’s likely that one of you will be taking time off during the first year and, unless you’re very lucky and your company has an amazing occupational maternity programme, you’re likely to notice a dip in salary. From April 2015, the government is introducing a more flexible approach to parental leave, in which mum and dad can share the entitlement. With more than 40% of women in the UK now the major breadwinner in the household, this new arrangement could help you flex the leave and make the most of your money.

   If you do go back to work, you’ll need to access childcare. In a survey carried out by the charity Family Action this was the biggest unexpected cost facing parents. With part-time care now costing more than the average mortgage, make sure you factor this in to your budget. You may be entitled to help with the costs of childcare, through childcare vouchers or tax credits. Find information on your entitlements at www.gov.uk.

   Sorting your baby budget may not stop the sleepless nights, or help you know exactly what to do with your new little person, but at least it’s one less thing to worry about.

   Tweet

   This is a collaborative post.

2. Changing a room with Vertbaudet : Bedroom review

   Posted on 9:14pm Sunday 14th Sep 2014

   When I was pregnant with the little one, I didn't 'want to find out whether it was a boy or girl, so plumped for a very classic cream look for her bedroom. Now 3 years later, the sides are off the cot and her favourite colour is pink. Cream is just not cutting it any longer.

   So with a little help from Vertbaudet, we added a little bit of pink magic and sparkle to this neutral space ......

   

   First we added a pink heart rug. As the youngest member of the family, she has the smallest room so at 100 x 133cm it fills a large proportion of the floor (which saves me getting a new pink carpet) and it is so soft, the little one keeps flexing her toes over it! 

   

   We then chose a gorgeous butterfly hanging lampshade which casts a beautiful soft pink glow across her bedroom. A couple of people have aked me if there should be a frosted base on the bottom of the lampshade but there isn't and I prefer it that way (and it would be just somewhere that dust can gather). At 25 cm with a base diameter of 50 cm, it is almost oversized but with the cut-out butterfly motifs let the light through, it lights the bedroom softly and warmly. (It is also available in white, if you really don't fancy pink).

   

   So with the addition of some new bedding, the room definitely begins to feel a like more like a girls room, rather than a nursery. I know it seems sterotypical to choose pink but this was her colour of choice and it just goes to show that with a few key items, you really can change the look of a room.

   

   As a huge fan of Vertbaudet, I had purchased some butterflies from their website a little while ago and so we added these to the walls to create a bedroom that she can now "flutterbye" the hours in.

   

   So what do you think? Would you add anuthing more? I just have my eye on this beautiful butterfly mirror!

   Disclaimer : We were given the rug and lampshade as part of this review but as a regular customer of Vertbaudet, I would highly recommend their clothes and homewares for children.

3. Where is the weirdest place you have fallen asleep : Win £500 to spend towards a bed this summer

   Posted on 7:20pm Saturday 23rd Aug 2014

   Where is the oddest place that you have fallen asleep?

   I was asked this very question earlier this week and I had to chuckle to myself as I can literally fall asleep anywhere, from the sofa to a nightclub, if I need to sleep, I can simply close my eyes and drift off. Last New Years Eve we were hosting a party and admitedly I may have had a little too much champagne but my bed called to me before the clock struck twelve and I was gone! (I am not always an awful hostess I promise).

   

   However, the weirdest place I have fallen asleep has to be the toilet at work. (I suppose I should insert an apology to my former employer right here) I was young, working long hours and partying long hours too and I remember sitting down on the toilet, resting my head on my hand and dozing right off. My hand slipped some 10-15 minutes later and I was jolted back to reality. I also had a bracelet mark on my face from where I was leaning on it, which took some explaining back in the office ......

   So do you have a story to tell?

   Carpetright are running a competition at the moment (#WeirdestPlaceToSleep) that’s all about weirdest places people have been found falling asleep. The oddest sleeping place that is revealed will win £700 to spend on a more comfortable sleeping place. There is also an amazing runner up prize up for grabs. One lucky person will enjoy a family midweek break in the beautiful British countryside with Mill Farm luxury holidays worth up to £380! 

   So could your strange snoozing habits be worthy of winning you a prize?

   All you have to do is to share your story via social media:

   Tweeting @carpetright on Twitter

   Tagging @carpetright in a Facebook status

   Or including @carpetrightuk on Instagram

   Don't forget to use the hashtag #weirdestplacetosleep BUT be quick as it ends on 3rd September at 11.59pm.

   Disclosure : This post is in association with Carpetright but the competition is being hosted entirely by Carpetright and they remain responsible for notification of winners and supply of prizes.

    

   Tweet

4. Things that go bump in the night

   Posted on 6:28pm Monday 11th Aug 2014

   Things that go bump in the night!

   It is a phrase more commonly associated with frightening but imagined supernatural events and  at one time it was even incorporated into a prayer ....

   From goulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties
   And things that go bump in the night
   Good Lord, deliver us!

   Fortunately I am not actually talking about paranormal activity or supernatural events, I am talking about the creatures that suddenly seem to have taken up residence in our bedroom (and I am not talking about my other half this time).

   The warm weather has brought dodgy tan lines, questionable fashion sense, regular BBQ's and much needed outdoor fun but it has also brought an influx of creatures too. Until quite recently I had never heard of a bug called a "Bob Howler"  but the urban dictionary tells me that it is actually a slang term from the Midlands for a very large moth. Given that I am a Midlands lass at heart, I clearly should hang my head in shame at not knowing such things, but anyway I digress.

   

   Only last week, said Bob Howler made an appearance in our bedroom. They never seem to arrive in the day time, oh no, always just as you are about to go to bed, are a little sleepy (and clearly don't want your shrieking to wake the children). This Bob Howler was MASSIVE. No exaggeration. It was HUGE (or in the words of my tween, it was MAHOOSIVE) and after much shrieking and flapping around (me, not the Bob Howler), it decided to fly behind our headboard.

   It flapped and banged and bumped and fluttered against the headboard and the wall so much that I was worried it was going to wake the neighbours, let alone the children. Obviously the bed gets pulled out and we start chasing it around the bedroom. The scene was a little reminicent of a strange black and white comedy sketch

   Unfortunately there was not a happy ending for the Bob Howler (I won't share that particularly gruesome part of the story) and we were finally settling down for the night, when out of the corner of my eye I saw something move .........

   I may never actually sleep again!

   Tweet

   Disclaimer : This post is in association with Carpetright but all Bob Howler fiasco's are our own!