Top 10 Free (or cheap) Things to Do in the Summer Holidays

22nd Aug 201921st Aug 2019 | Suzi Tench

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Check out your local library and see what events they have on. Many libraries have reading groups or storytelling times that can be fun to go to. Even if the library isn’t holding an event you could get your child to pick out a book to take home and read together. To make it even more fun you could suggest a theme for the book to have or a character (like monsters, or time travel).
Visit your local museum, often entry is free and there are so many things to look at and learn about.
Set a project for everyone to work on. The project could be based around their favourite subject in school, where they live or any number of different things. A fun one could be about the history of the area you live in or even your home or street.
Give your child an old digital camera and get them to document their day in photos. At the end of the day get them to do a show and tell about their photos.
Cook something together. Kids love to make things and this is a perfect activity to help them learn some essential skills. Simple things like biscuits or a cake that can be enjoyed after dinner are good ideas to try!
Make a packed lunch and go exploring. You could take them for a walk somewhere new, visit some woodland, walk up a mountain, go to a park, the list of places to go exploring are pretty endless!
If the weather is bad how about a PJ day? Dig out the board games or a jigsaw and work on it together, watch some films, go through old photos together or read a book together.
Go on a bug-finding mission at a local park or in the garden, see how many different kinds of bug you can find, see if you can name them and find out about them on the internet.
Get them involved in something that you are doing or want to do, whether it is housework or decorating or something else. Make it fun by setting challenges such as how quickly they can gather the laundry together and get it to the machine or see how many red things they can find that need to be put away.
Gardening is always a fun activity, whether you have plants that need re-potting or seeds that need to be planted, weeding that needs doing or a bed that needs digging over, get the kids to help.

Top 10 Phone Lock Screen and Background Wallpapers

15th Aug 201914th Aug 2019 | Suzi Tench

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I love to change my phone lock screen image and background wallpaper on my phone. By changing these images it can give my phone a new feel and I really enjoy picking out images that are similar to customise my screens with. I tend to choose visually similar images which echo the elements of the other image, whether it be a shape, colour, style or character.

In today’s Top 10 I am sharing my favourite pairs of images that I have either found on Pinterest or created myself.

The first column is the images I have used for my lock screen and the second column are the background wallpaper images.

What have you got set as your lock screen and background wallpaper at the moment? Let me know in the comments!

Top 10 Tips When Buying Clothing On-Line

8th Aug 20197th Aug 2019 | Suzi Tench

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With so many shops abandoning the high street, many of us are turning to buy our clothes on-line. Here are my Top 10 tips to take into consideration when buying clothing on-line.

Check the sizing – most sellers provide clothing sizes and measurements, check both as the UK sizing can vary so much from garment to garment and place to place.
Read reviews. More often than not, the reviews will give you extra information about the sizing, style and fabric as well as how well the item is made.
Check out 5 or 6 different sellers and check the pricing, I have found that the same piece of clothing is for sale at several different price points from different sellers.
Check how much delivery will cost. Some places offer free delivery while others can charge a lot. Also, check how long delivery will take.
Check the returns policy and whether the company offer free returns. Also, look at the returns policy.
Don’t be afraid to ask any questions, either of the other people who have left reviews or of the seller.
Know how to contact the seller in case you need to speak to them regarding the order, any questions you may have or for information on how to return the item if necessary.
Search for the item on Instagram or google image search to find images of real people wearing the clothes, you will get a real idea of how the item fits, hangs and wears.
Remember that the colours shown on-screen are not always true to life, what may look bright green on the screen may, in reality, be a muddy moss green. All screens show colours in different ways and could have been edited to show details rather than the true colour.
Don’t get your hopes up about the item until you receive it and try it on. Sometimes even the best research and reading of reviews can leave you with an item that is not as described. On the other hand, I have been pleasantly surprised by what I have received too!

Top 10 Phone Apps

1st Aug 201931st Jul 2019 | Suzi Tench

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Moodnotes This little app allows you to log your mood and other notes to go along with how you are feeling (should you feel like it). I have this app linked to my Apple Watch and get reminders every few hours to log my mood. I find this really useful to help my stress and anxiety levels as I can jot down my thoughts and feelings about situations which can help to reduce those feelings. The app also asks questions which can help you to reframe your feelings and thoughts.
Flo I used to track my cycle using an inbuilt app that came as part of my BellaBeat Leaf band and had not really found any other way to record it other than putting it in my diary. Then Flo got mentioned to me, by a male friend(!), so I thought I would give it ago. This app is so much more than a period tracker…I can log mood, other symptoms, weight, sleep, reminders for medication, and other things which get analysed for a better idea of your cycle overall. So far I have loved this app and have found it really useful and insightful.
Star Chart I have loved the stars and been interested in the night sky for so long and this app enables me to name the stars and planets that I can see. The app uses augmented reality so you can see the stars even when there is dense cloud cover. The app has kept me entertained for hours!
Pocket This app is another recent addition to my phone! I had been looking for a way to keep all my saved links tidy on my phone rather than just saving them to my phone screen and then putting into a file. This app keeps them all tidy and easily accessible whenever I need them!
Weather Live I am not really one for checking the weather much, I live in the UK and much of the time the weather sort of stays the same for the day, but with the recent heatwave and then a cooler spell it has been useful to check so I can dress accordingly, carry an umbrella or cardigan if needed. And, out of all the weather apps I have used in the past, this one has proved the most accurate. I also really like that there is a section for you to report what the weather is doing if it is different from the reports too!
Moon Calendar I love this app, not only can you use it as a journal but it provides in-depth information on the moon and the phase it is in. I don’t use this app much but do like to read about all the different types of the moon that we have and the meanings behind them.
Flush If you have small children, or are visiting an unfamiliar area, or if you are at all human then this app will be useful for you too! I downloaded this app through a recommendation from my brother as it is always useful to know where the nearest loo may be!
AA I’ve not had to use this app for a while now, but when I do break down (and I’m covered by the AA), this app has proved super useful, from booking a call out, checking on the call out progression to receiving notifications about how far away my recovery person is and has helped me through some pretty stressful times!
Spotify I honestly don’t know where I would be without Spotify! I don’t listen o a ton of music or anything but it is really nice to have any genre of music available at the touch of a screen! I don’t really see the need for downloading music to my phone anymore or carrying around a separate music player when there are apps like this one available!
Navmii After owning several different sat-nav systems and them all failing in one way or another I decided to utilise my phone as my sat-nav. Gone are the days of forgetting my sat nav and having to return home to collect it, my phone is always with me. Navmii is really easy to use and the directions are spoken clearly and in enough time for you to get into the right place on the road. It has never let me down and is all I use to get around places I don’t know too well!

Top 10 Favourite Flowers

25th Jul 201924th Jul 2019 | Suzi Tench

Coming soon! (2)

I did have a whole other Top 10 planned for today, but after receiving some beautiful flowers from my Mum a short while ago I was inspired to do a Top 10 Favourite Flowers post!

Here goes… In no particular order

Sunflowers
Sweet Peas
Freesia
Rose
Bluebell
Lavender
Gerberas
Honeysuckle
Pansies
Jasmine

Top 10 Ways to Stay Hydrated

18th Jul 201928th Mar 2023 | Suzi Tench

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In the UK we have hit our summertime, and with that comes temperatures that can reach 25-26-27 degrees. In this heat, it can be really easy to not get enough hydration into our systems and, as a result, can start feeling the effects with headaches, tiredness, dry skin and a host of other symptoms. It is really important, any day of the year, to be well hydrated, but in the summer months, this is even more essential. Today’s Top 10 are my favorite ways to make sure I stay hydrated.

Set an alarm on your phone at 1-hour intervals, and if you have not had a glass of water in that time go and get yourself a glass and drink it.
Avoid salty snacks. I find that these can make you feel dehydrated quite quickly.
Go easy on the coffee. Caffeine is a mild diuretic, making you pee more. Can’t give up the caffeine fix? Have a glass of water with every cup of coffee you have.
Ease up on drinking anything too sugary, like fizzy drinks. I find that they can accelerate the symptoms of dehydration (especially headaches) rather than lessen them.
Eat fruit and veg with a high water content – watermelon (or any kind of melon), cucumber and salads are great at providing extra water for your body.
Make your own healthy ice lollies (I shared some ideas here) and snack on them during the day.
Make sure to carry a (reusable) bottle full of water around with you in your bag. You never know when you might get thirsty.
Listen to your body…Hunger pangs and thirst often manifest in similar ways. If you feel hungry then have a glass of water as it may be thirst you are feeling.
Don’t like plain water? There are loads of different things you can do to make water more interesting, from fruit infused water to adding cold brew fruit tea bags, play around until you find something that you love!
Ice cube chips in a glass can be really refreshing to crunch on and help to cool you down in the process while adding to your hydration levels!

Do you have any favorite ways to stay hydrated? Let me know in the comments!

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Top 10 Ways to be More Organised

11th Jul 20199th Jul 2019 | Suzi Tench

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Forever running around, wasting time trying to find something, forgetting appointments or fed up with rushing everything? Todays Top 10 Thursday shares ways to be more organized!

Put items in the same place. This goes especially for everyday items like keys and your purse/wallet. Doing this will save you so much time in the mornings as you will know where they are and not have to rush around looking for them.
Make your lunch the night before. You can then, in the morning, just grab and go, knowing that you have a lovely, well thought out meal for lunch.
Make lists. Whenever you think of something that you need to do or buy, write it down into a list. At the end of the day, you can move these items to the correct lists (like Tasks, Shopping, Reminders…) or cross off the things you don’t need.
Use a diary. Write down all the important dates such as birthdays, anniversaries, and then write a reminder 2 weeks before to get a present and card, and sput in the post if necessary. Write in all other appointments too, so you know when things are happening and avoid clashes in your schedule.
Check the weather using an app. Knowing what the weather is going to be like the following day can help with decisions such as what to wear or pack so you are never caught out.
Choose your outfit the night before. Planning what to wear the following day takes the pressure off in the morning and can leave you time to dedicate to other matters. It will also help you to assess whether the outfit may need a repair or spot stains in advance.
Set reminders. Your phone generally comes with an alarm that allows you to set several alarms a day and put notes with them. You can set alarms to remind yourself to take medication, complete certain tasks or schedule time for meetings.
Carry a notebook and pen. You never know when you might want to write something down rather than make a note in your phone. It has been proved that writing can aid memory more than typing information so writing anything important down gives you a better chance at remembering it!
Plan out your time. Sit down of an evening and think about how you want to use your time the following day and schedule time blocks for those activities. Not only will you get more done but working to a time table helps to use your time more efficiently.
Wash your dishes straight after use. This will give you more space to use, save time and means you never have to waste time scrubbing dishes that you need!

Top 10 Photos I Took Last Month

4th Jul 20191st Jul 2019 | Suzi Tench

I seem to take a vast, huge amount of photos every month, according to my phone a grand total of 681 for June! today I decided to choose 10 of my favorite photos of the previous month to share with you!

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1. Roxy playing with her nephew Zeus. Roxy is the smaller of the two!

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2. Zeus and I. I can’t believe how big his head is!

3. My brother and I having a pint in our “local” in London.

4. Graffiti carved on a tree in a park in Westminster.

5. Paper snails!

6. A beetle we found on our way to William Morris’ Red House.

7. The cute well at William Morris’ house.

8. Beautiful roses in the garden at William Morris’ house. They looked amazing and smelled beautiful too.

9. Lovely homemade tomato soup that my sister in law made.

10 and bonus 11. Roxy Puppercakes being all cute!

Top 10 Things I Have Achieved This Year

27th Jun 201928th Mar 2023 | Suzi Tench

I am celebrating a year in my own home and I thought it would be nice to look back at the whole year since moving and note my Top 10 Achievements since moving.

I have become more confident. This confidence can be seen in all aspects of my life, from making decisions to getting things done. I now worry less about whether I can do something and am more willing to give things a try.
I have learned new skills. I have learned about painting, decorating, fixing things, money management, life skills, creative skills, cooking and a whole ton more.
I have made new friends and rekindled some old friendships. I wouldn’t say that I have no friends but when it comes to having friends I like to keep my group small, that said I have made a lovely friend in my neighbor and I have rekindled friendships with old friends.
I am content to spend time alone. I used to feel uneasy with spending time alone and was never really sure of how to spend that time. Now, I am happy just to sit and chill and spend time alone, in fact, I really quite enjoy it.
I have worked on my mental health. I had a really rough time with my mental health back in September which cumulated in me taking a break from work for nearly 5 months. In that time I started taking medication for stress, anxiety, and depression. Since then I have become more aware of my mental health and how I’m feeling on a day to day basis. This awareness has helped me to identify triggers and develop some coping mechanisms which I call on daily.
I have discovered new hobbies and things I love to do. I have found that I really enjoy gardening, that it gives me a sense of calm and peace. I have also developed a love of writing, whether it be on this blog or personally, off-screen in a notebook. I have found new ways of being creative and enjoy spending time working on little projects.
I have raised money for charity. I hosted a Mind Crafternoon back in December and raised £100 for the charity. I was amazed at how generous my friends were and how much fun we all had on the day. I’m working on my next Crafternoon event which should be taking place in July.
I started this blog. I’ve had blogs in the past and posted things here and there, but this blog is different. I have spent time thinking about content, creating an editorial calendar, crafting posts, scheduling and all the other things that go along with blog writing. This blog has helped me to learn and develop skills, given me an outlet for my thoughts and I have gained so many friends through blogging too. It has become a huge part of my day to day life and is something that I never really thought could mean so much to me.
I have done some traveling. It’s not that I have never traveled or anything, but I have always done it with friends, family, and boyfriends, traveling alone was always a super scary thought that I never really entertained. But now, I quite like it. I may never have left the UK on my own but I am pretty adept at traveling to London by myself now and even taking myself off on road trips to places.
I gave up Facebook. This was a huge step for me as at one point I totally loved Facebook and it was part of my daily routine. But, something changed, back in January and, I found that I was just wasting time on there and not really enjoying it like I used to so I quit it. I deleted my account and now, it feels like it was never part of my life. It’s strange to think about how much time and energy I put into something that I couldn’t care less about now.