Helen

Colourful midlife mum to two teens. Determined not to do as she's told and slide off into invisible old age. Much cooler at 50 than she was at 15. Host of the Teenage Kicks podcast, about mental health for teenagers.

Hooks – Custom Theme Elements

Dispatch uses a few Hook Elements and Block Elements to create some Custom Elements in the site.All of them provide dynamic output and should not require any changes to their content. For more info on the Hook Element read here: Hooks Element Overview Secondary Navigation This hook calls the Secondary Navigation and displays below the header / header element. It also uses Display Rules so it is excluded from All Posts.Please note: the Secondary Navigation Location in the Customizer is set to No Navigation. WPSP Open Wrapper & WPSP Close Wrapper These two hooks create a Div wrap around the …

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Page and Post Heroes

Page Heroes are those big bold images and headlines you find at the top of your posts and pages. They sit just below the Site Header and added using the Header Element module, when activated provides the Elements menu in Dashboard > Appearance > Elements Dispatch has two Header Elements in place. But you can add as many as you need. Magazine Grid – Home Page Combined with the WP Show Posts plugin this header creates a 5 post card grid. Very few settings are required. These are the main points: Hero Content: WP Show Posts Short code Element Classes: …

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How to change the Custom Colors

Changing Colors in Dispatch are mainly done via the Theme Customizer. Certain elements such as Page Heros are controlled within the Header Element and are covered in that article. There are a few colors that are controlled by CSS. The rules for them are found in the Customizer > Additional CSS: Primary Navigation Hairline Border above desktop navigation .main-navigation .inside-navigation { border-top: 0.5px solid #d4d7d8; } Menu item underline on hover .main-navigation ul li:after { background-color: #000; } Navigation Search .navigation-search.nav-search-active { background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.95); top: 100%; } Buttons All of the colors are controlled via the customizer. However the button …

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Style Guide

Heading One H1 Heading Two H2 Heading Three H3 Heading Four H4 Heading Five H5 Heading Six H6 Font: Playfair Playfair is a transitional design. In the European Enlightenment in the late 18th century, broad nib quills were replaced by pointed steel pens as the popular writing tool of the day. Together with developments in printing technology, ink, and paper making, it became to print letterforms of high contrast and delicate hairlines that were increasingly detached from the written letterforms. This design lends itself to this period, and while it is not a revival of any particular design, it takes …

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Aside for Widgets

Sidebar Widgets are a main feature of any Magazine Blogging site. To aid with that Dispatch uses a nifty little plugin and a couple of custom CSS classes to make styling your sidebar a breeze. Widget CSS Classes Using the namesake plugin you can now add CSS Classes to Widgets. Simple. Dispatch Widget Classes CSS Class: zero-padding Removes the padding from the widget. Perfect for adding those banner ads for maximum space. CSS Class: no-background Removes the widget color background that is set in the Customizer. CSS Class: wpsp-card Used exclusively with the WP Show Posts Widget and with zero-padding …

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A Sample Post with Comments

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Diabetes: It’s no joke

Why it’s time for ordinary people to understand what diabetes really is, and stop the stereotyping that contributes to the pain and stress of living with the condition

Yelloh! Village Luxury Campsites (Advertorial Post)

What does luxury camping mean to you? I can not wait for the school holidays. I am beside myself with excitement for where we’re going – I’m not even kidding. We’ve been to Jamaica (heaven); we’ve done Florida (so exciting!); and last summer we had the most incredible family holiday in Cambodia. It’s safe to say we’re a family that loves to travel. But the most fun we ever have? Camping. To be fair, when I say camping, I mean luxury camping, and it has to be further south than the UK – I want guaranteed sunshine, and the ability …

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Mental Health and Suicide: Q&A with Jonny Benjamin

Suicide. The biggest killer of middle aged men, and of new mums. And now suicide amongst teenagers is at its highest rate in 14 years, with more than 4 young people per week taking their own lives. The problem is even worse amongst young women in their early twenties, and it’s estimated that most of the mental health issues leading to self harm have begun before the age of 14. One of the common themes I see discussed by mental health campaigners is that we just don’t talk enough about mental health, self-harm and suicide enough, that people feel isolated, …

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Self Image and Body Confidence in Teenagers

Self image amongst teenagers

*Updated: Missguided have now taken the item off sale and it no longer features on their website. Let’s hope it stays that way. Thanks to everyone who contacted them about this, and for all the support on Instagram. Body Confidence and Self Image. It’s a big theme right now, especially for mums – women whose bodies show the signs of what they have produced and nurtured. (Watch this video from my friend for a hilarious take on a serious message). And I’m wholeheartedly behind that. But what concerns me most at the moment is the message our teens are getting; …

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Life: How Today’s Teenagers will Change the World (paid partnership with NCS)

How today’s teenagers will change the world for the better with NCS The radio is always on when I get in the car with my kids. And right now, I can’t seem to do a car journey without hearing about yet another stabbing of a young person in London. The kids get worried. Of course they do – they’re at an age where they’re getting some independence, going off into town, or to the park with their friends, and for all their confidence, they’re aware of risk. And that’s a good thing. But it’s not really enough, is it?   …

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Motherhood: Getting Kids Outdoors Over the Holidays

  It’s the Easter holidays. Vast quantities of chocolate have been eaten. A lot of time has been spent on the sofa – a LOT! The children have seen more of their various screens than they have of their family, and it’s starting to show. That’s when – whatever the weather says – it’s time in my book to get outdoors. I know it really hasn’t been the best climate to frolic in the long grass – when is it ever in the UK?! – but there are ways, and with a puppy arriving here tomorrow (I KNOW!!!!) my kids …

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