Miscellaneous

Stocking Fillers For Teenagers – 147 Ideas

Christmas stocking filler ideas for teenagers

Do you still give your teenager a stocking at Christmas? Now my kids are teenagers I’ve gently suggested that they’re too old for Christmas stockings, but they are having none of it! It gets hard finding stocking fillers for teenagers though so I’ve put together a list of 147 ideas for teenage stocking fillers guaranteed to make their Christmas morning special. Brilliant ideas for Christmas stocking fillers for teenagers I’ve never had a problem finding small Christmassy gifts for teen girls, with jewellery and makeup items frequently at the top of my daughter’s list. But I’ve always found it’s especially …

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Everything You Need to Know About Buying Your Teen Their First Car

Pixabay Your teenager passing their driving test is a major milestone not only in their life but in yours. Suddenly your teen has gained their independence in a massive way and is desperate for their own car. Having an initial discussion with them about how this is going to be financed both in terms of buying the car and paying the running costs is the first step towards deciding whether this is definitely the right time for them to take this step. Once you have both established that buying a car is definitely on the cards, here are a few …

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Father’s Day Gift Ideas for 2021 from Boots

Every year me and the kids have the same debate – what should we get Dad for Father’s Day? When you’ve been married 21 years and your kids are teens like ours, you’ve done your fair share of home made cards and funny photo mugs (lovely as they are!) and you really want to get your Dad something special that you know he’ll love and make use of! What to get the Dad who has everything? This year the UK’s favourite pharmacy Boots asked us to take a look at their Father’s Day gift section to see if we could find …

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Using a Smart Home System for a More Eco Friendly Home

Have you ever considered using smart home devices to reduce your energy output? Every year our gas and electricity bills go up, however much I nag about lights left on, and doors open to a freezing cold garden. I worry about the impact not only on our finances, but also on whether I’m personally doing enough to protect our planet.  Advertorial content: this post contains links to Hive, who have paid me for my time in creating this post. All images and opinion is my own. I’ve been intrigued by the idea of eco-friendly smart home devices for a long …

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Travel: How a love of books can inspire your next UK holiday

Holidays inspired by books - let your favourite children's books inspire your next UK trip. This is Beatrix Potter land.

I remember reading Wuthering Heights as a young teenager and being struck by both an urge to visit the dark, bleak landscapes of Heathcliff’s and Cathy’s affair, and fear of what I might find there if I did. Such is the power of a compelling story, that you dive into the descriptions, and want to experience the romance, the rush, or the emotion of the places you read about. I was similarly taken with Daphne du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn (I know, I was that kind of teen!), and I visited Bodmin Moor years later, on a lone trip to ‘find …

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Reasons why Travelling with your Teen is Very Beneficial

Getting your teens excited about a holiday with you can be difficult. After all, they probably have better things to do, or they may even want to hang out with their friends instead. If you are having a battle with your teen right now, then you have nothing to worry about. So many parents are in the same situation as you , but if you are willing to sit down and talk with your teen, then you’ll soon find that you are able to benefit everyone. Source: Pexels (CC0 License) Building their Confidence Getting teens out of their comfort zone …

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How to Help your Kids Feel Close to their Grandparents

Many families are separated right now. This is difficult for everyone, but especially so for kids, who might not understand why there have to be restrictions. Even without the pandemic, some older people live in care homes or with live-in-care, which can be tricky for a child to understand and feel comfortable with.  Photo by emailme3 on Pixabay Early years are so formative for relationship building, so when children are kept away from their grandparents, these relationships can suffer. Research conducted by Ann Buchanan at Oxford University suggests that children with close relationships with their grandparents face fewer emotional and …

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Easy Eco-Friendly School Swaps for Teens

Image Pixabay CC0 License As every parent knows, equipping kids for school involves buying a vast array of items, which only increases when they hit their teenage years and start secondary school. The list of school supplies that you need to buy can seem endless. Purchasing all of this equipment may have left you feeling concerned about its impact on the environment, and you may be wondering how you can equip your teen with everything that they need without causing harm to the planet. Luckily, there are many helpful swaps that you can make to reduce the environmental impact of …

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Preparing Yourself For A Family Adventure

If you are going to be going on a family adventure as soon as everyone is allowed to travel again, then you might want to start planning now. It gives you something to look forward to at the very least, but it also gives you a head start at ensuring that this is the best trip yet. In this article, we are going to be looking at some of the things that you need to do if you want to start preparing for your next family adventure, so keep reading down below if you would like to find out more. …

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What’s involved in a Civil Ceremony?

Kevin Mueller on Unsplash At the end of 2019, it became legal for heterosexual couples to form a civil partnership, rather than get married. It was an important milestone in the UK as it meant that both straight and gay couples could choose either marriage or a civil union, depending on their own personal preferences.  With civil partnerships being a relatively new thing, there aren’t a lot of traditions or expectations about how you celebrate one. The good news is, anything goes and you can choose to adopt some of the usual wedding traditions (such as a bridal dress) if …

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Top Tips To Furnish A Tiny Bedroom

Image Source (CC0 License) Having a small bedroom is never ideal, but it’s rarely out of choice. If you’re looking for a family home in a busy location, the chances are you’ll have to sacrifice some bedroom space for an affordable home! Naturally, this is a price you’re willing to pay, but it does mean that you or your kids will have a cramped space to relax in. Don’t worry, you don’t have to feel claustrophobic when you’re trying to sleep at night! Tiny rooms can feel spacious, it’s all about how you decorate them.  Mainly, it boils down to …

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Protecting Your Dog This Flea And Tick Season

Spring has officially begun for many of us, which means warmer weather and brighter days, but it also means that many of those old pests are going to be coming back to haunt us and our family, including our pets. If you’re trying to be mindful of your dog’s health then you should take care to prepare for flea and tick season. Here, we’re going to look at some of the tips that can help keep your pet happy, healthy, and free from those minuscule menaces. Link – Pixabay License  The real danger of fleas and ticks Fleas and ticks …

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How do you stay COVID safe when something needs fixing in your home?

  Have you had to have repairs done in your home during the coronavirus pandemic? Or are you like me – do you keep putting them off until lockdown ends?  Unfortunately, things seem to go wrong at the worst possible times, don’t they? And you never can count on the weather – I’ve lost count of the number of people I know whose boilers broke down during the recent cold spell. I’ve been there and let me tell you, virus or not, nothing would have stopped me calling a plumber while everyone else huddled next to the fan heater!  Luckily …

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Has your child been groomed?

Emma describes how she was groomed from the age of 12, and the impact it had on her adult life

*Trigger warning – episode contains references to sexual abuse. The crazy thing… was that I felt really guilty  Has your teenager been groomed? Or are you a young person experiencing grooming? In this episode Emma Cantrell talks about her experience of grooming from the age of 12 over a number of years. What does grooming mean? The NSPCC defines grooming as follows: Grooming is when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them. Children and young people who are groomed can be sexually abused, exploited or trafficked. Anybody can …

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