We mums share one thing in common, and that’s the fact that we lead very busy lives juggling all kinds of responsibilities at once. What this means is that it can be hard to dedicate time and effort to your own tasks, goals, and needs. If you have decided to pursue a healthier lifestyle in 2019 and are giving the popular keto diet a try, you may be hitting the wall before you even get started. For many, the problem isn’t about sticking to the keto-friendly foods, rather, it’s about coming up with keto-friendly recipes and then finding the time to make them.
The good news is that the internet is filled with helpful resources for those just starting out on the keto diet and who aren’t really sure about what foods to buy, or what recipes to use. For example, KetoLogic have this list of what to buy which is a good go-to resource if you’re just getting started. From this list of essentials, there are all kinds of recipes and snacks that you could come up with.
If you’re still having a hard time coming up with some tasty, healthy, and keto-friendly recipes on the fly, here’s a few that you may want to try.
Chicken with Herb Butter
This chicken with herb butter recipe is filling, tasty and can be thrown together relatively quickly without using many ingredients. It can act as a perfect weekday dinner when you’re low on time, or as a nice warm lunch.
Ingredients:
Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1/6 oz. olive oil or butter
salt and pepper for seasoning
Herb Butter:
1 garlic clove
5 1/3 oz. room temperature butter
4 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
Greens
8 oz. leafy greens (your choice of type)
Directions
Make the herb butter first by combining the larger portion of butter, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, and salt. Once mixed, set it aside.
Lightly season the chicken breasts with the salt and pepper and then pan fry them in the olive oil or butter. Cook on medium heat until the chicken breasts are cooked all the way through.
Place the chicken breasts on a bed of the leafy greens, and top with the herb butter.
Sheet Pan Burgers Topped with Jalapeño and Bacon
For those who love a little spice and flavour in their meal, then these sheet pan burgers topped with jalapeño and bacon is an absolute must-try. It has all the flavour and personality of a true hamburger just without the buns. Again, this can make for a fast weeknight meal and can satisfy the whole family.
Ingredients:
Burger Patties
24 oz of ground beef
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Toppings:
6 slices of bacon cut in half
2 jalapeños that have been sliced and seeded
4 slices of onion
4 slices of pepper jack cheese
Sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
1 tsp keto-friendly sweetener
Directions:
Start by preheating the oven to 425° F.
While the oven is heating combine the ground beef, garlic powder, pepper, and salt and then form four equal patties out of the mixture. Place the patties on a baking sheet.
Place the onion slices, bacon, and jalapeño slices on the baking sheet as well.
Cook everything for 18 minutes.
While the burgers and toppings are cooking, you can mix the sauce in a small container, and then store in the fridge until it’s ready to be served.
After 18 minutes remove the baking tray from the oven and place one slice of pepper jack cheese on each burger. Return the baking sheet to the oven and broil on high for two minutes. Remove from oven.
Place equal amounts of toppings and a generous amount of sauce on each burger.
Minty Green Protein Smoothie
One of the toughest keto meals of the day can often be breakfast. Typically, you’re in a hurry to get the kids and yourself out the door, so there isn’t much time for meal preparation. This minty green protein smoothie is great for just such occasions, as it’s quick and easy to prepare, yet it provides you with a good amount of protein that will power you through your morning.
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 avocado
1 scoop whey protein powder
10-12 drops liquid stevia peppermint drops
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup ice
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
Instructions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to adjust the amount of stevia to suit your own tastes.
Simple, Quick, and Tasty
When choosing the best keto-friendly recipes, it’s always a good idea to search for those which claim to be simple and quick, and most importantly – tasty.
*Collaborative feature post*
Music therapy for children with ADHD and anxiety
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 5% to 7% of school-aged children. The number of children with mental health symptoms is even higher, with 1 in 10 young people experiencing a mental health disorder, of which anxiety and depression are the most common.
It is a saddening statistic, and there are varying factors which may contribute to the decline of children’s mental health, including the rise of screen time in kids, problems at school or at home, underlying medical conditions, or other issues that haven’t yet been brought to light. Due to the rise of mental health issues and parents becoming more educated on the potential disorders available, children may be misdiagnosed with medical disorders including ADHD when they could be exhibiting less mature characteristics than their peers or experience other mental health conditions. And, vice versa, other children, may be misdiagnosed with anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder before they are then correctly diagnosed with ADHD.
Ultimately, children need a form of therapy and a way to manage their symptoms so that they can function in everyday life – before and after correct diagnosis. If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, they don’t necessarily need to take Ritalin to control their symptoms. Will.i.am, a highly successful performer, producer and award-winning founder of the Black-Eyed Peas, was diagnosed with ADHD when he as a child. People used to tell him that he was ‘hyper’, but his mum refused Ritalin and encouraged him to continue his dreams. She kept Will.i.am on track by sending him to a charter high school, and that was where Will.i.am discovered early on that music helped him with his ADHD.
“One thing I learned about ADHD is that it’s hard to keep your attention, and you can’t sit still, and you’re always moving and thinking about a whole bunch of things. But those traits work well for me in studios and in meetings about creative ideas.”
So this article is going to look into the ways that music can be used as a form of therapy to help kids with anxiety or ADHD to channel their emotions like it did for me and help them feel more satisfied and content in life.
What is music therapy?
Music therapy is defined as:
“The clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualised goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music program.”
Music has been used for thousands of years as a method of healing, but the profession itself was only developed in the past 65 years. Music therapy has been used to help children (and adults) to overcome certain obstacles in their lives, as well as change their behaviour and develop individual skills. The primary response to music has been around from birth and continues to be present throughout life. It is through this powerful response to music that music therapists are able to develop relationships with their clients and bring about positive change in a child’s life.
Music therapists can work with children with a range of difficulties, including:
Learning difficulties
Communication difficulties
Emotional difficulties
Behavioural difficulties
Loss
Distressing, traumatic experiences
Physical or coordination problems
The sessions resemble counselling, but instead of talking it through, the music therapist works with music. And meetings are treated as confidential.
How does music therapy work?
There is scientific evidence to support music therapy, and its positive results are one of the main reasons why this method is becoming vastly accepted by different programs to treat a range of mental health disorders.
“Where words leave off, music begins,”
Henrich Heine, 19th-century German poet
Heine noticed two hundred years before the onset of neuroscience, trauma research and brain studies how music deeply healed the human soul. And thus, music therapy has played an integral part in neurobiological research and relational healing.
Music therapists use certain kind of musical experiences to create a unique relationship between the child, the music and the therapist. These experiences can include performing music, composing music, listening to music and even improvising according to the child’s needs. The optimum result is to promote health through these musical experiences and access certain emotions and memories.
The process starts by enquiring into music therapy by the referrer (the parent), and this enquiry is followed up with an informal chat with a music therapist about the reason for the referral. A referral and consent form is then sent to the referrer which contains information about the sessional services available. Further discussions are then taken place to arrange a suitable venue and regular weekly sessions, and the child will then be referred to a music therapist. The music therapist will arrange an initial visit to observe the child in their standard setting, usually at the school or at home. They will then speak to other appropriate professionals, i.e. a paediatrician or a psychologist to get to know the child before the first session. The initial visit is the first part of the assessment, and then the terms and conditions are set before the initial music therapy session starts.
Types of music therapy
Music therapy can work in its active form, which involves the child doing something with the music, or as a receptive form, where the child is receiving music, generally through listening. All methods can include verbal processing of feelings and experiences if the child is old enough to understand how to use that method.
The uses of music can be divided into four modes, these are:
Improvising
Performing or re-creating (when the child learns or performs precomposed music)
Composing (the child can write songs, lyrics or instrumental pieces)
Listening experiences. (The child listens to music and responds accordingly)
Music therapy also works very well for children who are unable to verbalise their feelings and who might not feel comfortable going to counselling. The music therapist works together with the child in a method that works best for their needs.
Benefits of music therapy
Music can “sooth the brain stem.”, which is essential to treating an early-life trauma before attempting more traditional approaches. Music therapy can bring about its own unique benefits and can be used with children who display physical or emotional problems. Music therapy provides a great addition to medication and can help to relieve pain and reduce stress. Known benefits can also include:
Improved respiration
Lower blood pressure
Relaxed muscle tension
Reduced heart rate
Music therapy for ADHD/Anxiety
Music can cause an immediate positive effect on a childn’s motor and emotional responses, especially when the child is asked to move along to the music, which opens up their sensory pathways. When a child is asked to play an instrument, this act stimulates their brain senses and relaxes the muscles. As ADHD is a brain disorder, music therapy is a great option to control the brain impulses and focus their attention on creating music with their instrument. A study in Geneva found that people who learned an instrument performed better in tests involving attention, memory and executive functioning than those who didn’t play an instrument.
Stringed instruments, like the violin or guitar, are great for children who suffer from ADHD, as they are required to stand up to play, which encourages the child to focus better while improving their hand-eye coordination – all at the same time. Focusing on relatively simple tasks like scales will help their minds to slow down and in turn provide them with a form of meditation, which allows them some respite from their ADHD/anxiety.
Other great instruments for children with ADHD are other stringed instruments, like the cello or the ukulele, the piano, woodwind instruments like the flute, clarinet or saxophone and percussion instruments, for example, the drums.
Music therapy in schools
Most educational establishments work with music therapists who run sessions with children that display emotional, behavioural or social problems. Music schools and specific charities can also offer music therapy for children who have been referred and they have a range of tools and equipment that will encourage children to explore treatment through the magic of music. Music giants, Yamaha partnered with Chiltern Music Therapy and generously donated 22 keyboards fo reach of the Chiltern Music Therapists.
Sessions may be individual or group based, and parents may be able to request funding through the government.
Music has massively changed my life for the better and my two boys’ lives as well. My eldest suffers from anxiety, and I find that when he sits on the piano and practises, he calms down and his brain senses are relaxed, which bleeds onto the rest of his day and his time at school as well.
If you feel like your child would benefit from music therapy, speak to your local school to find out whether they offer music therapy as an option or contact the local music establishments in your area for more information. You can generally find more information by typing ‘Music Therapy’ and ‘your location’ into Google.
*In partnership with Yamaha Music London*
10 kitchen tools and equipment to make cooking easy
There is a reason we turn to ready meals and takeaway when so much of our time is taken up looking after the kids and the daily multitude of tasks bestowed upon us. There’s no time to go to the loo, so how can we make cooking easy and find the time to cook up a fresh homemade meal three times a day (or more if you have hungry monsters in the house)? Gone are the days where you could casually waltz up to your kitchen counter and glaze over your artisan-style food ingredients that were purchased from authentic over-priced food markets.
From the moment you gave birth, it felt like you gave up the right to spend over ten minutes on yourself, unless you have it sussed, in which case, share your secrets, please! It’s all about speed and convenience and, even though I try to offer my kids fresh, healthy and homemade food where possible, I don’t have the time or the resources to spend £40 on 67 ingredients to create one elaborate and lengthy meal. Thank goodness for HelloFresh which offers an excellent delivery service and takes the stress out of meal planning and grocery shopping.
I have four kids and their tummies rival their hungry eyes, so I’m literally on the go, cooking up lots of homemade recipes (including my legendary waffles) that include as much of the different food groups as possible. And, I’ve almost got a few of the speedy kitchen skills sussed too.
I won’t include in this article my Kenmore food processor which is probably my most favourite appliance in the kitchen. Kenmore makes all kinds of appliances that are pretty amazing in the kitchen and it’s really easy to find Kenmore appliance parts online if it breaks down. But for the remainder of this article, I will go through basic kitchen tools and equipment everyone must have in their kitchen.
Here are my best tips for making cooking easier:
Tips and tricks to make cooking easier – prep your kitchen!
Most of these ideas on what makes cooking easy comes with using kitchen appliances that make cooking easier. Before I list my essential kitchen tools, I want to stress the importance of having a convenient and efficient kitchen. For example, a kitchen island will help you prepare food easily, without having to trot back and forth between utensil and appliance. Look at Kitchen Warehouse where you can find some great kitchen units that will help you on your way to becoming a whizz in the kitchen.
So, here is how to make cooking easier with 10 kitchen utensils and equipment I seriously cannot do without and that helps me whip up some pretty awesome family meals (sometimes) in a busy kitchen.
Ready, set, go!
1. Tools every cook needs – A sturdy wooden cutting board
Wooden cooking utensils are considered kitchen essentials for beginners. A thick cutting board made of bamboo is quite low maintenance and sanitary too. Bamboo is dense enough to resist knife scarring and it naturally resists water penetration too, preventing bacteria from seeping in and growing. You just use hot water and soap (or diluted bleach) to clean cutting boards and you’re good to go.
If you want to be really fancy, you can find some great kitchen worktops, like these great worktop examples from Worktop Express, where you don’t need a cutting board to do the work.
2. Essential kitchen tools every home cook needs – A good strong pot can make cooking easy
Something pretty large that will help you boil pasta and cook a healthy amount of soup or sauce for the family is an ideal basic kitchen equipment. One pot dinners are the mother of all essential kitchen items and made quite doable with cooking items such as a large saucepan or pot.
3. The top essential kitchen tools every cook should own – Hand Blender or food processor
A hand blender is now considered as one of the great essentials for cooking and can make smoothies, soups, dips, and salsa in a flash, as well as chop up items with less washing up to do afterwards. It will fast become your best friend for anything that needs whizzing up quickly, especially during the baby weaning stage. It is definitely a favourite for the food lover.
4. Essential kitchen tools every cook should have – Microwave
Microwaves are one of my saving graces for home cooking! They can not only cook food faster, but tastier too. In fact, food cooked in a microwave oven is often more nutritious than other conventional cooking methods. Microwaves are also safer because they cook without fire and are easier to wipe clean as well. A great microwave to look at is a combination microwave by Panasonic because these revolutionary microwaves can combine their power to steam, grill, bake or simply microwave your food.
5. A chef’s knife
Sharp enough to chop up a swede (have you tried to chop up a swede?), kitchen cutting tools like a chef’s knife are ideal for chopping up anything, from herbs to meat – and sharpen those knife skills too. You can slice, dice, chop or even pulverise using a chef’s knife.
To gain confidence with using such a large and sharp knife, watch tonnes of YouTube videos on how to hold the knife properly and position your hands correctly. Bad habits are hard to break, so make sure you get these right at the very beginning to avoid chopping off fingers too!
6. Essential kitchen tools for beginner cooks – Metal colander
A colander is a multifunctional tool that can help to wash and drain food, as well as keep fragile food fresh in the fridge. A metal colander can also steam vegetables and keep flies away (when you flip it).
7. The top essential kitchen tools every cook should own – Vegetable peeler
Personally, I like to limit skinning fruits and vegetables because a lot of their nutrients come from the peel. However, we live in a world of chemicals, including pesticides, which are sprayed onto our produce and ingested by our children. I don’t want to think about the long-term effects of non-organic food (even though organic is not that natural anymore either), so I reluctantly peel my non-organic fruit and veg. I would recommend going with a ‘y-peeler’ because it is generally sturdier, sharper, cheaper and easier to grip.
8. Tools and equipment in the kitchen – Casserole dish
The beauty of casserole dishes is that they are so versatile and they are considered as basic kitchen utensils. In the winter, you can enjoy a slow cooked hearty meal and in the summer, you can quickly roast some lovely vegetables with salmon if you desire. But, the benefit of the casserole dish is that it can withstand complete cooking. And you can skimp on the washing up since casseroles can be served in the dish they are baked in.
They are also easy to clean and economical too – they are generally dishwasher safe. If you’re stuck for ideas on what to make,
9. Cooking tools and equipments that make cooking easy – Kitchen tongs
Kitchen tongs are great for tossing salads, turning meat and just picking up hot food without using your hands. They are, in fact, the extra pair of hands when you can’t use your own. So I would definitely say a pair of tongs are essential gadget tools to have in the kitchen and considered basic kitchen utensils.
10. Tools to make cooking easier – Make friends with the slow cooker
Slow cookers are ideal fun kitchen gadgets for parents and as they’re fast becoming one of the most popular basic kitchen tools and equipment today, they can be as cheap as chips to buy nowadays. You can cook virtually any meal you want, from oatmeal to casseroles and make enough for the whole family too. Prep your food, add it in the morning before school drop off and then come home from school to a slow-cooked dinner! You get a healthy hot meal anytime and every time, even on the busiest days of the week. To check out a review of the best non-toxic slow cookers, head to cooklogic.com.
Other tips on how to make cooking easier
Things that make cooking easier means you’ll want to spend more time in the kitchen. Here are some other time saving/sanity saving tips for easy cooking.
Make a menu
Know what you want to make for the week and plan accordingly. That way you can make a proper grocery list for what you need in your kitchen, which brings us to the next point.
Make a detailed grocery list
To limit overspending and wasting food, it’s a good idea to plan your meals and make a grocery list so when you’re at the grocery store, you don’t buy unnecessarily.
Always make a little extra
Make a little extra and use as leftovers to avoid you having to make a complete meal the next day. You save money and time!
Keep basic cooking equipment on hand
For easier cooking, keep home kitchen equipment organised in the correct areas of the kitchen.
Use a digital thermometer when cooking meat
This isn’t a necessity, but it ensures you’re cooking your meat properly and avoiding food poisoning!
Make sure you taste it regularly
A good chef always tastes the food! You need to make sure what you’re cooking tastes good enough to eat, so taste your food regularly so you know when to add a little more or stop right there with the spices.
Make clean up easy
Clean up quicker with easy kitchen appliances to hand, like an easy to use upright vacuum which hoovers up crumbs on its floor quickly. A steam mop can also get the disinfecting part of the job done quicker than a normal mop and bucket too.
So, there you are, my top 10 kitchen tools and equipment that I use in my family kitchen to make cooking easier and save time, money and my sanity. There are other great new inventions coming up like air fryers and grills, but less is more so you can spend less time faffing about in the kitchen preparing the food and more time enjoying the finished dish with your family.
If you want to learn more about what to cook that’s easy, check out my food blog, Five for a Fiver, which includes five ingredient recipes for £5 or less for cooking made easy.
FAQ
What is the easiest thing to make for dinner?
Other questions asked were:
What are 4 tips for making cooking faster and easier?
What should I buy for easy cooking?
What should I bake that is easy?
Cooking hacks for beginners?
Pasta dishes are generally the easiest things to make or one pot trays which contain all the food groups.
Why do we need to use specific kitchen tools and equipment in preparing dishes?
Other questions asked were:
Why is it important to use the correct kitchen tools and equipment?
Why should we use kitchen tools?
What are the kitchen utensils and their uses?
What other kitchen utensils would I need to make cooking easier?
What is the most useful tools in kitchen?
What are the 10 kitchen tools and equipment I should be using every day?
What are the top 10 kitchen utensils that you can’t live without?
What are the best kitchen tools you have used?
What are the different kitchen tools and equipments you use every day?
What are some examples of different kitchen tools and equipments and their uses?
What is your favourite kitchen tool or device to use at home?
Which improvised kitchen utensils or tools do you use?
What are some of the most common kitchen tools? How are they used?
10 kitchen tools and their uses?
10 must have kitchen tools that make cooking easy?
The following are a good example of kitchen tools that help make cooking easy.
Mixing bowls
Ice cream maker
Air fryer
Dutch oven
Sheet pan
Instant pot
Stainless steel pots
Cast iron pans
Pressure cooker
Food storage containers
Kitchen scales
Kitchen scales are also handy in the kitchen but not necessary. With light baking, there is less margin for error and so you need to measure your baking ingredients correctly with kitchen measuring tools to ensure that the final recipe is top notch. Digital scales are the best as they measure more accurately. Plus, they’re so cheap these days that you’ll be able to find a decent one for under £10.
Dutch oven
While a Kenmore Dutch oven isn’t something that’s on many people’s essential kitchen tool list, it should be. Dutch ovens are very versatile and they can be used to make all kinds of easy meals. From no-knead bread to tasty casseroles, Dutch ovens are the perfect no-fuss way of preparing dinner. Just stick them in the oven and cook their contents slowly for a few hours.
How do I generate an interest in cooking?
Other questions asked were:
How do I make cooking feel like less of a chore?
How can we make cooking easier and a time saver?
What habits or techniques can make cooking more enjoyable?
How to make cooking more enjoyable?
The above kitchen tools will help. Most hate cooking because they feel they can’t do it or it’s too difficult. So give yourself a helping hand and start with the right tools to help you become more confident in the kitchen over time.
*Collaborative feature post – some links with a ‘*’ are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission when you click through to buy, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Tips about warehousing for your family business
Not all family businesses run proper warehousing facilities and often make do with a glorified stockroom or a garage, to keep everything stored. However, all businesses can learn from the principles behind modern warehousing. Not only will it help your business to stock more items, but also to fulfil customer orders more rapidly and cut down on errors. Overall, running a storage facilityw like a warehouse means improving your customer service ratings and nearly all customer-focused businesses can benefit from that. The beauty of taking this approach is that – even if you run your business from home – many of the essential ideas can be put into place. If you rent a small industrial unit, then there are even more possibilities. Let’s look at some of them…
Warehousing can improve your efficiency
If you’re in the food and drinks business, most food packaging companies offer flexible packaging, for example, flexible coffee packaging for optimum space. The same concept is offered for other product based companies. And, by using a racking system which is designed properly, most businesses will find they obtain functional gains. This might mean that your goods-in area immediately connects to your storage facility, for example, thereby reducing the amount of time it takes to get things into stock where they can be accessed. It also means that you need to handle fewer items or sign them over to another person, reducing the risk of human error. When looking for items, a proper shelving system as used in a logistics warehouse like Shurgardw means things can be found quicker and with less potential damage being done when items are picked.
Warehousing keeps your balance sheet accurate
Many business owners know immediately what their overheads are and where their turnover stands from month to month. However, they tend to be a bit hazier on the question of stock value. This is often because stock checks are done infrequently and are not accurate when they are carried out. Proper inventories using barcoded stock bins, as used in most professional warehouses, speed up the process and allow you to obtain a much better idea of how much cash you have tied up in items, especially those which aren’t selling. Fully understanding your stock’s value can have a knock-on effect in terms of how much insurance you might be forking out for unnecessarily.
Warehousing can optimise offices space
By fitting a mezzanine floor into an ordinary industrial unit you are able to make full use of the facility’s footprint. Of course, this means augmenting your warehouse operations without the need to get into heavy lifting equipment because everything remains at eye level with warehouse mezzanine Floors. Different companies provide mezzanine flooring service such as WSSL offers warehouse mezzanine floors all over UK. The additional benefit of fitting mezzanine floor is that they are completely versatile and can be used for additional office space just as much as increasing your company’s storage capacity. They are an ideal solution for entrepreneurs who want to grow their business and yet remain versatile in the process.
*Collaborative feature post*
Royal Lancaster London Hotel Review
I’ve mentioned in previous articles that my boys have travelled abroad quite a few times in their short 6 and 7 years. But where we have been lacking is holidaying in the UK, mostly due to the temperamental British weather, which clouds the fact that the UK boasts an abundance of mini-packages specially built for families. And, its capital city, London, is one of, if not the most touristic place to travel to in the world. Funnily enough, London is literally on our doorstep too!
Below is a video recap of our event with more information on our stay below:
https://youtu.be/bA6v7ttsHn0
The Royal Lancaster London was recently renovated for £85 million, and the prestigious hotel that overlooks Hyde Park has been completely transformed, both inside and out. The front part of the hotel now features a dramatic 8-metre high glazed façade and an impressive double-height reception space.
“The hotel has had a rich and celebrated past, having opened as one of the chicest hotels in London in 1967. 50 years later, Royal Lancaster London will reopen in 2017 to once again be one of the most stylish hotels in the capital. Our Thai owner, Khun Jatuporn Sihanatkathakul has been directly involved in the new design which exudes mid-century glamour and understated elegance synonymous with London. We are looking forward to the next 50 years.” Sally Beck, General Manager of the Royal Lancaster London
The lobby has a sweeping staircase which is made of 300 square metres of white Carrara marble. Champagne and cocktails, as well as coffee and cuisine, are served throughout the day, and the 18-storey hotel encompasses a refurbishment of all 411 guestrooms and suites.
Every guest room boasts a beautiful view of London, which overlooks the greenery of Hyde Park and most of the famous landmarks in London. The Duty Manager at The Royal Lancaster mentioned to us that around 3 months before New Year’s Eve events, the rooms get booked up so that people have a first class view of the fireworks when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Day. Can you imagine how that would look from the 15th floor!?
It was a beautifully clear, but relatively chilly day and the boys had been raring to go since 6am. We parked up at a nearby spot, which we had found from Parkopedia, right in the heart of affluent London, next to Hyde Park. You could spot The Royal Lancaster from afar, amongst the roadworks and other building works still happening at the hotel.
As you walk into the hotel, you do feel like you are walking into a 5-star hotel. The renovations are evident amongst the spacious marble floors and the high top ceiling lights. There was plenty of concierges around to take our luggage, and as I discussed the details of our stay with the reception desk, the boys waited patiently in the beautifully spacious lobby area.
Upon arrival, the boys were given Paddington Bear, and the reception manager explained that Paddington Bear had come to visit from Paddington Train Station which is only a 6-minute walk to the hotel. To this day, Paddington has not left their side!
We followed the lovely reception manager to our rooms, which were on the 15th floor. Hubby and I got our own room. 1510, while the boys had their private room, 1508. We were massively surprised by the generosity of the complimentary stay and couldn’t believe that we each had conjoining rooms. The manager showed us how to use the simple keycard mechanism and then showed us around the place, where we could find the amenities.
As soon as we entered the room we were taken aback at how light and spacious the room felt and, of course, the breathtaking views!
The boys didn’t waste any time settling in, while we had the chance to take a look around the rooms. The TVs in each room offers over 138 international channels and 33 radio stations, so the boys found the football channel quite easily!
We were shown where the Nespresso machine and drawer full of cookies, milk and other complimentary items were and each room was greeted with some lovely sweet treats welcoming us to the Royal Lancaster Hotel (the adults received an extra special gift in the form of a delicious bottle of red wine, which hubby and I enjoyed later!) Hubby fell in love with the couch at the end of the bed, and so did the boys who amused themselves, leaping from the sofa onto the bed and vice versa. And because of space, it meant that they were able to do so without causing any injury! I learned to look the other way on this occasion…
I got myself settled on my makeshift office desk for the weekend, right next to the handy phone. The travel handy is quite an exciting piece of gadget. You can make unlimited calls, and it’s packed full of ideas on how to make the best use of your time in London as a tourist.
Each guest room has hidden international plug sockets, which means you don’t have to carry your own with you. Mirrors are placed strategically around the room to make the place feel bigger and brighter, and each is equipped with a day and night blinds. There were also little switches located by the side of the bed which enabled you to switch on a night light if you needed to make a bathroom pit stop in the middle of the night. I found this particularly helpful for the boys who were able to see the bathroom quickly and prevent accidents. It also meant that one wouldn’t wake the other either.
We had booked dinner for 6.30pm so I figured it would also be a good idea to get breakfast sorted early too. We like to eat breakfast in peace, so we always order breakfast to our room. It also means that if the boys do anything embarrassing over breakfast, no one is around to see it.
Each guest are also provided their own bathrobe and slippers (even kiddie sized for the kids) and lovely The White Company toiletries to accompany the waterfall showers and underfloor heating in the bathrooms. Honestly, I could have lived in the bathroom, it was so cosy!
The Gym
Before we were scheduled to head down to dinner, I thought I’d try out the gym services located on the 2nd floor (which I always do) and was pleased to see that I had the entire gym to myself.
Lovely and spacious, the gym was kitted out with state of the art machines, including a row of treadmills, bikes, and cross trainers. And there was a rather sizeable mat area to exercise with weights too, as well as complimentary water and towels. Each machine boasted its own Technogym equipment, which meant that you could watch TV, play games, listen to the radio or your own music connected by Bluetooth. You could even work out while imagining you were outdoors, by selecting the screen you wanted, for example, a route by the beach, mountain climbing or skiing. I tried all of these settings and found that it was just easier to listen to my music while watching TV with subtitles.
After the gym, I had a lovely hot shower under the standing waterfall shower which was amazing! I loved the products so much they smelled lovely and left my skin feeling really soft and smooth. After that, we all got ready to head down to dinner because we were starving at this point.
Nipa Thai Restaurant
Ready to tuck into some 5-star Thai food, which we could smell on the way from our room, we headed around the corner to be greeted by the restaurant manager. You can opt for different types of cuisines at the Royal Lancaster, including the classic Island Grill. But as the boys had never eaten Thai before, we figured we would introduce them to not just any Thai Restaurant but an award-winning 5-star Thair restaurant with ethically sourced authentic Thai food.
The first stage of The Royal Lancaster’s refurbishment was with the redesign of Nipa Thai back in 2015. Nipa Thai is located on the first floor and offers a holistic experience, with the refreshing smell of essential Lemongrass oil that permeates the restaurant.
The 55-seated restaurant offers a teak panelled interior with traditional Thai furniture and ornate décor crafted in Thailand. Each of the traditional cuisines is prepared by the Head Chef Sanguan Parr and her dedicated team of all female kitchen staff.
At 6.30pm the restaurant was quiet, and the couple next to us looked in horror when they saw our family of four seated right next to them. So, for the first half an hour we were unable to relax and kept nitpicking at the boys to sit straight, be quiet and act gentlemanly. We were grateful to start seeing people flock in at around 7pm as the restaurant became louder and more animated. We could relax a bit, and, in fact, the boys were on their best behaviour, so we felt quite bad about what we were like with them at the beginning. In hindsight, it was the best behaviour we had ever seen from them at the restaurant! Our nagging paid off!
There are no kids menus available at Nipa Thai so we just went for it and ordered a set list of what we thought the kids would eat. We ordered the Suriyan Menu for us, which contained the following:
Ruam Mitr – a selection of Chef’s individual Thai starters)
Tom Kha Koong – Coconut and lime based soup that included prawns, lime leaf galangal and lemongrass,
Kaeng Massaman Kai – Chicken, onions and baby potatoes in well-cooked coconut milk and Massaman Curry Paste,
Phad Kra Prao Pla – Crisp Fried Seabass with aromatic coriander, chillies and fired holy basil,
Phad Pak Ruam Mitr – which was friend mixed vegetables
Kao Suay – Thai Jasmine rice
Ice Tim Ka Ti – Coconut Ice Cream
Kafae Rue Cha – Coffee or Tea
It was quite a lot of food. The appetisers consisted of spring rolls, dumplings, chicken satay, prawn crackers, and a tray of sweet sauces. The peanut sauce was absolutely delicious. The first course was soup with a coconut cream based sauce with lime and 3 main dishes, jasmine rice, mixed vegetables, i.e. broccoli, mini sweetcorn, coconut-based chicken, and sea bass, which had a bit of a kick to it. The dish that had chicken that came from the bone was a firm favourite amongst all the boys, but the peanut sauce for me was the winner. It was ridiculously good!
For the boys, we ordered Chicken Pad Thai and rice noodles, which were a big hit, and fish cakes, which were too spicy. The boys got to try a bit of everything also, and their overall reaction to Thai food was a huge success. They ended their meal with Ice Tim Kluay Tod, which was Crunchy fried banana topped with honey and vanilla ice cream. It was a rather sizeable dessert dish so I was amazed to see that they had finished everything on their plates. We had our lovely coconut ice cream served in a coconut shell, which was delicious as well. We especially loved the coconut flakes inside the ice cream too.
Nipa Thai, although, upmarket in its appearance, was a lovely comfortable and cosy setting which the boys enjoyed taking in, especially the decorative ornaments on the shelves, which looked like Thai deities or gods. The only issue we had was that our youngest, Aidan, accidentally bit off some glass from his extra thin glass of water. And, even though it was his fault technically for messing around with the glass, we had expected more of a commotion from the wait staff, as the broken glass had gone into his mouth. We had no idea whether he had swallowed it or if it had fallen somewhere else.
Overall the food was absolutely delicious, and I would recommend anyone who loves Thai food to try out Nipa Thai without fail. You won’t be disappointed! Click here for more information on Nipa Thai and its authentic food offerings.
I ended up chatting to our neighbouring table, and all three boys got bored, so they ran around the lobby area and had their picture taken until my youngest had to come and get me, so they could go back to the hotel room to shower and get ready for bed.
Boys having their photos taken while mummy chats to random strangers at Nipa Thai restaurant.
The boys got to enjoy a lovely bath in their own private bathroom while I lounged on the bed watching TV and drinking tea. It was so nice to relax without having the noise of the kids to break me out of my mellow mood
It didn’t last long though…
After a bit more jumping around the boys were ready for bed. However, as soon as they got into bed, they couldn’t sleep. Overtired and excited from the day’s events, they decided to work out how all the lights next to their bed worked, and it took us a good few hours to settle them before they were actually able to pass out. It was around 11pm!
“I love that there is a desk next to the bed and so many switches to control the lights!” Aidan, 6.
Hubby got to work taking photos of beautiful London at night, and some of the pictures that he took were breathtaking! Here’s one:
Nevertheless, it was a comfortable night, and we all slept like logs. I planned to go to the gym before breakfast, but I was having so much fun relaxing in our comfy bed that I decided to stay in bed until breakfast came. And, wow, there was a lot of food!
We had literally ordered everything on the menu, thinking they would come out in small portions. We were wrong.
At around 11.30am, we packed our belongings, said goodbye to our home for 2 days and headed home with lots of beautiful memories of spending some real quality time together as a family for a change and being waited on like VIP.
What did everyone like about The Royal Lancaster Room?
“My favourite thing about the whole room was that it was huge and we were next door to mummy and daddy so if we needed them we could open the door and come to mummy and daddy’s room,” Aidan, 6
“My favourite thing about the whole room was that it was next to mummy and daddy, but we could close the door and have our own privacy if we wanted to,” Aron, 7
Upon exit of the Royal Lancaster, the duty manager approached us with a little bag of chocolates and a card that requested we review our stay at Tripadvisor. As The Royal Lancaster is an independent hotel, reviews mean a lot, so we will be reviewing our stay because we enjoyed it so much!
I would say the only negative thing to comment on was that complimentary water was a little on the low side. I had to keep calling to ask for more which I don’t like doing. Perhaps, it would be nice to stock 1.5l or 2l bottles of water in the room, as we used most of our smaller bottles for making tea.
Our recap video again:
https://youtu.be/bA6v7ttsHn0
*Thank you to the Royal Lancaster London for our complimentary one-night stay, we had the best time! All opinions above are 100% our own
How to encourage your child to take an interest in learning a musical instrument
Motherhood Diaries is working in partnership with Yamaha Music London to bring you a feature series all about the importance of music in your child’s life. This feature series will include the following articles: (1) The benefits of your child learning to play an instrument (you can find the article here), (2) How to encourage your child to take an interest in learning a musical instrument (which is this article), (3) The link between music therapy and ADHD/anxiety, which will include encouraging your child to express their emotions through music, and (4) I will finish the series off with an extensive review of the Yamaha YDP-S34 Arius Digital Piano, which, I believe is the perfect companion to assist in your child’s piano lessons.
In my first article, I talked about how music is everywhere around us, and how playing music can make you smarter, especially when learning to play a musical instrument. Unfortunately, music isn’t yet at the forefront of our children’s education and having access to instruments can prove difficult for those with socio-economic constraints. Despite whatever obstacles parents find themselves in, it is still essential to learn about the power of music in a child’s life and how it helps further develop their brain. So, to summarise my last article, music is important because it can:
Make you smarter
Increase memory skills
Improve coordination
Increase IQ
Teach discipline, perseverance, and a sense of achievement
Say you know all of this already, and you want to encourage your child to pick up an instrument, but you’re not sure where or how to start. Let’s discuss further the ways you can encourage and motivate your child to take an interest in learning a musical instrument.
“Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.” Pablo Casals
Find out what music your child is into
There are lots of ways to find out what your child is into musically and that’s by watching what they do when they encounter music. When I was very young, I used to jump up and down when I saw a violinist on the TV, and so my parents bought me a violin. When my children were very young, I used to play clips of various types of instruments on YouTube to gauge their interest. At first, they liked all the instruments, but subtle differences over time showed me with which instrument they share a kindred connection. I’ve always felt a certain synergy with the violin, but being exposed to the guitar, piano, saxophone and clarinet made me realise that I was desperate to play them too. I only knew about these instruments through friends who played, and I attended concerts and performed in music schools also, so I was exposed to this kind of environment. If you surround your child with music, it would be much easier to see what they like.
“Music can change the world because it can change people.” Bono
Head over to Yamaha Music London
Yamaha Music London’s store has fast become my favourite store in the whole of London. In fact, it is my candy shop in the heart of London’s Soho, where you are literally surrounded by music and beautiful instruments. What’s more, you never know who will pop into the store to say hello. I am gutted I missed Jools Holland this time, but I shall be going back to my candy shop very soon.
We were invited to attend a free taster session on 15th September 2018, in the lead up to National Learn to Play weekend, which is on 23rd and 24th March 2019. So, Yamaha Music London decided to test the waters in September during the back to school buzz, and the results were a raving success.
The aim of the free Learn to Play sessions is to give you the opportunity to try out different instruments in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. The Yamaha experts are there to provide you with advice and support, even if you have never touched an instrument in your life or you are a bona fide musician yourself. Kids of all ages are welcome to try out and play.
You can choose from the following instruments:
Piano
Clavinova Piano
Electric & Bass Guitar
Acoustic Guitar
Drums
I have always been a massive advocate of music being the medicine for your soul. So, to be given the opportunity to expose my boys to try out all sorts of instruments was probably one of the best gifts I could have afforded them. At the free taster session, we got to meet fantastic music teachers and professional musicians, and it was amazing to see how the boys reacted to each instrument. I thought I knew my children and what they liked, so I booked the drums for both at 10.30am with James. James was very engaging with the boys and even performed a fast piece at the end of the session which took the boys’ breath away!
The session was followed by the acoustic guitar at 11am with Mete. I was amazed to see how quickly the boys caught on with the guitar and Mete taught them so much in the space of 30 minutes. A very talented acoustic guitarist!
I wanted to obviously squeeze in the violin for my boys, but it was fully booked at the time, and our only shot was at 2pm. So, to keep the boys amused, I took them around the store and learned a lot about them in the space of 30 minutes.
Aidan (6 years old) was staring at an electric guitar for about 5 minutes. When asked what he was staring at, he said: “Mummy, it’s such a shiny guitar, I want to play it!”
So, I swiftly booked a Learn to Play session with Mags at 1pm for the boys. Magss was great at showing off the electric guitar to the boys. Aidan was desperate to play, but, unfortunately, the electric guitar was a little too big and heavy. So Mags adjusted the guitar with a capo so that Aidan could still enjoy some light strumming. I mentally made a note of the guitar he was using to buy it one day for him.
Aron (7) was nowhere to be found until I walked up the flight of stairs to the grand piano portion of the store and saw him playing on the largest grand piano he could find.
So, I booked them both with the very lovely and calm Valentina at 1.30pm.
Sadly, after that session, the boys’ energy had been depleted. They hadn’t had any lunch, and they were tired from being woken up at 6am in anticipation (and excitement for the day ahead). So, I had to wave goodbye to their violin session at 2pm, but with the promise to myself that I will be back at that store very shortly to pick up where we left off. We had such a lovely send off with great sword balloon presents from the very lovely and bubbly Olivia from Racing Snail Creative Entertainment. She’s a genius with the balloons!
Honestly, words cannot describe how proud I felt of the boys learning to play the drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and grand piano, especially when they were being taught by amazingly talented musicians at Yamaha Music London headquarters. Nothing can beat piquing a child’s interest than picking up the actual instrument and playing. I now need to figure out how to afford to buy the drums and the electric guitar for my boys because they really enjoyed their sessions with James and Mags. Our music corner is coming along very nicely too, and it would be lovely to include a drum set and electric guitar in the music family.
If you are interested in bringing your children to one of the free taster sessions, (I promise you, you will not be disappointed!) then the details are:
Yamaha Music London
152-160 Wardour Street, London
W1F 8YA
Visit www.yamahamusiclondon.com for store opening hours and information on the next free taster sessions. All you need to do is decide which instrument you would like to play, pop along to the store as early as possible to avoid disappointment, book your session on the instrument of your choice and, depending on availability, you may be able to schedule more than one session on different instruments.
Check out our video recap of events at Yamaha Music London in Soho
“Most people die with their music still locked up inside them.” Benjamin Disraeli
Give your child access to whatever musical instruments you have to hand
Of course, it’s optimal to attend the Yamaha Music London store regularly with your children, but it’s not always practical. We want our children to continue playing and practising, so having a musical instrument at home is a great way to get started, even if it’s just to whet their appetite. I have accumulated instruments over the years, so our music corner has a YDP-S34 Arius Digital Piano, 3 Acoustic Guitars, a saxophone, a clarinet, recorders and two violins. I am quite the music fanatic, so I endeavour to have as many instruments as I can muster in our house by the time I die. If this is not your MO then even if you only have a toy guitar or a recorder at first, it doesn’t matter. Toy xylophones and keyboards are great introductory instruments to practice music on because they encourage cause and effect in a fun way, i.e. “If I bang this key it makes a different sound to the other key I banged previously.” Even introducing your kids to crafting an instrument is super beneficial, for example, making a drum from a can or pot or placing some rice in a bottle and creating maracas. It’s all music development. Introduce rhythm and playing sounds together, so the child can pick up how the beats work to every bar.
“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Upgrade their instruments to real instruments when the timing is right
As children get older, you can start to introduce them to small versions of real musical instruments, like we have in our house. Currently, we have a ¼ sized violin and a ¼ sized guitar, which works really well for my 6 and 7-year-old boys at the moment. Soon they will need to upgrade to a ½ or ¾ sized violin and guitar, but the aim is to help them as much as possible with practising on suitable and practicable instruments. These instruments can also help to encourage children to begin making music using different pitches. You can help them further by teaching straightforward songs like “Ba ba black sheep” which they will love to play over and over again once they hear themselves making music.
“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” Confucius
Consider a private tutor
It’s a great idea to start private lessons as soon as you can as most school programs don’t offer music lessons until kids are beyond Year 3/4. I would say the earlier, the better and don’t waste time on semantics or logistics. There are great online as well as offline tutors who can help your child progress while you are waiting for your child to be enrolled in a school program. It may save you time and money if you opt for an instrument which your child can continue to study at school, like a woodwind or brass instrument. However, children are probably more inclined to go for instruments like guitars or drums. Don’t stop them. In fact, I would offer as many instruments as they can take at this stage.
“Where words fail, music speaks.” Hans Christian Anderson
Get them involved in school programs
One of the most important steps to enhancing your child’s learning through playing a musical instrument is to encourage them to perform along with their school friends who will make the experience so much more fun for them. They will be exposed to a number of opportunities including extra-curricular activities like joining a band or orchestra at school and then ultimately at a music school, which will become a very attractive mark on their CV and high school applications.
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Plato
Be involved in their music journey
One of the most significant gifts you can afford your child is time and commitment, as well as love and support. Encourage them regularly and stay involved in their music journey. Communicate with the private or school tutor about their progress, so that you can enhance their learning at home. Offer a musical environment, like we have in our little music corner at home and encourage them to practice just 10 minutes every day, which is nothing out of their time, but so invaluable to their learning journey.
“Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear.” Ludwig van Beethoven
Listen to music and sing regularly
Other ways you can further enhance your child’s learning is to ensure music is around them all the time, whether it is on the radio, on the TV, when you’re playing an instrument, or when they’re singing, which I thoroughly encourage. Singing is the first instrument people are exposed to, whether that is being sung to by a parent or hearing it on the TV or radio. And there is a multitude of benefits to singing too. Singing causes the brain to perform multiple tasks at once which helps to develop a child’s memory. When you hear a song on the radio, you try to remember the lyrics and then your brain learns to perform that song simultaneously with singing the words from memory. Singing also encourages deep breathing and endorphins to flow to the brain from the beautiful music. As well as playing an instrument, singing also helps to develop a child’s imagination, creativity and concentration skills.
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Bob Marley
Record your child singing and playing an instrument
When your child plays their first song in front of you, it is a monumental moment, isn’t it? Record them play, so they can watch themselves back, as they will not only be able to see where they need to improve, but they also can see how much their hard work is paying off. Being able to physically see progress, even though sometimes they don’t feel like they are, builds confidence, especially when playing in front of an audience. Regular performances also reduce stage fright, which brings me to my last point.
“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live in my daydreams in music. I see my life regarding music.” Albert Einstein
Arrange family dates to musical activities
The memories I have of playing in the Royal Albert Hall, and Royal Festival Hall, as well as performing Ave Maria at St. Nicholas Church in Prague will stay with me for the rest of my life. It is one of the very few memories I have to date that fill me with supreme happiness inside and out. I remember the goose pimples I felt when I heard the choir sing Ave Maria above our orchestra, at the very top of the church, as I wept loudly while accompanying the choir at the bottom of the church. I remember watching in awe as the Jazz trumpeter Guy Barker effortlessly played in front of thousands of people at the Royal Albert Hall as I accompanied him with the orchestra. I remember playing Méditation (Thaïs) in front of my whole school when I was just 16 and the very nerves that flowed through me as I managed to hit that last harmonic at the very end of the piece. These memories are deep rooted, and no one can take them away from me. I want to be able to offer my children the opportunity to experience music in the same way I did because I know that it will not only enrich their lives, but it will also fill them with a certain sense of pride and accomplishment that you will be hard pushed to find anywhere else.
“How is it that music can, without words, evoke our laughter, our fears, our highest aspirations?” Jane Swan
Honestly, there is no greater joy than when you find your instrument, which I believe is the cornerstone to success in your music journey. But, remember, there are no rules in the book to say that you can’t play more than one instrument, so expose your child to as many instruments as you can find and then let them follow their journey naturally, obviously with a bit of guided pushing along the way
*In collaboration with Yamaha Music London*
5 storage hacks to keep everything organised this Christmas
Do you find it hard to stay organised over the Christmas period? Us too. Fortunately, Lisa Lyons, E-Commerce Manager of storage solution specialist Plastic Box Shop, has a few handy holiday hacks to help you keep everything in order and make Christmas a little bit easier.
There are piles of presents to wrap, dozens of decorations to arrange, and enough food to feed the family for weeks. It’s Christmas! And, it’s hectic. Eventually it will be over, and the time will come to take down your decorations for another year. And while it might be easy to just shove it all into boxes in the attic to be uncovered again in 12 months times, you might be in for a nasty surprise when you come back to discover a mess of tangled lights and a box full of broken ornaments.
You can avoid this whole rigmarole altogether by taking the time to pack everything away in an organised and careful manner — it doesn’t have to be a massive hassle! Here are five tips you can follow to make the whole process a lot simpler.
Be prepared
When it comes to storing your Christmas decorations, being prepared means having everything you need, organised and on hand. You will want plenty of handy storage boxes of varying sizes, labels to keep everything organised, and some padding to protect your delicate ornaments.
For maximum safety, I would recommend using bubble wrap. It can be reused each year and is much cheaper than replacing expensive or sentimental ornaments. A good way to do a bit of recycling while also making your life easier is to save your wrapping paper and use it to wrap up any extra glassware and crockery.
Store your ornaments safely
Unlike the fun of putting up your Christmas tree and decorating your home, taking everything down again and storing it for next year can be dull. But taking the time to store everything away in a methodical manner will save you a lot of hassle next year when you have to do it all over again. There is no worse feeling than getting half the tree decorated before realising that some of the ornaments have broken, while others have just disappeared.
This problem can be avoided altogether by taking the time to carefully wrap and pack your ornaments individually before storing them. Get yourself an ornament box that has adjustable rows to accommodate the varying sizes of ornaments and wrap each of them up in bubble wrap or tissue as you see fit.
Organise the rest of your decorations
If you haven’t kept the boxes that your ornaments came in — or if you just prefer organising things your own way — you’re going to need a storage solution that makes the most of the space you have. Whether you are shoving everything out of the way at the back of a cupboard or storing things up in the attic, stackable boxes will make your life a lot easier.
The great thing about plastic box storage is that they come in all different shapes and sizes, so you’ll be able to fit in just about anything. If you’ve got lots of small items such as snow globes, pine cones, and other general decoration, a plastic box container with built-in drawers would be the ideal solution.
Avoid tangled lights
Whether hanging in windows, wrapped around the bannister, or dangling from the ceiling, having loads of fairy lights around the house is a fantastic way to get in the festive spirit. But when it comes to taking everything down and storing it away, lights can be the most challenging. Not only do you need to avoid the hassle of getting your wires tangled, you’ve also got to be careful not to break any of the thousands of tiny fragile bulbs.
A great hack to avoid this problem, with the added benefit of reusing some of your Christmas waste, is get some scraps of cardboard and turn them into a makeshift light-organiser. You will need one piece of cardboard for each set of lights. Cut two slits, one in each side of the cardboard, to hold either end of the cord. Wrap the rest around the body of the cardboard and you’ve got a neat little package that can be easily stacked on top of one another in one of your storage boxes.
Organise your gift supplies
Storing your wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, and other festive present decorations can be tricky. If not done properly, paper will crease, tear, and unravel, while your ribbon gets tangled and your cupboard becomes littered with glitter. To avoid this problem altogether, we recommend getting a gift supply storage box or bag. How big you need your box to be will depend on how large your gift supply collection is, but having everything easily accessible makes wrapping presents all year round a breeze.
Packing everything up after Christmas doesn’t have to be a chore. Follow our advice and take the time to do things properly, and you’ll save yourself a headache for many years to come.
How to spend 48 hours in York – and bring back great memories with personalised gifts
I have fond memories of York.
My first trip away from my parents was in York while on a week-long Year 6 trip. I remember feeling scared at York Dungeon, intrigued in the JORVIK Viking Centre, wowed by York Minster, and infatuated with my very first crush (you know who you are… Adam). I also brought back some great personalised gifts for the family, which summed up my time in York beautifully.
Thinking back 25 years (feel free to do the math), I am pretty sure life has changed in York somewhat. So, with the help of some York lovers – and locals – and, of course, my treasured memories, below you will find some ways to spend a very packed 48 hours in York – and I’ve listed places where you can find great personalised gifts for the friends and family too, so the memories live on forever.
“There’s so much to do in and around York and the park and ride makes it so easy. If you want to go on the outskirts, the Air Museum is fantastic value.” Leyla Brooke, This Day I Love
Founded in AD 71, York’s City Centre is surrounded by historic walls, and you can access the 3.4-kilometre wall trail (the longest medieval town wall in England) by foot throughout the year. Completing the circuit will take around two hours and there are five main bars or gateways, one Victorian gateway, one postern (small gateway) and 45 towers.
“York is surrounded by walls that protected the castle that is still standing today. You can walk around them. It’s pretty cool and very, very old.” Kirsty, The Money Saving Mum
“Wander. It’s a beautiful city to walk around – as long as the weather is good!” Karen, Twice Microwaved Tea
Visit York Minster
York Minster is the largest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe. It took a whopping 250 years to build and if you climb to the top of the Central Tower you will be greeted with amazing views that span over the entire town. You can stop off at the gift shop (although you won’t find personalised gifts) and bring back a magnet – or an Archbishop of York!
“Visit York Minster! It’s such a beautiful building, inside and out.” Jennifer, My Mummy’s pennies
“Walk down The Shambles and around the Bar Walls, visit the Railway Museum or Clifford’s Tower, there’s so much to see and do. I love the place where I was born.” Louise, My Three and Me
“The train museum is great for all the family and free. Cathedral was fab too, well worth walking up lots of stairs to see the view from the roof.” Sam, Mummy Market
Head over to National Railway Museum with your Future Engineers
The National Railway Museum is part of the Science Museum group and features a whole load of activities and locomotive fun for train lovers. Discover the intricate details of railway history at the Museum’s Exhibition, and then journey back in time to the golden age of steam with a ride behind a steam locomotive. The Railway Museum is also a great place for budding future engineers who can unleash their scientist brain at The Railway Museum’s biggest ever Future Engineers event during October half term. When you’re done, head to the gift shop and bring back a souvenir for your troubles.
“The Train Museum is amazing, definitely worth a couple of hours.” Emma, The Cheshire Wife
Discover the return of the Vikings at the JORVIK Viking Centre
JORVIK Viking Centre sticks out the most for me, even though it has been 25 years since I last visited. Although completely re-imagined, the world famous and award-winning JORVIK Viking Centre still hosts the most famous and astounding discoveries of modern archaeology. During 1976 to 1981, the York Archaeological Trust revealed a Viking-Age city of houses, workshops and backyards as they stood nearly 1,000 years ago, so you can experience life as it would have been during 10th century York. Travel around the reconstruction of the city, which is based on actual archaeological evidence found during the Coppergate excavation and discover the culture, through animatronics characters, ancient languages and innovative touch screen displays. There’s so much to do, you’ll need a good few hours for this visit! And, there are loads of great gifts that you can bring back for friends and family at the gift shop!
“Don’t miss out on a trip to the JORVIK Centre! Oh, and Yorkshire Pudding wrap is a must! 😋” Lisa, That British Betty
Down the road you’ll find Thorntons, where you can stop off and buy some lovely personalised gifts, like Alphabet Truffles or even a Personalised Afternoon Tea Giftset (I’m adding this to my Gift List!)
“York has a long association with chocolate and had two chocolate factories here until a few years ago. We had both Terry’s of York and Rowntree’s of York – you can still smell the chocolate being made when you drive past the big Nestle factory. To learn more (and to experience it first-hand!) you can visit York’s Chocolate Story right in York City Centre,” Nikki, Yorkshire Wonders
Even though it was 25 years ago, I still remember York Dungeon clearly – that’s how freaked I was by all the wax figures and the screaming and moaning. I still remember the fake blood and the scared faces.
Fast forward to 2018 and York Dungeon has completely transformed. The technology has made the experience scarier, with real actors and more frightening props. There are tons more shows to watch and events to take part in too.
“Me and the husband went to York dungeons which was brilliant and then York Chocolate Story where we tried cocoa beans. Then we went for a walk up the shambles.” Gemma, Yorkshire Mum of 4
“York Dungeon is a great place to visit if you have older children. York is closely associated with Guy Fawkes as he was born there.” Jo, A Rose-Tinted World
Enter if you dare!
Get in some exercise and climb Clifford’s Tower
“If you are feeling fit, you can climb to the top of Clifford’s Tower, which is opposite the Castle Museum.” Jo, A Rose-Tinted World
You can find stunning panoramic views over Old York at the top of Clifford’s Tower, but it is a bit of climb! It is almost all that remains of York Castle which was built by William the Conqueror and it has served as a prison and a royal mint during its time. Take the tour by scaling the steep steps of the ancient mount and then enter the fore building of the castle. Climb right to the top where you can find an open-air wall walk. Then bring out your camera and take some pretty amazing shots over the city of York. When you’re done, head to the shop and find some awesome gifts that you can personalise when you get home.
“Betty’s Tea Room! Walk through the old cobbled streets and along the walls.” Michaela, Adventures of a Yorkshire Mum
Visit the Castle Museum
“The Castle Museum is fantastic, they have a complete replica of Victorian Street and it’s so atmospheric!” Kate, Ever After with Kids
The Castle Museum, which is currently celebrating its 80th year, has quite a history! Its first opening was on 23 April (St. George’s Day) in 1938 and was founded by Dr John Lamplugh Kirk, a doctor from Pickering. Its recreated Victorian Street is now world-famous, and over 32 million people have graced the museum since then. The Castle Museum displays objects organised in chronological and typographical order, which is what Dr Kirk wanted the focus of the museum to be. The aim was to transport people back in time to during the First World War and beyond. Make sure to check out the Exhibitions online before you head off.
When you’re in York, you’ve got to take advantage of the Rive Ouse and cruise along the river, escaping the city rush and admiring the scenery from the comfort of a Yorkboat. In AD 71, the Romans built a fortress around the River Ouse, which you can now navigate via the Yorkboat. As you cruise along, you can take in the amazing history of York from a live commentary that is delivered by a local. Spy where the Saxons fought the Vikings in 1066, where monks entertained their guests and where witches were ducked in the Middle Ages. Then grab a drink from the bar and rest up!
Based on Lendal Bridge and overlooking the River House in the heart of York City, York River House recently re-opened as a beautiful Victorian style restaurant, inspired by all the fantastic scenery surrounding the building. Even the toilets have been carefully restored to reflect the building’s Victorian past! Enjoy the setting as you tuck into your pizza!
Visit the Thorntons Cafe for something sweet
A visit to the Thorntons Café house in the McAuthurGlen York Designer Outlet is a must. There’s no better way to put your feet up after a busy day of hitting the shops than by enjoying an indulgent hot chocolate and sweet treat. There’s something for everyone there, as the cafe serves a range of warming teas and coffees, as well as offering a full patisserie, confectionary and cake selection. There will definitely be something you can take home to enjoy at a later date as a reminder of your experience.
“Visit the fudge shop next. You get to watch them make it and sample warm fudge. Then if you are a bit thirsty, pop a few doors down to the shop that sells flavoured vodka and gin and try a few out. The Teddy bear shop is pretty awesome too.” Jade, Jades Long Journey
Check into the Fudge Kitchen where you can watch a demonstration of the famous fudge being made. Personalise your experience with up to 20 handmade fudge flavours from the counter or build your own box of either Whipping Cream Fudge, Butter Fudge, Drinking Fudge or personalised Hampers stocked full of fudge!
Head to the quirky bars at night time
(Circles Café and Gin Bar – Image taken from https://www.visityork.org/)
“Drink cocktails! York is filled with so many quirky bars that you’ll be spoilt for choice! If Gin is your tipple, then ‘Evil Eye’ is my personal recommendation. I’m not that much of a gin lover and even I was impressed! ” Becky, Mommy and Rory
If the weather is nice, take a rest from your sightseeing at one of the quaint coffee shops, eateries or bars. Or you can head to Circles Café and Gin Bar which encompasses all three and has a garden area over the River Ouse, with great views of York!
“Eat at the Dean Court Hotel near the stunning Minster or go on a brewery tour with Brewtown Tours,” Sophie, Mama Mei and Yorkshire Families
When you’ve had a long day, check in at one of the many hotels or B&Bs around York. The 4-Star Dean Court Hotel, which is situated just by York Minster, boasts superior services and amenities and 40 unique individual bedrooms, so you can relax in style after your long day around York. Family Rooms can be booked for up to 5 people and there is a charge of £18.40 per night to use the car park. Guests can leave their cars up to 10pm on the day of departure so you have more time to enjoy York City before you head home.
As you can see with what York City has to offer, you can pack in a lot in 48 hours. We are definitely going to be booking in a full 48 hours during half term, so the boys can relive what I enjoyed all those years ago.
*Collaborative feature psost*
4 top tips for a fun garden-friendly Bonfire Night
Nicky Roeber is an Online Horticultural Expert with Wyevale Garden Centres. Here, he shares his insider tips for hosting a Bonfire Night display in your garden.
Stock up on sparklers, get out your cosiest gloves and mull the cider: Bonfire Night is nearly here. But while a stunning fireworks display and a roaring fire can be great fun for family and friends, it can take a lot of work to get your garden ready and looking great. So, if you’ll be celebrating this November 5th, then you’ll need to know how to prepare and protect your outside space.
Here, we’ll share four ways to host a Bonfire Night bash in your garden that’s fun for the whole family, including tips on protecting wildlife, making your garden look the part, and keeping it safe from damage.
Protect garden wildlife
On this dark, chilly November night, we all love gathering around a blazing bonfire with a hot drink. But, when building your fire, you’ll want to spare a thought for the little critters you share your garden with. Unlit bonfires are a haven for small wildlife, including hedgehogs, frogs, toads, and newts, who like nothing better than taking shelter in a pile of logs, leaves and twigs. These small animals and amphibians play a vital role in your garden’s ecosystem, so it’s only right we do our best to protect them.
To keep wildlife safe, it’s best to build your bonfire on the same day that you plan to light it, as this will give curious creatures less time to sneak in. You’ll also need to check over your bonfire very carefully using a torch to make sure that nothing has taken up residence before you set it alight. It will also help to build small piles of sticks, logs, and leaves a safe distance away from your bonfire, as this will give wildlife somewhere else to hide — you could even get the kids involved in building their own small creature dens, too.
Swap your bonfire for a brazier
While building a bonfire the old-fashioned way can be great fun, it’s not the best idea if you don’t have a very spacious garden, and they take quite a while to build and light. Braziers and fire pits will allow you to stoke up a roaring fire in a smaller space, and you won’t need to worry about building a bonfire or checking for sleepy hedgehogs, either. And, you can enjoy your brazier whenever you use your garden on an evening throughout the rest of the year, too.
Whatever you choose, both bonfires and fire pits can be very beneficial for your garden. They’re a great way to burn up used garden waste, and the ash from wood fires is alkaline heavy and nutrient-rich, which makes it an excellent soil additive, especially if your soil is naturally acidic. So, once your celebration is over, and the ashes have sufficiently cooled, rake them into your beds or add them to your compost heap to improve the soil.
Be smart with Catherine wheels
With their colourful spinning sparks, Catherine wheels always put on a great display. But, as fireworks go, they’re one of the worst types for your garden, because they have an unfortunate habit of setting alight to the surfaces they’re mounted on. If possible, it’s best to stick to more traditional fireworks, but if you (or the kids) have your heart set on a Catherine wheel, you’ll want to make sure you set it up correctly.
Whatever you do, don’t mount your wheel to a tree, fence, or shed, as this is a sure way to cause damage. You can help to prevent any damage by setting up a separate wooden post for it, well away from trees and fences. Make sure the post is sufficiently high off the ground, and put some sand around the base of your post to protect your lawn from sparks.
Set the atmosphere
Good lighting is essential at a Bonfire Night gathering: not only will it set the atmosphere for your evening, but it will ensure there’s enough light for everyone to move, socialise, and play safely. So, you’ll want to deck your garden out in some ambient lighting.
Hurricane lanterns add a beautiful soft glow, and they look great lining a path or clustered together on a patio. If you’re worried that candles will be unsafe for your younger guests, then swap them for some LED battery-powered versions, instead. Fairy lights will help to set the atmosphere and provide extra lighting, and you can re-use them again at Christmas, too. Try winding them around a tree trunk for an eye-catching display of light.
Simply follow my tips, and you can look forward to a garden-friendly celebration that really goes off with a bang. Finally, while Bonfire Night can be an exciting time, you’ll need to make sure everyone stays safe, so remember to follow ROSPA’s firework code during your display.
