Maxi's dream bedroom

Maxi has been in his current room since we moved into the house nearly seven years ago and is no longer a baby, so would love to update his bedroom.  Therefore, when I saw that  Laura Ashley and Tales of Annie Bean have set bloggers the chance of winning a room makeover me and him put our thinking cap on and sat down and designed his dream bedroom.

He wants a room that will grow up with him and is going to pass half of his bunkbed on to Mini and wants to keep his desk area too, but he would like to have his walls white and some new furniture which will last till he leaves home or longer. This is where Laura Ashley comes in, we really loved the look of the Brompton range including the the Brompton Oak Wardrobe the oak side table (which we would use as a bedside cabinet)  and the tall chest of drawers. They are classic and well made and would be perfect long term.  I am a great believer that if you have the bones of a room you can add and take away from accessories to make the change. 

He picked out all the colours himself and we have already bought the set of cable and cotton lights as a starting point.  He wants a bright multi colour theme for accessories and loves maps and all things travel too.

Maxi's dream bedroom by mum-themadhouse on Polyvore

Rainbow Chevron Rug
gltc.co.uk

Buy Ochre Check Eyelet Lined Curtains from the Next UK online shop
next.co.uk

Cottonwood Natural Roman Blinds | Laura Ashley
mto.lauraashley.com

Made to order chest of drawers review your chest of drawer
mto.lauraashley.com

Buy John Lewis Elliot Task Lamp online at John Lewis
johnlewis.com

Bat Ball Basket
gltc.co.uk

Made to order side tables review your side table
mto.lauraashley.com

Blue 'British Isles' bedding set
debenhams.com

Made to order wardrobes review your wardrobe
mto.lauraashley.com

World Map Wall Canvas - Height Charts & Wall Art - Bedding & Room...
gltc.co.uk

Star Book Ledge
gltc.co.uk

GIant Rainbow Star Garland made with wool by HandmadeCuddlesShop
etsy.com

Felt Ball Garland Rainbow Party - 50 felt balls, 3 metres
£21 - etsy.com

Rainbow Star Hooks (Set of 5)
gltc.co.uk

Donna Wilson - Sunshine Cushion
donnawilson.com

Lumie Bodyclock Active 250
johnlewis.com

There isn't a lot wrong with his room at the moment, but it is dark and was put together on a shoestring and he would really like to put his own stamp on the room.

Being thrifty - it's all about happiness

The lovely Jane who many people will know as Northern Mum has had a challenging few years and made the decision to change her working pattern so that she could spend more time at home with her three children.

I know full well how hard it is to cut back on to primarily one income and "cut your cloth" accordingly, I also know that everyone wants that champagne lifestyle on a larger income.

When we made our life changing decision to come back to the North East of England, so that I could stay at home with the boys we made many a sacrifice so that it was affordable, but in todays financial climate living frugally is no longer a choice, it is a necessity.

Jane currently has a competition running on her new blog From Spending to Saving to win £400 of Amazon Vouchers in conjunction with Which Offshore and she is looking for thrifty tips and also why to have an offshore pension. For me having a pension is all about being prudent and making sure that I am responsible for me in the future and not leaving it to my children.

I have lots of specific thrifty tips throughout the blog, but for me being thrifty is all about happiness and I wanted to explain how your mental attitude can really make the difference.

 "Comparison is the thief of joy!" 

Stop looking at the Jones and wanting what they have or appear to have. I used to be very materialistic, but when I was ill I realised that I didn't need things, I needed my family and friends.  They brought me more joy than any physical item could and that we could manage anything if we did it together.   We might not have it all together, but together we have it all.

Make the most of what you have

People were happier during times of war.  They had less but made more of what they had.  This for me says everything.  I am learning to reuse, upcycle and think about what we have already.  We take a flask out with us and this saves on buying drinks.  We already have a flask, the milk, tea and sugar, so it is a much better idea for me.

Buy Experiences not things 

Being thrifty allows us to have family experiences, such as days out, more time together and family fun.  These bring us so much more joy and happiness than actual things.  I would rather take us for a day out at the beach and get fish and chips than buy myself a new pair of shoes.  I have changed the way that I think.

Stop measuring success in £'s 

Wealth is what is life after the money runs out - Roger Hamilton   Sometimes it takes hard times to make this realisation.  But it is true as soon as you stop measuring your success in terms of money and start measuring it in happiness, money becomes much less of a motivating factor.

Get a free two month Friends and Family Railcard

Thanks to Cass at Frugal Family for the heads up on this one.

Wherever you're going, take your Family & Friends Railcard with you to save on rail fares. As long as you have at least one child travelling with you, you'll qualify for Family & Friends Railcard discounts.

A Family & Friends Railcard costs just £30 per annun and you save 1/3 off adult fares, and 60% off kids’ fares on travel throughout Great Britain.  If you travel with a child between five and 15 years old then you’re eligible. 

Up to four adults and four kids can travel on one card, and they don't even need to be related. So, for what works out to around £2.50 a month, you can look forward to dramatic savings for the year.  All child fares are subject to a £1 minimum fare.

Even better you can get a two month free Friends and Family railcard with Daily Mail.  But be fast as the offer runs out at 23.59 hrs 23rd May 2013.

Save on beauty brands - Save over £50 on a Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum Pen Light

I was sent a Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum Pen Light to review last week.  Now I have only been using it over the weekend, but I wanted to share the following voucher code with you so you can save 68.6% (which is over £50) on one too.

Use SAVEONSERUM at the checkout to Save 68.6% Off Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum Pen Light  10ml at feelunique.com. 

This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other feelunique.com voucher code promotion or VIP discount. Valid now until Midnight GMT 24th May 2013.

FeelUnique is an online beauty store  who offer free delivery worldwide on everything!  They stock over over 18,000 products from over 550.


·         Cheaper than RRP / High street on 90% of our range
·         Wish List - Make & Send lists of your most wanted products
·         Outlet - save up to 80% Off RRP!
·         VIP club - 10% Off your favourite brand for life!

I have just placed an order for some Moroccan oil.  I swear by it to help stop the frizzes in my hair and a bottle lasts me over a year and was £30.45 delivered, so the cheapest I had seen it anywhere.

Thanks to Savoo for the heads up on the voucher code and for sending the pen for review.he pen for review.

No cost simple pleasures or back to basics parenting #3

This weeks simple pleasure is the joy I get from hearing my children laugh, giggle and shout when playing outside after school.  I love the lighter nights, so that they can play outdoors with their friends.

I am a huge fan of free range parenting and encourage my boys who are eight and nearly seven to get out and play.  Make their own fun and games within the boundaries I set.

   

The constant risk of liability

No matter what kind of business you run, there is always the potential for liability. It comes in many forms, but there is no business that is truly exempt. As such, it is something you need to watch out for.

With this in mind, here's a quick rundown on liability. Whether its understanding who can claim liability, and why, or protecting yourself with the correct liability insurance for small business, the more you know will make you more prepared in the long run. Your business, as a result, will be better off for it, both legally and financially.

Who can claim liability?

First and foremost, most people can claim liability. As the owner of your business, you are responsible, as the business, for what happens. As such, members of the public can claim liability for anything that happens that they deem your fault. This isn't just limited to anything that happens within your premises, either. If something happens when your staff visit the customer's home, liability can be claimed. In short, when acting on behalf of your company, you, your staff and anything else related can come under liability if it’s your fault.

Likewise, your own employees can claim for liability. Personal injuries are perhaps the most common example of this. Again, this is because you own the business; similar to customers and other members of the public, you have a set of legal duties and requirements you must meet for your employees. Fail to meet these, and liability could be claimed.

Even if you aren't guilty, that won't stop people claiming for liability. Legal disputes such as this can often be expensive, or damage your reputation, so it always helps to avoid them where possible.

Investing in insurance

Of course, if a claim does happen, you also want to protect yourself from a financial perspective. As stated earlier, both members of the public and your own employees can claim liability. This gives you two different forms of insurance; public liability insurance and employee liability insurance.

In most cases, insurance for employee liability is a legal requirement, but that doesn't mean public liability insurance isn't a wise investment. A small price to pay up front is arguably worth not having to risk the expensive costs and fees should a liability claim occur and get out of hand.

Walkers Hoops and Crosses Review

My boys do not have packed lunches very often, but when they do they love to have a bag of crisps.  Now I know that whole grains are really important in our diets and if I can find ways to encourage this then that makes me a happy mum.     

• 56% whole­grain corn meal per bag.
• 85 calo­ries per bag.
• No artificial colours or preservatives
• They are baked
• Hoops and Crosses come in three flavours,  Roast Beef, Prawn Crack­ers and Salt and Vinegar

Mini was delighted with the monkey, who has been named Mack, but both the boys disliked the roast beef hoops and crosses and they remained uneaten for the best part of the day, until MadDad ate them.

He told me they were pretty much like Monster munch and he liked them.  

When I went shopping this week I got some salt and vinegar ones for the boys to try, which they both liked.  So if they need packed lunches for trips out etc then I will get these for them.  They were £1.89 for six bags or are on offer as Asda 3 bags for £4.  They are more than I would usually spend, but they eat shop bought snacks rarely, so I didn't mind.