day out with Thomas the tank engine

Our Easter Days’ Out Round-up

We love going on days out in and around Hampshire. We are lucky that we live close to other counties and can explore all they have to offer. We love discovering new areas, researching where is good with kids and getting to know new places. This Easter was no exception and we found so many fun activities to do with children, that I thought I’d document it for you all.

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Clever Kid’s Toys Storage Ideas

I wanted to share some tips to help with clever kid’s toys storage because let’s face it, the toys really can and do take over, don’t they?! I already covered a few pointers in my last blog, I showed you the built-in wardrobe we made in Jake’s room. Perfect for hiding away quite a lot of items. I also showed you a clever way of hiding away the arts and craft. As for nappies, I keep these unwrapped in a chest of drawers so again they are out of sight but are in easy reach.

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Storage Ideas

So you have had your clear out, spring clean and you may even be trying out the upcycling, but how about increasing your storage?
When I moved in here the lack of cupboard space was crazy for a family home and has been one of our biggest struggles. I am a real thrower outer, but now we have Jake we have things we need to keep, keepsakes that need safe places to be kept and many more shoes and clothes taking over the house!
When we first moved in

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Children and Dogs

We have a family dog. She has been around a while but was my first baby so when we added a new addition in the form of a human baby it got me to thinking…

As I walked my lovely old girl today in the drizzle I started to reminisce about all the places we have been together, how many walks there have been and wondering how many will be left. I got Molly when I was 19 and she was 7 months old. She already had her name

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‘Mum of toddler, come on down!!!!’

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My Top Tips to New Mums for Looking Good

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About

My name is Emma Reed and I am a self-published Author, Blogger and Freelance Writer. I live in Hampshire with my husband and 2 sons (aged 11 and 7) plus our Border Terrier Tessa.

family shot of us walking

I would describe myself as fun, outgoing, honest, musical, sociable and organised. Who I am today has mostly been determined by the fact that I was brought up by a strong, single mother who was sadly taken from us far too soon by breast cancer in 2003. This has led me to look at life from a different perspective and to continue to do things that would make her proud with my boys being the biggest thing I could bring!

I’ve been a trainee veterinary nurse, a store manager and a teaching assistant prior to having children but my new venture of becoming a writer began in February 2016 when I self-published my first book after having my first son. ‘Your Teething Baby, from one parent to another’ came about because I found very little information about the teething process when I so desperately needed it so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I have brought together everything I have learnt and researched on this topic in order to try and help other parents going through this development. It is available now on Amazon kindle for £4.50.

Writing my book led to the start of my blog which began as a place for me to share my thoughts and parenting experiences, to give you ideas for days’ out, to provide tips I learn about parenthood along the way and to voice my opinions on the tough parts of being a Mother. It does still hold a lot of these values but in the last couple of years, I have taken a more eco-focused route not only in my writing but also within my life by making a lot of swaps to reusable products, reducing our waste, growing our own, becoming a vegetarian and so on. With my main message that anybody can be eco and small sustainable steps are the way forward, I want to show my readers that living more eco-friendly shouldn’t be hard, that it is achievable and that it is simple to fit in with your lifestyle.

It All Started With a Cloth Nappy…

We made the switch to cloth nappies in 2018 which was what then led to a change in mindset, environmental awareness and a need to do more. I am loving our eco-journey and documenting what we are doing on my blog as well as on my social media. I created the hashtag #TheCheekOfClothNappies which has helped to show the benefits of going reusable. Making these changes is important for our children’s future and I will continue to use my platforms to inspire others to consider what swaps they can also make.

My latest project has been to create a simple eco home audit downloadable pack to get you started on your eco journey. This 36 page pack is ideal for anybody who has just begun to look at how they can make changes to become more eco-friendly. Written entirely by me, this pack includes tips, articles, cleaning recipes and audit checklists to help you to make small sustainable steps in a manageable way. You can purchase it here on Etsy.

me and the boys sat on a cream rug lauging

 

The Blog

My blog has developed into my little business which I can, fortunately, make work around my two guys’ needs. On my blog I offer sponsored posts plus reviews, I can also offer social media promotion as well as behind the scenes services such as social media tips, content and freelance services for those who need content provided for their own websites. A blog is a great way to bring traffic to your site and if you would like to speak to me regarding any of these then please do so via the contact me page.

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

*Images courtesy of Ewa Jones Photography (You can read my full review here)