Soon it was lunchtime and we had a delicious healthy lunch; it was lovely to sit with friends and chat, the food was delicious – my personal favourite was the club sandwich.

After lunch, we learnt more about the brand Caudalie, their brand and products. As a beauty junkie, I’ve been obsessed with their beauty elixir but will admit I didn’t know much about them. Started in France the products come from the byproduct of grapes being made into wine – it was this point that I knew I was going to like this brand very much. From their grape water spray being suitable for all the family (will be stocking up ready for our next holiday) to their brand new sun skincare – there are so many lovely products and it’s brand I’m looking forward to exploring over the coming months.

Last on the list of our spa day was… absolutely nothing. It was bliss to have a couple of hours to swim, enjoy the sauna and steam and chat. There is complimentary tea and coffee available plus light snacks available throughout the day which is a lovely touch.

Overall we had a lovely day and I left feeling infinitely more relaxed and recharged ready for a busy month. I really enjoyed our time at the Solent and am looking forward to returning with Boo very soon.

We were invited for a complimentary spa day for the purpose of this review.

If you have made the decision to get a tattoo removed, one of the best options to take is to get it lasered off. However, many people find the idea of laser tattoo removal daunting, but if you approach it in the right way, the process is very straightforward.

Studios like Counterpunch Tattoo Removal can help you get rid of any unwanted ink. However, it’s important that your skin is in good condition beforehand, otherwise, your tattoo removal journey may be much longer than expected. Here are five things that you can do to help speed up the process.

Avoid the Sun

Exposing your tattoo to the sun can increase the melanin levels in your skin. If laser tattoo removal is the route you want to take, it’s vital that there isn’t a lot of melanin in your skin before and during your procedure. The more melanin you have, the harder it is for the laser to break away all the ink pigmentation. It’s advised to keep your tattoo out of the sun for around six weeks before starting your treatment.

Regular Exercise

While no research has been carried out on direct links between exercise and tattoo removal, regular exercise can help improve your immune system by boosting the cells that are in your body which fight against foreign bodies such as broken-down tattoo ink. Hitting the gym a couple of times a week can make a huge difference and help to hurry along the healing process.

Getting Enough Sleep

If you suffer with your sleep, you may not realise the negative impact it can be having on your immune system, making it harder for your body to fight against bacteria, resulting in you being more prone to getting infections. Therefore, sticking to a regular routine and avoiding stimulants such as nicotine and alcohol before you go to bed can make a huge difference, helping you to get some much-needed shuteye.

Stay Hydrated

For your immune system to work efficiently, you need to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and alert. Water can be hugely beneficial in speeding up the tattoo removal process. Not only will it increase your kidney function which helps to flush out toxins more quickly, but it also helps to keep your skin in tip top condition. Your skin needs proper hydration for it to thrive and function at its best.

Stop Smoking

There have been various studies that have shown that those who smoke have a 70% less chance of a successful tattoo removal after 10 sessions. If you are ready to get shot of some unwanted ink, giving up smoking is the way to go. There is help out there where you can find more information on how to quit and why to quit.

Taking all the tips listed onboard can make a real difference and give your body the best possible chance of having a speedy tattoo removal. Understandably, you will want the healing process to be as quick as possible, so ensuring you drink plenty of water, avoid exposing the tattoo to the sun as well as stopping smoking are just some ways on how you can speed up your tattoo removal journey.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.

There are a lot of different ways that you need to prepare for your baby’s arrival, from buying nappies to installing the car seat. However, it can be easy to forget to make your home a baby-friendly environment so that bringing your little one home from the hospital is as stress-free as possible.

Having a baby will change every aspect, especially your home life, so it is important that you spend some time considering the changes that need to be made to make it an environment suitable to look after your newborn. You may even start to get the urge to start ‘nesting’ at some point in your pregnancy. But remember that you shouldn’t be doing anything too physical while you are pregnant, so you may want to get some happy helpers to do the heavy lifting! Here are some of the ways that you can prepare your house for your baby’s arrival.

Prepare Some Meals

Once your baby has arrived, you will find it difficult to find time to spend in the kitchen cooking regular meals. So many expectant moms spend some time before their due date batching cooking meals for the freezer so that they have delicious and healthy meals on time ready to defrost and cook.

Even if you don’t enjoy spending time in the kitchen, you could always buy ready meals to store in the cupboard so that you have something quick and easy on hand to eat when you are busy with nappies and late-night feeds.

Get an Extra Room

Despite how small they are, babies can take up a lot of space. From their cribs to their endless supply of nappies, you will be surprised at how much extra stuff you will require both in preparation for the big arrival, as well as the additional items you will need once the baby is here. Therefore, you should consider expanding the space in your house wherever you can.

This may mean converting your loft space into an extra bedroom, or, an increasingly popular option amongst homeowners, get a backyard studio built by the reputable manufacturers at www.bibobuild.com. BIBO studios are sustainable premium buildings that comply with all the Australian standards and regulations. They make for a great place to store all the equipment that comes with having a baby.

Lock it Down

Before you have a baby, you don’t always think about all the potential hazards that are all around your home that can cause your baby harm. You should be sure to secure any furniture that your baby could fall or trip over and make sure that you cover up all electric sockets and install safety latches on all cabinets.

Get All Your Laundry Done

When you come home from the hospital, the last thing you want is a basket full of laundry, so make sure that it is empty before your due date comes around.

By making these preparations for your baby’s arrival, you can focus your time totally on your new bundle of joy!

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.

Building a new home is an extremely exciting event, especially when you are customizing it yourself. You get to choose what works best for you and for your family. The opportunities are endless! However, it is important to figure out exactly what you want in your new home before you give the final okay on your floor plans. For instance, you do not want to sign off on papers and then realize late your front door opens into the main room and not into a little entrance area.

It is critical to triple-check your floor plans before finalizing them. Avoiding mistakes will ensure you get the home of your dreams and minimize any problems that may arise, many of which could be costly.

1. Do Not Overlook the Site Conditions of Where You Are Building

Think closely about where you are planning to build your house. Which way does the sunlight come in? Which way does the wind tend to come from? Analyzing the site you are building on prior to finalizing your floor plans is a huge aspect of the building process and creating your floor plans.

You want to ensure your floor plans align with all of these facets and do not work against them. Make sure you figure out how the sun moves around the area. Then place your bedrooms, living spaces, kitchen, and bathrooms accordingly. Do you want the sun shining into your bedroom bright and early, or want to take in the sunset from your back deck? Take this into account before finalizing your plans.

2. Take Your Lifestyle into Account

Is this going to be a family home? Will you have pets in this home? Do you plan to grow old here? Do you frequently host friends and family? All of these lifestyle choices should be taken into account before finalizing your floor plans. Your lifestyle is the biggest factor that should guide the entire layout of the home you are building.

For instance, if this is a home you plan to grow old in, you may not want to have too many stairs or stairs that are steep. If you tend to host a lot of people, maybe you’d like to add in a guest area that has its own bedroom and bathroom. If you have a nice outside space, make sure you have easy access and even a seamless living from your family room into this pace.

You want a home that functions with you, not against you.

3. Don’t Forget Storage Space

One of the most common mistakes made is not including enough storage space in the floor plan. When you are looking at the grand scheme of things, it’s easy to overlook these spaces, which seem like small details. However, they are important. Think of everything you currently have in closets—what would you do if you didn’t have ample room for it in your new home? It would certainly put a strain on things.

Storage spaces do not have to take up much room, but they should be found throughout your new home and be customized to your needs.

Where’s it most beneficial for you to keep your cleaning supplies, such as the broom and sweeper? Make sure you incorporate a small storage area in that specific room. It will definitely make life easier for you in the long run.

4. Think About Furniture

Do you already have furniture you’re planning to use in this home? Or do you have your eye on a certain piece that you want to add to the mix? You need to ensure the dimensions of each room will work to fit these pieces. Considering the correct furnishing layout while creating your floor plans is a way to do this.

In the layout of your floor plans, include scaled furniture to ensure everything will fit the way you imagine. You do not want to have a finalized home and then realize the couch you already purchased does not fit in the living room as you assumed.

Another important thing to note is the amount of wall space. With fewer walls in an open floor plan, there less wall space that you can hang décor from or place furniture in front of. While this concept is nice in theory, will it work for you?

5. Include Enough Windows

A lot of people prefer to have natural light streaming into their homes. If you are one of these people, this is something for you to think about while creating your floor plan.

You want to make sure your home is designed with enough windows and with the proper type of windows. Is sunlight all you want? Then you may not need as many windows that open. However, if you are looking to let some fresh air into your home, remember that you will need windows that can open easily too.

Consider the placement as well, such as in a bedroom, living space, or kitchen. Think about which rooms you tend to spend the most time in and plan your window placement accordingly.

On the other hand, if you are not a fan of natural sunlight or you prefer windows that do not open, take this into consideration as well. You may want a large window in your kitchen that will not open, keeping pests out but allowing light to filter in.

There are many different things to consider while customizing your new home. However, the biggest aspect is to think about your lifestyle and what will work best for you and your family. This will heavily influence the floor plans.

You do not want to finalize a floor plan only to realize that its functionally doesn’t work for you. Additionally, you do not want to realize once everything is done that you did not include enough storage space or that there is not enough light coming into your home.

All of these are costly mistakes and here at New Tradition Homes, we want to ensure you have your dream home without wasting any excess money. We value your time and the effort it took to get to the stage where you’re ready to build a custom home. Avoiding these five common mistakes before you finalize your floor plans will help ensure you stick to your budget while creating the home of your dreams.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.

It’s a mom’s worst nightmare for their kids to feel stressed, anxious, uncertain of their place in the world, and disheartened, as a result. Normally, the ordinary structures and routines of a loving household will help to prevent or resolve this kind of issue. But what happens when things are thrown up in the air by external events?

 

Families move homes for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes, it’s because one or both parents have a lucrative job opportunity overseas that is too good to pass up. Sometimes, it’s because the neighbourhood they’ve been living in up to that point has changed for the worst, and better prospects lie elsewhere.

It’s one thing to know how to buy property in an attractive location that will suit your family and your lifestyle well.

It’s quite another thing to help your kids to adjust to the new environment, without leaving them stranded in a state of uncertainty, confusion, and upheaval, for any longer than is absolutely unavoidable.

There’s no simple “A, B, C” formula for ensuring that your kids get settled into a new home effortlessly. But there are a few tips that might be helpful – so, here are some of those.

 

 

Restore a base level of structure as soon as possible – get your kids situated in their own rooms, and unpack their most meaningful belongings in a hurry

 

Kids – especially young kids – exist in a very chaotic and uncertain world. They are highly dependent on their parents, and don’t have much understanding of how things work more broadly, or have much, if any, ability to navigate the world on their own.

For that reason, one of the most important things to provide for your children is a sense of structure and order.

Of course, a move to a new home is pretty much a departure from a familiar and structured environment, in favour of an unfamiliar and “chaotic” one. The further away you’re moving, the more extreme this contrast tends to be.

The first step to getting your kids settled in the new home, is to restore a base level of structure in their lives, as soon as possible.

One of the key ways of doing this, is to get their bedrooms set up as quickly as possible, with all their most meaningful and essential belongings unpacked and organised as well as they possibly can be.

If you keep your kids waiting for weeks before their bedrooms resemble anything like an orderly environment, you’re only ensuring that they remain mired in a sense of uncertainty and anxiety, and are likely to come to associate the home with those traits.

Maybe the living room will take a while to get properly set up. Maybe your own bedroom will be a bit messy over the coming weeks. But get your kids’ rooms fully organised and unpacked as soon as possible.

That way, they’ll have a familiar and structured place to retreat to, even if everything else is in a state of upheaval.

 

 

Give your kids something to do to occupy their time while you’re getting established in the new home

 

Assuming your move has meant that you’re living in a significantly different environment to the one you were in before – and that this will have involved you moving your kids to a different school, for example – it’s likely that your kids are going to be pretty bored when they first arrive at their new home.

Think about it. They don’t have their friends to play with any more, they don’t know the area, their normal routines have been turned upside down, and so what are they meant to be doing with their time?

In order to help keep your kids’ spirits up, you should actively take steps to give them something to do to occupy their time, while you’re getting established in the new home and area.

This could mean, for example, buying them a new set of books if they are avid readers, getting them a games console they’ve been wanting for ages, or getting them involved in local activities and clubs.

Most options will be preferable to leaving them to sit around and feel bored, and despondent, indefinitely.

 

 

Eat meals together as a family, at set times, around the dinner table

This goes back to the point of re-establishing a sense of order in the home – but it also encompasses the need for the family to come together and lean on each other emotionally, both in general, but also during the move specifically.

Eating meals together as a family, at set times, is a great way of drawing the family unit closer together, while also creating a sense of structure and familiarity in the new home environment.

Even if you haven’t ever really been in the habit of eating meals around a dinner table, previously, it’s well worth picking up the habit once you’ve carried out a home move.

Human beings have been eating communally since time immemorial, and it can do a lot of good in terms of boosting well-being and solidifying interpersonal bonds.

 

 

Go on family day trips to familiarise your kids with the local area

Assuming you’ve moved to a new area, and not just a new home, it’s as important to familiarise your kids – and yourself – with the local area, as with the house itself.

 

To this end, you should make a point of going on family day trips when you can manage it, both as a way of becoming familiar with the local environment, and also as a way of helping to lift everyone’s spirits, and have a bit of fun.

Do some research about the best attractions in your new locale. Maybe there is a great amusement park that gets rave reviews, or a cool historical site, or even just a relaxing park or botanical garden which would serve as a great environment for a picnic.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.