Buying a family home is an exciting time in anyone’s life. That is especially true for mums who will want to make sure they find a perfect place for their children to grow up in. Finding somewhere that is safe, inspiring and fun is a key consideration for any mother wanting to set up a family home. With so many different things to factor in, you may want to bear the below advice in mind to help find your dream home:

Location, location!
The first point to consider is whether you want a home in the country, suburbs or city center? That is a purely personal choice based on what you prefer as a parent as well as what you think will provide the best environment for your child to grow up in. Once you have decided on a general location, you then need to drill down into specific areas. Naturally you will want an area that is well maintained by the local authority, safe and with friendly locals.

Think about the practicalities too
This tip is one that can be hard to follow for us Mum’s at times! Once you have fallen in love with a place, it can be hard to look past that at everything else you need to think about. The ideal family home is one that will work for your whole brood on every level. Is it close enough to work for anyone who needs to travel there each day? Can you easily get out to near-by parks and playgrounds with the kids at the weekend? Are there decent schools close by for the kids to go to? These types of questions need answering before you part with any money.

Plan your finances
Of course, one essential thing to sort out when buying your families dream home is the financial side. This starts with setting a realistic buying budget for the houses you will look at but also includes thinking about your monthly outgoings after moving in.

It’s also a good idea to look at any incidental costs that you might incur in the first few months after the move and see if you’re able to set aside a contingency budget.

Another area that often gets overlooked when it comes to finances and moving home is moving day itself -a packing service for moving house is one of those things that I would really recommend, it takes all the stress out of the move (or helps to reduce it as much as possible!) heloing you to concentrate on any paperwork that needs completing on the day and helping the children to feel as settled as possible.

Buying your first home is fun
Although there is a lot to think about when buying your very first home including getting the kids settled into the new environment, you must remember that it should be fun. By taking the above into account when choosing which home to buy, you will ensure that stress is kept out of the process and your whole family will love it as much as you do when you all move in.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.

A few weeks ago I talked on IG stories about not being able to drink my beloved mug of English breakfast tea since starting on new medication for chronic migraines. Whilst a seemingly mild side-effect it has left me with the quandary as to what to drink by the bucket load during the day. Coffee is out the question as I have been caffeine-free (my tea previously had been caffeine-free) for over four years and hot chocolates, whilst an indulgent treat are far too heavy to be drinking on the regular. I wasn’t ready to abandon hot drinks altogether so was keen to find an everyday substitute; and as if by magic the team behind Ciao Gusto got in touch to see if I’d be interested in trying out the Bonomelli’s herbal fruit teas.

I’ve previously drunk fruit teas but found them sometimes to be a bit too sweet and more like warm squash (nothing wrong with that on a cold day, a staple of a British winter but too sickly for 4-5 cups per day) so was interested to try the three flavours

Bonomelli is part of the Ciao Gusto family which is available on Ocado – I’ve come to see it as a dedicated one-stop Italian delicatessen offering all the Italian food brands that are so hard to come by during your weekly shop but bring those authentic tastes of Italy into your home. Being in one easy place means it’s so easy to shop, there’s so much to discover.

Back to the teas – ginger and tumeric is as the name suggests, the most spiced of the three and one that’s perfect for a blustery winter’s day and could help with the symptoms of a cold. The sweet and wild and fennel was best in the evening, I found it really gentle on my stomach and calming. My absolute favourite of the three has to be the goji and hibiscus herbal tea – the perfect balance of flavours means that I could drink it all day and have been doing just that.

Each tea comes with advice on how long to infuse and suggest to sweeten if desired not with sugar but honey which I did with fennel and it gave it such a different spin on the taste, it was lovely.

Bonomelli herbal fruit teas and so many more much loved Italian brands are available through Via Gusto on Ocado.

Disclosure: A fee was received for my time.

As I approached the big 3-0 last year I felt this building pressure for an epiphany of sorts – my twenties had been pretty pivotal in making me a mother and I’m immensely proud of the career I’ve worked towards. But a higher level of adult as the clock struck midnight? I’m afraid not… I’m still amazed that every day I’m entrusted with Boo’s future – not to mention running a house. There was no lightbulb moment – instead a chorus of people ‘welcoming’ me to the old club, and asking me how I felt. I’ve never feared ageing, as my Grandma used to say the alternative is really rather morbid, I choose to view it as a lovely privilege.

So no inner lessons from turning 30 last year – however as I approached 31 this year I’ve noticed a change within; it’s as if the last year has seen me bed into my thirties and finally (only taken me 13 years) become truly comfortable as an adult and all that comes with it.

Motherhood has a habit of eclipsing your growth as a person as you quite rightly focus on the needs of raising your family but as Boo is now 8, it’s all aligning, in terms of our lives, goals and needs – less running of baths and more discussions with actual viewpoints – our home is alive with shoots of new growth and new development for the both of us.

I feel a sense of zen (trust me I’m as shocked as you to be writing the words, never thought they’d be ‘me) but also a sense of great enthusiasm and great energy and as cheesy as it sounds I think it comes with the self-assurance of being in my thirties.

I’m a maximalist who laughs too loud and too often and I’ve spent over a decade apologising for this; 31 brings not only acceptance but love for myself – I’m a great friend.

So has the first year of my thirties been more formative than I had imagined? Or has the societal pressure of milestone ageing quietened enough to allow me to grow at my own pace? AS such with self-reflection it’s too soon to know the hows and whys but it’s good to feel it consciously happening.

It’s only been a couple of days but I can already tell that 31 suits me better.

It’s less than two weeks until back to school – some of you will be counting down and some will be savouring every last day; being a WAHM during the summer holidays is never easy however with Boo starting Year 4 I like to think I’ve found our groove when it comes to being organised with back to school and all that comes with it. I’m super organised and it’s often assumed that it’s a trait you’re just kind of have, but the truth is I’m naturally the most disorganised person you’ll meet; I made a conscious decision when I was a teenager to become organised and the rest they say is a history… of lists!

There’s no crazy secret, just tried and tested tips and most importantly not leaving everything until the last minute; even if you’ve not made a start, there’s still plenty of time – here are my top finds this year.

Our school like lots of other schools does restrict what Smiggle items are allowed however, I still find the back to school bundles offer the best value and the rucksack is perfect for clubs and weekends. I really love the bright print, and the added treats available help to make shopping that bit more fun. But hey anytime we step foot in a Smiggle store or browse their website it’s never boring for Boo.

I am OBSESSED with labels – I have one of those handheld label printers and I will readily admit to labelling you if you stand still long enough! Jokes aside, they’re not messing when they say label everything that goes into school. Each summer I order a batch from Tinyme and this year I opted for two sheets of the stickers plus iron on stickers and shoe overlays. The shoe overlays have been an absolute game-changer – Boo came home with her school shoes every single day of Year 3 which if you know Boo is an achievement! 

If your child needs glasses, then it’s also worth checking before the big return that they still have the same prescription, and if they need new glasses there are plenty of suitable options at www.eyeglasses.com which will help them return to school primed and ready for a new term. Things change quickly at their age, so always make sure kids have the right strength of glasses; they’ll need them considering how much reading they’ll be doing.

Back to school can feel like a chore but as Boo is that bit older it’s really nice to do things together, even if I do have to explain seventeen times why you can’t put hot tea in a water bottle – can’t blame a girl for trying… 

Disclosure: We were gifted the Smiggle back to school bundle pack.