Who’s old enough to remember the tell tell sound of dial-up internet? It was the soundtrack to the beginning of the millennium and my teenage years. A lot has changed since then but the ‘5 more minutes’ plea hasn’t – navigating the digital landscape as parents is important and ever-changing.

Tech is a big part of our lives and in large it’s such a positive aspect of our day-to-day activity, it enhances so much of what we do and I’m a big believer in introducing children to it in a safe and managed way with parents leading the way when it comes to healthy and responsible use.

We’ve been with Sky for our TV, phone and broadband for over 4 years so were excited to try the new Sky Broadband Buddy App; launched in May as part of their new Sky Broadband Boost pack, it’s been designed to give parents ultimate control of their family’s internet usage. The app itself is super easy to set up – it took me less than 5 minutes to download and set up the parent profile. I then began adding devices for both me and Boo. Each device can have different time limits, content restrictions for age.

I’m a big advocate in being open with Boo about boundaries so when it came to setting up her profile on the app we sat together, I talked through why it’s important that we get a variety of stimulation, not just digital and how screen time can affect our concentration and interaction with each other. throughout our time testing the app Boo has really enjoyed checking in on it and seeing how much time she’s got left on specific apps and even what digital bedtime I’ve set myself!

One feature of the Sky Broadband Buddy app that I was really surprised by is that it not only works at home on wifi but when you’re out and about over 3G and 4G, meaning that even when Boo is at a friend’s or at Grandma’s I’m able to keep tabs on what she accesses online.

The app is essentially a very intelligent remote for the internet, absolutely perfect for helping manage modern family life. We all know the importance of striking a balance between screen time and family time so we were set a challenge by Sky to see how we could use the Sky Broadband Buddy App to cut down our screen time; challenge accepted.

I looked at potential ‘problem’ areas and whilst dinner time is already a screen-free time that we fiercely protect.
I have found myself subconsciously reaching for my phone during the mornings not only slowing me down but eating into quality Mummy and Boo time. So I set some limits mainly on myself to make sure I was present and to make sure that on non-school days Boo wasn’t reaching for the iPad until a time I’d specified on the Sky Broadband Buddy App – plus it was brilliant being able to pause the internet, something I’ve introduced into my working day as well. It was pleasantly surprising how such a small tweak to our screen time usage had an impact – it seems so simple but sometimes we all need to stop and take stock; it’s not about reinventing the wheel but about keeping a watching eye in a way that works for the 21st century.

The Sky Broadband Buddy App Gets a thumbs up from me – it helps me with important parent digital admin meaning I can get on with the serious business of having fun…

The Sky Broadband Buddy App is available to Sky Broadband customers with the Sky Broadband Boost pack.

Disclosure: This is a Collaboration with Sky, a fee was received for my time.

The school summer holidays are around the corner and with them hopefully lots of great weather making it the perfect opportunity for a family road trip.

After our holiday to Crete later this month we’re hoping to make the mammoth drive down to Devon during August to visit dear friends and escape the city but as we all know it pays to be prepared especially when it comes to long journeys so here are my top car care tips:

Check, Check and Check Again

I’m not talking about the naughty list at Christmas, I’m talking about levels. Before you set off on a long journey it’s good to check the water, oil and washer levels; whilst the former two are important for the engine the washer level will help care for your windscreen and importantly keep mean you can see where you’re going.

Keeping It Clean

We’ve all had that one friend at some point who had the muckiest of cars and it’s no fun, parenthood brings with it sticky fingers and an avalanche of snacks which is why it’s important to keep on top of the res and regularly clean your car. I love keeping Microfiber towels at ONLINEcarparts.co.uk in the car, they’re so versatile and great for most surfaces both inside and outside of the car.

This Youtube channel www.youtube.com is also great for tips on car maintenance, diagnosis and repair with super simple instructions.

The summer holidays are just around the corner (6 sleeps if you ask Boo) and with it comes a holiday, a birthday and over a month to fill with activities. I view the summer holidays as a mini new year (I’ve talked about how I’ve come to love January); as the perfect time to evaluate how the goals you set back in January are doing, and check in on finances and the household budget – something as the sole earner who is a self-employed I feel is super important to stay on top of.

Here are my top budgeting tips for summer…

1. Repurpose/Recycle/Resell

It’s no secret that I’m a a big fan of minimalism – having tried the minimalist game two years ago, I’ve found a way that works for me. It’s not all about living with one cup, one chair, it’s about creating balance and peace in your home. I want my possessions to represent me not define me. I find summer is a great time to get back into it and I’ll go though things that I no longer like or perhaps that Boo has outgrown and then sell them online (a great activity to get slightly older children involved with) or donate them to charity. Even if single items only sell for a few pounds an afternoon of sorting and listing will often earn my nearly £100 which is great for helping towards new school uniform.

2. Switch Utilities

Direct debits are a wonderful convenient thing and something that make modern family life just that little bit easier when it comes to budgeting. Utilites are like any relationship, we get comfortable and before you know it, you’re been on the same tariff with the same provider for years. I was guilty of this but I make a point every yer to go through my online statements and look at usage and if other tariffs providers would be better suited to out needs and budget; it really is amazing how much you can save each month and it takes less than an hour to sort from start to finish.

3. Seasonal Meal Planning

Cooking for one adult and one child can be bit tricky sometimes, and is definitely much easier if I plan especially if I wan to avoid food wastage (one of my biggest bug bears). Meal planning is one of those family life hacks that is as simple as it is great. Long summer evenings and an extra pair of hands around during the day means it’s time to rotate your menus to keep dinnertime fresh and take advantage of seasonal produce that is often on special offer, meaning new to you dishes that continue to save you money.

We all know that life and finances don’t go to plan and no matter how hard you try to be prepared there are occasion in life when you can’t budget for everything – that’s where Cash Lady comes in, offering a short term simple financial solution; as always it’s important you discover all the terms and conditions before deciding if this is right for you.

What are you top budgeting tips? Let me know in the comments below.

Disclosure: A fee was received for this post.

As parents, we all want the absolute best for our kids, and to get them off to the best start in life. Over recent years more and more focus has been placed on healthy eating, and not a week seems to go by without the press reporting on the growing ‘obesity crisis’ throughout the population. Meanwhile, as working parents, our lives just keep getting busier, and convenience foods are more readily available, so striking a balance between convenience and nutrition can be hard to achieve.

According to the ELNC (Early Life Nutrition Coalition), the first 1,000 days that span from preconception to toddlerhood is crucial to your child’s health. 

Over time children’s tastes can change, and a child that would previously eat anything that was put on their plate can become fussy, this can make ensuring that your child receives the right levels of nutrition even harder to achieve. If all this sounds familiar, and you are looking for ways to develop healthy eating habits in your children, then you may find these tips helpful:

Be a Good Role Model

Stress, comfort, convenience… there are many reasons why adults eat the ‘wrong’ foods. Many adults emotionally eat, and many parents are left feeling like hypocrites, especially when trying to make their children eat healthily while doing the exact opposite themselves.

As all parents know, kids imitate the behaviour they see from the adults around them, so if you want your child to eat healthily, you will need to practice what you preach and be an excellent food role model to them.

Add Some Variety

Trying new flavours and different recipes is an exciting thing to do together with the kids. Whether you are taking inspiration from cuisine that you have sampled on holiday, or have simply spotted a fruit that looks interesting at the greengrocers for you all to try, widening your child’s tastes is a great way to keep them open-minded about the food that they eat.

A child that is used to sampling a whole range of different flavours is less likely to be a fussy eater later in life, and will be more willing to sample the many different delicious foods there are out there, just ready and waiting to be tried.

Cook Together

Getting your child involved with cooking meals and baking has so many benefits. Cooking is such an important life skill, and knowing how to cook from scratch rather than relying on convenience food will set your child up for a healthy approach to both cooking and nutrition in adulthood. 

Children are usually much more likely to try foods that they have helped to cook and will feel a huge sense of pride to see the rest of the family eating something that they have prepared. Helping out with the cooking is not only beneficial from a nutritional point of view, but it is also a perfect way to spend time together working on a task and then sharing what you have created together.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.