I’ve spoken previously about my role as co-chair on the PTA for Boo’s school and with the summer fair fast approaching it’s all hands on deck to make our Galstonmary summer event a rip-roaring success.

The flipside to fundraising for the PTA is spending the money on worthwhile projects within the school. Last year we were able to contribute 50% of the cost of a brand new ICT suite which is used by the entire school on a weekly basis.

For over a year, our head teacher has spoken about her vision of creating an covered outdoor multi-purpose space that can be used for teaching, play and prayer. Infinite Canopies are a great example of how thinking innovatively when it comes to outside space in educational settings gives endless opportunities for the children to really get the most out of the space especially when half of the school year has the oh so classic status of ‘wet play’!

With Infinite Canopies you have the choice between steel and timber frames both offering great use of space and both have the amazing flexibility of the canopy design which is perfect for catching little one’s attention and sparking their imagination.

Infinite canopies don’t just offer outdoor classrooms they can design and install bespoke friendship circles – isn’t that the just the loveliest idea – right through to canopies for secondary schools. And with such a versatile approach that will surely be of great benefit to all the children, this is one suggestion I can’t wait to bring up at the next PTA meeting.

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The connection between a parent and a child is one of the most beautiful bonds that this world has ever seen. Among all filial bonds one very special bond is between a mother and her daughter.
Almost in every family we see a mother inculcating values, goals and dreams in her children. A mother hopes to see her daughter grow up with her own goals, desires and responsibilities one day.
In many cases, a mother and daughter relationship can be complex, yet it can also be filled with understanding and love. We know relationships vary, but here are some suggestions which universally holds true for any mother-daughter relationship and helps the bond grow stronger over time:

1) Building a communication bridge : Irrespective of the kind, relationships always rely on communication. Without proper communication any relationship would suffer. So it is an essentiality to incorporate communication between a mother and a daughter.

2) Try handling your mood swings: Usually we end up showing our temper especially to the people we love. Try to recognize each other’s anger issues,judge the situation well and give ample space to each other so that the relationship can blossom over time.

3) Find social interest : Social interest always help to build a relationship. Find the ways a mother-daughter duo can hang around together on the web.
Like shopping together, plan to try a new activity which will bring you both together, have some fun time by playing bingo online games at online bingo sites like www.gamevillage.com, which will give both of you a chance to meet like-minded people and get a chance to share your thoughts and also have common circle of acquaintances. Try to explore new things that a mother and a daughter can do online and build splendid memories with them.

4) Learn to let go :When you sense a touch of hurt and emotions run high, it’s often hard to forgive or ask for an excuse. Instead of sharing it with others make a point to talk to each other and resolve the problem. Try apologising to each other when you are at fault which makes a it a lot more easier to deal with problems. It is important to remember that a mother and daughter relationship grows hand to hand.

Try to recognize these necessities in your relationship and have a perfect mother and daughter bonding forever!

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Tea and cupcakes; these two words are enough to grab my attention. Add to the mix right on my doorstep and quirky tearoom and I’m sold… Say hello to Dotty’s Tearoom of Carshalton.

I was invited to the launch of Dotty’s Tearoom on Thursday evening and was excited to see it’s offering to our village high street. Situated at 108 High Street, the traditional tea rooms are the first on Carshalton High Street for more than 100 years. With it’s divine victoria sponge and irresistible mini scones I sampled a selection of delights set to be on offer from Dotty’s Tearoom.

Whilst enjoying fizz with the lovely Kathy from Local Mums Online I caught up with Rebecca, the founder who found success in Kingston last year with her pop up tea room and decided Carshalton was the place to call her own and create a collaborative space is not only a fantastic space for local people but a great way for local small creative businesses to showcase their talents and amazing products.

Being a lover of Earl Grey it’s great to finally have a tearoom on my doorstep – literally – that has everything I need to enjoy a lovely cuppa and crack on with work during school hours and treat Boo to a sophisticated tea once the school bell rings.

With a soft launch from next week, and fully open from the beginning of June – Dotty’s Tearoom is set to be the collaborative and creative space that our lovely little village has so desperately needed… Bravo Dotty’s Tearoom!

It’s almost impossible to think of a world were we don’t live with some sort of debt, yes I’d love to be in a position where I am completely debt free – although I’m pretty sure with student debts that day is quite a few decades away! Borrowing money use to be a very traditional affair: you’d go to bank, ask for a loan and then wait to see if they had approved the lending. However nowadays there are more and more different ways to access money.

A fairly new concept to become and increasingly more viable option is peer to peer lending; which while it may as a principal have been around for many years (anyone familiar with the bank of Mum and Dad?!) it hasn’t been without risk for those lending the money.

From thinking we were moving house at the beginning of the year and all the associated costs that come with that to now staying put in our current home and embarking on a refurbishment there are always going to be costs that both planned and that just crop up. The flexibility of unsecured loans is great for family life when costs and plans change.

Lending Works is the first peer-to-peer lending who offers insurance against borrower defaults which gives peace of mind to those who are the lenders. It also has a clear, easy to understand application process that helps put applicants in charge of their finances. With options to borrow £1000 to £25000 over a period of anything from 1 year to 5 years, the personalised quote takes a few minutes, doesn’t affect your credit score and once approved the loan can be paid with two working days.

So it all sounds very much like a bank, however with fixed rate, low interest and no hidden fees that are often associated with retail banks, Lending Works really has shaken things up in the world of lending money.

As you probably guessed with peer-to-peer lending there are two sides to the lending story; there are the applicants who can borrow money in a way that suits their circumstances and affordability and then there are also the lenders who are offered great returns (5.1% over three years), with total peace of mind – you don’t need to be a financial advisor to recognise that rate of return as something to sit up and take notice of.

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