Is social media and technology affecting your family?

“Come down for tea” I hollar cheerfully up the stairs….. a minute or so goes by….

“boys, come on my darlings, it’s on the table….” more time passes and not a peep can be heard.

It’s now on the table and I’m getting a bit irritated….”Boys!!”

I’m starting to boil now…. “Right I’m going to count to 3!”

Eventually they appear, not in the least bit aware of the effect of my shouting up the stairs. I’ve now got to get myself out of the self induced strop that I’m in because day after day my voice is just not having the effect I think it should. My little boys are getting into a world of their own and that world is inhabited by the likes of YouTube stars and watching people carry out the silliest of pranks on shows they and their friends find online.

Now, I love to blog, my youngest loves to vlog for my blog and I have brought them the gadgets to watch this stuff on so really the blame lands firmly with me, I realise that but it’s all starting to get on my wick a bit.

Me and the OH do chat about the gadgets in our house and the boys use of them. We are pretty good in a few areas, we don’t have any devices at the meal table, homework is done straight away and they both do classes after school. It’s still amazes me though how they can get so into the zone watching these things on YouTube. I push for things like newsround and adventure shows to throw in a bit of knowledge based learning but even Steve Backshaw has a bit of competition with the YouTube elite of Spencer et al.

Looking at the stats you can find for facebook, snapchat, instagram and all the other little cousins of the social media world you can see the millions of daily users and how year on year these are increasing to meet the demand of our younger generation hopping onto this online juggernaut. Even their games such as Fortnite can have them chatting for hours.

I find myself dreaming of giving it all up and living on a farm away from the bustle of modern life. I see the huge pitfalls too of making this leap; money, contacts, work, school to name but a few of the basics. It’s still so tempting!

I was watching a film the other night about a family shunning the modern way of living and relying more on natural skills and intellectual educational learning and I kept thinking the same thing; there was something missing. The more I thought about it the easier it was to see, the missing link was ‘balance‘.

Technology can have so many great benefits to us and our family life, we can instantly communicate with friends and relatives on the other side of the world and keep our links with these people alive and current. They can help with homework and general knowledge. On the other hand are our children’s social skills being permanently adversely affected? Are we protecting their well-being by letting them be in their rooms on social media apps that distort their communication methods into abbreviated text junk?

So, back to my thoughts about balance and what can I do to instil some balance in the way that we live our lives. We can take a moment to stop and think what we are filling our days with. We can discuss together whether this is the direction we want to continue in. Do we need to get back to basics. Not one of those political slogans but something that is right for our own families. Sitting and talking as a family, eating together at least once a day, spending time without phones, iPads or any form of devise. I’m willing to give this a go and put my other solution of wellington boots and the countryside to one side at the moment. I want us to connect.

Has technology affected the way that you and your family communicate with each other and have you seen this trend slowly change or were there certain triggers? Can they be a valuable aid for educational learning?

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If you enjoyed this post then I think that you’d love my 5 tips to help the school run go smoother.

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Truffle Trivia Competition Giveaway

Spring has sprung and it’s time for me to launch some more giveaways. How long has it been? It seems like forever that I have not had a giveaway on my site. Well I can start putting that right here and now:)

This Truffle Trivia Quiz Box is so much fun. It looks just like a box of scrummy chocolates, ideal to take to a dinner party. Surprise surprise it is a quiz box set perfect to give the hosts and have some after dinner fun!

Without further ado, you can enter now and be in with a chance to win this fab prize.

Enter the giveaway here…

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Good luck! Open to worldwide entries.

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Best Friends Forever Notebook Giveaway

I’ve got a fantastic giveaway for you today with this Best Friends Forever Notebook.

With summer starting to fade its glorious sunlight into the dusk of autumn it is time to start thinking about Christmas. It’s hard to believe but it will be on us before we know it. This could be just the thing for school aged children to love and cherish.

This Best Friends Forever Notebook sets down lasting memories of childhood friends.

With pages to write contact details, to have photos and to pop little messages that are recorded forever, it’s ideal to take to school during the last week of term.

So, all you have to do to win this notebook is to enter using the rafflecopter entry below. Good luck and forget to come back each day for a bonus entry tweet!

Here’s the Giveaway!

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Open to Worldwide Entrants.

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Honeycomb Birds Giveaway

The giveaway I am pleased to be sharing with you today actually shows how you can have wonderfully elegant decorations in the house which can represent the outside wildlife so well. This is a favourite giveaway of mine as they are so beautiful.

They can be used as wedding party decorations, imagine a flock of these in one corner on a lovely summers day…beautiful!

Great at a christening, childrens party or any occasion that you want your decorations to stand out from the crowd. Much nicer to have your party talked about for all the right reasons.

These 3 birds can be used inside or outside and if handled carefully can be used again and again. The pack contains 3 x 6″ paper honeycomb birds.

They are beautiful and add a touch of something a bit different. You can enter using the rafflecopter widget below. Good luck and thanks for visiting today.

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Open to UK address holders only

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Summer Notelets Giveaway

It’s summer and I’m in the mood for more and more giveaways!

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Social Soiree Pack of 12 Blank Notelets & Envelopes for Invitations & Thank You Cards

As they say, you’ve got to be in it to win it! Throughout the summer I will be putting on as many giveaways as I can. Laced in between my family, recipe and guest posts I hope that you have everything you need here to spend a little time and see what’s on offer.

I love my blog and being able to talk about so many different subjects in my own space is massively rewarding. I hope you have fun here and are enjoying the summer too. Drop me a line in the comments section and let me know what you are up to.

Have fun!

Mainy

Giveaway Special – Enter in the rafflecopter box below

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Open to U.K. based entrants only. Full t&c’s on my contacts page.

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It’s the weekend….

Oh and the school holidays start!! Da da daaaaa!! It’s brilliant to have such a great start to the summer, with all this sun we have been down the beach most days after the boys have finished school. Living on the south coast of England is such a dream.

The World Cup kept us pretty occupied while it was on. Maybe football didn’t come home but I think the team did us proud! It was great to all get behind England and we loved it in our house. We had the lucky bunting up and had a great time watching so many matches. Being a mixed heritage household we had different teams to support but England were the most successful.

This weekend we are going to the Sorted in Dorset family festival in hamworthy Park which looks set to be a lot of fun. I remember going to that park when I was little as we had a beach hut there, so it’s going to be quite nostalgic too.

In the garden I’m going to have a good root around my plants. The success story there this week are my tomatoes.

With all of this lovely hot sun they are growing beautifully. Another week or so and they should start to ripen up to a rich red!

Not as lucky are my purple brussel sprouts. The delicate but deadly cabbage white butterfly managed to lay their eggs and the caterpillars 🐛 had a feeding frenzy before I could pick them all off.

That’s the thing with my version of organic gardening, I haven’t put anything other than water on the plants and deal with the bugs by picking them and putting them up the end of the garden. I still have my fingers crossed that my aim of have home grown brussel sprouts as part of my christmas dinner roast will actually happen.

All in all this weekend will be out in the fresh air as much as possible. A great start to the summer holidays.

What are your plans for the weekend or the summer break?

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More gardening stories can be seen here with my 5 steps to making a raised bed.

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Estarer Laptop Bag Review and Giveaway

Timing is key to most things and considering my laptop bag was falling apart at the seams the time was right now to look for a new one. My computer travels more miles than I can imagine. It comes to work every day, it will accompany me on business trips and it travels in continuous circles around my own house, from room to room, up and down the stairs being the faithful servant it is.

So, news flash! I have a new bag! Boy am I pleased with it, I’ve got that office chic feeling again. It’s great what a new bag will do for me.

Today I am not only telling you about this great bag from Estarer but I also have a Giveaway too! You can get your hands on a bag just like this by entering at the end of this post. First though let me tell you a bit more.

I have chosen the brown the version and it also comes in a plum colour. The bag is large and has space for just about everything. If you are a multi tasker then this will be just right. There’s even space for the odd nappy and baby wipe.

I like the short straps as I often get shoulder ache when I have a shoulder strap so this suits me a bit better. However for those of you who like the shoulder strap then there is one included.

The front on the bag has zips and compartments with easy access. If you use a note book jotter for those instant ideas such as blog post ideas or extra items for the never ending to do list then the jotter will be easily within reach using one of these outside pockets.

The bag is large enough for a 15 inch laptop and will also accommodate A4 folders alongside it.

Product Dimensions: 30 x 9 x 40 cm
Weight: 980 g

Overall view of the bag is that it is a good size for me, I will have to be careful not to overfill it or I will struggle with the weight. It is stylish and stands out from the normal run of the mill cases which I have looked at previously.

The Giveaway!

Estarer Womens Laptop Bag

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Good luck!

Mainy

Open to EU entries. All entries will be verified. Prize distributed by Estarer directly. Full t&c’s here.

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Duffy’s Lucky Escape – Guest Post and Giveaway

Duffy the Sea Turtle is an engaging story of the relationship between humans and wildlife and the dangers turtles face in their own natural habitats due to ocean plastic. Stunning artwork captures the imagination of young readers and brings to life a very real threat to our oceans.

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I love to have guest blogs here and I find it’s such a great way to share stories, learn something new and to share our own passions. My guest blogger today is Ellie Jackson who has recently returned to the UK after having lived abroad for many years and being involved in conservation work. Ellie has written the wonderful tale of Duffy the Sea Turtle .

Ellie Jackson and illustrator Liz Oldmeadow, are two mums with 5 children between them who met at mother’s group when their sons were babies. A chance discussion over coffee led the mums to discover their mutual talents and so began a partnership that after many months of juggling children and other commitments has finally led to Duffy’s message being ready to be shared. Here’s more about her story.

I never thought about becoming an author, it was a process that I fell into by reason of circumstance and luck. An amazing opportunity to live for a year on a tropical island in the Great Barrier Reef was not something that I ever thought would lead to a new direction for me – we moved there as a family for beaches and adventure! The most beautiful beaches, framed by palm trees and sunsets, just how you would imagine an island paradise to be.

We didn’t wear shoes for a year, we had our own pool, and a great circle of friends. My three children were all under school age and it was the perfect chance for us as a family to experience a more laid back approach to life and give our kids real freedom. My husband works from home and this allowed us the opportunity to try something different before we had to start real life when our eldest started school.

We heard about a turtle release happening on one of the beaches – I have to say I didn’t realise what a big deal this event was going to be – the whole island turned out plus TV cameras and journalists. When it was time for the turtle to be put back into the water, we formed two lines into the sea and the turtle was released on the beach and immediately headed for the sea and was gone in a matter of seconds.

It was a surprisingly emotional experience to see this turtle who had spent a year in the aquarium getting fit and healthy again, returning to her ocean home. After the turtle release, we visited the Turtle Hospital on the mainland and heard all the different reasons as to why turtles need our help – one of which is where they suffer from eating too much plastic. As soon as my young children had made the link between plastic on the beach and turtles, every time we went to the beach they were running around picking up rubbish saying “Mummy, I’m saving a turtle!”. Well that was it for me, I was amazed at how such a simple true story could motivate and encourage such enthusiasm for picking up rubbish!

Duffy’s Lucky Escape is a beautifully illustrated book teaching children about the dangers of ocean plastics without overwhelming them. The powerful message is delivered in a fun and friendly way and ends by inspiring children to make changes to their own and their families lives. A perfect present for Christmas or gift to your child’s school, please visit duffytheseaturtle.com to order your copy for just £7.99 with a percentage of all profits going to UK national marine charities.

You can follow us on social media for latest updates and competitions as well as information about my new book due out before Christmas.

@duffytheseaturtle

@duffytheturtle

Thank you so much Ellie for joining us today and telling us about the events leading you to write your book.

You can win a copy of Duffy’s Lucky Escape below in the rafflecopter giveaway. Good luck everyone!

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Bumper Giveaways Christmas Gift Guide – Part 2

It’s time for Part 2 of my Bumper Giveaways Christmas Gift Guide. So glad you could join me again.

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Another chance to showcase some wonderful companies offering gifts which have presents that I personally love. If you are like me then it’s often the gifts we would love to have ourselves that we end up buying for others. Have a look and why not treat yourself along the way! There is also a chance to win in our great giveaway below.

Enjoy and let me know your favourites and who you would like to see featured again. You can also see my Gift Guide and Giveaways Part 1 by following the link.

Red Candy

I am a big fan of Red Candy and have featured them before here.

If you like really cool, modern gifts then redcandy.co.uk is the place to go. I love this VW Campervan Magazine rack. This retro creation uses a quirky cut out design to display all of the campervan detail, including the windows, doors, and headlamps.

It’s a really good size at: 24cm x 40cm x 14cm. It comes in 5 colours; Red, Green, Black, Blue and Yellow. It costs £19.00 which affordable considering how well made it is and makes a substantial christmas present.

If you want a kitchen gift with a difference then how about this Elvis Joseph Joseph Worktop Saver. Priced at £14.90 it’s great value. It has a lifetime guarantee, ensuring it will stay very much alive, no matter what food comes into contact with it, so you can enjoy it for years to come.

You can follow their news on here @redcandyuk

Taylor + Rani

Taylor + Rani was started by Isobel who is a print and pattern designer. Isobel is an avid traveller and doer. They make beautiful, stylish and comfortable underwear for girls and teens.

The bralettes are reversible, you simply remove the straps and turn around. The bra pads are removable via the side seam where there is a purpose hole. The pads do not need removing for washing, just leave them in place.

Taylor + Rani have a team of researches who look at how they work with each charity partner to find the best way they can provide help in a sustainable manner.

They are currently partnering with a charity that works in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Sierra Leone to help girls stay in education longer. Young girls in that part of the world often miss out on completing their education due to lack of access to toilets and/or sanitary products. Purchases of their products provides equipment and support to make this happen. You are actually helping such a worthwhile cause by buying this great gift. #brasthatdogood is the one hashtag that you should use today!

Their collections are varied in colour and themes and all look stunning and comfy. Have a look here. I will be carrying out a focused review of this forward thinking company in the new year and will let you all know when this comes out.

You can imagine how pleased I am to be able to offer a great giveaway of a set of underwear to one lucky reader. Enter using the rafflecopter below.

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Hotwaterbottleshop.co.uk

If you love to soothe aches and pains and to feel warm and snuggly then the hotwaterbottleshop.co.uk is perfect for you. A family business working side by side, they have developed a beautiful range of hot water bottles, microwaveable body warmers (such as feet warmers, body wraps, eye masks) and microwaveable toys.

They have a fab blog which has useful information such as 5 tips to making the most of your microwavable warmer. I also liked the post that gave safety information on how to fill a water bottle. My nan used to always give me a water bottle when I was little and stayed at her house. I would love to stand and watch her knowing that I would have the treat of curling up next to her with it and drift off to sleep. It brings back very happy memories.

I couldn’t resist featuring this cute owl hot water bottle with cover. It’s capacity is 0.8 litre which uses an ultra-modern, thermoplastic rubberless design. It’s easy-to-use, comfortable and eco-sustainable too. These hot water bottles are made from 80% renewable materials, are PVC free, recyclable and unlike many other hot water bottles they are odourless. Priced at £18.99 you can buy it here.

For something next that I have been wanting for a long time and finally have, it’s a Peony Scented Floral Microwaveable Body Wrap.

So many times I come home from work or even after a day running around after the kids and I realise I am aching all over. This microwavable body wrap is lovely for warming up and draping over your shoulders or wrapping around your back. This one is infused with Peony essential oils so smells fantastic. There is a peony pattern on one side which is shown in the pictures here and on the reverse is a soft fleece material. As with many of the products on the site, this can be frozen to be used as a cold compress when needed. Ideal christmas present. Length = 49cm, Width = 14cm.

Look! A Discount voucher just for you!

Use at the checkout: XMAS1166

This gives you 20% off all orders over £15 with hotwaterbottleshop.co.uk before the end of the year. One use per customer.

@hotwaterbottle2 hotwaterbottles

If you like personalised gifts – like me! then how about a Monogrammed Soap Gift Box. You have 4 beautifully crafted soaps in a gift box. You can have a single initial or triple initial monogram. This is something so different and adds a touch of luxury to your gift. The soaps are vegetable based and triple milled which means that you get a gorgeous soapy lather that feels great on your skin. More than just a stocking filler!

I hope you have enjoyed part two of my christmas gift guides. Please see part one here for more ideas and chances to win.

What are you most looking forward to at christmas? Have you started your shopping yet?