Lifestyle

Blog posts related to lifestyle – you will find a range of topics under this section, all related to my life as a mummy, with a toddler

Lifestyle

5 Home Remedies to Deter Spiders and Bugs

1 July 2023 , 10 Comments

It’s that time of year – bugs and spiders are about! Living by a canal is great, but bugs aren’t! For this reason, I have my home remedies to eradicate them from the house. Here is my guide on how to Deter Spiders and Bugs.

Each year is different. Sometimes we get large spiders, but the worst type is the cream-coloured ones, which are the same colour as our walls. You don’t know they are there until you’re up close to them!

Maybe it’s a past-life thing or something, but I have a fear of spiders. Our house can get quite hot. Therefore we need to open the patio doors for most of the summer. This isn’t great when we have wildlife right outside our windows. Whilst I love how scenic it is living here, I shouldn’t have to live with bugs inside my house.

Quick note – Some of the links contained on this page are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. I only recommend products I use myself and think would be useful for other people.

To make the boundary clear, I use home remedies. And I want to talk to you about them in this blog post:

1. Essential oils

Having researched a few years ago, I learned that eucalyptus and peppermint oil deters bugs and spiders. Since then, I make up my solutions in spray bottles, by adding three drops of the oil, mixed with water. I also combine some drops of oil with the existing cleaning products I use.

2. Citrus cleaning products only

I love using floral cleaning products. And according to the season, I may switch it up a little. We all need a Cinnamon vibe in Autumn. But during the spring and summer months, it is citrus only in our house.

This is one of my favourite cleaning products and it smells amazing. It’s also very cheap!

Astonish Kitchen Cleaner, 750ml – Zesty Lemon

3. Diffusers and air fresheners

I’m a huge fan of scents dotted around the house. And in my fear fuelled, panic buying, I once came across these amazing air fresheners. Airpure refill for an automatic air freshener.

Putting them high up on shelves and in the bathrooms makes a difference to the number of spiders we get in the house.

4 Citronella

You’ve all seen the citronella products available when you go camping. There’s a reason people use them effectively to get rid of bugs, which is a must if it’s just you in a field, with a tent.

I’ve adapted the use of citronella to the house. In addition to a range of lemon and lime smells.

We own everything from wax melts to incense sticks, to reed diffusers. I’ve even tried some cool hanging gadgets to solve the problem.

Citronella all the way!

Image courtesy of Poundshop

Check out this Eden Tear Drop Colour Changing USB Ultrasonic Misting Aroma Diffuser

If you want to try citrus oils as part of your well-being routine, try Tisserand Essential Oils

5. Cotton wool balls in glasses

Buying all of these citronella products can become expensive. To solve this problem, I use cotton wool balls in shot glasses, which I dot all around the house. I’ve also recently started adding my oils to scent boosters, which works really well for our balcony.

HOW TO make a spider-busting potion using scent boosts – Get an old pot candle holder (must be able to hold boiling water). Add the scent boosters, Pour in a small amount of hot water. Add three drops of each essential oil: peppermint, eucalyptus and lime.

Image courtesy of Poundshop

Until Next Time

I hope you found some useful remedies and products to get you started with eradicating nasties from your home.

Do you use any of these products? Are there remedies I should know about?

I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Enjoy, Lifestyle

How To Pick Your Bedroom Colour Scheme and Why It Matters

21 May 2023 , 20 Comments

AD – First of all, let’s ask whether the colour you choose for your bedroom, actually matters. Well, the answer is, yes it does. Colour has been proven to have an impact on our mood. And bedtime is such an essential time of the day. It’s important to ensure you get a restful sleep. Because sleep is so crucial in guaranteeing we can function in our daily lives.

Here are some things to consider when choosing a colour scheme for your bedroom:

How do you want your bedroom to make you feel?

Think about the times you settle down for a nap. Do you like to feel relaxed, and comforted? Are you a reader? Maybe you like to watch television or create things in your bedroom space. Using the power of your imagination.

Depending on how you would like to feel when you’re in the room, you need to consider how colours can impact your mood.

Consider how colour affects lighting

When choosing a paint colour or wallpaper for your bedroom, you need to consider how colour impacts lighting. Daylight bulbs and bright white light have a higher kelvin number and are a bit cooler in colour. Incandescent lighting intensifies warm colours, like red, orange and yellow. By contrast, it dulls cooler colours like blue.

Accessorise using colour

Before you purchase an expensive tin of paint. Maybe try some smaller additions, to test out whether you like the vibe.

Maybe you are unsure of which colour to use for your bedroom decor. Or you simply don’t have a strong enough preference. You need some inspiration. You could start off by using different coloured accessories around your room, to test out whether you like the mood it creates.

Whether it be curtains, a rug, or coloured furniture. Or a personalised cushion, positioned perfectly on a new colourful bedcover.

Use a colour wheel or tester pot

When choosing your accessories, if it’s curtains you have decided on, get a swatch of material to take home and test. It’s important to look at the material and how it will actually look in your bedroom. If you’re painting, get tester pots in all the colours you love. And spend time making the correct decision.

You will have to live in this newly decorated room for several years. It’s important to test, in order to eliminate some of the options you thought you might like. Be certain you have definitely made the correct decision. And that the right mood will be created for your home.

Consider the colour of your bed and headboard

We all know the advice – replace your bed every seven years! However, it is likely you may want to change your bedroom colour scheme several times within this period. If you have an existing bed you bought to match an old colour scheme, it’s important to think about how the colours of the room will impact the existing bed.

Consider the size of your room and use accent walls

Arranging colours or textures in a room can change the perspective. Essentially making the room appear wider, longer or taller. Darker colours can make the room appear closed and smaller. Lighter colours can make the space appear larger.

When picking an accent wall, ensure it is the focal point of the room. And, it’s also important to ensure the accent wall compliments and stands out from the other colours in the room.

Make it personal

You can spend hours in the local DIY store, looking at thousands of variations of the same paint colour. Not to mention that each paint brand usually has its own colour chart. Which can make the whole task more complicated. then it’s time to buy tester posts and research the benefits of each colour.

Regardless of the overwhelmed feeling this creates, or store assistants trying to sell their paint brand. Ultimately you need to ensure you are picking a colour you love. Something you are passionate about and that resonates. After all, you will be the only person sleeping in the room night after night.

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Holiday, Travel, Travel Diaries

6 Top Tips for Booking a UK Holiday Break

14 February 2023 , 28 Comments

We are in the process of booking our second UK holiday of the year. And I thought I would talk you through our booking process.

We’ve opted to mainly have UK holidays for the next 3-5 years. Simply because it’s expensive to travel abroad and we have already taken my little one to Lanzarote. Whilst it was a fantastic holiday for all the family, there are changes we would make if we returned. For example, we would probably need a villa instead of a hotel. This is so we can accommodate meal and snack times. And live more comfortably throughout our stay. Keep a lookout for our upcoming travel plans on the Travel Diaries page.

Let’s dive into my top tips for booking a UK holiday break:

List your must-haves and don’t deviate

For us personally, we are looking for comfort, and enough bedrooms for everyone. Outdoor space, near some amenities, including a village, pub, and restaurant. And a beach is a bonus.

If you’ve ever done a holiday search, you will know there are 1000s of potential options. Sifting through them can be a nightmare. I personally get very overwhelmed. And we end up finding options we absolutely love, that are just not suitable for our needs. Filter all searches to allow only the properties you would actually stay. Therefore, you are only allowing the practical options to get through. And avoiding the heartache of finding a stunning house, but with none of the other, much-needed desirables.

Make enquiries to get your desired break length

Most large holiday sites and caravan parks have a standard holiday format for booking. It’s usually Monday – Friday or over the weekends. Also 7 days or two weeks.

However, you can find breaks that differ in length by making enquiries directly to the owner or the holiday travel website. I have also found that Hoseasons allow you to put an odd number of days in the search.

Because we are travelling on a Sunday, to avoid traffic on a long drive, we needed a booking site which would allow us to book outside the normal booking pattern.

Plan the logistics

Ensure that you carefully plan travel time, what you will need to pack and the nearest supermarket etc.

If you are combining this break with other days out. Such as visiting a zoo, attending the theatre, or finally going to the theme park that was always too far away. Make sure you factor the logistics into your plan. And you can attend these other activities on the days you are there.

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Check out reviews for amenities

In the past, we’ve booked stays in Wales, only to find that the local village pubs only open on certain days and have strange food service times. Not ideal. When you have a toddler and you don’t find this out until you actually get to the town centre.

Google the nearest pubs and restaurants. Check the menu. Email the venue if you have queries. Make sure these places are practical to visit and you will enjoy your time there as a family. If not, move on to the next holiday home and do the exact same searches on the local amenities.

We learned our lesson the hard way. We now do the research upfront and even book restaurant tables before we set off on holiday! Especially if it is a special occasion.

Be ruthless

I have an endless list of properties I’ve come across over the years. Wonderful places to stay but not practical. As they were either in the middle of nowhere or didn’t meet our criteria.

I still think about how wonderful some of them are. But it doesn’t make them the right place to stay.

Stick to your list of requirements and don’t deviate. You wouldn’t buy a house in the middle of nowhere if you didn’t like to be secluded, just because it looked great. Jot down your personal preferences and stick to them.

Keep a list of properties you may want to stay in

Each time we book a holiday, we end up with a shortlist. It was so close on one occasion, I had to create a pros and cons checklist. Yes, I started this blog because I love planning, lists and organising things. Booking websites also allow you to create an account and save your favourites.

It’s great to refer back to these great properties. An occasion may come up in your family which makes the secluded property, all of a sudden the perfect match for the holiday in question. Don’t discount those which were once unsuitable. It all depends on the requirements of that particular holiday.

Until Next Time

Do you have any tips for booking a UK holiday break?

Post them in the comments below…

Money, Money saving hacks, Thrift

Why Buying A Dining Table Was A Game Changer In Our House

27 July 2022 , 15 Comments

It’s so exciting hunting for a bargain. And this is exactly what I did with our latest star purchase.

I talked recently about shopping on a second-hand marketplace. eBay is the name everyone thinks of when you say this and it is the platform which produced another amazing bargain for our household.

New dining table

About a month ago I decided I needed a dining table. It had to be small and compact, simply because we don’t have the room for a large one. We previously had a large, extending glass table and it just wasn’t practical with a baby. Things change.

My main motivation for buying a smaller table was getting my toddler involved in the kitchen. She likes to be independent and pick her own snacks from the fridge now. When I’m cooking, she also loves helping me. Rather than break my back, bending down to help her, or lifting her up, it was time for a table.

However, the small, cute, compact tables tend to be over expensive. And we don’t currently have the funds to spend a large amount of money. Therefore, I used my bargain-hunting skills.

The process

It’s strange because I don’t usually have patience in any other area of life. Just the way I am built, I guess. But I’ve waited around a month for the right table to come up. I even bid on some, then decided they were too far away or not suitable. If you use eBay, this might be considered a no-no, according to their rules. But I had to do what was best for my family.

We went from an initial table my hubby was talking about restoring, to an amazing and nice-looking plastic table, which I love.

The best part was the price – just £15.00. And I am happy with all aspects of it. The design, the price, and the problems it will solve in our house.

Memories are priceless

I am signing off this blog post now because we are about to sit as a family and eat our Sunday roast. Sometimes you have to have a little patience and perseverance in order to aid in making magical memories for your family.

Job hunting, Money, Working mum mini-series

5 practical tips for building your CV and applying for jobs online

27 April 2022 , 15 Comments

As someone who’s gone through the process of applying for jobs recently, after a nine-year career. I’ve read every bit of useful, up to date information Google has to offer.

I’m sharing this with you in the hope it may be of use to someone out there in the same position.

Redundancy and a mental breakdown forced me to change my circumstances, to avoid a negative impact on my mental health moving forward.

What it was like job hunting after nine years

I won’t lie, it was a daunting process. Simply because so much has changed since the last time I applied for a job. It’s clear businesses use technology and match keywords in applications to weed out great candidates. Whilst I don’t blame companies for doing this, it means you need to be vigilant when matching your experience to the wording in the role profile. You have to put quite a lot of work in just to get past the initial selection stages and it’s brutal.

The current job market

My rants about the state of the job market in the UK are for another post. We are told there are lots of jobs on offer. However, having gone through the process of making regular contact with the DWP, I have grave concerns over whether they are correctly helping people. Essentially, I took a lot of initiative when applying for jobs, predominantly because I am an organised person and I enjoy working. But what about the people who are unable to do this? They need the correct support and I don’t think they are currently receiving it.

Watch this space for a blog post about my experience of dealing directly with the DWP!

What information will I find in this post?

Because I’ve done my research, I will be including useful links to help you build your CV and apply for jobs. I will also be including some practical tips which worked for me and resulted in a successful application for my part-time job.

Let’s start with a cover letter

There is mixed information online about whether a cover letter is required. For all the applications I recently sent, I included one and tailored it to the employer in question. There are some tips for how to write a cover letter and also how long your CV should be.

Useful links for building your CV

If you need a CV template to get you started, click here. Maybe you want to change careers? It is exactly what I did recently and you can too. There are several resources online if this is the route you want to take.

Some tips for writing your CV can be found here. Because I was in my last role for nine years, I needed to find an article specifically for updating an outdated CV.

My strategy

Because I was changing careers from financial services to the charity sector, it was vital I took my skills and made them transferrable, in absence of experience.

To give some background, I previously volunteered for a charity and was part of their befriending scheme. Since then I wanted to change my career and work in the third sector but honestly, I had the lack self-confidence to do it.

Redundancy and a mental breakdown forced me to change my circumstances, to avoid a negative impact on my mental health moving forward.

Here is a list of skills which are transferable to any role:

Communication skills

Able to work independently

Performing complex calculations

Attention to detail

Decision making

Dealing with finances

Working as part of a team to reach an end goal

Investigative skills

Implementing change

Customer service

Empathy

Troubleshooting and testing skills – IT

Identifying priorities

Communicating with various partners

Fast-paced office environment

Forward-thinking

Working as a team

Productivity

Maintaining quality in my work

Problem-solving abilities

Computer proficiency

Multitasking

Leadership experience

Download the PDF version of this infographic

Transferrable skills Download

Because I started my first blog in July 2021 and this one recently, I was also able to discuss the skills I had picked up from completing a range of tasks:

Managing time effectively

Computer proficiency

Communication skills

Decision making

Search engine optimization

Writing and editing

Creativity

Negotiation skills

Download the PDF version of this infographic

Blogging-Skills Download

Including personal experience on a CV or in a job interview

As my situation drove the change of career, it was a bit difficult not to mention it. However, I would say it depends completely upon the role you are applying for and your personal preference about how much personal information you share with a prospective employer.

I touched on my financial difficulties and the struggles of juggling parenting in my application, but only because it was relevant to the role profile. During my interview, I also talked about these aspects and professionally explained what had gone wrong in my last role.

It’s completely your call on whether you mention your circumstances. However, the feedback I received was that my personality shone through in the interview and I think being open and honest helped me get the role. And I am so happy employers are interviewing people in this way.

In summary

We are all just people, experiencing difficulties and working to pay bills. Everyone is in the same boat and it is about teamwork, but also selecting and working with the correct team. A job has to fit your needs as well as the employers.

After working in a toxic work environment for so long, it’s refreshing to speak to lovely people and I am excited about my new role.

Check out the earlier posts in this series:

The downside of being educated career-focused, and a working mum

The emotional toll of job hunting following a secure nine-year career

https://mummyconqueringanxiety.com/why-budgeting-is-vital-in-the-midst-of-the-cost-of-living-crisis/

Let me know your thoughts on this series so far, or whether you are going through a similar, job-hunting process at the moment – I would love to hear from you 🙂

Before you go…

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YOU CAN CHECK OUT ALL OF MY OTHER BLOG POSTS HERE

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Until next time…

Lifestyle

Beauty Isn’t One Size Fits All — Here’s How to Find What Works for You

27 October 2025 , 0 comments

GUEST POST – read on for details of the guest poster.

Do you ever get frustrated scrolling through social media and wondering why a trend looks good
on everyone but you? Mine was the low-rise trend at the moment! It can leave you feeling left out and really down about yourself. But it doesn’t just stop at trends; beauty standards these
days, especially for women, are becoming more unattainable by the day, with the return of
2000s extra skinny beauty standards. However, it’s impossible for most people to achieve these
standards as every woman is different, and therefore so is their beauty.

It’s important to remember that beauty is deeply personal, and that’s a good thing. Life would be boring if everyone were the same. But the problem with this is, if you can’t use Instagram or TikTok to copy an influencer, how do you find what works with your individual beauty? Well, I’m here to help you stop chasing trends and to embrace your own version of beauty.

Section 1: The Myth of the “One-Size-Fits-All” Standard

Every ten years or so, there’s a whole new beauty standard, from the extremely skinny 2000s to the curvy influx in the 2010s. How on earth are you able to keep up? The recent rise in social media has heightened and pushed these trends, with celebs such as Kylie Jenner influencing a whole generation of women to plump their lips, and the recent trend of Pilates championing a slim and toned body type. It’s no wonder that lots of women suffer from low self-esteem when only one body type or facial feature is seen as perfect and the ‘ideal’. It’s ridiculous that only one type of woman is seen as ideal and the standards are so narrow, when there’s such a huge range of beauty in the world, of all shapes, sizes, races, and nationalities.

Section 2: Self-Discovery — Understanding Your Unique Features

It’s important to understand yourself and your own features when trying to find what works for you.

I, myself, have curly hair, short legs, and blemish-prone skin. This means I will never have beautifully straight hair, like I see on Instagram. Instead, I’ve embraced my curls, after years of killing my hair with heat, and started using the curly girl method with a diffuser and the Camille Rose curl cream. I’ve also stopped obsessing over wearing mini skirts and then getting disappointed when I don’t have long legs, like a Victoria’s Secret model, and found my love for mini shorts and midi skirts. And lastly, I’ve stopped striving for perfection with my skin and obsessing with covering it up, and I just stick on my favourite lip gloss.

Now some tips for you:

Observe, don’t criticize – make sure that you are not picking apart what is wrong with yourself but observing your features and how they may be a bit different from the ‘norm’.

Take notes on anything you wear that makes you feel confident – This could be a favourite item of clothing, a favourite hairstyle, or a favourite makeup product such as a lipstick.

Don’t think about fitting into a mold – Think about what you like, flatters you, and makes you feel confident in your own skin. Experiment if you have to!

Section 3: Inner Confidence Makes Outer Beauty

Confidence can enhance more than any other product or item of clothing ever could. Most of the time when you meet someone, you don’t remember them for what they were wearing or their looks; you remember their personality. This shows that beauty is also skin deep and is not always physical. However, you can’t expect this change in a day; learning to love yourself is a journey that starts small and grows over time.

Some habits that can help to boost your inner confidence include:

Daily affirmations

Practising self-care

Gratitude for your body

Eating well, not for physical appearance, but physical wellness

Section 4: Practical Tips to Personalize Your Beauty Routine

Remember that lipstick you bought because it was trendy and never wore? It’s time to give it away and replace it with something you will actually wear. Rather than basing your beauty routine on trends, it’s important to create a beauty routine that is personalised to you, your features, and what you want to shine through. Here are a few tips for creating the perfect routine for yourself:

Create a capsule makeup and skincare routine – It’s important that you base this on your skin type and lifestyle. For example, if you’re busy and have oily skin, you may choose to have a shorter routine with more matte products such as powder blush. Nonetheless, you should embrace your quirks.

Choose colours that suit your undertone – This may involve a bit of trial and error. Choose colours that flatter your skin, such as a warm or cool-toned bronzer or richer and more purple-toned blushes for darker skin complexions.

Picking silhouettes that make you feel good – Establishing a wardrobe of silhouettes that you feel confident in and you think suits you is one way to make you feel beautiful. Remember—no clothes are only made for a certain body type, so don’t feel restricted, and if this silhouette is trendy, that’s okay!

A Few Last Words

Just remember that there is no universal definition of beauty, and there never will be. There is power in being different and embracing these things about yourself. All that matters is you feeling confident and comfortable. So what are you waiting for? Find what makes you feel beautiful now!

Thank you to Esme, for submitting this great guest post. I wish her well on content creating journey.

I’m Esme and I love everything beauty, lifestyle and makeup! I studied in Manchester (rainy days + endless coffee = the perfect writing vibe), and now I’m on a mission to create content that empowers people to romanticise their lives and step into their main character energy.
Esme

Staycation

Why Coldstream Holiday Park Is a Great Base to Explore the Scottish Borders

28 September 2025 , 0 comments

📍LOCATION – Kelso Rd, Coldstream TD12 4LG

Let’s explore why Coldstream Holiday Park is a great base to explore the Scottish Borders.

We picked Coldstream Holiday Park as there was a great deal on Hoseasons. And we do love a quiet holiday park. We’ve taken my little one to the well-known caravan sites, and whilst the entertainment is amazing, it’s too overwhelming and overcrowded for us all. These days, we opt for a small caravan site, surrounded by nature, with a playground. Where we can feel relaxed, but also use this as a base for day trips. We are usually not too fussy about the bar or swimming pool – if a park has these, then great. But it isn’t a must for us!

As a family of three, we created a tradition of visiting castles and exploring local attractions, using our English Heritage membership. Therefore, any decision about the location of our staycation depends completely on our itinerary for the days we are there.

With this particular holiday at Coldstream Holiday Park, I am glad we opted for a caravan with a hot tub. The little one was quite unwell for the first few days we were there, and it was great to ditch the day out plans and actually relax in the hot tub and a quiet and peaceful location.

For this post, I want to do something a little different and tell you everything we got up to in the area, as well as my thoughts on the park and some pictures.

A walk to the town

From the holiday park, you can take a 10 -15-minute walk on the main road, to the local town. It’s mostly flat and safe to walk with a child. In the town, you will find a Coop, a charity shop, cafes, the best playground we’ve ever visited, and a few pubs. As well as lots of other shops, we didn’t get to experience.

We got some lovely bits at the charity shop and had some lunch and a few drinks in the local pub, where my little one became besties with a dachshund for an hour!

The walk back was a little difficult after the food and drink, and with a moaning six-year-old, but it was lovely to get dressed up and go out in the fresh air, without worrying about taking the car out.

The playgrounds

The caravan site has a playground, but it was very overcrowded at night, with older children. One night, my husband took her to the playground in the town centre, and we returned many times throughout the week, due to how amazing it was.

There were times when the on-site playground was quieter, and we still had a walk over to it on some evenings.

Berwick Upon Tweed

We visited Berwick upon Tweed expecting a seaside resort town, but what actually got was a bit of a small, run-down town. There are plenty of shops, but we were a little disappointed with the English Heritage site at the top of the hill. I probably wouldn’t return unless we needed something in particular from some shops.

Castles

We usually organise our holidays so that we can visit castles in the area. And this dictates everything we do during the course of our holiday.

Our English Heritage membership allows us to visit many sites and receive discounted rates at some National Trust sites as well. It’s exciting to see what events are upcoming!

There are some great Halloween events planned – check out the English Heritage website, and if you want to sign up for your own membership, click the button below.

Bamburgh and Alnwick Castle

The highlight of our week was definitely the stunning castles that every tourist wants to see when visiting the area.

Because we had a poorly little girl, we unfortunately couldn’t do two castles in one day. But as a slight consolation, we found a lookout point for Bamburgh Castle and took some lovely pictures.

We also drove through the town, which is wonderful in itself. Setting ourselves up for when we return. Weirdly, I am glad we didn’t see everything during our week in August, because we’ve booked to go back to the Scottish borders soon. With a full itinerary and plan for the week.

Bamburgh is number one on the list. Unfortunately, by the time we go back, Alnwick Castle will closed for the winter, as the family returns and uses it as their home.

However, there are a few attractions next to the castle that are open. Including Alnwick gardens.

Shall we take a look at the Alnwick activities?

QUICK NOTE ON PARKING – Basically, when we got to Alnwick, we were confused about the parking, but the whole village is taken over by the castle, its grounds and the other amenities. Everyone parks in a huge car park, which you pay £3.50 to park all day, so it definitely is worth the day out costs.

Lilidorei:

A large adventure village within The Alnwick Garden, featuring the world’s largest play structure and other magical attractions

When we visited Alnwick Castle, my little one wanted to go into the attraction, but unfortunately, we were too busy with the activities we had planned. Therefore, we have agreed to take her back. Tickets are slightly cheaper if you enter between 1 pm and 4 pm, which I think we will do.

Forgotten garden crazy golf

If you wanted to park up and do the crazy golf only, you can. Head to The Golf Kiosk or Gift Shop to book! No Garden entry ticket required.

The charm of the park – five things I love

How quiet it is

We’ve done the Haven and Parkdean thing, and honestly, all of us got overwhelmed with the noise level and how busy it is. It’s great if you can go whilst your children are under 5 years old, and we took advantage of this. But for our family, it’s just too much during school holidays.

The views

I know we were holidaying on the Scottish Borders, but the views were absolutely immense. So beautiful, and it felt peaceful and relaxing to wake up to that each day.

The hot tub

The hot tub was a massive bonus. Something we didn’t expect when we started looking for our holiday, but we managed to get a great deal! It was lovely and relaxing, but to get a look in with my toddler around, I had to be up early in the morning, and I made sure to have a dip late at night.

Because it was way too expensive to add the hot tub for the next holiday (£350 more for the hot tub caravan) we have settled for a basic caravan this time. For three of us, that’s fine. We may just have to find a local swimming pool to take the little one to!

The playground, kids around, but also relaxed vibe

Sometimes it’s difficult for a caravan park to find the right balance, where families and kids are involved, but some people also want a relaxing vibe. But Coldstream Holiday Park gets it spot on. There are loads of kids playing in the playground, but around your caravan is still peaceful and secluded.

Location

This is by far the best bonus. You get to be i the heart of the Scottish Borders but without the price tag. Within driving distance of Edinburgh and the coast. You can’t really put a price tag on this, which is why we are returning soon!

Want to read more Staycation and Day out reviews?

Staycation

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Ways to support my blog

Things to do with kids during the school holidays

My fave mental health blog posts:

My fave parenting blog posts:

Lifestyle

To make the boundary clear, I use home remedies. And I want to talk to you about them in this blog post:

1. Essential oils

2. Citrus cleaning products only

3. Diffusers and air fresheners

4 Citronella

Citronella all the way!

If you want to try citrus oils as part of your well-being routine, try Tisserand Essential Oils

5. Cotton wool balls in glasses

Until Next Time

I hope you found some useful remedies and products to get you started with eradicating nasties from your home.

Do you use any of these products? Are there remedies I should know about?

I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Here are some things to consider when choosing a colour scheme for your bedroom:

Let’s dive into my top tips for booking a UK holiday break:

List your must-haves and don’t deviate

Make enquiries to get your desired break length

Plan the logistics

Check out reviews for amenities

Be ruthless

Keep a list of properties you may want to stay in

Until Next Time

Do you have any tips for booking a UK holiday break?

Post them in the comments below…

New dining table

The process

Memories are priceless

What it was like job hunting after nine years

The current job market

What information will I find in this post?

Let’s start with a cover letter

Useful links for building your CV

My strategy

Here is a list of skills which are transferable to any role:

Download the PDF version of this infographic

Because I started my first blog in July 2021 and this one recently, I was also able to discuss the skills I had picked up from completing a range of tasks:

Download the PDF version of this infographic

Including personal experience on a CV or in a job interview

In summary

Check out the earlier posts in this series:

Let me know your thoughts on this series so far, or whether you are going through a similar, job-hunting process at the moment – I would love to hear from you 🙂

Before you go…

Until next time…

Section 1: The Myth of the “One-Size-Fits-All” Standard

Section 2: Self-Discovery — Understanding Your Unique Features

Now some tips for you:

Section 3: Inner Confidence Makes Outer Beauty

Section 4: Practical Tips to Personalize Your Beauty Routine

A Few Last Words

For this post, I want to do something a little different and tell you everything we got up to in the area, as well as my thoughts on the park and some pictures.

A walk to the town

The playgrounds

Berwick Upon Tweed

Castles

Bamburgh and Alnwick Castle

Shall we take a look at the Alnwick activities?

Lilidorei:

The charm of the park – five things I love

How quiet it is

The views

The playground, kids around, but also relaxed vibe

Want to read more Staycation and Day out reviews?

Who would have thought a motorway service station would be so full of charm!

Here are all my thoughts:

Parking

Ameneties

Check out my TikTok review

The services and what’s available

Here are all the things available onsite:

The surrounding area

How well did we sleep

Why did we choose a motorway services hotel?

Check out my TikTok video about Coldstream Holiday Park

Breakfast

Summary

Other reviews are available on my blog