We Got A Puppy

We got a puppy! Everyone meet Teddy the Poochon puppy (his dad is a toy poodle and his mam is a bichon). He was only two weeks old when we reserved him and we have had him since he was 8 weeks, he is now 13 weeks - we have had him for 5 weeks but it feels like he has been part of the family forever. 

Yep I know it sounds like such a lockdown cliche as apparently everyone is buying puppies at the moment (have you seen the price of them? people are charging crazy prices now), but we actually reserved him all the way back in March. The kids and husband have always wanted to get a puppy and I have always said no as the teen is allergic to dogs. Late last year we heard about poochons which are hypoallergenic dogs - they don't shed hair and are great for allergy suffers. So we agreed we would get a poochon puppy this summer after our holiday, in March our holiday in May was cancelled and the same day we found out about a litter of Poochon Pups and we ended up with Teddy. 

Things I Loved May 2020

It feels like forever since I sat down and typed a blog post, with everything going on in the world it did not feel right for me to be blogging about days out, reviews or any of my usual topics. I have had a super long break from blogging and social media (apart from two blog campaigns I agreed to pre-lockdown). The break has been lovely and just what I needed, I think I am one of the few people who actually likes 'lockdown' as it has been nice spending time at home with the children and having a bit of a break from the chaos of normal life. 

So much has happened over the past few months, I was so unwell all of February and some of March with my first ever chest infection - it was the most unwell I have ever been (I do wonder if it was corona) and I am still not 100% months later. It has been challenging at times having three children at home and I will be honest not a great deal of homeschooling has gone on, but that's ok the kids are happy and healthy and that's all that matters. Obviously, we have had holidays cancelled and press trips cancelled but we luckily managed to get our money back from TUI. The other half is still working so thankfully our finances haven't been hit like a lot of people, so I am feeling very fortunate. 

Banishing Boredom With The MAOAM Mischief Hub

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Hands up if your children are getting a little bit bored? Mine are now that the novelty of staying home during the pandemic has worn off. My children are 6 and 5 so they don't really understand what is going on and they are missing their friend, school, and after school clubs. Things are starting to get a bit mundane now as I am starting to run out of ways to entertain everyone, as we have played every game we own, watched lots of movies, spent hours in the garden and in the kitchen baking alongside our daily learning. 

May is also a tough month for us as we have had to deal with cancelled holidays abroad and cancelled birthday parties (the 6-year-old is turning 7) so I have been looking for fun ways to try and cheer us all up. So when I heard about  MAOAM's new Mischief Hub (yep the yummy sweets) that launched last month - I knew this would be something my own family would enjoy. The MAOAM Mischief Hub is home to 'Mischief Maker', Max, who is a bit of a tinker (very much like my own children). 

The MAOAM Mischief Hub is, as you expect, full of mischievous content for families to discover and learn some new pranks, get creative and take part in mischief missions, perfect whilst staying at home. Mischief Maker, Max, is joined by kids favourite, Dick and Dom, to help families embrace their inner Max from the safety of their own homes. I don't know about your children but anything involving pranks, mischief and family participation gets the big thumbs up from me. 

Gigantosaurus Nintendo Switch Game Review

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For Christmas, my five-year-old son got a Nintendo Switch and plays on it for an hour most days, especially now that we are home during the pandemic. He currently only has two Mario games for his switch so when we were offered to review the new Gigantosaurus game (which is released next week) I knew he would be happy. Gigantosaurus is based on the Disney jr animated series of the same name, which is super popular with dino mad children. The game is available on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4 and PC and you can download the game to your device, perfect when we are all at home. 

My Teen Is Learning To Drive and Finding Out The Most Expensive Cities To Own A Car

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My seventeen-year-old daughter is currently learning to drive, she has had just over 20 hours worth of lessons so far so hopefully, she should be passed before the summer. She is really enjoying learning to drive and as it won't be long before she is on the roads we have started looking at first cars for her and looking into insurance and how much it is going to cost to run her car. Whilst searching online I came across a report by Kwik Fit on the Most expensive cities to own a car and luckily Newcastle was one of the least expensive cities to own a car in the UK. 

The report found that Birmingham was the most expensive with average running costs such as fuel, insurance and parking totalling £3,326.87 which I found surprising. Newcastle was around £1,879.11 and Exeter was the cheapest at £1,675.75. 

Hockey Heroes Helping Children Discover Their Hidden Super Powers

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Do you have children aged between 5 and 8 years old? If so then you need to read on and learn all about Hockey Heroes which my 5-year-old son has just taken part in and thoroughly enjoyed. Hockey Heroes is a fun way for children aged 5-8 years of age with no previous Hockey experience to learn about the sport in a fun way, the programme lasts for 6 weeks and is a great introduction to Hockey and team sports for young children.

What is Hockey Heroes? 

Hockey Heroes is a fun and empowering program aimed at children aged 5-8 that aims to develop both their physical skills and character 'super powers' helping them unlock the hero inside them! It is a six-week introductory programme for beginners.

How I Make Money From Blogging

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As a blogger one of the questions that I get asked all of the time is how do I earn money from my blog? And the answer is lots of different ways, such as writing sponsored posts, working on brand campaigns, reviews and social media promotion. I have worked with huge household brands over the years such as Jet2, TikTok, Arla, Smyths Toys, Debenhams, ASDA, Pampers and McDonald's to name just a few. Other bloggers also add adverts to their blog or YouTube channels which generate income or they use affiliate links. 

The second question I get asked a lot is, can you really make an income from blogging? Again the answer is yes and most months I earn more then I would working part-time in a traditional job. Some months I even earn more then I did working full-time. 

I have been blogging for almost 6 years now and I have been earning money from blogging for about 5 years. In the whole time, I have been blogging I have done it part-time around raising my family and studying for my degree,  full-time bloggers earn a lot more then I do! I love the flexibility that blogging offers, when my children are unwell I can take the day off and I can pick and choose what jobs I accept. Obviously being self-employed means there is no guaranteed income and some months I earn a lot more than others, some months last year I earned £2,000 other months zero.