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What Is Holding You Back From Feeling Happy In Your Life?

What is holding you back from feeling happy in life? This is a good question, and not one that most people like to ask themselves for the pure reason of it’s more convenient not to. It’s easier to stay in your unhappiness than it is to do something about it, but that’s never the option that you should use.

In this post, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that could be holding you back from feeling happy in your life, and what you can do to help yourself. Keep reading if you would like to find out more.

Too Much Stress

The first thing that we’re going to talk about is too much stress. If your life is full of stress and there is nothing that feels like it gives you relief, you’re not trying the right things. We know that stress can impact a whole load of things in your life, including but not limited to your sleep, the way that you feel about yourself and your mental state as a whole.

If you are struggling with too much stress, there is help out there. Of course, there are things that you can do yourself to see if you can lower your levels of stress. For example, it might be worth taking a step back from work, asking for some help in some areas in your personal life, finding time for some exercise, managing money better and so much more. There are so many different ways to eliminate stress, but the best one is to get on top of it, rather than letting it be on top of you.

A Home Out Of Order

Another thing that we’re going to say is that you might not be happy because your home is not in order. This is the place that you are supposed to feel most comfortable and happiest in the world. If this is not true for you, then this might be getting you down. For example, it might sound like a silly thing to worry about but if your ice maker isn’t working, or if your washing machine has broken and you can’t fix it, this could be causing you no end of problems.

No Clear Direction

Last, if you have no clear direction in your life this could be holding you back from being happy. This one sounds a little harsh, but what we mean is that you haven’t taken the time to work out where you want your life to go, what you want to be, what you want from life and more. It’s important that you do this so that you can work towards it, make manageable lists, and only then will you start to feel better overall.

So, there you go then. Hopefully now, you see that there are certain things in life that could be holding you back from happiness, and seeing how you can work through them. There is never going to be an obstacle that is so high in life that there is no way over or around it. That is not to say that it’s going to be easy because it likely won’t be, but it is possible and that’s what matters at the end of the day. We wish you the very best of luck!

collaborative post, Photo credit: Source Image – CC0 License

crafts, father's day, FREE printables, kids

Tin Can crafts – savings tin

How about a Tin Can Savings Tin?

With Father’s Day looming, we decided to do something a bit different for Dad and as one of his foibles is collecting coins. *Saving* £2 coins in piles around the house, particularly on shelves… So we came up with a genius tidy-up plan…tin can fathers day savings

We decided to tidy up the favourite shelf for Mr.KidsChaos, our bedroom mantle piece.To assist with the tidying, we made him some Savings Tins, and they look nice too don’t you think?

Can we call this photo a #Shelfie?
Our bedroom ‘Shelf’ is often very cluttered, with our favourite wedding pressie painting from Jill Barker & Jonathan at Middlewick, and the odd pair of his daft colourful sunglasses. His collection of coins tumble constantly, as they get knocked and fall to the floor and it makes me go a little crazy!!

FREE printable tin can printThe kids decided he needed somewhere to save his £2 coins, and told me what the text should read on the tin cans. They picked the colours, and I designed the graphics. Bonus is, you can print these off and do the same thing too, for FREE!

Simply print them off here, and trim them out, and glue them on to your clean tin cans.

Don’t tell him, but I often BORROW the odd coin when we’re dashing off to Martial Arts club, or Cubs…. Sssh, he never reads this anyway, he’ll NEVER know. Perhaps if he saves enough, I could BORROW some of it for a bit of Bathroom DIY…watch this space!

For more FREE printables for tin cans, click here for a fun game for the summer – kick the can.

For more FREE Father’s Day Printables, try our Monster Truck card and Jigsaw Puzzle Cards.

And other uses for bean tins, and soup cans can be seen over on A Greener Life For Us, using up old paint to make plant and pencil pots click here.

Oh, and I’m on twitter.com/MoreKidsChaos too… Erm, and funnily enough on instagram, Facebook and Pinterest! Pop over to say hello x Like it? Pin it!

Ali also writes over on AGreenerLifeforus.com

crafts, create, google+ hangouts, key stage 2, kids

spiral flowers newspaper

Fairy Tale crafts – taking inspiration from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves we decided to upcycle a charity shop mirror and create the famous Mirror Mirror on the Wall….

This was a fabulous team effort, and my son now proudly has this Fairy Tale Craft beauty hanging on the wall in his bedroom.

You will need:

Old sheets of newspaper
Cocktail stick
Glue stick
Stronger glue, (I recommend a glue gun!)

Instructions:

1) Roll the newspaper sheet diagonally from the corner, using the cocktail stick to get you started, so that the roll is nice and tight. When the cocktail stick starts to disappear inside the paper, gently pull it out, and continue to tightly roll the newspaper to create a long ‘stick’ – the first of MANY!

2) Flatten the ‘stick’ using a hard surface.

3) Taking your cocktail stick, start to roll the flattened ‘stick’ into a tight spiral, securing it with glue as you get to the end of the spiral.

4) When you have enough of these spirals, you can start to build up the pattern around the mirror – we found that the glue gun was the best tool for this!

KidsChaos-Mirror-paper-spirals-selfie

You could also spray paint the spirals, however we like the newspaper spirals in their natural form!

KidsChaos-newspaper-flowers

 Ali also blogs over on incredibusy.com and is a new lover of Instagram too… pop over and say hello! And I’ll be adding this to Lizzie’s#MagpieMonday as I love to salvage, upcycle and re-use stuff!

Fairytale KidsChaos RedTedArt Video

If you’d like to see more Fairy Tale crafts, firstly pop over to see our Jack and the Beanstalk Reward Chart, and then click the youtube link here, as I got together with Missie Lizzie who talked magic beans, Anthea with her elves’ shoes, Kelly talked Rapunzel, and Maggy at Red Ted Art (talking three little pigs) who hosted a Fairy Tale Craft google+ hangout.

baking, cooking with kids, create

Carrot Cake recipe with Lemon Icing

carrot-cake-lemon-icing-kidschaos-instagramThe carrot cake is a classic, and this carrot cake recipe’s a super-simple variation on that delicious theme. Just add grated carrots to the dry ingredients, which include both plain and wholemeal flour for extra texture.

Once you’ve beaten in free range eggs and some butter, you’re away – just pop it in the oven. The tangy lemon icing on this carrot cake recipe contrasts with the sweet, cinnamon-flavoured cake to really bring the flavours to life.

fairtrade-carrot-cake-lemon-icing-kidschaosIngredients
200 g (7oz) self raising flour
115 g (4oz) wholemeal flour
350 g (12oz) caster sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
250 ml (9fl oz) butter
3 Large carrots, peeled and grated
4 organic free range eggs
 Icing
2 unwaxed lemons, zested
225 g (8oz) Fairtrade icing sugar

organic-carrot-cake-lemon-icing-kidschaosMethod
Mix together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Mix in carrot and gradually beat in Flora Cuisine and eggs. Pour into a greased and bottom lined 20cm (8-inch) square cake tin.
Bake in preheated oven 180°C, 160°C fan, gas mark 4 for 45–55 minutes. Cool on a wire cooling rack.
Icing – Zest the lemons. Squeeze out the juice and add to icing sugar in a bowl with the segments. Mix gently and spread over the cake. Sprinkle with the zest.

Note – make sure your icing is not too runny – we had lots of fun scraping the icing off the board as it dripped through the cooling rack!!

Ali also blogs over on Incredibusy.com and is a lover of Instagram too… pop over and say hello!

crafts, google+ hangouts, halloween, key stage 2, kids

Chaos writes:

kidschaos-dragon-shadow-puppetHere’s a very simple stick craft we’ve been doing this week… great shadow puppets inspired by Chinese New Year:

You’ll need some sticks (!) from the garden, or as we do, collected on weekend walks by small children. Some black card, sellotape, a pencil, scissors and some ‘brads’ (the pins with bendy legs, I never remember what their name is!) Oh, and some coloured tissue paper or sweet wrappers. AND a torch if you fancy doing a shadow puppet show!

We drew the dragon ‘pieces’ out onto the black card – cut them out, and joined them together with the brads (we used a bit of plasticine behind the card, and pushed a pencil through to make the hole for the brad).

KidsChaosRedTedArt screen grabAttach the sticks with tape at the back and you’re ready to go! You’ll need a couple of characters for the shadow puppet show – standing behind a large white sheet – we dimmed the lights, shone the torch and tried them out. We made up some short stories for our characters and put on a fun silhouette show!!

Click the YouTube link to view the Google+ hangout hosted by Maggy Woodley from Red Ted Art and meet me Ali Clifford at the Stick Craft hangout with Anthea Barton  from Zing Zing Tree, Kelly Innes ( Domestic Goddesque) and Liz Burton.

Don’t forget to head over to Red Ted Art and check out the links for all the crafts featured on the video:

I also write over on www.agreenerlifeforus.com 🙂 and incredibusy.com (first published 2013)

baking, cooking, cooking with kids

Lemon drizzle cake with ground almonds

lemon drizzle cakeWhat’s your favourite cake in your house? Ours has to be lemon drizzle cake…

we’ve have the recipe scribbled down on a piece of paper, shoved in the cake section of Delia’s cookbook, for years… Quite fortunate it’s our favourite cake really, as we sort of OVER-ORDERED the lemons on our Ocado delivery on Friday, and ended up with 12 lemons, yes, TWELVE lemons… oops!

So we wanted to share the recipe with you, and tbh, it makes it easier to find if we write it up on KidsChaos, as we just google ourselves ‘ kids chaos lemon drizzle’… 🙂

Admittedly this recipe doesn’t use all twelve lemons, however we make two lemon drizzle cakes at the same time as it disappears pretty quickly here, and we like to have it in our packed lunches in the week, in place of shop-bought snack bars (so just half the quantities if you only have a 1 litre loaf tin)

Lemon Drizzle Cake Ingredients:

350g caster sugar
350g butter, softened
4 unwaxed lemons
6 eggs
200g self-raising flour
150g ground almonds
A drop or two of milk
200g demerara sugar

Lemon Drizzle Cake Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Grease and line two loaf tins with greaseproof paper. Beat together the caster sugar, butter, and the finely grated zest of two lemons until light and fluffy. Add a pinch of salt and beat in the eggs, one at a time.

2. Sieve the flour and fold in, then add the ground almonds (not essential, particularly if anyone has a nut allergy!). Add a tiny amount of milk to ensure the mixture has a dropping consistency, then pour into your lined tins. Bake in the oven for about 50-55 minutes, until your knife pulls out dry when you test it. Leave it in the tin for now….

3. Mix together the lemon zest, and juice of the lemons with your demerara sugar, then prod holes all over the top of the lemon drizzle cakes and pour over the lemon drizzle, so that it runs into all of the little holes.
4. Allow the lemon drizzle cakes to cool in the loaf tins before turning out.

honeycomb with chocolate fondueFor more delicious #cookingwithkids fun try our honeycomb recipe golden syrup pictured here…

Oh, and I’m on twitter.com/MoreKidsChaos too… Instagram is my new favourite thing, Erm, and funnily enough on Facebook and Pinterest! Pop over to say hello x Like it? Pin it!

If you enjoyed this, check out an updated version with poppy seeds over on incredibusy.com

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Creating A Stylish But Functional Playroom: 5 Key Tips

Creating a playroom can be a great way to help create a space in your home for your children to enjoy their toys and activities. There are a few ways to help ensure you and your children get the most out of the playroom you create. To help you get started, we’ve put together the following tips and inspiration for designing the perfect playroom that’s both functional and stylish.

party-castle-neon-lights

Adding Customizable Features

Incorporating customised features in the design and decoration of your playroom can help to make your children feel more like the space is really theirs. This not only helps them to enjoy it more but also can create a sense of responsibility, which can help when it comes to dealing with problems such as tidying up and maintaining the space. Consider elements such as customized wall murals, or customized neon wall signs from Echo Neon to combine customised art and lighting in one.

You can customize using your kid’s names, or a phrase or song lyric that has meaning to you and your family, for example.

Effective Storage Solutions

It can be very easy for playrooms to end up looking chaotic and messy without the right kind of storage solutions to help keep toys organized and neat. Think carefully about the right kind of storage solutions that would work for the space you are creating the playroom in. For example, wall-mounted storage solutions, or integrated storage design such as benches or fold-away tables spaces. Consider which items you might want to have out on display or which ones you want to have stored away out of sight when they’re not being used.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Involve your Kid’s Input in the Design

Where possible, it’s a good idea to try and incorporate your kids in the design of the playroom to help make sure they are able to enjoy it as much as possible and be proud of their space. Allowing their input can help the playroom to reflect their personalities and interests, and provide them with the opportunity to be creative and problem solve. You can ask for their opinions on aspects such as color schemes, design themes, and different areas in the playroom such as arts and crafts or music zones that reflect their interests.

Using A Theme

Basing the playroom on a theme is a great idea to help create a room that incorporates the personality and interests of your little ones. It also helps to create cohesion when adding different design elements to your plans. Some great ideas for themed playrooms include designs such as under the sea, wildlife safari, or a favourite film or character. You can find inspiration for themed playrooms online and helpful design elements to make them work. Adding elements such as wall murals can help incorporate the theme and can either be completed by hiring a local artist or by yourself if you’re blessed with artistic skills.

Creating Zones

Creating zones within a playroom can help to make the space work more effectively and keep toys organized and easy to find. Using furniture can help to section off different zones and can double up as storage space such as bookshelves or toy box storage.

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Photo by @juliusjansson via Unsplash

Finland’s capital city, Helsinki, is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. These visitors flock to the city due to its stunning natural beauty, cultural attractions, and commitment to sustainability. If you’re planning a family trip to this picturesque city, you’ll be delighted to discover that Helsinki offers a wide range of kid-friendly eco-tours and nature excursions. These activities not only provide valuable outdoor experiences but also instill a love for the environment in your children while making a positive impact on our planet (and their health).

From lovely national parks to picking mushrooms to forest bathing, it’s not hard to find something to do with kids here that’s both fun and ecologically responsible. You should plan to rely on public transportation and walking to get around Helsinki to minimize your carbon footprint. And with all the exploring you’re bound to be doing, it’s a good idea to have a plan for your bags. Drop them off with a Bounce luggage storage service in Helsinki and get to wandering.

Nuuksio National Park: A wilderness adventure


Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash

A world-class wilderness escape is a mere 40-minute drive from the city center. Nuuksio National Park is home to tranquil lakes, lush forests, and diverse wildlife, so the kids definitely won’t get bored here. 

To add a little structure to your visit, Nuuksio offers various eco-tours and activities designed for children, such as guided forest walks, wildlife spotting, and even wilderness camping experiences. 

While exploring Nuuksio, your children can learn about the local ecosystem and the importance of preserving it. The park’s emphasis on sustainable practices, such as waste reduction and recycling, sets an excellent example for young environmentalists.

Finnish Nature Centre Haltia

On the doorstep of Nuuksio National Park, you’ll find the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia, which will provide the whole family with information about Finland’s National Parks. With a focus on experiencing nature using all five senses, this centre also hosts events and workshops regularly.

Learn about the various flora and fauna of the park and the wider region, as well as talks about moving in nature, outdoor adventure skills, and even join a guided tour of the adjacent park.

One of the most striking features of the nature centre is the building itself. Built entirely of wood (except for the windows, obviously), the rounded walls, glass-edged terrace, and well-maintained landscaping are enough to draw you in. 

But it gets even better than that from an eco-tourism perspective. The building was designed to require minimal lighting, cooling, and heating. They achieved this by paying close attention to window placement, the building’s orientation, and the structure’s shape. Additionally, to keep the carbon footprint low, Haltia uses solar energy from panels and geothermal energy from the soil to cool and heat the building.

Lammassaari Island

Helsinki, Finland by Santtu Perkiö (@santtupee)

Lammassaari Island, situated in northeastern Helsinki, is a haven for bird-watching enthusiasts and families who appreciate unspoiled nature. The island is only reachable over a 1.2 km-long trail made of wooden duckboards that travel over the marshes. Here, you and the kids can get to know the local bird population from the various bird-watching platforms, hides, and viewpoints. Spring and fall are the best times to view the collection of migrating birds.

Lammassaari promotes a “leave no trace” philosophy, so it’s a good lesson about protecting the local wildlife and vegetation. 

The name translates to Sheep Island, although don’t get the kids’ hopes up as this island doesn’t have any sheep. You’ll have to travel to nearby Kuusiluoto Island to see them, and even then, it’s only in the summer.

Linnanmäki Amusement Park

Photo by Juhani Pelli on Unsplash

We know, an amusement park doesn’t exactly scream eco-friendly and sustainable. But this one is different. Linnanmäki Amusement Park demonstrates a real commitment to the environment in a few ways. First, they have vegan items on the menus of every snack stand and restaurant in the park. Second, in 2023, the rides were powered exclusively using wind energy. And lastly, the park’s indoor locations use renewable district heating to keep things toasty warm.

Now for the fun part: the rides. Linnanmäki has over 50 rides alone, which should please kids of most ages. As for the games, there are more than 15 different varieties. And to combat waste, if you win a prize and don’t want to take it home with you, you can exchange it for an edible treat instead.

Another way that this amusement park is different is that The Children’s Day Foundation manages and maintains it. Through the money raised at the amusement park, this organization has pledged about €120 million to child welfare.

The park is open during the summer and periodically throughout the year, so check if it’s open before you arrive.

Sompasauna

For a unique and eco-friendly experience, consider a visit to Sompasauna. This community sauna near the city center is heated by wood and fueled by community contributions. Kids and adults are expected to help keep the saunas clean, get water, or even saw wood. Since the community runs it, there is no fee for a session, and it’s always open. If you have young children, you may need to give this one a pass, though. Some experts recommend saunas only for kids aged six or older.

Saunas are a way of life in Helsinki, and this is a perfect place to relax while appreciating Helsinki’s strong sauna culture. Surrounding the sauna, you’ll find a relaxed outdoor area with a DIY spirit, including art installations and a communal garden. It’s an excellent place for families to connect with locals and learn about sustainable, community-driven projects.

Conclusion

Helsinki’s commitment to sustainability and preserving its natural beauty make it an ideal destination for families looking to impart eco-conscious values to their children. By exploring Helsinki’s green areas, eco-friendly businesses, and even a sauna or two, your children can learn to appreciate the beauty of the natural world and understand the importance of protecting it for future generations.

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<strong>How To Save Money As A Busy Parent: Tips To Make Life Easier</strong>

As a busy parent, it can feel like you’re constantly spending money. From the weekly shop and clothes, to extracurricular activities and school supplies, it can be hard to save money. But it doesn’t have to be impossible. With a few simple strategies and tips, you can learn how to save money as a busy parent.

You can make life easier and still get what you need for yourself and your family. From cutting costs on everyday items to finding ways to save on your monthly expenses, there are plenty of ways to trim your budget and put some money away for a rainy day. So, ifc v;laZ you’re looking for ways to save money as a busy parent, here are some tips that can help.

Create a Budget and stick to it

A budget is the key to saving money. There’s no way to get around it. If you don’t know how much you’re spending or where your money is going, you won’t be able to save. You’ll also have no idea where you can cut back and adjust your spending if you need to. It’s not as difficult as you might think to create a budget, either. You just have to be willing to put in a little time and effort up front to make sure you have everything laid out and recorded. For most people, the hardest part of the budget comes at the beginning when you’re trying to track everything. Find a method that works best for you. Some people like to use paper and pencil; others prefer to use an app. Whatever method you choose, make sure you’re consistent and thorough.

Get Better Deals With Local Car Insurance Brokers

Car insurance can be a costly expense, especially for families with multiple drivers.

If you stick with the same insurance company year after year, you’re likely overpaying. In fact, many people who have maintained continuous coverage with the same company don’t even realise they could be getting a better deal by shopping around and comparing rates with other insurance providers. If you’re looking for ways to save money as a busy parent, you may want to consider switching to a local car insurance broker. Insurance companies like these often provide cheaper rates than what you may be able to get through your current insurer. You can find local brokers by searching online for “car insurance near me”, or you can check out this comparison site that compares the top car insurance brokers in your area.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Buy Second-hand

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Some things are best purchased new, but others are better off second-hand. For example, kids grow out of clothes quickly. Instead of spending money on new clothes all the time, consider buying them used. Kids’ clothes often look brand new when they’ve been outgrown, and they can be found for a fraction of the cost.

You can also sell clothes your kids have outgrown, too, to help offset the cost of buying them second-hand. You can find used toys and other items at charity shops and online marketplaces, too.

This post is written in association with Quote Zone.