5 Must-Haves for Family Homes That Both Kids and Adults Will Love

Creating the perfect family home is not only reliant on your home’s design, or basics such as natural lighting and large open areas. Instead, family homes should be filled with fun and practical accessories and furniture which can help to make the chaos of family life easier- and much more entertaining. To find out the essentials that every small family home should have, read on for a list of must-haves that both adults and kids will love.

1.   A Comfortable Seating Area

However much space is available within your family home, it is paramount that you are able to create a comfortable seating area where all of your family can gather during the cold, winter months and participate in a shared activity. If you are stuck for space within your family home, you should consider investing in an L-shaped sofa, which can help you to fill difficult corners of your home while also ensuring that there is enough space for multiple people (or many kids) to sit at once.

2.   A Pool Table and Other Games

Games rooms are gaining in popularity within family homes as they can help to bring the family together, while also improving cognitive function and learning for both kids and adults. While pool tables have a number of benefits, many parents worry that they will not have the space to fit a pool table within their home. However, by choosing a luxurypool dining table, you will be able to host fun home game nights all year long, while being able to put the equipment away and enjoy a meal together when the night is over.

3.   A Sturdy Dining Table or Kitchen Island

Following on from this, dining tables are extremely significant to many families as they give them an opportunity to sit down together to eat and to share their day with each other. A kitchen island can also be a great option as this allows families to socialise while food is being prepared and can cater easily towards those who love to entertain. If you do not have a lot of space within your home, there are many expandable dining options that allow you to enlarge or decrease the size of your table in accordance with the number of people that you need to cater for.

4.   Fun Storage Units

Storage is paramount when you have a large family, with forgotten toys and an abundance of files and documents often creating unnecessary clutter within small homes. Although many storage options may bore your children, you can create a fun and exciting vibe with your storage by opting for brightly coloured toy bins or door hanging storage units. You could even decorate these storage units in the shape of beds if you are using them for soft toys. By creating vibrant storage, you will be encouraging your kids to tidy away after themselves.

5.   Bright Soft Furnishings

If you are going to purchase anything for your home in 2020, it should be bright soft furnishings that can revolutionise the appearance of your home. Not only can they make your rooms aesthetically pleasing for adults, but they can also provide additional comfort for children who want to spend the evening snuggled up with their parents. As well as throws and cushions, floor rugs can be great options for families that want to protect their floors (and their children) while making their rooms look great at the same time.

Planning The Perfect UK Hiking Holiday With Your Family

Everything that is going on right now, a lot of families have had to cancel their overseas holidays.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t go on a great family adventure because there are plenty of

brilliant places to go right here in the UK. We don’t always appreciate how beautiful certain parts

of the country are, but there are so many great national parks and incredible landscapes to visit,

so why not consider a walking holiday with your family this summer? It’s a great way to get in touch

with nature and do something active while exploring amazing parts of the country that you haven’t

seen before. If you have never been on a walking holiday before, here are a few important tips to

help you plan. 

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Avoid Hotels 

When you are looking for somewhere to stay, it’s best to avoid hotels and look for some private

accommodation instead. At the end of a long day, it’s nice to have some space where you can

cook a nice meal and relax together, and you don’t really get that in a hotel room. You can easily

find a nice cottage out in the countryside that gives you a lot more space. You will need to do a bit

more planning because you need food etc. but it’s worth it for the added comfort of having your own

private accommodation in an idyllic setting. 

Get The Right Equipment 

Before you go, you will need to invest in the right equipment for your hikes. Good shoes are essential

because you will end up with a lot of complaints if the kids are wearing flimsy trainers on a hike.

A good quality pair of hiking shoes gives you the right support and plenty of grip, so you are safe

while hiking. You will also need some good quality raincoats because, even in the middle of summer,

you can never rely on the British weather. Even though hiking gear can be a little expensive, if you

buy quality, it will last you for years to come. 

Start With Easy Trails 

If you have never been hiking before, you don’t want to jump in at the deep end and go for the hardest

trails. The kids will struggle on the tougher routes and the experience won’t be fun for any of you.

But there are plenty of easier trails that still give you the chance to see some beautiful natural

landscapes. When you are choosing the trails, look for ones that have lots of great sights, like

waterfalls or caves to explore so it is interesting for the kids. 

Pack Plenty Of Snacks 

Hiking can be difficult and you are all likely to get hungry along the way. If the kids start getting

hungry, they will not enjoy the experience, so make sure to pack plenty of snacks. You need to

bring healthy snacks that will fill you up and give you plenty of energy, so avoid chocolate and crisps. 

Your first hiking trip with the family will be a huge success as long as you follow these tips and plan

ahead. 

Creating a Rustic Look for Your Living Space

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You might be forgiven for thinking that the only way to decorate your home right now is with white

walls, geometric artwork and stark metal light fixtures. After all, minimalism is all the rage on platforms

such as Instagram, where influencers and celebrities show off their impossibly spotless homes. It’s

easy to feel that the only way to have a fashionable home is by conforming to these ideals, even if it

doesn’t fit your own personal style. Don’t listen to these urges! Your home is your own space, and

there are plenty of ways to make it into a gorgeous, stylish pad that suits your personality and works

as a place for your family to grow. One great style choice that avoids the clinical look of a minimalist

home is to go the other way and give your home the rustic charm of a cosy cottage, even if you live in

the middle of a city.

Materials

One of the best ways to create a rustic feeling is by using specific materials to create a rough-yet-cosy

atmosphere for you and your family to relax within. Linen is a fantastic material for soft furnishings, as

it works for both hot and cold weather, adds great texture, and it’s still a high-quality fabric that you’ll

be proud to have in your home. Have a look around at where these materials can be placed, whether

it’s as sofa-coverings, throws, cushions, curtains, or wall hangings. A few well-placed elements of

fabric can be the difference between a plain room and a cosy rustic living space. When it comes to

harder elements and furnishings, you should always default to using wooden options for that rustic

look. Old wooden chairs and tables can add a touch of interest and class to any room.

AccessoriesThere are many different accessories you can add to a room to give it a rustic look. For example, using French style curtain poles will immediately give character to your windows, transforming them to something out of the ordinary. In general, little highlights of metal are a great way to finish off a room. If you’re transforming your kitchen, have a look at copper taps or a statement copper kettle to match and lift your decorating style into whole new territories. A rustic look is all about the interplay between materials, colours and textures, so embracing these contrasts by using accessories is a brilliant way to experiment and have fun with the style.

Colours

Colours are a really important part of creating the atmosphere of any room. For a rustic country vibe, you want to gravitate towards creams and pale shades, but without ever going too stark. For example, an off-white shade will be much more soothing than a pure, brilliant white, which might break up a room too much and make it feel too modern. Your lighter wall colours will work best when they are offset by darker-stained woods and coppers, so you get a gorgeous contrast that invokes rural life whilst staying highly stylish.

Why Should Kids Wear Smartwatches

A funny thing to ask, right? Why on earth would we want to strap yet more technology onto our kids, in a world where we’re more and more concerned about screen time and technology addiction encroaching into our kids’ lives?

Hold your horses with the negative thoughts though because there are actually some real benefits for kids wearing smartwatches, just as there are for kids wearing any type of watch every day, but smartwatches give that added level of safety and comfort that you may not have thought about before.

Techno Kids

Like it or not, our kids are going to be surrounded by technology from the moment they’re born (and for some of them, even before they’re born!). We may have dreams of an idyllic life surrounded by nature and tranquillity, but in reality, every child will grow up in a more connected world than we did or our parents did, and every child will have a relationship with technology that needs careful management.

Rather than trying to shield them from this technology, why not embrace it and teach some responsibility along with it?

Responsibility In Time

Teaching kids to be responsible with technology means teaching them responsibility in general, and for most parents that begins at a very early age when they learn to tell the time. How many parents have been asked by an insistent 3-year-old every five minutes “What time is it?” whilst pointing to the clock?

Getting your child a smartwatch means you can effectively kill two birds with one stone, teaching them to tell the time, as well as giving them a gentle introduction to technology that they’ll have a hard time losing!

Connectivity When It Matters

In a world where everyone is connected all of the time, you may think that it’s best to turn off occasionally, and this is true, but wouldn’t you want to make sure you can contact your kid wherever they are, or, even better, know where they are all the time?

As part of your drive to give them more responsibility, giving them some freedom within limits can be achieved with the effective use of technology. Most Smartwatches for girls and boys have an option to call a designated number (yours) in an emergency from the flick of a switch.

Many also have built-in GPS connectivity meaning you’ll always know where they are and you can always get to them if they need you. This feature alone is probably one of the top reasons why parents choose to get their kids smartwatches.

Learning to Organise

If your children are a little older, perhaps moving towards the end of primary school, it could be really beneficial for them to start learning about responsibility in the context of organisation.

Being able to get notifications and updates right on their wrist is a great way to gently remind kids of important dates or commitments and a positive first step on the road to an organised and responsible future.

                                   

Tips for Keeping Your Home Clean and Tidy

Living in a space that is clean and tidy is far better for both your physical and mental health. It’s a lot easier to relax in clean rooms that aren’t filled with clutter and mess, but the reality is that it’s not always easy to keep on top of household chores. There are many reasons for this, such as a demanding job, a busy weekly schedule, or even illness, to name a few. However, no one likes to live in a mess, and it’s never nice to feel as though you’re being judged by others who visit your home – so to help keep your living environment in good shape, consider the tips below to help you stay on top of the chores.

Minimize

As end of tenancy cleaning oxford would suggest, taking a more minimalist approach to your home might be an excellent place to start, especially if your home is filled with clutter. It’s easy to gather a collection of useless junk over the years, and if you find this is the case in your home, getting rid of this stuff is the first place to start. It might take a weekend to carry out this task, but putting in the time will be worth it in the end.

Utilize Storage

Some homes aren’t equipped with adequate storage space, and this might be another reason your house feels untidy. Even if you do get rid of unwanted clutter, there still might not be enough space to neatly put away other items. Look into additional storage solutions, such as renting out a storage unit if you have a lot of stuff, or get creative at home with interesting storage ideas.

Hire Professionals

Your house will require a deep clean once in a while, and you might want to do this yourself, but hiring a professional could be a better idea. For example, for hard to clean areas like your carpets, seeking the help of experts like this company that specialise in carpet cleaning Central London would be beneficial. They will have all the right equipment and cleaning solutions to lift stuck in dirt and bacteria. Carpets should ideally be cleaned once a year, at least.

Clean as You Go

Sometimes this is easier said than done, but if you can manage to clean as you go, this will make deeper cleans quicker to complete. For example, washing dishes after dinner or at least in the morning so they don’t pile up in the sink. This way, when you come to giving your kitchen a more thorough clean at the weekend (or whenever you do chores), you won’t have to get through a mountain of dirty dishes first.

Keep Food Stored Properly

Another useful tip is making sure that your food items are stored away correctly. This is to reduce the chance of attracting pests into you home, and will help you to avoid unsavoury odours that might start to appear thanks to rotting food – taking your rubbish bins out regularly is also another way to do stop those nasty smells!

Make sure your home stays a pleasant living environment, use these tips to help you keep it clean and tidy.