The Big Co-Op Clean #BigCoopClean

With the recent events highlighting deep seated divisions in Britain, now is the perfect time for communities to unite and show the power of standing together for the greater good. Joining together to help improve our local neighbourhoods and showing pride in our communities, is a wonderful way to give back to society in a positive way, showing that we can achieve more together than we can on our own. One simple way we can do this, is by taking part in the annual Big Co-Op Clean.

As part of the Co-Operative fortnight, there are some big events planned, where co-operative societies, friends, neighbours and colleagues can come together to help clean up local areas. The next event is in Wrexham on July 1st at 10am with an organised clean up of Caia Park.

Or you can organise your own Big Clean event involving family and friends, or simply do something yourself from home to help support the campaign. There are lots of ways to help and if we all come together and play our part, we can make a positive difference to where we live.

You can help by picking up litter to clean up your local streets or beauty spot. Or maybe volunteer to tidy up an elderly neighbour's garden or help spruce up a play area. You could even have a declutter of your own home and donate your unwanted things to a British Red Cross Shop or hold a car boot sale and donate your funds directly to a Co-Op charity partner. Whatever you do, however big or small, you can be sure that you are making a difference.

You can buy cleaning products that meet the Cruelty Free Household International Humane Household Products standards and pick up a pair of rubber gloves and some bin bags from your local Co-operative, ready to take part in any big clean up jobs that you get involved in this weekend.

You can follow the #BigCoopClean hashtag on Twitter for inspiration.

Find out more about the campaign, events and ideas for getting involved at:

 www.co-operative.coop/membership/coopclean/

5 Ways to Create Extra Space in Your Home

With the start of a brand new year, I am turning my mind to home improvements. After the hustle and bustle of the festive period, January is the perfect time to reflect on things you can do to get your home looking its best and making sure it meets your needs.

Having a big family, space is often an issue, especially when all five children are home at the same time.  I love having an open door policy, where family and friends are always welcome to join us, but sometimes I wish I had the room to accommodate everyone a bit more comfortably.  This year I am focusing on ways to improve our living space and make the most of the room we have.

Here are five top tips for creating extra space in our homes.

1: Homes are generally far more cluttered these days as our demand for material things outweighs our available space. Decluttering is the simplest way to reclaim the extra space in your home, and if you donate the unwanted items to charity, you will be helping out others in the process. This is a win-win situation!  Get a little ruthless and get rid of anything that you don't use or don't need that is taking up valuable room. You can take photos of anything that has any sentimental value if you find it hard to part with something.  Adopt a one in one out policy, so whenever you buy something new, you throw an older thing away so you can keep on top of your possessions.  If you find parting with possessions difficult, box them up and put them away in the loft.  If after a year you haven't missed them, then it is time to get rid of them without any regrets.

2: Make the best use of the space you have got by investing in good storage solutions.  Underbed storage, built in cupboards and an outdoor storage unit can help free up room space and help keep your house tidy. Utilising the space under the stairs or making box seats in bay windows or shelving in alcoves can really help to keep you organised and in control.  Sliding doors are a great space saving idea as they do not encroach into the room.  Encourage children to tidy away their toys in a toy box.  It is amazing how much space the youngest members of the family take up with all of their possessions, especially in the post-Christmas period with all their new presents, so getting them into the habit of tidying up after themselves will reclaim back some valuable space.

3: Invest in a sofa bed - for occasional guests it makes sense to have somewhere where they can sleep in comfort, transforming any room into a multi-functional living space.  During the day it provides extra seating too. Futons are a great idea for smaller spaces.

4: You can carry out some home improvements and add an extra room to your home by having a conservatory built to utilise your outdoor space.  It's a big investment but will add value to your home as well as space.

Choosing a reputable company, such as Reddish Joinery, a family business established in 1967, you can ensure that the job will be done to a high quality specification, with skilled workmanship and great personal service.  A conservatory can be made to measure to your exact requirements to create a bright and comfortable additional space. It can be used as a dining room, lounge or a multi-purpose room/spare bedroom.

A conservatory is top on my list of improvements that I would love to make to my house.  A whole extra room would be wonderful for family get togethers and would add so much extra functional space to my home.

5: If you can't free up extra space, then fake it! Use good lighting to create an illusion of spaciousness. Use strategic lighting to stretch out the corners of the room.  Mirrors are great at reflecting natural light and give the illusion of extra space.  Use light colours on the walls and pick furniture that is also lightly coloured. This will give any room an airier ambiance and make it feel much bigger than it really is.


I have been compensated for writing this post but retain all editorial control.

Things I Love - April Edition

It is the end of yet another month in 2013 and I am reflecting on some of the things that I have discovered, used or done, which have made me smile over the last few weeks in my monthly round up of things I love!

De-Cluttering

Now that spring has almost arrived, I am thinking about projects that I would like to do to my home.  We decided that this is the year that we are going to reclaim space in our house that has previously been given over to the accumulated clutter generated by having had five children.  So last week I  blitzed my wardrobe, clearing out six sackfuls of clothing.  I was pretty ruthless deciding that if I hadn't worn it recently or if it was looking a bit tired, it had to go.  It felt quite therapeutic sorting out my wardrobe space.  I had had so many landslides in recent weeks as my irregularly arranged piles of t-shirts, vests, jumpers and nightwear slid over one another as they vied for freedom from their fabric prison.  Making rows of neatly folded articles of clothing and removing the dozens of empty coat hangers from my hanging rail has given my wardrobe a new lease of life.  I found long forgotten clothes so it felt like I'd been on a shopping spree!  Now I just have to apply this principle to the rest of my house!

Springtime 

I love that we are finally beginning to believe that the UK has another season other than winter and there are a host of seasonally themed products appearing in the shops to remind us of this fact.  For instance, you can make your washing-up chores fit in with the season by using new Spring Blossom Persil Washing Up Liquid.  Featuring hints of freesias, white rose, vanilla and dry fruits, the pretty pink washing-up liquid has the perfect aroma to welcome spring into your home.  With its burst of fragrance it makes the kitchen smell fresh, and the sparkling results make cleaning up less of a chore.  It is especially pleasing if your husband is the one who does the washing up!  It retails at £1.00 for a 500ml bottle making it great value too.

I was sent one to try!

Window Blinds

I have always been a curtain-person.  I have only ever had blackout blinds for the kids' rooms and have never previously thought of them as being anything beyond functional.  However, curtains are quite frankly a bit of a pain.  They are a nightmare to hang, the hems fray, the fabric billows in the breeze knocking things over and they are such an all or nothing method of light control.  Recently I have begun to covet the array of blinds that adorn the windows of my neighbours' houses.  They look so stylish and modern with their clean lines that I am thinking that this is the way I should go when I revamp my bedroom.  I love the way that they allow in as much light as you want and they give you privacy.  (I'm forever flashing the neighbours when the curtains are open and the bedroom light is on.)  I really love these Dark Chocolate Vertical Blinds from Web-Blinds which  can be bought online made to measure.  I always enjoy adorning my home with things that are named after food.  I have Pecan paint in my living room, Toffee Fudge in my kitchen and Mint in my hall. It sounds utterly delicious but is totally calorie free.

Dark Chocolate Vertical Blind  #sp

Birthdays

In our family April is a month of celebrations as both Ella and I have birthdays two days apart.  This year we had a weekend of chaos and fun when everyone descended to help us celebrate.  Then to continue the birthday fun we have had cakes, meals out and made favourite dinners at home.

Ian took me on a date to see The Evil Dead at the cinema!  He is such a true romantic!!  Even Google got in on the act giving me a personalised home page on my special day.  This really made me smile :)

TV Finales

Two of our absolutely favourite TV series are coming to an end and we are both excited to see how things pan out and feeling bereft that we will be losing them over the summer.  Dexter and The Following have both had us totally riveted for the last few weeks. Ian, Ella and I have our weekly dates where we join together on the sofa for our fix of our favourite serial killer and our favourite FBI agent who battle it out in their own respective shows.  How will they end??  I can't wait to find out.  I hope some new shows come along to fill the gap.  I have high hopes for Hannibal which starts on Sky Living soon!

Five People You Meet in Heaven

Ella bought me this book for my birthday.  It is by Mitch Albom.  The story follows Eddie, a fairground maintenance guy who dies while trying to save a little girl from being crushed by a ride that has malfunctioned.  He is sent to heaven where he meets five people who significantly impacted his life.  I read it in one day because I didn't want to put it down.  It is a beautiful and powerful book that made me think about how everything that we do impacts on others and reminds us what is important here on Earth.  I highly recommend it for comforting the soul and bringing a little faith and light into your life.