Along with the arrival of some much needed sunshine comes the realization for parents that in a little over four weeks we’re going to be hearing the pitter patter of pre-school and pre-teen-sized feet on the floor. No matter how much you love them, we all wish there were just a few more hours in the day to prepare for the impending chaos that’s just biding its time, lying in wait for when the final school bell of the year tolls.

To avoid six weeks of dullsville and total meltdown at the state of the house by the time it’s all over, here is my handy countdown of three top tips to help you get "Project Successful School Holiday" off the ground.

Clean Up Your Act

Maybe you’re the proud parent of a gaggle of giggly under 10s or you’re well into the teens with a terrible twosome. Whatever age your children are one thing’s for sure: the cleaning never ends. Just as soon as you’ve wiped the worktops there’ll be sticky handprints and leftover crisp crumbs to greet you. To help lighten the load, get the bigger jobs out of the way before the school gates close for summer. Missed the windows on this year’s spring clean? Get the bucket and buffer out before the kids get home and you’ll have a weight off your mind. Trying to entertain your bored brood and get a good shine on the bay window is unrealistic so put in the effort beforehand and you’ll thank yourself afterward. The same goes for all those pesky jobs we like to leave till last; ovens, shower trays and even the car all come under the pre-holiday TLC action list.

Be Budget Conscious

Unless you’ve just won the lottery it’s unlikely that you’ll be taking the kids out every day but at the same time you all need things to look forward to and activities to punctuate what can be a bit of a slog, especially for the younger ones. Before you go booking yourself into the circus, the cinema and the craft club within a day of each other, check your bank balance. Try to ensure you’ve got enough to do something fun away from the house each week without tipping the scales against you. If you can, it’s a great idea to start putting a little more away now in preparation – a rainy day jar really adds up if you can afford to pop a spare ten pounds in each week and you’ll be thanking the Gods when it’s bucketing rain and you’ve got the cash for a visit to the soft play. Most local authorities have a “What’s On” that includes free activities too – bonus!

Plan Your Fun

The kids will want to do everything – and we mean everything – that’s on offer in your local area this summer. With your budget set you’ll already know how far the kitty will stretch but money’s not the only issue, there’s also the matter of preference. Child Number 1 likes to paint unicorns with their fingers whilst Child Number 2 is at home climbing (and inevitably falling out of!) trees. Scour your local paper for ideas and see if you can strike a balance; a farm visit could provide a great combination in this case – messy hands and the great outdoors!

Summer holidays can be the best time of year for families – keep it that way by getting prepared early and commencing battle armed with an organized house, budget and activities. 

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11 year old girls are not quite teenagers but no longer innocent children. They are on the brink of senior school and finding their place in the world (not to mention her place in the social pecking order) and I have found, much to the dismay of my bank account, that their fashion sense has kicked in way earlier than mine ever did! But how do you dress an 11 year old girl that is appropriate for her age?

I am not a fan of the crop top look but that is because I remember wearing it when I was 18 and somehow my daughter doesn't seem old enough for that just yet. The sporty look is something that many of her friends aspire to now but with that comes designer brand names and expensive trainers.

I still covet many beautiful girls dresses although I know that in a blink of an eye, she will be wanting to go to nightclubs in a dress that her Dad and I will insist is too short.

My girl is growing up, growing more beautiful, she is finding her way, her own innimitable style and is far "too cool" to be called pretty any more. So while I can look forward to having a shopping companion in the coming years, I know that there will be some fashion battles ahead too because Instagram is more likely to influence her than me!

 

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I have worn glasses since the beginning of time (and have the bad glasses choices to prove it), so I have never really known how to do makeup for women who don't wear glasses. I was quite recently asked to do a friends make up for her wedding (no pressure there then) and she quite simply said, "I want you to do it as you just know what works". Quite a compliment I thought!

After talking about glasses on the blog a few times and taking silly photos in my new frames, I got to thinking about how I accentuate my eyes and how I purposefully spend more time putting make up on my eyes than I do for the whole rest of my face. So I thought I would put my top tips together, especially those for busy mums who haven't got a spare half an hour every morning to do their eyemakeup.

• Your glasses probably already dominate your face, so keep it simple and accentuate the good parts of your face. If you have killer cheekbones, you don't need eye popping make up around your eyes.

• If you are going out and want to use eye shadow, the lighter and more neutral the color on the lid, the better, you can use bolder colours if you are wearing contact lenses.

• Talking about lenses, it is important to keep your contact lenses hydrated as this will make your eyes look brighter and healthier with a product like 1 Day Acuvue Moist by FeelGoodContacts.

• Keep control of your eyebrows, they frame your face and glasses will emphasise any stray eyebrow hairs above the arch. Get them threaded, waxed or plucked but keep them maintained!

• Eyeliner is a great way to make your eyes brighter, especially if you have had a bad night with the children. Make up artists recommended using an eyeliner a shade or two lighter than your frames so that your liner doesn't get lost with your frames. The thickness of your liner should directly correlate to the thickness of your frames, meaning the thicker the frames, the thicker your eye liner.

 

Finally, using a setting powder on your whole face once your makeup routine is complete is a great way to stop your foundation from coming off onto your glasses and will just help keep everything nicely in place. Good luck!

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What do you need to keep the children amused over half term? Paper Aliens and Paper Robots I hear you say? 

Oh you didn't say that? Well you should! 

Meet the manic Martians preparing for battle in Paper Aliens! From Rocket, the ingenious inventor, to Slugly, the munching mollusc, the characters are ready simply to pop out, fold and glue together. With their own distinctive personalities, the aliens are accompanied by a set of 36 game cards for kids to enjoy with their friends. Retailing for under £10 each, they are a much more cost effective way to keep the children amused than some expensive half term days out.

 

If aliens are not appealing, alternatively you can choose to meet the robots who dare to enter the Paper Robots battle arena! Each with its own individual character, the models are easy to pop-out, fold and glue. From Funk the disco dancer, to Astro the hero, the characters are accompanied by 36 game cards for children to enjoy with their friends.

We love the creativity that these books will inspire but we particularly love that they are designed and illustrated by UK designers and illustrators. So we are thrilled to have 3 sets of 2 books to giveaway and all you have to do is enter below. 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Terms & Conditions

• The winners will be chosen at random by the random winner generator on Rafflecopter and notified within 7 working days by email
• Ivy Books will make every effort to provide the books detailed here but this cannot be guaranteed
• By entering this competition, you understand that your details may be retained for future mailings. You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.
• There is no monetary equivalent.
• Little Lilypad Co take no /responsibility for loss or damage in the despatch of prizes
• If the prize is unclaimed within 7 days we reserve the right to redraw the winner.
• End Date 04/06/2016 at 12am

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