For years, finances prevented us from redecorating. Living hand to mouth, every last penny went on food, the children’s activities or travel. I told myself that when we could afford to redecorate, I’d make the time. The children’s room first, then the rest of the house. Now, I’m rapidly running out of excuses. We’re finally…
As children get older, they tend to want to spend a bit more time in their room. Because my two girls share a room, they don’t have a lot of space in there. We’ve offered them the opportunity to have their own rooms, but they love being together. So instead, we have to make the…
Sixteen years ago, on my 23rd birthday, I moved into my own home. Never being one to do things by halves, it was a pretty busy day. I took the day off work for a job interview. When the interview finished, I collected the keys for my new house. Having filled up the car with…
This is a paid collaborative post. Getting on the housing ladder these days is tough. Back in the early 2000s, it seemed easier. You could self-certify for a mortgage through a broker and that’s exactly what I did. As a first time buyer, I purchased a relatively large, detached house in a nice area. If…
For years, I’ve been hoping to sort our garden out and make it more useful. We’ve got a lovely decking but no back lawn. The front lawn isn’t fenced off so the girls can’t use it and I’m desperate to get a swing, slide and climbing frame out there before they get too old to…
This Winter seems to have dragged on forever. It’s not so much the cold, more the impracticality of being outside. Everything’s wet and muddy in the garden so the children are stuck indoors. It’s impossible to get the trampoline dry and the decking is slippery when it’s wet so I worry about them running around…