Making The Most of Spring

The first signs of spring are finally here! After a long winter, the first glimpses of sunshine and blue skies are a welcome break for the eyes and soul. Spring can be such a beautiful time of year, with new plants shooting up and fresh signs of new life.

Spring is a great time to get out and about, after being stuck indoors over the winter months. With the onset of warmer weather, we naturally enjoy spending more time outdoors enjoying the fresh spring air. It’s a great excuse to take the whole family out for a hearty walk somewhere scenic – through the woods, by the sea or your local park. Remember to throw a couple of disposable cameras into your bag to capture those memories!

On a rainy day, enjoy some family bonding time by creating a photo scrapbook – simply glue in your favorite photos from your days out together, adding a few mementos or funny quotes next to the pictures.

Family days out are certainly fun, but can often get messy – so always take plenty of baby wipes for those sticky fingers and post-mud fight moments. When it comes to wipes, you can never have too many – so it’s worth buying in bulk!

Remember to take care in the sun – people often rush out to take advantage of those first rays of sunshine, but it’s important to always wear sunscreen. Now that the weather is warming up, it’s a good opportunity to take the kids swimming. Little ones can wear Huggies Little Swimmers nappies, which are specially designed to be absorbent without swelling in the water. You don’t need to book formal lessons – young children can be introduced to swimming during fun play sessions at your local pool.

If you don’t enjoy being in water, use your imagination to put an outdoor twist on indoor activities. Try eating breakfast in the garden, enjoying the morning sunshine as you sip your coffee.  Let the children get messy by drawing with colored chalks or paints on your drive.

There is no better time of year for a big spring clean at home! Are your cupboards and bedrooms full of clutter and unwanted junk that has accumulated over the years? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! It can seem like a daunting task, but once you start you will probably find it’s not as bad as you think. Making a start is the hardest step – even if you just clear one room, you will feel so much better! Clear out those dusty shelves with Lysol disinfectant spray, which destroys 99.9% of germs on household surfaces.

Cold weather makes us crave stodgy, carb-filled food – so spring is a good time to enjoy some lighter meals.  Experiment with some delicious salads using olive oil and balsamic vinegar for added flavor. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with midweek meals, so try introducing your family to new flavors and cuisines – you never know, you could hit on a new family favorite!

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Have fun this Easter!

Isn’t 2013 flying by quickly? It seems like only moments ago that we were celebrating Christmas and now Easter is just around the corner! The lovely thing about Easter is that it brings together the whole family – whether you are religious or not, it can still be a time for fun and celebration. This year Easter falls on March 31^st so there is still time to plan some fun family activities!

Easter just wouldn’t be Easter without a traditional egg hunt – such a simple pleasure that has timeless appeal. Hide a bunch of chocolate eggs in the garden and your children (or grand-children) will love tracking them down! It’s a great way to enjoy some fresh air and exercise – not to mention a way to bring out a healthy sense of competition! A classic egg and spoon race is another brilliant way to have fun outdoors.

You can have fun creating personalized egg baskets to make your egg hunt extra special. Just get some inexpensive plain baskets and let your children’s creativity run wild by embellishing them with felt shapes, sequins, pompoms or whatever they love!

Forget store-bought Easter cards, it’s so much more fun to make your own! Buy some pastel-colored card and get the children to invite their friends over for a creative crafty session. All you need is some crayons, paper scraps, glitter, washable school glue and whatever odds and ends you can find! Try making flowers with pipe cleaners and tissue paper, or cute chicks with stick-on googly eyes. The result will be something truly unique and special!

Egg painting is another great way to enjoy some Easter craft fun. Use kids paint and paintbrushes to decorate eggs that are hard-boiled or blown – there are lots of video tutorials online with tips and ideas. Get everyone involved and award prizes to the most inventive designs!

Easter is a time of feasting, so be sure to have plenty of indigestion tablets ready for those bloated tummies. Your local stores might be closed over Easter weekend, so make sure you’re all stocked up on things like diapers and baby wipes – things you definitely do not want to run out of over Easter!

After all that chocolate it’s extra important to make sure your teeth don’t suffer – give them a thorough clean with an OralB Pulsar Pro-Health Adult Toothbrush.  Encourage little ones to join in by treating them to a cool Power Puff Girls toothbrush to make brushing extra fun!

Enjoy the Easter sunshine by taking little ones into the garden for a teddy bear’s picnic – throw a blanket on the grass and enjoy some yummy treats from paper plates and plastic food containers. Easter chocolate cornflake nests are simple to make and taste delicious – there are lots of easy recipe ideas online. You could also bake cookies shaped like bunnies and chicks and have fun decorating them with colored icing. Children will love the novelty of eating outdoors with their VIP teddy guests!

Spring Clean Your Life

The practice of ‘spring cleaning’ your home can be traced back to ancient times, when everything in the house would be cleaned before religious occasions. After the long winter, the spring weather would allow doors and windows to be opened to let fresh air in without freezing its inhabitants!

Thankfully, modern cleaning products and household gadgets mean that we can maintain clean, tidy homes all year round. However, it’s still a great idea to give your house a thorough top-to-toe blitz once a year – and spring is the perfect opportunity!

Throughout life, we naturally accumulate all sorts of possessions that end up being shoved into cupboards, never to see the light of day again. All those unwanted Christmas gifts and clothes that no longer fit us, along with sentimental items that we feel obliged to keep forever.  Although it’s nice to keep memories, sometimes it’s time to face reality and admit that it’s time to let go. After all, will you ever wear that mini-dress again? Would you re-read all those old novels? If you haven’t used it in years, it’s unlikely you ever will!

Clearing out your cupboards can be immensely therapeutic – once you start, you might find you can’t stop! Sell all those unwanted items on eBay and you’ll be surprised how much money you can make from items lying around in your loft or garage.

Spring cleaning is not just about creating space – it’s important to regularly give your house a deep clean to remove accumulated dirt and germs. Freshen up your carpets with Spot Shot carpet cleaner to give your floors a face lift.

Make over your bathroom with Tilex spray to remove unsightly mold. Disinfect dingy toilets with Clorox toilet bowl cleaner and clog removing gel. A cleaner, fresher bathroom will instantly lift your spirits and encourage you to continue your spring cleaning throughout the rest of your home. While you’re in a cleaning mood, give your car the once-over with Armor All protectant.

Stock up on detergent and make the most of the dry weather by washing those cushion covers and curtains. These can accumulate dust but are often difficult to wash and dry during the winter. Choose a dry, windy day and hang your washing outdoors for a lovely fresh finish.

Spring is also a good time to fix those pesky jobs around the house. With a Helping Hand screwdriver you can cross all those little jobs off your to-do list.

Once you have finished scrubbing and polishing your house to perfection, ensure it stays smelling fresh with Febreze scented oil refills that alternate fragrances throughout the day, so you won’t get used to the same perfume. Keeping a fragrant atmosphere is especially important if you have dogs – visiting guests will love to be welcomed into a home that smells clean and fresh.

When you eat fruits and vegetables that are in season they tend to be fresh and local. Because they are fresh and local, buying seasonal produce can offer a ton of  benefits, including better flavor, more nutrients, reduced cost and less environmental burden. Apple picking and pumpkin farm hay rides can be more than just a fun thing to do with friends and family… bring home the goods and start eating with the season!

Apples (approx. 80 calories)- Nutrients found in apples can help prevent spikes in blood sugar and reduce risk of a variety of chronic diseases. Apples also contain flavonoids and enzymes, which aid in the breakdown of complex carbohydrates into simpler sugars. Your blood sugar level is likely to be more stable after eating when these enzymes are inhibited. The fibers and antioxidants in apples also reduce inflammation related to cardiovascular disease, asthma, and cancer.

Pumpkin, butternut and acorn squash (90-130 calories per serving) – rich in beta-carotene and potassium, as well as fiber, niacin, and iron.

Parsnips (102 calories per serving) – Parsnips are fat-free, cholesterol-free, very low in sodium, and a good source of vitamin C, folate, and fiber.

Cranberries (51 calories per serving)- Fresh cranberries are at their peak from October through December. Cranberries are full of antioxidants, which protects cells from damage by unstable molecules called free radicals. and are a great source of vitamin C.

Cauliflower (30 calories per serving) – Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate. It is a very good source of vitamin B5, potassium, dietary fiber, manganese, and molybdenum, as well as a good source of protein, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, and iron.

Brussels Sprouts (38  calories per serving): Brussels contain high levels of Vitamin K, folate and iron. They are a good choice for an alkaline diet, as a food that decreases the amount of acid in the body.

OTHER FRUITS AND VEGETABLES:

artichoke, almonds, bell peppers, beet, beet greens, broccolini, carrots, chestnuts, chard, corn, eggplant, fennel, garlic, leeks, limes, pears, plums, pomegranate, parsnip, potatoes (maincrop), radishes, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and wild mushrooms.

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