Lifestyle

So, how deep is your beauty?

December 22, 2017December 22, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha30 Comments

What does beauty mean to you? Feminine beauty has been construed in many ways and from varied perceptions of the world. It has been depicted through images and concepts that penetrates and rests in our minds, but one simple definition of beauty which we seem to fail to focus on is that beauty is happiness that glows from within.

This line of thought came to me as I stood before my bathroom mirror for several more moments than usual, undertaking an intimate survey of my body. With critical eyes, I noted the tiny indelible laughter lines beside my lips, little spots left by an acne or two, liberal trails of cellulite, jelly-belly from childbearing; the inevitable southbound movement of ex-perky body parts and the countless greys peeking out here and there.

Nonetheless, I also took note of the fact that as detracting and as imperfect as those marks were, the times I’ve felt most beautiful such as I feel at this moment in time are not the times when my skin shone flawlessly, when my body is as tight and svelte as ever or when I was impeccably dressed to suit any standard.

I stood beautiful with my messy locs sticking in all directions. I love the beauty of my washed face, devoid of any makeup, the battle scar of my appendicectomy, the precious blemishes from skin stretched to accommodate the growth of each child borne of my womb, all the lines etched by time; I pulsate with life.

It’s these indescribable sensations of inner joy, respect and acceptance of every inch of who we are that ignites the flame of confidence and beauty that radiates. We are all unique individuals with experiences and memories that form the fabric of who we are and make us our own version of beauty.

As I stood before my mirror in all my personal glory subconsciously performing tweaks, I understood how powerful our perception of our body image and beauty inadvertently affects us. The results in front of our mirrors are not just as simple as they may seem but portray deeper perception of the viewers’ eyes.

Image credit – pexels

We live in a world where body image matters. We live in a world where people find it comfortable to body shame others who fall short of their measuring tape especially when it pertains to the feminine beauty. We live in a world where many are consumed with portraying the right image that in a bid to ‘be that perception of beauty’ they become destructive of both the external and the internal and this makes me wonder; what is the depth of one’s beauty? Is it skin deep or surface shallow?

How critical are you to yourself? Do you feel that as you age you lose your beauty because your body has gone all national geographic heading for different directions and you are losing elasticity due to the force of nature’s gravity that no Wonderbra and Spanx can keep in check? Does the fact that you are ageing affect your confidence? What would you do to keep your perceived reflection of yourself the way you want it?

Ageing is not a permission to let ourselves fall to pieces, however, the older I get, the kinder I am to myself and less critical of those who choose to go the extra length to look after themselves and being happy doing it. I know that body image matters a great deal but in the larger scheme of all things beautiful, it should be about striking the right balance. I understand the attempt of women who refurbish their feminine bits through surgery, breast implants, and other procedures.

Our bodies are mere shelters of who we truly are, and no singular image, culture or concept can define our beauty ‘cos our beauty is made of precious moments of being alive and as is commonly said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, I would assume that the first and most important set of beholding eyes should belong to the owner of the body beheld.

Feel Good Food For Everyday

December 22, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

Food is absolutely fundamental to our lives. We eat every day, cooking different meals, sourcing new foods at grocery stores, trying recipes from around the world. Food brings us together around the table but it can also provide a moment of solitary bliss in the form of a quick one-pot meal alone at lunchtime.

The flavours we go for and the choices we make aren’t just about enjoyment though. What we eat affects every aspect of our lives from our health to our weight and from the money we spend to the times we can save. Food can give us momentary joy, later replaced by frustration standing on the bathroom scales, but it can also help us to get the healthiest body we can.

Understanding foods and the benefits they bring is key to having a healthy, balanced diet that takes in everything from a bit of chocolate here and there to a huge bowl of steamed veg whenever you like. These are the foods that make us feel good every day.

Steamed Vegetables

A completely unsurprising first entry: steamed vegetables are fantastic for your body and will always make you feel good. You can choose from a wide range of flavours so that you can easily eat something completely different every day.

A good rule to go by is to choose from a wide range of colours when you decide which vegetables to eat. Dark leafy greens tend to contain lots of iron, carrots with their vibrant orange contain vitamin A and pulses like peas and bean contain plenty of fibre and protein to keep you fuller for longer.

Steaming vegetables is a good way to cook them as you don’t lose any of the vitamins or minerals to the cooking water. It is also significantly better than frying or roasting because this method doesn’t need any fat.

Sauerkraut

Another way to enjoy vegetables is to pickle and ferment them, as in the case with sauerkraut. The fermenting agent is a bacteria that is particularly good for your gut, allowing you to take in more vitamins and minerals and making you feel generally more healthy.

As a probiotic, sauerkraut does seem to help people who need IBS relief as it improves the functionality of the gut. Though it’s often unclear what causes IBS in each individual, it does seem that an imbalance in your gut flora is a possible cause of the discomfort you experience. Sauerkraut and other foods like kimchi and miso help to restore the balance by introducing new ‘good bacteria’ which allows your gut to function properly again.

One final reason to eat sauerkraut is simple: it’s delicious.

Dark Chocolate

Though milk and white chocolate are often full of sugar and fat, dark chocolate is a bit more forgiving and a little bit each day can be good for you. Lots of people find that dark chocolate is an acquired taste and if you are used to eating the high fat and sugar stuff, anything about 70% cocoa is going to be a surprise with its depth and bitterness. However, if you do like it, there are lots of reasons to love it.

Dark chocolate can help to lower your blood pressure, improve your eyesight and even help to increase your metabolism. Plus as it is sweet once you get past the bitterness, it can be the perfect alternative to a calorific dessert your main meal. Dark chocolate has also been found to help with symptoms of depression, lower cholesterol and seems to help with cognition too.

So if you are feeling stressed, trying to study for an exam and wanting to lose weight, dark chocolate might just help you on your way.

Fruit

Though people with diabetes will need to watch out for eating too much high sugar fruit, for most people, eating fruit is a great way to pile in on lots of vitamins and minerals. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and limes are ideal for gaining vitamin C. This is important because vitamin C is shown to increase the absorption of iron, making citrus fruits the ideal companion for green leafy veggies. If you are feeling fatigued or you are trying to work out harder at the gym, up your citrus fruits to really make a difference.

Fruit, like veg, is also a good way to increase the amount of fibre you eat. This will help your digestive system stay regular as well as keep you fuller for longer. Lots of fruits are also good for helping to increase your liquid intake. Though drinking a glass of water is always a good idea, fruit is a simple way to introduce more liquid into your diet, keeping you well hydrated throughout the day.

Flax Seeds

There is a lot of research into the benefits of flax seeds including whether they might help to prevent cancers, lung disease and cardiovascular disease. While this research has not provided any conclusive evidence just yet, there is a wealth of optimism that the flax seed could be ideal for improving your health.

What it certainly does contain is plenty of fibre (a theme is developing with fibrous foods!) as well as omega 3, an essential fatty acid and lignans, which are what researchers are looking into as they may help to protect against cancer.

The foods we choose to eat are vital for our health and well being and finding the best foods can be difficult. As the science around what we should eat changes all the time, it can be confusing to follow the best advice as it changes so frequently.

One thing you can do is listen to your body. Think about how you feel after eating certain foods. Do you feel good and energised? Do you feel happy? Do you regret what you ate? All of these questions will help to indicate the types of foods that you should be going for. And if you are really committed to your quest, keeping a diary will help to isolate the foods that really bring you joy.

Gratitude · Lifestyle

This Joyful Morning…

December 18, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha11 Comments

I walk with the gentle wind touching my skin, its crispness a delightful contrast to the heated breeze of weeks past,

with my face turned to the sun that glitters off the face of the waters like a thousand stars, I stare at the simpleness, the glorious beauty of everything.

The birds chirp away, cars zoom past mere meters away along the highway, and they seem to be in a different time zone,

the man with his clinking bicycle rides past whistling in tandem to the music in his mind and a barefoot man hurries past me, earthing himself and getting feet tanned, I chuckle to myself, it’s all good.

Full breaths of the briny fishy sea air I take in, my soul is grateful.
my low medidative instrumental shuffles on, no words yet the chords reach deep inside and curl themselves around my bones; they are soul food for a torn spirit; it gives me healing.

Help me to be a vessel of your peace Lord. Though my humanness gets in the way most times and makes me a poor example of your peace, those moments that I have inhaled and held your peace, I can’t even begin to explain the exquisite state that it leaves my senses – filled with the vibes that everything is going to be alright and yes, to the heart that believes, everything will be alright.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Life · Poetry/Poems

This is Life…

December 15, 2017December 15, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha10 Comments

This is life,
a beautiful, dirty fighter.
filling your eyes with splendour
then punches you in the guts,
with a fist full of pain
that breaks invisible parts
you never knew you had.

This is life,
shaped like a beautiful city,
charming yet endowed with chaos
glitzy upper streets with ghettos to the side;
just when you thought things looked rosy
the stench of its rawness sucks the air out of you
leaving you gasping and watering your face.

Jacqueline

Family · Lifestyle

Everyday Ways To Teach Your Kids To Be Responsible

December 12, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha23 Comments

If you don’t start teaching your children responsibility from a young age, when they grow up and get out into the real world, they’re going to struggle. Every parent knows that it’s important and there are all sorts of ways people try to teach them, like getting them to join a sports team or get a summer job. These are great, but if you want to encourage them to be responsible in all areas of their life, you need to be doing small things every day. Here are just some of the ways that you can teach your kids to be responsible every single day.

Image From Pixabay

Buy Them Nice Things

Before we get into how this teaches responsibility, remember not to go overboard and spoil your children because it will have the opposite effect. If you occasionally buy your children nice clothes from somewhere like Nicki’s fashion for children or buy them a new phone, it’s a good opportunity to teach them to value their possessions and not be careless with them. But this only works if you don’t do it too often. If you buy them something anytime they ask for it, they won’t bother looking after things because they know they can just get another one.

Send Them To The Shop

When I was younger, my parents would always send me around the corner to the shop if we needed milk. It was only a tiny thing but it felt like a big responsibility as a kid. I was eager to make sure that I didn’t make a mistake and so I acted responsibly. Sending them out to do small errands on their own is the perfect way to create a family that all works together to help out around the house. Just remember, wait until they’re old enough to be walking around on their own, and don’t start asking them to do the weekly shop for everybody.

Pay Them For Chores

Before they’re old enough to go out and get a proper job of their own, you can still teach them a good work ethic by paying them to do small chores around the house. Washing the car or raking the leaves in the garden are both good options. It teaches them the importance of working and you can start them off on managing a little of their own money. The key to making this effective is to only pay them for certain chores. They should still help around the house regardless, otherwise, they could get lazy.

Practice What You Preach

You can easily undo all of your good work if you don’t practice what you preach. If you’re constantly telling your kids to pick up after themselves yet they see you being messy, you’re sending mixed signals and they won’t listen to you. Always be aware of how you’re acting when they’re about and make sure you follow your own rules.

There’s no one way to teach your kids responsibility, you have to introduce it to every aspect of their life.

This is a collaborative post.

Life

I Pause To Play..

December 9, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha20 Comments

Image result for images of pause

and my roller coaster crashed!
it came to a jarring halt
my mojo kinda left my heart
pursuing green paper to pay the bills
with little time to sleep a wink
several hungry mouths to feed
my brain almost has no time to think
the greenback has become the king
the king of this jungle called life
I need to get my mojo back

Please forgive my tardiness in responding to your comments. I’m usually not this rude but like my people would say ‘something bigger than the cricket has entered the crickets mouth.’

My life has been a bumpier ride of late, events beyond my control have been trying to take the drivers wheel, but I refuse and trying to get back the grip. I took a pause so that I can get back into the game asap. I have taken odd jobs to keep body and soul together as I ride the rough tide. All is well with me, yet turbulent.

Be well and I’ll be reaching you soon. I miss you.

Jacqueline

Family · Lifestyle

Excitement In The Outdoors This Christmas

November 29, 2017November 29, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha12 Comments

Image Source

Christmas is a truly wonderful time of year. With the world taking on a breathtaking hue of white, the temperature dropping very fast, and loads of little jobs to do, going outside will often be one of peoples’ least likely choices. Of course, though, this isn’t how the kids will feel. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the ways you can add some excitement to your child’s outdoors this holiday season. These can either be as Christmas gifts or as something fun in the run-up.

Sledging: When it starts to snow, a lot of people have an excellent opportunity. It’s unlikely that you live somewhere completely flat, giving you the chance to find some nice, slippery hills to send the kids flying down. Sledging has been a very popular winter pastime for hundreds of years. This makes it nice and easy to find all of the gear you’ll need, and it will just be a matter of doing some research to get all of the safety tips you might need.

Quad biking: Of course, in some cases, you might not be in a place where it snows, and this will make sledging impossible. Thankfully, though, you have an alternative; ATVs. Finding recommended 4-wheelers for kids will take some research. But, with your findings, it should be nice and easy to get started on your next adventure. Like sledging, you will need to adopt some safety methods before you get started with this sort of fun with your children. Along with this, it could also be worth looking for helmets and pads to keep everyone uninjured.

Snowball Fighting: Going back to snow, it’s time to think about another classic. Snowball fighting has been around for a very long time and is a great way to get the kids out for free. As long as everyone has a good pair of waterproof gloves, you will be able to handle the snow for hours at a time, and the kids will have loads of fun. You’ll just have to make sure to set up some rules before you get started.

A New Friend: Finally, as the last idea on this list, you could think of something much more long-term. A dog will live for many years, requiring walking throughout the course of its life. This sort of addition to your family will go down very well with children. With the right preparation, you could have this be the best gift of the year, arriving on the day itself. Of course, though, this is a very big decision to make.

Hopefully, this post will inspire you to start working on some ideas to get your kids outside this holiday season. It can feel very uninspiring to go out when the weather is bad, and a lot of families will spend most of the season indoors. While there are no problems with this, it could be much more exciting to do some outdoor activities, as well.

Lifestyle

Anything For An Easy Life

November 27, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha21 Comments

It’s a sentence most uttered by parents and carers around the world: anything for an easy life. This doesn’t mean laying down and being taken advantage of, nor does it mean taking ill-feeling and accepting bad manners. No, wanting an easy life means accepting life as it comes at you and making it work for you.

If you find yourself laid up with an injury right before you’re due to go on vacation, you don’t need to cancel your break. Instead, make life easier and look into electric scooter rentals so that you can get out and about and enjoy yourself as much as possible. If you find yourself short of cash before the end of the month, get creative with the canned goods. You never know, you may find a brand-new recipe to appreciate. You can be the ultimate perfectionist if you want to, but unless you learn how to give yourself a break and relax, you’re never going to find yourself in a position where you can relax about life.

Image Source

Life passes by so fast, that if you spend all your time stressing over it and worrying about how you are going to manage, then you aren’t going to live an enjoyable one. Instead of waiting around for the next thing that makes you happy, why don’t you make yourself happy right now? We’ve got some awesome tips to make life easier for yourself right now.

Breathe. Any situation can be hard if you panic, but if you force yourself to stop and take some deep, cleansing breaths, you can find yourself managing your feelings and emotions before they have a chance to overwhelm you. It’s truly amazing what deep, slow breathing can do for your body.

Slow Down. Do you find yourself taking on a lot at work or at home? It’s time to stop being a hero. Share the workload both in your personal or professional life, and let someone else take the load off of you. You want an easier life, right? You have to make it happen.

Break Away. Do you spend most of your day staring at a screen? Whether you’re on a tablet, computer or smartphone, you need a break from technology. There’s no need for you to sit back and spend your downtime on a screen if you’re working on one all day long, as well.

Be Kind. If you treat others with kindness and yet spend time hating on yourself, now is the time to stop. You need to look in the mirror and say the kind words you say to others, but this time say them to yourself. You need to hear your own words and believe in them, because you matter, too.

Date Yourself. Take yourself for a morning coffee at a café with a newspaper, your drink being made by someone else can take the pressure off you to make your own, and it also means that you get a chance to relax. There is nothing wrong with self-indulgence, so enjoy it.

Having an easy life won’t happen overnight, but it can give you a freedom you’ve never experienced.

Health · Lifestyle · Wellness

Living a Peaceful Life Is Easier Than You Think

November 24, 2017November 24, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha12 Comments

Have you ever just wanted to throw all of your worries out of the window? Perhaps you just want to settle down peacefully, free of drama and worries and live out the rest of your life in peace and harmony with your surroundings? It might seem like a lot to ask for especially if you live in a busy city environment. Just take a look at this post from Time.com and you’ll find that by just living in the city, your brain could actually change for the worse. However, it’s important to remember that you can achieve virtually anything assuming you’re willing to put the time and effort into it. First, let’s take a look what why you’d want to live a peaceful life in the first place, then we’ll dive into some deeper considerations on how you can achieve a peaceful life.

Image Credit

Why live a peaceful life?

First, let’s examine why you’d want to live a peaceful life or how it even differs to your current life. You might be perfectly content with how you live now, but here are some advantages to a peaceful life that may entice you to change how you approach the world.

Peaceful living helps you remain calm and collected. The first major advantage is being able to remain calm and collected no matter what the situation is. By living a peaceful life, you’ll be able to find inner peace with yourself to prevent inner struggles from affecting your life. You’ll have clarity when making decisions and living your life, and you’ll no longer have to suffer from thinking about too many irrelevant things.

You’ll always find the silver lining no matter what happens. Misfortune happens to everyone at some point in their lives and we have to learn how to deal with it. As explained in this helpful article by PsychologyToday.com, there are ways to deal with unfortunate events and learning to live peacefully can assist this process by helping you find the silver lining during unfortunate events.

It helps you become more tolerant of people around you. If you’ve ever lashed out at someone because they just seem to annoy you or if you find it difficult to make new friends because you judge them too quickly, then living peacefully can help you settle that inner critic so that you’ll become more tolerant of everyone around you.

You can learn to seek forgiveness for your past mistakes. Maybe you’ve done something in the past that was really rude or hurtful to someone that was close to you, or perhaps you often get frustrated and argue with almost anyone. Using steps that are similar to the ones from TheHopeLine.com, it’s possible to seek forgiveness so you can atone for past mistakes. A switch to living a peaceful life will help facilitate this so you can get rid of struggles and conflicts to make way for a new beginning.

Being peaceful can help bring joy to your life and those around you. A peaceful life is a life of happiness. With no struggles to worry about and no negative emotions to cloud your judgement, you’ll bring happiness not only to yourself but to those around you who will be entranced by the calm and collected way that you approach life.

There are many others around the world that seek peace and you can be part of it. You aren’t alone on your journey to becoming a peaceful person. Online communities such as the one at Reddit.com will help you in your journey to live a simple and peaceful life that is free from conflict and struggles. They can offer advice and you can share your experiences as well.

Now that we’ve gone through the advantages of living a peaceful life and what it involves, let’s go deeper into the subject by explaining some important fundamentals that will help you live a more carefree and enjoyable lifestyle.

Image Credit

Commitments don’t necessarily mean what’s important

First, let’s talk about what it means to commit yourself to something. Commitment means that you are dedicated to a cause or activity. For instance, you can be committed to your partner and faithful because you won’t cheat, or you could be committed to your company so that you do everything in your power to make them more successful. Commitments are, for the most part, defined by you. You are the one that chooses to marry or stick with a company and you have the power to control that decision. As explained in this post at ThoughtCatalog.com, there is such a thing as being afraid of commitment. However, it’s much better to understand why you feel afraid of committing than doing it blindly and regretting it later in the future.

However, commitments don’t always imply that something is important. Just because you feel committed to your work, it doesn’t mean that your job is the most important thing in your life. Many people work jobs that hardly pay anything, but they find meaning in the work they do and that’s what keeps them going. Others find that they feel committed to their children, but until you realise what’s important about your children, you’ll start to feel like your commitment and sacrifices are just becoming a chore. If you’re not sure what commitments you should be investing in for your kids, then take a look at this article from AhaParenting.com and you’ll come across some fantastic advice that can teach you to become a better parent.

In short, learn to distinguish between a commitment and what’s important. Until you realise why you’re committing yourself to something unconditionally, you won’t get any sense of satisfaction or fulfilment from sacrificing other things to feed your commitment. Once you can tell the difference, you’ll find that you have a lot less stress on your mind and you’ll be far more productive throughout the day.

Image Credit

Take it slow and go easy on yourself

Another important thing to remember is to go easy on yourself. Sleep a little do nothing once in awhile and remember to indulge in your own hobbies. Sure, work can be difficult and time-consuming, but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to take holidays off. It’s important to give yourself plenty of time to relax, and you can achieve that by focusing on your comfort. It’s the small things that count when you want to live a peaceful life, so look at articles and resources like Mattress-Guides.net to help you pick a great mattress to sleep on at night. You’d be surprised at how much better you feel after a relaxing night of sleep. Other factors can also affect your sleep quality such as your body temperature and what you eat before you go to bed. In short, try to focus on giving yourself more relaxation time and you’ll learn to appreciate taking life a little more slowly.

Spend more time with loved ones

You should also focus on giving yourself more quality time with friends and family. By planning trips together and indulging in enjoyable days out together, you’ll improve your relationships and find new ways to connect with the people that matter in your life. If you’re finding it difficult to have a stress-free day out with your family, this article at ACookingPotAndTwistedTales.com will give you plenty of fantastic advice that will show you how to reduce the stress of planning a day out. A day out can be a slow and relaxing event that doesn’t need to be stretched out. It doesn’t need a purpose either, it could just be for the sake of meeting up with loved ones to relax together.

Image Credit

Be content with your lifestyle

To live a peaceful life, you need to learn to be content with everything you have. For example, if you’re able to find little joys in everything you do, then you’ll be far happier than if you were to constantly think to yourself that you’re not good enough or that your environment isn’t good enough. Find what makes you happy and try to think positively about smaller things in life.

Just being able to sit down and drink a cup of tea after a long day of work should give you joy. Similarly, being able to sit down at your computer and chat with friends that are thousands of miles away should give you a great sense of joy.

Being content is all about looking at the better side of life. Small comforts should make you happy and frustrations should be dealt with swiftly and without much trouble. It doesn’t take much to completely change your life around so that you are more content, but if you ever need help then take a look at articles such as this one from ZenHabits.net to learn more about what it means to be content with life.

Living peacefully can seem difficult or even more stressful, especially if you aren’t used to thinking positively or if you have a job that’s incredibly stressful. Hopefully, these tips will give you a great start on your new lifestyle so that you can enjoy life in a new way.

This is a collaborative post.

Family · Lifestyle

11 Great Ways to Reduce Stress on a Family Day Out

November 21, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha11 Comments

Pixabay

If you’ve got kids, you probably dream of lovely days out as a family. Where everyone is having fun and laughing, learning together and enjoying their day. You see other families having these fairy tale days out where everything is wonderful, and everyone is happy and long for the day that you can do the same. Before we have kids, we imagine that this is what all of our family days out will be like. Lovely and carefree. Then, we have them and start going out together.

We quickly realize that that perfect family day out is nothing but a pipedream and suspect that those families who appear to be having the perfect day are heavily bribing their children.

Family days out are stressful. Sometimes to the point of not being worth it at all. The children whine and moan, even if it’s a destination they have chosen. The food is rubbish, the journey is long and boring, and the entertainment or attraction is never quite how it looks online. By the end of the day, everyone is upset, tired and hungry and you’ve had to deal with 8034 toddler tantrums.

But, does it have to be this way? Is bribery the only way to have a stress-free day out with your family? Surely not. Here are some great tips to reduce all of the stress so you can all enjoy your day.

Plan

Planning your day out in plenty of time gives you a chance to save lots of money, get cheaper transport tickets and prepare an itinerary to make everything as easy as possible. Write lots of lists and make sure you know exactly what you are doing and when. Brief the rest of your party too, and then repeat yourself on the morning of the event.

Don’t Plan

All that said, sometimes it’s best not to plan. When you plan a perfect day out, it often leads to chaos and an immense pressure to have a great time. It can be hard to live up to your expectations. If something comes up and you are free, or you spot something that your family will love last minute, go with it. Sometimes the spontaneous days out with absolutely no preparation and planning are the most fun and the ones that you remember in years to come. Don’t get too hung up on the planning.

Let the Kids Help

When the kids get a little older, they can resent being dragged around with their parents and younger siblings. To be fair, even 6 or 7-year-olds would often rather be at home on their tablets. So, let them help you arrange their perfect day out. Sit together and look at some great family days out online and try to find something that everyone will enjoy. Encourage them to think of not only their needs but of those of the rest of the group, especially any younger children.

Pixabay

A visit to an aquarium such as SeaQuest can be the perfect solution. Younger children and even babies can enjoy watching the colourful fish swimming around, and older kids and adults can make the most of the interactive displays and learning opportunities. Other great options include farms, zoos and fun, family-friendly museums.

Give Older Children Responsibility

Another way to keep older children happy on a family day out is by making them feel needed and appreciated. Give them a job, such as looking after the map and checking things off your to-do list and tell them how important this is and that they are doing you a huge favor. Keep an eye on their progress and encourage and praise them throughout the day. Tell them that everyone is having a much better day because of their help.

Get an Early Night

Pixabay

The last thing you want on the morning of your big day out is tired and agitated kids or adults for that matter. If the children know that something fun is happening the next day they might find it hard to sleep if they are excited. So, try to keep their routine normal and put them to bed a little earlier. Then, get some rest yourself. Big family days out can be long and tiring, so make sure you are starting on top form.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Get up a little early than usual too to give yourself plenty of time to make sure you’ve got everything you need for the day. Then, leave early enough that you aren’t having to rush whether you’re driving or using public transport. Make sure you’ve got enough time for an emergency stop.

Plan Activities for the Journey

You don’t want to be stressed out before you arrive. But children can be hard to entertain on a long journey. So, plan some activities. Think of some games you can play together and take a few small books or toys. You could even let them take their tablets or other devices just for the journey if it keeps everyone happy.

Pack Snacks

Even if the journey is short, you may find you have to spend some of your days in queues or waiting for shows. Kids tend not to be very good at waiting, so healthy snacks are a must. Just make sure you also take a bag for rubbish and some baby wipes for sticky fingers.

Keep the Kids Safe

As a parent, your biggest fear on family days out is always that one of the children will get lost. Even when they start getting older, it’s something that worries us. Temporary ID tattoos with a parent’s name and contact number are a great idea to help keep them safe. You should also make sure they know your real name and that there is a landmark nearby they recognize if they need help.

Remember, it’s Their Day Out Too

It can be easy to get hung up on our children’s behavior, but on a day out it’s important to relax a little. Remember, it’s their day out too, they are excited and might be a little louder than usual. It’s ok to let things slide a little for the good of the day.

Know When to Give Up

However, sometimes, it can seem like everything is against you. The weather is awful; things are closed, the car stops working, your picnic gets ruined or worse. Things happen. Instead of trying to force everyone to have a good time sometimes it’s ok to give it up, go home and watch a DVD together. There’ll be other days.

Share this:

Share this:

Steamed Vegetables

Sauerkraut

Dark Chocolate

Fruit

Flax Seeds

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Buy Them Nice Things

Send Them To The Shop

Pay Them For Chores

Practice What You Preach

This is a collaborative post.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Why live a peaceful life?

This is a collaborative post.

Share this:

Share this:

Plan

Don’t Plan

Let the Kids Help

Give Older Children Responsibility

Get an Early Night

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Plan Activities for the Journey

Pack Snacks

Keep the Kids Safe

Remember, it’s Their Day Out Too

Know When to Give Up

This is a collaborative post.

Share this:

Share this: