5 Summer Ready To Roll Icing Cupcake Ideas

Summer is nearly here, and although the sunny weather hasn’t managed more than a sporadic showing it’s time to start getting ready for picnics and days at the beach. What better cakes to make for lazy summer days than cupcakes. Small, portable and oh-so tasty, cupcakes are great for including in picnic hampers and packed lunch boxes.

Here are 5 ideas for summer themed ready to roll icing cupcakes.

1. Bee Topper. What says summer more than the gentle buzzing of bees skipping from flower to flower. So why not create your own cute bumblebee topper. All you’ll need is some yellow, black and white ready to roll icing. Simply roll a flattened ball of yellow icing for the body and fix a few

Your Wedding Aesthetic: Why It's Important And How To Choose One

Let’s not beat around the bush - wedding planning can be a bit of a slog. Between finding a venue, working out a guest list, choosing your dress, and deciding on wedding flowers, there can be a seemingly endless list of things to do in preparation for your big day. Another critical step is settling on a wedding aesthetic. This is essentially the overall style of your wedding, which represents the look and feel you want for your big day, incorporating decorations, colour palette, and dress code. By tying all these elements into one wider design narrative, your wedding will have a cohesive feel which embodies you and your partner’s styles and personalities. They could be broader themes, whether rustic, vintage, or whimsical, or even something zanier and more specific - perhaps take ideas from the fantasy world of The Wizard of Oz or the opulence of

Marie Antoinette.

But with so many things to consider, it can be difficult to make up your mind on a single aesthetic, let alone bring it to life. Here are a few things to bear in mind as you try to make a decision...

The Ultimate Baby Proofing Check List for Mums-To-Be

Welcoming a new baby to the world, and to your home, can be a daunting prospect. You have to think of so many things, not to mention all of those sharp corners and choking hazards that seem to suddenly appear. As a new-mum this baby-proofing checklist can help make sure your home is ready for you and your baby.

Working from Home - Tips to Success

Society has gone through many seasons to get us to where we are today. There was a time when women were expected to stay in the home and raise the children, while all the finances were earned by the men of the house. Then came the two working parent homes. Economics made it important to have a second income and women wanted to branch out and use their minds and express themselves beyond that of their domestic duties. 

Today, more mothers are making a change that allows them to have careers and be stay-at-home mothers. This is truly the best of both worlds. In making this transition, they can use their talents to earn a living and be accessible for their children and completely in tune with their lives. But, how did they manage? What steps did they take?

Flying To Warmer Shores With Family - 3 Top Tips

In the world we live in, taking time for a family getaway is not always easy. This is why some parents opt for theme parks as destinations. There are great things to be said about that type of trip, but going somewhere you have never been or going somewhere that has something for everyone, (adults and children) is often more fun and the memories created are treasured for life.

Here are 3 top tips for taking the family getaway vacation of your dreams.

Step out of tradition

Maybe your child is having a birthday, or maybe you want to celebrate an anniversary, graduation, or wedding. While a cake and gifts are traditional, there is a better way. Plan a bon voyage party before leaving on a celebration trip. Instead of traditional cake and gifts, set up a colorful and delicious candy buffet. The decorations are easy to gather and you can order candy from online suppliers like Sweet Services and have it delivered to your door. 

9 Simple Steps To A Delicious Marmalade

When the Brown family discovered a small bear from darkest Peru on Paddington Station all those years ago they’d no idea that over fifty years later he’d be making a feature film. They had to deal with practicalities first, they named him Paddington and soon discovered that he was very hungry indeed. In fact he’d managed to survive his entire journey from South America with nothing but a very large pot of marmalade, his favourite food, and that was now looking decidedly empty.

Ensure You're In Safe Hands: Keeping Healthy This Winter

It’s important, as the cold weather quickly draws in, that you take precautions to ensure you and your family stay healthy. As fuel bills rise and we try to resist switching the heating on, you should be looking at ways to stay healthy over the cooler months until spring rolls around again.

Winter is a time of year when we are more prone to getting sick and suffering with flu like symptoms. Children and older people are much more vulnerable to illness over this period, so make sure you take the first step to staying healthy by protecting yourself from their symptoms.

Choosing a TV for a Child’s Bedroom

As the winter evenings draw in and you would prefer your children to be in the house, warm and safe (but not compromising your television viewing!) you may want to consider a television for their own room. As Christmas approaches a television would make a great gift. There is plenty of choice in the television market at the moment so to help you choose the ideal screen for your child’s room we have come up with the following pearls of wisdom. 

Tips on Achieving the Best Pet Photography

Like any family member you want to capture the magic moments you have with your pets and get images that best represent their personality. Unlike humans it is difficult to direct animals in order to get the perfect poses from them. You will want to get pictures you can frame and interesting ones which best put across the uniqueness of your furry, feathered or scaly friend. Here are a few tips on how to get the best photographs of your pet.

The Ultimate Guide To Trick-Or-Treat Etiquette

With everything from glow in the dark skeleton onesies to Frankenstein outfits available from companies like Morph costumes, it’s no wonder the streets are taken over by excited trick-or- treaters come Halloween. Wicked witches and cheeky little devils go from door to door looking for candy and while this is a well-known custom trick-or-treat etiquette is essential, so here are some essential rules. 

5 Dangers You Might Be Exposing Your Family To And Not Know It

Everyone wants to look after their families. There are many dangers though, that you might not even be aware of, and these may cause damage to your family’s long-term health. Here are five of these dangers to look out for:

1. Noise can damage your ears

Most people should be aware that exposure to loud noise at an early age can damage your ears. This is not an old wife’s tale. If your children enjoy loud music, or you constantly wander around the house with your iPod playing in your ears at full blast you could be setting a dangerous example to your family. Hearing deteriorates over time, and you may find that your family members will have to attend a Hidden Hearing clinic for a hearing aid at some stage in their future. It’s far better to explain how the ear can be damaged by excessive noise and let your kids appreciate the importance of their ears.

An easy guide to car insurance – what policy is best for you?

Car insurance is a complex and costly matter. 

Price comparison sites provide an interesting way of analysing car insurance, but also throw up its oddities. It seems strange, for example, that if one has suffered an accident in the past three years, the value often means little – a driver responsible for an accident which caused £200 of damage might still pay the same premium when it comes to renewal as an accident which caused £20,000. Meanwhile, the age of the car, or a slight location difference, might make a massive difference.

Despite this, drivers know that there are certain ways they can almost certainly cut costs; driving a cheaper car safely, paying in full rather than monthly, keeping the car in a safe location at night, and buying a car with good security measures from somewhere such as Kia Washington in Sunderland. They also know that some things will push up the price, such as driving an expensive or unusual car or amassing convictions. Until 2012 females paid less than males, but the European Court of Justice banned ‘gender pricing’ in 2012.

The best education apps to help your child develop

With technology advancing at a rapid rate you can now find a host of educational apps that will help your child learn and develop. From puzzles and games to clever teacher/parent communication tools there are plenty to choose from, but which applications are the best?

Here are five apps that you simply must download:

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss 

Education should be fun, so why not download the Green Eggs and Ham app by Dr. Seuss and teach your child how to read in a lively, colourful and interesting way? A quirky, interactive e-book with plenty of animation, this app highlights words as the narrator reads, giving kids the chance to understand and learn new vocabulary. Youngsters can also record their own narration and click on objects to discover a word or sound.

Have our views on waiting for marriage changed?

Years ago the norm was very much that a man would court a woman, ask her to marry him, they'd get married, they'd live together. That’s the way it went. 

Now, our views on marriage have certainly changed and so many of us are having casual relationships and living together way before marriage, or perhaps not even getting married at all. We’re meeting partners in different ways, through online dating websites, and going on multiple dates, with several different people, before we meet our perfect match.

There are still plenty of people out there who wait for marriage before consummating their relationship (3% of people in the USA) but with so many of us living free and independent lifestyles, it's no wonder that bleeds into our relationships too.

In the 1950s more people waited for marriage but not as many as you might think. 11% of people in the USA waited for marriage back then. That figure has dropped dramatically in recent years. Most of

Discovering the Best Super Foods for Your Pet and You

Many people have favourite pet food brands and they will argue that their choice is the best. The discussion about which pet foods are healthiest can be as detailed as what the best fence for dogs is and whether the pet stop invisible fence is at the top of the list. It sounds silly to non-pet people, but those of us who believe our pets are family members are passionate about finding the safest, healthiest products for them.

While the proper containment for your pet is definitely important, even more so is what you feed them. Even buying pet food that is labelled organic or natural may not be the best choice, as government regulations are not that strict about what can be in pet foods that are labelled organic. The only way to be sure your pet is getting the safe, healthy food they deserve is to make it yourself. With the following list of super foods, it will be a snap for you!

“Where to Put It All?” - Computer Storage Options

In this data-driven day and age, finding a computer with sufficient storage is a nightmare. Family holiday photographs, backups, music, films, files and who knows what seem to cause your computer to fill up within just a couple of months of use. 

Luckily, there are some solutions to the problem. Below are some of the options for extra computer storage for you and your family. 

External hard drives

The internal hard disk drive stores information files like photos, videos, documents and music. When your computer's hard drive is running low on space, you can buy an external hard drive which plugs into your computer and can store extra files, along with a backup of the computer's files too. This is also really useful if you need to quickly transport files from one computer to another. 

They're also really easy to install: usually all you need to do is plug it into the computer and plug in the power cord if your new hard drive has one. Sometimes you might need to install software, but

Finding Love as a Single Parent

There are many reasons why people end up as single parents, from relationship breakdowns to the death of a partner. Life can be unpredictable sometimes, but just because you’ve one or more kids doesn’t mean you can’t pursue a romantic relationship. So, if you’re looking for that special someone and are ready for a new start, check out these useful tips.

Sign up to a dating website

Online dating is bang on trend these days with people from all walks of life logging on to find love. Dating websites are plentiful and with a wealth of profiles to browse you’re sure to find someone who piques your interest. Not good at writing about yourself or hate the thought of describing your best bits in the hope of a date? Then why not get a friend to do it for you? Sites like mysinglefriend.com allow a buddy to set up your profile adding a unique twist to your dating

10 Most Dangerous Distracted Driving Habits

Habits are those actions we do almost automatically, at times without having to think about them. Good habits are useful as we need not think of every single thing we need to do; it just comes naturally. These habits include checking if the doors are locked before driving the car, or checking the brakes and the engine before driving off. On the other hand, bad habits are those actions that can lead to accidents and mishaps, even fatal ones. Here are some bad driving habits that lead to distracted driving, the leading cause of traffic accidents in the UK. 

1. Texting or Calling

Between the two, calling seems to be the lesser evil due to the advent of hands-free calling. However, texting still requires the use of the fingers when tapping a message on mobile phones, and also forces drivers to take their eyes off the road. And though glancing at the phone can be done in a second or two, a vehicle careening through the motorway would have travelled a long strip of road in those

What's On for Kids in Manchester

Whether it's making the most of the last few days of the summer holidays, planning for an action packed half term, or squeezing as much fun into a weekend away as you possibly can, Manchester is a great place to visit with the kids. Take a look at a few upcoming child friendly events:

Saturday Playhouse

Head to The Lowry with the kids between 11am and 12.30pm on Saturdays until the end of August and they'll be able to enjoy a morning of arts and crafts. Typical themes include making horse puppets from War Horse, making a carousel with characters, making Cbeebies inspired masks and much more. 

Traditional Family Fun

Join in the fun and games at The Imperial War Museum this summer and you'll be able to enjoy activities that children were enjoying a hundred years ago. You can play hopscotch on a war time street, make scrap books and peg dolls, play with spinning tops and even make your own cardboard theatre. 

The Early Years Foundation Stage Explained

It is now believed that introducing children to education and learning from the age of two can give them a fantastic head-start in their school career. To that end, the Department of Education recently published a set of guidelines which schools must follow in order to give every child in England and Wales the same opportunities for pre-school development. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a set of legally binding guidelines relating to the welfare and learning of children between the age of two and five. 

What is the EYFS? 

The EYFS is a national curriculum for pre-school education. Registered Early Years providers and schools must follow this curriculum in its entirety, and compliance is checked annually by OFSTED visits. Children are assessed on a number of competencies between the ages of two and three, and again just before they start full-time school. Assessments take the form of observations only, and the