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No matter whether you are looking for something for your child’s birthday or you want to reward them for good behaviour, you are going to have masses and masses of toys to choose from. And, to make matters worse, your child probably wants all of them! So, how do you narrow down your search? Well, there is more than meets the eye when buying toys for your little one. There is an art to it, and these are the vital factors you need to consider to get it right.

Make sure the toy you choose is age appropriate – There is only one place to begin, and this is by selecting a toy that is right for your child in terms of age. Luckily, this is not difficult to do, as most toys come with an appropriate age range on the packaging. After all, safety is of paramount importance. This is especially the case when it comes to the likes of motorized bikes for children and other action-based toys that could cause harm if you buy your child something that is way too advanced for their age.

Consider how the toy is going to be assembled – When you buy your child something, they are going to want to play with it straight away. So, if you have chosen something that needs to be assembled, you’re probably going to get nagged and nagged until you put it together. You will probably want to think about this before you purchase anything.

Read reviews that have been left by other parents – Another great tip when trying to find the right toy for your child is to read reviews that have been left online by other parents. These comments can be very insightful because they will let you know if the toy is worth the money. What did their child think of it? How much use did the toy get? There are some toys – especially craft related ones – that will only provide your child with one afternoon of play. Most parents are seeking something that will occupy their little one for a bit longer, and so this is where reviews really show their worth!

Choose a toy that does more than entertain – Toys are for fun and entertainment. But they can do so much more than this. Take role-play toys, block sets, and water tables as prime examples. Not only are these toys a lot of fun, but also they can help your child with their academic and social development.

Hopefully, you now feel more prepared for choosing the perfect toy for your child next time their birthday or Christmas comes around. Of course, there are going to be cases whereby your little one knows exactly what he or she wants. But, when this isn’t the case, use the checklist provided above to make sure you get it right.

*This is a contributed post

That’s right everyone! We are moving!

I let the cat out of the bag. I can finally confirm that April 20th will be our last day in Miami Beach. We will be moving to NORTH CAROLINA! There were many deciding factors for this move but basically….

• We wanted a change. We have loved our south beach neighborhood for 3 years, but it is expensive.
• We are also ready to buy land and build our dream “tiny house” within the next 2 years (more on this later). This dream is not attainable for us in south florida.
• We want to experience the change in seasons! Miami has two seasons: super hot and less hot. lol – we have loved 3 winters here but again, we are ready for change.
• Alex is starting a new job in May and he is really excited for it!

We have a slight issue that we have turned into a beautiful blessing! We will be homeless from April 21st – May 11th. Tragedy? No way! We will be filling this time with adventures and bucket list items!

Follow along on my Instagram and YouTube channel for updates. We will be vlogging and photographing everything – it will be as if you’re traveling right beside us. Be sure to follow so you don’t miss a thing!

April 20th – Pack entire apartment into a “pod” and ship it away to storage.

April 21-28 We will be sailing away on the Disney Fantasy Cruise Ship. We have lots of excursions, special events and surprises planned. There is nothing like a Disney Cruise! You’ll see!

April 28 – 30 We will be visiting all 4 Disney Parks in Orlando.

May 1-4 The epic road trip begins as we stop off in Virginia.

May 5-7 To test our hipster credibility we will be spending a few days in Brooklyn, NY. We are renting an apartment and testing out life as a local!

May 8th Philadelphia is our next stop where we will try out cheesesteaks and walk the magic gardens.

May 9-11 In patriotic spirit we will be visiting Washington DC and all that the city has to offer.

May 11-12 We will move into our new home in Hickory, North Carolina.

Are we insane? This is our crazy life for the next month or so. If you have any suggestions on where to eat and what to do on our east coast road trip – please comment below or DM me on Instagram.

Thanks for following our adventures
xo

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Let’s face it; life can be pretty exhausting a lot of the time. Whether it’s work, chores, hobbies, family, or trying to had on to some semblance of a social life, trying to keep up with everything that’s going on in your life can be pretty a lot to deal with. For a lot of people, this means trying to find a balance of priorities and sacrifices. Certain things will fall by the wayside while you deal with other parts of your life that might be more important. Sadly, because of this, there is one incredibly important thing that ends up being sacrificed far more often that it should. That thing is sleep. It can be incredibly tempting to think that you can squeeze everything in as long as you cut back on a couple of hours sleep, and even if you don’t want to, worrying about what you have to do can keep you up all night. However, going without sleep can be disastrous for your physical and mental wellbeing. With that in mind, here are some ways to make sure that you’re getting the sleep you need.

 

Get comfy

 

You’re never going to be able to get a decent night’s sleep if you can’t get comfortable. The first thing that you need to sort out is a mattress. Check out sites like ChooseMattress to help you find the best mattress for your needs. Not only that but you need to make sure that you’ve got a duvet that is perfect no matter what the temperature is like. There’s nothing worse than trying to get to sleep, but you’re either way too hot or way too cold!

Ditch the gadgets

We all love our gadgets, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Smartphones and computers are a fantastic way to learn, socialise, play games, and generally keep yourself entertained. However, one thing they are terrible for is getting a decent night’s sleep. If you’ve got the glare of a screen staring at you right before you go to sleep, that blue light is going to trick your brain into thinking that it’s daytime. Instead, read a book for a little while or do something relaxing like yoga before bed.. That way you can tire out your eyes and your body before you finally get off to sleep.

Wake up early

Not everyone’s a morning person but getting up a little earlier in the day really can be incredibly useful for helping you to get a decent night’s sleep. Waking up late is a) going to make you miss out of a large chunk of the day, and b) going to make it much harder to get off to sleep at a reasonable time. Get up with your alarm, ignore that tempting snooze button, and wake up at a decent time and you’ll be ready to drop off as soon as your head hits the pillow that evening.

Of course, the funny thing about trying to get more sleep is that the more you worry about it, the harder it is to do! Make sure that you try and stay as relaxed as possible and don’t let the idea of getting stuff done stress you out too much!

*This is a contributed post*