Category Archives: Life & Style

Yes, You’re A Parent. But You’re Also a Person – And a Friend!

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Hanging out with your friends once kids are part of the equation can seem almost impossible. When you’ve got busy lives, it can be real tough to actually do something for yourself, let alone in a group with other people in your situation. However, your friends know the “real you”, the person defined by something other than the sole fact they have reproduced. It’s important to reclaim that person from time to time, which is why it’s imperative that you let your hair down every now and again.

Hit The Bars

If you can find a trusted babysitter, hold on to them for dear life! People you trust to take care of your kids are hard to come by – especially when you can’t ask a friend, because they’ll be coming out, too! Of course, the temptation to get out can be overwhelming, but we mustn’t sacrifice safety – just make sure you’re careful when searching for a sitter, and also make sure you communicate to them everything they need to know.

Bar hopping is the ultimate in “no kids allowed” activities, and although you probably shouldn’t carry on like you’re still in your college days, there’s no harm in dressing up and truly letting go just once in a little while.

Play Some Grown Up Games

As much as we love our kids, the thousandth game of Operation or Kerplunk can give us nightmares for weeks! Games as adults don’t have to be quite so tedious, and thankfully, many of the best are altogether unsuitable for children, anyway! Cards Against Humanity is a huge hit at parties, offering adults the opportunity to be a little bit naughty and play cards (literally) that they normally wouldn’t dream of.

If you’re looking for a more serious game that also trains the brain, poker is a classic option. Trying to keep a straight face is something people have been trying to perfect for years, and you know what they say – practice makes perfect! Nobody can argue with the fact that keeping a straight face – just like bluffing successfully – is a useful skill to have in our personal and professional lives too, so you can feel confident that you’re actually improving yourself while having fun. Of course, finding the time to actually go to a casino can be quite the challenge, so remember that there’s an option to play poker online. For those that are afraid that they’ll miss the social aspect of playing a round or two in person, poker operator 888poker offers “face to face” webcam poker, which uses your camera and allows you to see the faces of your opponents while you play online.

Get Away

Once the little ones are that little bit older, you may be able to escape for more than just one evening (imagine that)! Of course, you probably won’t want to go too far away, but if there’s a city nearby, you could always splurge for a hotel. Nice food, a few drinks, and some good, clean fun. What’s not to love?

Of course, sometimes you do need to compromise. A trip with the kids to a resort where there is childcare available is a middle ground. The kids have their fun in the day, and the adults have theirs at night. There are plenty of family adventures right here in the USA, that could easily double as a whole group getaway.

Remember, before parenthood, there was personhood. That part of you doesn’t just disappear because you have children. Live for them – but also live for you.

 

 

What to consider when travelling to Vegas

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Las Vegas is well-known for luxury casinos, dive bars and glitzy entertainment – but if you’ve never been to Vegas before, you’ll be in for a few surprises.

To help make the best of your trip, especially if you’re looking for things to do in Las Vegas with kids, here are just a few things you should know before travelling to Las Vegas for the first time…

It’s hot – really hot

Since Vegas sits smack bang in the middle of the Nevada desert, you might expect it to be warm. But as soon as you get off the plane, you’ll notice just how hot it is – 38 degrees centigrade (100 degrees Fahrenheit) is the average temperature in August.

While the casinos, bars, restaurants and hotels all have air-conditioning, be prepared to break out in a sweat if you plan to walk more than 100 metres (109 yards). The most comfortable way to move around Las Vegas Strip is through the casino complex and not around it.

ATM charges are high

The standard fee for using most cash machines in Las Vegas is $5.99 , but this can rise to $9.99 in some adult establishments. This may not mean much to the big spenders, but to us mere mortals, it can have a real impact on our cash flow.

When you come to Vegas, you’d be wise to bring plenty of cash (especially if travelling from outside the United States) to avoid these astronomical charges.

Everyone smokes – everywhere

Smoking has been banned here in the UK for years, so most of us are pretty used to being able to gamble without having to breathe in second-hand smoke. But Vegas remains one of the few places in the US that allows smoking in commercial venues. The casinos try and cover up the smell with what they like to call ‘signature scents’, so the smell isn’t too bad.

But if you’re offended by cigarette smoke, you may wish to stay in a hotel without a gaming license – such as the MGM Grand, or the Trump International.

Playing offshore gambling websites is illegal

Despite having a booming gambling industry, the state of Nevada is still touchy about online gaming. In fact, poker is the only licensed online game available in the state. And if you think you can get around this by logging on to Play Cosmo – think again. Playing on foreign gambling sites is illegal in the Silver State.

Cab drivers try to take advantage of Vegas virgins

Every Las Vegas cab ride starts with two key questions:

1. Where to?

2. So have you ever been to Vegas before?

You should always tell your cabbie that yes, you have been to Vegas before.

Why?

Because taxi drivers in the city try to increase the fare by taking longer routes to your destination – a common trick known as ‘long hauling’. Back in 2016, the LA Times declared that Vegas cab firms make a total of $47 million a year by overcharging visitors.

Complimentary room upgrades are available

Hotels in Las Vegas are often willing to move you to a better room if there is one available. Just speak to a member of staff at the front desk and ask if they offer any free upgrades – these are often available with no questions asked. But be sure to give a generous tip in return for their willingness to accommodate you.

 

 

Review: The Stepmother

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The Stepmother
Minerva, Chichester Festival Theatre
Until September 9

www.cft.org.uk
01243 781312

Photo credit: Catherine Ashmore

The words ‘seldom performed’ in a marketing blurb can trigger alarm bells. In many cases there’s a damn good reason why directors don’t dust down certain plays. In this instance, however, it’s an absolute mystery why it has taken so long to revive Githa Sowerby’s beautifully observed drama, in the experienced hands here of former artistic director of the National Theatre Richard Eyre.

Written in 1924, money, equality – or the lack of – and career are core themes. The setting is the home of widower Eustace Gaydon (Will Keen). A financial chancer lacking in integrity, kindness and sincerity, when he discovers that shy young Lois Relph (Ophelia Lovibond) is set to inherit his sister’s estate he promptly marries her, thus providing a stepmother for his two young daughters and shoring himself up financially. Ten years on and the shy young woman he married has become a successful society dressmaker, but Eustace’s dodgy deals have turned on him.

Keen is superb as Eustace. Shifty, sly, domineering and full of self-justification, he is irredeemably unpleasant.

Lovibond also convinces as the young girl who, as she morphs into a confident businesswoman, gradually comes to realise just what a ghastly situation she has signed up to.

A strong supporting cast includes Eve Ponsonby as stepdaughter Monica. Desperate to marry but constantly blocked by her father’s refusal to make good with an allowance, her youthful passion and increasing desperation are beautifully portrayed.

Historically fascinating, this stylish production deserves a life beyond Chichester.

Shocking New Study Reveals Overwhelming Sexism in TV & Film Ads

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Patricia Arquette , speech, feminism, oscar speech, equal pay, Winner of Best Actress In A Supporting Role Oscar 2015Women may be fighting for equality but there is still a long way to go. TV, cinema and online adverts are overwhelmingly biased against women, with men appearing on screen FOUR times more than women, and men speaking SEVEN times more than women, according to groundbreaking new research.

The study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media – founded by the Thelma and Louise star – and ad agency JWT New York, looked at more than 2,000 ads from over the last 10 years to get the results.

The report, released at the 2017 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – the biggest global event in the advertising world  –  also found:

·       Women are twice more likely than men to be shown partially or fully nude.

·       There are twice as many male characters in ads than female characters.

·       25% of ads feature men only, while only 5% of ads feature women only.

·      18% of ads feature only male voices, while less than 3% of ads featuring female voices only.

·        Women in ads are mostly in their 20s while men are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

·        Men are almost twice as likely to be funny than women.

·        One in 10 female characters are shown in sexually revealing clothing – six times the number of male characters.

·        Men are 62% more likely to be shown as intelligent.

·        Women are 48% more likely to be shown in the kitchen while men are 50% more likely to be shown at a sporting event.

·        One in three men are shown to have a job compared to one in four women.

 

The researchers concluded that female presence and portrayal in ads has not changed or improved for more than a decade, from 2006 to this day.

The report, called Unpacking Gender Bias in Advertising, examined a decade’s worth of winners and entries to the Cannes Lions Awards – the Oscars of the ad industry – using automation to analyse the split between men and women.

It aims at raising awareness of explicit and implicit gender bias in advertising, and its powerful ripple effects in the world.

Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, said: “By changing the narrative, the images we use, the stories we tell about women, we can dramatically change the way the world values women and how women and girls see themselves. It’s not enough to portray more women. We need a more progressive and inclusive representation of women.”

Brent Choi, Chief Creative Officer, J. Walter Thompson New York: “What this research shows is that our industry has tent-pole moments, amazing actions or campaigns when we all rally around women, but when it comes to creating our ‘regular’ ads for our ‘regular’ clients, we forget about them.”
The research from The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University and J. Walter Thompson New York, in collaboration with University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering, analysed more than 2,000 films from the Cannes Lions archive (English language only).

Busy Builders – Hape Crane Lift

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Hape-Crane-Lift

Entertain and inspire the little engineer in your life with the Hape Crane Lift. As with all Hape toys it’s so easy to put together – no screwdrivers or scissors needed while your child hops impatiently from foot to foot.

The crane lift gives hours of fun and helps develop hand/eye coordination and encourages creative play. It was a fantastic addition to the growing number of cars and lorries in the household and gave added play value to toys already owned. The lift fascinated little minds and there was no limit to toys that could be winched and moved across the playroom.

Strong and sturdy, made from natural materials and water based paints the crane meets with rigorous safety standards and will last for generations.

Available from Argos at £34.99

www.argos.co.uk

All Play – No Work

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We all lead busy lives, whether we go out to work or stay at home, there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get what we want done, and very often this leads to the ‘all work, and no plya’ scenario which is damaging to our well-being.

Luckily there is a way to turn that ‘all work’ scenario on its head by using your mobile phone.

We have forged an intimate relationship with our phones ever since technology advanced, and Wi-Fi became more reliable and wide-spread. We eat with them, sleep with them, and on average we check them 50+ times a day, and this number rises significantly if you happen to be between the age 18 – 24.

Our love affair with our smartphones is frowned upon by some, but for many users this love affair is for a good reason. Our smartphones tell us the time of day, tell us what the weather is going to be like, they even tell us how many steps we have taken.

We can find dates, and sex, using our phones, and they can keep us connected with friends and family, play us our favourite tunes, and take us to sites like Swanky Bingo Slots where we can spend some time in an entertaining and exciting environment playing on our favourite games.

In fact, the gambling industry was one of the first industries to see the potential of the mobile phone, and because of this sites like Swanky Bingo have games optimised for mobile devices, players can even pay for their games using their phone bill, opting to have the cost added to their monthly contract or deducted from the ‘pay as you go’ balance.

Slots have actually moved over to our smaller screens perfectly, and have proven to be one of the most popular games played by mobile users. This really isn’t that surprising as players can take advantage of some excellent bonuses and promotional offers, going on to win some amazing cash prizes, and this July saw one lucky punter win an incredible 3.6 million on his favourite slot.

Being mobile means that you can pick up your game when and where you choose whether that is in the bath on your lunch break, and now ‘all play’ rather than ‘all work’ is more than ‘just possible.’

 

Cut out the holiday hassle with Bramley

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It’s stressful enough packing for holiday without decanting your favourite products into little plastic bottles to pass security regulations. Now you don’t have to as Bramley have introduced a range of their larger size products into 50ml and 100ml bottles

Bramley’s countryside inspired collection of bath, body and hair products are available to buy separately so that you can mix and match to create your perfect collection.

We tested the shampoo and conditioner. After a hectic day travelling the lemon, mandarin and rosemary essential oils in Bramley shampoo and conditioner gave an instant lift and soothed frayed nerves. The smell was heavenly and the combination of products left hair feeling soft and glossy. Both products are gentle on the hair and can be used daily.

Bramley use only the highest quality essential oils which not only have renowned therapeutic effects but also naturally fragrance their products. They contain 100% natural botanicals and do not use any artificial colours or ingredients and do not test on animals.

Available in sizes: 50ml or 100ml

 

Lemon, mandarin and rosemary essential oils are combined to create a softening conditioner.

 

Available in sizes: 50ml or 100ml

 

Other travel size products available Hand Wash, Hand Cream, Body Lotion, Body Wash, Bubble Bath and Travel Candles

www.bramleyproducts.co.uk

Bright Bites for Baby-Nibbling Whale Teether

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Nibbling’s jewellery collection is the perfect combination of style and practicality. We tested the whale teether in coral. Baby found the teether the perfect size to hold in little fingers. It comes with a lanyard clip that mum can pop around her neck instantly converting the teether into a piece of jewellery.

We particularly liked the fact that the colours were softer tones.

Nibbling products are made with 100% food grade silicone, safe and soft enough to chew. They are soft on babies gums and emerging teeth. Our little tester found it easy to hold and easy to bite.

Check out the full range of nibbling jewellery products for mums and kids. A safe, practical and stylish collection of delightful necklaces, bracelets, teething rings and dummy clips.

The teether is available in other colours and shapes and retails at £12.00

www.nibbling.co.uk