A couple of years ago, we were very fortunate to visit Lapland UK to visit Father Christmas/Santa. Visiting Lapland UK not only made the kids feel like they were in the most magical place ever, but also me and my sister thought the same too, I'm not sure who was more excited to see Santa, the adults or the kids! Visiting such a place can leave high expectations for any other visit to Father Christmas, so we was on the hunt for somewhere just as good. Whilst looking for places to visit Santa, one name kept popping up, and that place kept getting recommended over and over again by so many different people - Oaktree Garden Centre.

Two very large outdoor garden reindeer decorations.

I've mentioned HS (Hidradenitis Suppurativa) a few times now on Unique Young Mum, and as there's no cure, I imagine I'll be writing about it for a long time. Living with a health condition that has no cure, or no real way of managing the condition, is quite simply heartbreaking.


Image credit: Anthony Tran at Unsplash.
My dear friend Lauren is getting married in a matter of days to her husband to be - Ismail. Ismail is Turkish and lives in Turkey, where Lauren and Ismail are getting married. Unfortunately for a number of reasons, I can't make the wedding abroad, which breaks my heart, but I was fortunately not only able to be part of the hen party organisation but host it too! I will have to do a whole new post on that, but for now, I thought I'd share with you a free printable perfect for any bridal showers/hen parties!



Have you ever agreed to do something, only for the time to draw nearer and you start to dread the upcoming situation? As I seem to do this all the time, and if you think previous lessons would've taught me, think again! From helping out at school fetes, or volunteering to stay till the end at a wedding to help clear up, and promising people I'd be at certain events - I think I've done it all.



For any parents who have school-age children, the summer holidays will be beginning very soon (if they've not already begun), and for many of us, July is the start of an expensive six weeks. It's a time where we will be going through extra food, extra electricity (and possibly gas too!), extra petrol, extra clothing/footwear and lots of other extras too.


*All of the items in this guide were sent to me in return for coverage within this guide, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

With Father's Day just over a week away, it's time to start getting those gift ideas ready for the special men in our lives if you've not already. If you're looking for a gift for your significant other from the children, your own dad, your stepdad, grandad, or a father figure, then look no further as this guide is packed full of items to please dads of all kinds on all kinds of budgets. From personalised items that show that special touch, to unique and quirky cards, there's something for everyone in this guide.

I've briefly mentioned on the blog before about living with two chronic skin diseases - Psoriasis and Hidradenitis Suppurativa (also known as HS for short), the latter being a disease I have only just learnt how to pronounce properly, and one I still can't spell without the internet's help. I've had psoriasis since I was a teenager and developed HS when I was a young adult, however I was only officially diagnosed with HS around two years ago.

When it comes to finding childcare, it's something that many parent's find difficult for a number of reasons. It could be that you've received at least three personal recommendations of amazing placements/minders/sitters, or it could be that you need one that's available with spaces ASAP, or maybe you don't want to enter a contract because your future commitments aren't certain so you need childcare on an ad-hoc basis. 

A child looking through binoculars
Image credit
If you've been a reader of Unique Young Mum for a while, or if you've ever visited before, then chances are you know already that I had my son when I was 15, a month before my 16th birthday. Although I'm not a teenage mum any more, or a young mum, I am a young mum to have a 13-year-old child.

Author of Unique Young Mum, Jade Lewendon and her son

Father's Day is that one time of the year when we can give an extra special thanks to the dad's in our lives. This year, the UK celebrates Father's Day on June 16th 2019, and I have a Father's Day feature planned for my readers, including a few competitions, and a gift guide too.

£50 Amazon UK Gift Card

Though we like to think we appreciate the special men in our lives all year round, sometimes its easier said than done, which is why I'm personally thankful for the special dedicated day, to show my dad, my stepdad, Spud's dad, and Spud's stepdad just how much they mean to us.
Are you gagging to make over your lounge, but don’t have the finances to afford it? Well, think again! There are loads of cheap and cheerful ways to transform your living (or any other) area, and the best thing is, some are even free, with just a few simple changes.


Home plants in the lounge on a coffee table, with a sofa in the background.
Image credit.
Injecting some style into your lounge without spending lots IS totally possible, so if a certain room in your home is in need of a makeover, but you don't have the funds to do exactly what you want, why don't you make a few small affordable changes to give the place a mini makeover until you have the funds to do your dream makeover? Here are some ideas to get you started!
When decorating your home, the first two areas you tend to focus on are the walls and the floor. The type of flooring you choose can have an impact on the overall appearance and feel of your home but also ties into practicality.


For instance, you may be looking to sell your home or rent it out for a buy to let purpose, in which case you would need to avoid flooring that gets damaged or stained easily. To help you decide which flooring is best to use, take a look at this helpful guide.
We've all had times where we've wanted to transform the kid's bedroom/s, but we've just not had the funds nor time to do it, or maybe it's the children themselves who keep going on and on about a bedroom makeover, not understanding that bills need to be paid, school trips need to be funded, and another birthday is creeping up.


It leaves us as parents feeling guilty, we want nothing more than to give our darling children the makeover they so desire, but with lack of funds, or simply the lack of time, it's hard. I'm quite lucky with my own son, he doesn't like too much change, and hasn't asked for a new bedroom every year, unlike me when I was a child. If I had my own way, I could've easily had new a new bedroom set up every 3-6 months, I was always wanting a change!
Being a blogger means I take pictures every single day, which means hundreds, if not thousands of pictures are taken every single week. Not all pictures are uploaded anywhere straight away, some are kept for months later, and some need hours of editing work done to them before they can be posted anywhere. Some are instantly posted to a platform or two instantly though - if you're on my personal Facebook then you know how much I love a good old curry for dinner!


One of the main places I take photos is in my kitchen, its where the most amount of natural light comes in, and although it's small it's quite spacious, and the tiles can be a good backdrop - that is when they're looking picture good of course! My tiles get wiped down most days because splashes and drops happen when your cooking, and thankfully they come up sparkling clean, the grout however.... well that's a whole new story isn't it, and I know I'm not alone!

A Day In The #LifeOfGerms

in , , by Jada, May 03, 2019
Cleaning - whether we love it, or hate it, it's something we all have to do, every single day of our lives in one aspect or another. We may even clean without even realising it (giving the kids a quick wipe over for example, or picking up toys!), because it's just become such a natural part of our day to day lives. Whilst I could never sign up to be a cleaner, well unless it was the only way to make ends meet, I don't actually mind cleaning up.

Although we really shouldn't be thinking of heating in May, unfortunately with the typical cold and rainy weather, many of us do have our heating on, not only to keep ourselves and our homes warm, but also as a way to dry our clothes.


Did you know, lots of areas in Ireland aren’t connected to the gas grid? So many householders use heating oil to warm their homes. Using home heating oil is already a pretty cheap way to stay warm, but if you’re doubly smart with it, you can cut your annual costs even further.

The Costs Of Single Parent Living.

by Jada, April 18, 2019
I don't think there is anything more annoying and upsetting than getting judged for something that doesn't even apply to you, just because you fit the stereotype. Giving birth and becoming a mother to my son at the age of 15 meant I have had my fair share of stereotypical views thrown at me, because a teenager couldn't possibly be a good mother, or a good role model for their child could they?



As I got older, I wasn't just judged because of how young I became a mum, but I also got judged for being a single parent, you know, because that's exactly what I dreamed to be, that's exactly the future I visioned when I first got with my son's dad, I had hopes and dreams of becoming a single parent clearly *rolls eyes*. 

Last month, I posted letting you all know about our DIY summer house, something we've made/built entirely from scratch using everything we can get our hands on, using as little money as possible. Today I thought I'd share an update with you all on how that's coming along.

Do it yourself summer house - picture from the outside.

I'm pleased to say the outside of the building is FINISHED - well it needs two tiny little triangle cuts for the top of the building BUT apart from that it's done, at least building wise! All we need for the outside now is some decorations, some furniture and some outdoor garden lights and it'll be finished!

Carters Steam Fair Review.

in , , , by Jada, April 10, 2019
Is there any better feeling than reliving and experiencing magical memories with your children? Maybe it's sitting down together to watch your favourite childhood movie, or maybe its the fact their favourite restaurant is your favourite restaurant too, or maybe it's going to places that they love, which takes you back to your younger days.


Carters Steam Fair Review

Is there anything worse than experiencing unexpected costs when you're on holiday? Imagine this, you've saved a few hundred pounds to go on holiday with, the holiday accommodation is sorted, the food and drinks are sorted, the cars still got a few months left on the MOT, you've been shopping for holiday clothes for the last however many months, and all you need to do now is countdown the days until the holiday arrives, and fill up the car with petrol.


You've saved up that money for a special day out or two, you've saved it up for fish and chips, followed by ice cream on the seafront, you've saved it up for an experience of a lifetime that you can only experience on holiday. What you haven't saved it up for is unexpected costs, like the car needing repairs, essential repairs - repairs you can't avoid.
We're now into the second quarter of the year already, time really isn't slowing down and neither are the events! March was a really expensive month for me, what with Mother's Day, my son's birthday and loads of family birthdays, and now I'm straight into another expensive month with another big event - Easter!


In early September 2018, whilst enjoying the last of the warm evenings in the garden with a few friends, I said how I'd love to have a bar for us to all sit at, for next summer's child free evenings. I said it not in a jokey way, but not in a too serious way either, hey... I'd love to win the lottery and have a smaller stomach, and I have a lot of places I'd love to visit, but just because things get said - it doesn't mean they happen, does it?

There's still a lot more to do, but its getting there!
Only the thought didn't leave my head, and when I'd climb into bed after a busy day, I'd usually catch up on the day's news affairs, but instead, I found myself searching Pinterest, DIY groups on Facebook and Google for DIY bar ideas - on a budget. Before I knew it, I had wood at the bottom of my garden and a vision in my head. My older brother Paul had built his own bar, and it looked amazing, it was on a decking area with worktops, a fridge and shelves - it was simple, yet perfect, and that's what I wanted, but did I get what I wanted? Oh no, I got something different...
How are we into the third month of the year already? Time just seems to be going so fast, and I know I’m not the only one thinking so! Mothers Day in the UK falls on March 31st this year, so that's one event a lot of us will be allocating a certain budget too, thankfully Easter isn't until next month this year!

.

A Post For My Stalker.

in , by Jada, February 28, 2019
Dear stalker, as you've been stalking my Facebook, you're most probably stalking my blog too and any other area of my life you can ''access'', so this post is just for you - hello!




I'm a fully grown woman, I know how this evil, sad and depressing world works, I know that no one really is your friend, and the only person you could ever really trust is yourself, so go ahead and talk about me all you want.
Last month I posted January's 5 Money Saving Ideas, and as promised this is February's edition! After a financially struggling January, many of us may find the first couple of weeks, if not all of February just as hard as the first month of the year.



The End Of An Era

in , , by Jada, January 31, 2019
As many of you know, homelessness is something that is close to my heart, and many of you know I volunteered for a local homeless and vulnerable community group in Reading - Piaroo’s Wish Helping The Homeless and Vulnerable in Reading.



Sadly, with personal things going on, I had to sadly give up my role not only on the committee but as a general volunteer/helper too. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, and one I only wish I didn’t have to make. I spent days wracking my brains, but sadly it was a decision that had to be made.
Christmas is over, the decorations are down, the diets have begun and our bank accounts are starting to struggle. If you're anything like me, then January is one of the hardest months financially, and its a struggle to get through after such an expensive month!



© Unique Young Mum · THEME BY WATDESIGNEXPRESS