Author: Beatrice Bisais Page 12 of 32

Bea is Nixplay's Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

Gifts to Get Your Tech-Savvy Mum This Mother’s Day

By Beatrice Bisais

On March 23, 2017

In Gifting Guides

Not all mums want flowers and a lovely brunch out for Mother’s Day. Some would rather spend the day enjoying the latest tech gadget – with their dear son or daughter, or course.

If your mum is among those who prefer FitBits and iPads to handbags and scarves, take a look at this list of the best tech gifts for Mum this Mother’s Day.

Google Home

Busy Mums deserve all the help they can get when it comes to running the household.

The Google Home voice-activated speaker can remind family members of appointments and events, play music from a variety of web services, let you know what the weather will be like, and even work with your other smart devices like TVs, appliances, and thermostats.

Tile trackers

Maybe Mum is incredibly organized – but even the best of us lose things now and then. Tile trackers are small, sleek Bluetooth locators that can be attached to keys, wallets, backpacks, remote controls – anything that you might misplace.

When you lose an item that has a Tile attached, all you have to do is use the Tile app on your phone to get the tracker to ring, alerting you to the item’s location. It works in reverse, too: if you lose your phone, just push the button on any of your Tile trackers to get your phone to ring.

You can even put a Tile in your car or on your bike to make sure you never again have to wander a street or parking lot searching for your transportation.

Microsoft Band

Perfect for high-achieving, career-oriented moms, the Microsoft Band is more than just a fitness tracker. The Band tracks your workouts and steps, sleep, and calories burned, and comes with a continuous heart rate monitor that allows you to see how your heart rate changes over a 24-hour period.

In addition to your fitness data, however, the Band allows you to view and reply to text messages, preview your emails, and receive calendar notifications.

Drop

Mums who love to bake will love Drop, a smart scale that works with a recipe app that lets you access free recipes and precisely measure ingredients so you end up with less waste.

The app walks you through your recipes step-by-step, and you can even interact with the app by pushing a button on the scale. That way, you don’t have to worry about getting flour all over your iPad.

Nixplay Seed Cloud WiFi Digital Frame

The Nixplay Seed Cloud WiFi Digital Frame is the perfect gift for Mums everywhere – especially for those who don’t live in the same town as their children or grandchildren.

The Nixplay Seed works with the Nixplay smartphone app, which allows users to send photos to frames instantly from anywhere around the world. Mum can place her Seed frame in the family room and see images from her granddaughter’s ballet recital, or her son’s trip to India, as they’re happening.

You can even create playlists for Mum’s Seed frame before you give it to her – for ideas, check our post “A Lifetime in Pictures: Suggested Playlists for Your Gifted Nixplay Digital Photo Frame.”

Tech-savvy Mums deserve useful, fun-to-use gadgets. Whether Mum is an avid baker, a fitness enthusiast, or a devoted family woman, you can certainly find something on this list to make her happy. For more ideas on how to stay connected to Mum throughout the year, not just on Mother’s Day, read our post “How the Nixplay App Can Keep Your Family Connected.”

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

5 Unique Ways to Give Mum an Unforgettable Mother’s Day

By Beatrice Bisais

On March 21, 2017

In Special Moments

Flowers and breakfast in bed are lovely ways to celebrate your mum this Mother’s Day. But if you’re looking for something a bit more unique, take a look at this list of fun, creative ways to show Mum how much you love her.

Make a memorable meal

Chances are, you’ve got a handful of dishes you love just because Mum made them for you when you were a child.

But maybe you’ve never thought about what her special dishes were when she was young. What did your grandmother make your mum when she was sick? When she accomplished something? When she came home from college?

Ask your mum about what those dishes were, and then try your hand at making a couple. Even if they don’t turn out just the way Mum remembers, she’ll surely appreciate the thought.

Clean the house and give her a day off

It may seem mundane, but it just may be that the thing Mum wants most of all is a day off from the daily chores.

Let her know that you notice and appreciate everything she does by giving her a real day off. Clean the house, cook dinner, take the kids on an outing – just give Mum some time to herself. Not only will she get the chance to read that book she’s been meaning to, but she’ll also get to enjoy the happiness of your return home – after a reasonable amount of time, of course.

Make a Simnel cake

Why not go extra-traditional and make Mum a Simnel cake for Mother’s Day? This medieval cake was traditionally made for Mothering Sunday, when servants and others were allowed to travel to their home church to worship with their families.

Now that Mothering Sunday has generally morphed into Mother’s Day – at least in the UK – Simnel cakes are more representative of springtime, rebirth, and of course, mothers, than anything else.

These cakes aren’t terribly challenging to make. They’re a layered cake filled with dried fruit and garnished with marzipan and dried or fresh flowers. Just make sure Mum likes fruit cake before you make one for her.

Invest in quality time by signing up for a class or course together

The best gift you can give any mother is time, so give Mum some of yours by finding a class or course that the two of you can take together.

That could be a fitness class like barre or Crossfit, or a course in photography at your local community center. Whatever you choose, just make sure it’s tailored to Mum’s tastes, not just your own.

Create a special slideshow for Mum’s digital frame

Digital frames like the Nixplay Seed are a wonderful way to stay connected to Mum even if you live far apart. Since you can send photos to the frame instantly, from anywhere in the world, Mum can share in your everyday moments more easily.

But for Mother’s Day, go beyond simply sending pictures and make her a special playlist. You can include pictures of your children, of you and your siblings, or of the family vacations you’ve all taken together over the years.

Another great idea is to make a playlist that celebrates Mum herself with pictures from her childhood, young adulthood, or early motherhood. She’ll love taking a walk down memory lane, and seeing moments from her life before she was your mum.

Mum deserves something extra special this Mother’s Day. After all, she lives the other 364 days of the year taking care of her family. Return the favor with one of these unique ideas. For more ways to celebrate Mother’s Day, read our post “5 Surprises for Mom This Mother’s Day.”

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

13 Reasons Why It’s Really Okay to Turn Into Your Mum

By Beatrice Bisais

On March 20, 2017

In Special Moments

It’s a well accepted cliché that as we get older, as women, we turn into our mothers. For a lot of people the thought of this is a little horrifying. You’re young and cool right? You don’t want to start staying in on Saturday nights knitting blankets and complaining about traffic do you?

Well, maybe.

I’ve been giving it some thought and I’ve decided that perhaps it’s not actually so bad to turn into your mother after all. She’s actually pretty nice really isn’t she?

Here are 13 reasons why it’s really okay to turn into your mum:

You’ll always have a container for leftovers

Mums always have Tupperware don’t they? Never again will you have to ferret through the kitchen cupboard looking for a lid that matches a tub. (What happens to all the lids?!?)

Source: nita_tandon

People will know you care

You know how your mum always makes you text her to let her know you got home safely? That’s quite a nice feeling isn’t it? It shows she cares about you, and when you start making other people to do the same for you they’ll get that fuzzy feeling from knowing someone is thinking about them.

You get to watch Pointless

And all those other TV programmes that are allegedly for ‘old people’ but are actually just really good.

You may master the art of the roast potato

Mums seem to have an instinct for roast potatoes, which means they are always amazing. Perhaps turning into your mum will mean you suddenly can make the best roasts ever?

Source: dalewhybrow

You’ll give great cuddles

Because everyone knows that mums give the very best cuddles, whatever the circumstances. It’s no bad thing to be the person known for giving great hugs.

Crochet is cool

Crafts are big right now, so staying in knitting a hat or crocheting a toy frog is no bad thing. It’s a handy skill to have, and your creations will make great content for Instagram.

Source: coffeeberrycrochet

It’s okay not to want to go to nightclubs

At last! It’s okay to say ‘no thanks, I’d rather stay in and watch the Antiques Roadshow than go to the pub’. Hooray!

You feel happier

As I get older, I definitely feel more comfortable in my own skin. I see my own mum not caring what other people think of her, happily going about her business, and I want a piece of that.

You’ll always have a tissue

Which is always handy. Mums always have a handbag full of useful things like tissues, paracetamol and change for car parks ticket machines. You’ll be ready for anything.

Source: anweediya

Your home will look beautiful

Rather than getting by on hand me downs and Ikea bookcases, as you turn into your mum you’ll want to invest in good quality, long lasting furniture and proper grown up saucepans. Gone will be the days of posters on the walls and mismatched crockery.

You’ll never forget something important when you go on holiday

Because you’ll have made a list, rather than just throwing six bikinis in a bag and hoping for the best. Everyone will love you because you’ll be the person who remembered sun cream, insect repellant and a corkscrew.

Source: imnotthereblog

You get to wear comfy shoes

I must admit that I’ve never really been a girl who feels comfortable in heels, so I love that as I get older, and more like my mum, it becomes more acceptable to shop in the wide fit section of Clarks.

Your mum is ace

She’s your mum! You love her to bits and although she might be annoying and make you cringe at times, you can’t think of a better role model to aspire to.

Source: mrsbrownuk

Guest post: Jo Middleton, mum of two, living in Somerset, and creator of the award-winning blog Slummy Single Mummy.

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

The Best Mother’s Day Gift You Can Give Your Mum This Year

By Beatrice Bisais

On March 16, 2017

In Gifting Guides

Mother’s Day has a long history in the UK.

Originally, the holiday was a Christian celebration that emerged in the 16th century. Called Mothering Sunday, it was celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, and saw Christians all over Great Britain and some other parts of Europe travelling to their “mother church” to worship with family members.

Over time, the holiday became a way for fathers and children to celebrate the mums in their families by spending quality time together and giving flowers and gifts.

While Mums should be celebrated all year, not just on Mother’s Day, the official Mother’s Day can serve as good inspiration for finding a really excellent gift.

What’s one of the best gifts you can give Mum? Spending some loving, quality time together comes in first, of course, but after that, we think photographs of your special memories comes in a close second.

Make your photo gifts unique to make them special.

There’s nothing wrong with giving Mum a simply framed image as a gift, but if you really want to wow her, why not try something a little different?

Collage frames that allow you to include multiple pictures in nicely presented configurations make very thoughtful gifts. Other options are some of the more modern display ideas:

Getting a canvas print of one of your favourite photos
Making a hanging display of photo prints using string or wire and clothespins or metal clips
Creating a display that incorporates decorative objects, like wooden initials, small plants, etc. along with photographs
Making a photo calendar or book with special images of the family

Framed pictures are classic and timeless, but with all the options out there now for dressing up your photos, you may find yourself tempted to get a little more creative.

Go digital to make your photo gift more versatile.

Digital pictures offer so much potential in terms of gifts. By themselves, they’re not that exciting – no one wants to get a flash drive for a gift! – but you can create slideshows or digital albums to look through on Mother’s Day, preferably while your mum eats the breakfast you made her.

One of the best ways to get the most out of your digital photos is to put them on a digital frame, like the Nixplay Seed.

The Nixplay Seed is a WiFi Digital Frame, which means you can not only upload photos to the frame, but you can send them to the frame no matter where you are in the world.

If you’re gifting a frame, you can load it with special playlists that your mum will love. A few ideas are below.

A playlist of photos of children or grandchildren with mum or grandmum
A chronological playlist of mum’s life – you can include graduation photos, wedding photos, anniversary photos, and more
Chronological playlists of photos of your children
Soothing playlists filled with images of beautiful places or vacations (just make sure you purchase photos you pull from the web or use copyright-free ones)
Aspirational playlists – places Mum wants to travel to one day, for example

Mums deserve nothing less than the very best on Mother’s Day. A gift of lovingly chosen photographs, whether that means framed prints, or digital playlists on a Nixplay Wifi Cloud Digital Frame, will let mum know how much she means to you.

For more on how Nixplay is helping families stay in touch, read our post “How the Nixplay App Can Keep Your Family Connected.”

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

5 Fun Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as a Family

By Beatrice Bisais

On March 15, 2017

In Special Moments

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world on March 17 and commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.

The holiday was originally celebrated by going to mass & having a quiet day. You might be surprised to hear that until the 1970’s the pubs in Ireland were actually closed on St. Patrick’s Day! Irish American culture heavily influenced St. Patrick’s Day & today worldwide celebrations often include parades, festivals, wearing green & having drinks.

It’s a great opportunity to teach your kids about another culture.

Here are 5 ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as a family:

1. Leprechaun Treasure Hunt

We all know that Leprechauns are big fans of the money pot at the end of the rainbow (who wouldn’t be?). And, kids are big fans of chocolate coins (again, who isn’t). A fun way to teach the kids a little Irish culture is to create a fun & easy Leprechaun Treasure Hunt.

You can be as elaborate or as simple with this game as you like. A leprechaun can leave the kids a note telling them he dropped some of his coins around the house for them to find. Or you can simply tell them there are coins to find around the house.

There’s an easy game & a harder game depending on the ages of your kids. For little ones, simply hide the chocolate coins around the house or garden. For older kids, you can hide the chocolate coins out of sight & write clues they need to solve in order to find them.

If you are hiding more than a few coins, write down where you put them – trust me. Then you can play hot & cold to find any remaining chocolate coins.

Source: hmd231975

2. Sport Some Green

It wouldn’t be St. Patrick’s Day without a little green!

With some green cardboard, the world is your oyster in terms of crafts. You can make shamrocks decorations for the house or to wear on your clothing. Or you can make leprechaun hats.

Another option is to decorate some plain t-shirts using fabric markers. You can create your own Irish works of art to wear to your local parade.

If you aren’t crafty, you can buy some Irish gear online or in the shops to get the family in the St. Patrick’s Day mood.

Source: sweetlittlemess

3. Attend Your Local Parade or Festival

Check online to see what parades or festivals are happening in your local area. So many towns have parades you can attend or get involved with. There has a been a movement towards family friendly fun on St. Patrick’s Day with lots of fun activities taking place for kids of all ages to enjoy.

Heading into town or into the city for celebrations is a fun way to soak up the fun atmosphere & enjoy some Irish culture.

Source: yourlivingcity

4. Enjoy Some Irish Food

A great way to teach the family about Irish culture is to try some Irish food! A few simple & tasty things you can make are brown bread, shepherd’s pie or Irish stew.

For dessert, you can make or buy some tasty cupcakes with Irish decorations or green food colouring on them.

Source: foodbymars

5. Learn Some Irish Culture

The four ideas above are all great ways to teach the kids about Irish culture while also enjoying time together as a family.

For older kids, you can sit & tell them more about St. Patrick, who he was & why his day is celebrated. Irish culture is fun to explore. There is plenty to read online & kids books available too.

Source: thegiftboxshoppe

Enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations! Let us know what you get up to in the comments or tag us on social media we’d love to hear from you.

Guest post: Becky, wife & mom of three kids. Originally from NY, Becky & her family now live in the beautiful West of Ireland. Becky is the creator & writer at Cuddle Fairy which is a positive space on the internet with the motto: There’s positivity around every corner.

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.