Whether your child is starting their first day of daycare, big school or high school, there are lunchboxes to suit all ages and stages.
Nude Food: With many schools now implementing a nude food policy, i.e.: eliminating individual plastic packaging that is environmentally unsound, there is a great range of lunch ware that will keep food fresh in separate compartments. This will also save you money as buying snacks in multi-packs is more expensive.
Themed lunchboxes: Your Eminem, Harry Potter, Willy Wonka, Lord of the Rings or Twilight fan wouldn’t be caught out with anything else on the playground. For the little ones, there’s Thomas, Ben 10 and the Disney Princesses.
Insulated lunch bags: Lunchbox coolers keep everything crisp and cold for the entire day and come in a range of options including NRL teams for the boys and cute characters for the girls. If you’re using a soft lunch bag though you will need to pack the contents in plastic containers.
Also consider packing a frozen ice brick in lunchboxes especially during summer. There are a number of lunch box packs that include everything including a lunch bag, ice brick, drink bottle, sandwich tub and snack box
Make a fresh start in more ways than one this year by giving your home office a facelift.
Update Microsoft Office: Working on an outdated version of Microsoft Word and other Office programs can slow you down, cause version control issues and deprive you of great new features.
Get a new desk: There are great office furniture packages available from different retailers so giving your workspace a new look can be as inexpensive or extravagant as you like!
File it: Get organised and stay with that way by investing in a stylish filing cabinet.
Upgrade your printer for pittance: New generation printers operate on WiFi, and can also double as a scanner, fax, copier and photo printer, eliminating the need for a separate device to print all your happy snaps.
Invest in a stay-put Desktop: If your computer is likely to stay in one spot, a desktop means you can get a bigger screen for watching movies or TV, and also for better vision while you work.
Laptop technology made easy: A new laptop or notebook will improve both your work efficiency and your entertainment options. There are price points to suit every budget and technical ability.
Sunnies are a summer essential so dress up your eyes by buying the right shades for your face shape.
Square face
Best style: Rimless frames or those that sweep upwards in the corners will emphasise your cheekbones. Oval frames will create balance.
Avoid: Narrow frames
Oval
Best styles: You’re the lucky ones – most shapes will work for you but try square, rectangular or geometric shapes or frames that are wider than the broadest part of your face.
Avoid: Oversized frames.
Round
Best styles: Angular and geometric frames will sharpen your facial features or try rectangular and horizontal styles to make your face look thinner.
Avoid: Small frames that are out of proportion or short frames
Oblong
Best styles: Tall frames that shorten the face; accented top rims or decorative edges to create width.
Avoid: anything small will look out of proportion and short frames will accentuate face length.
Heart shape
Best styles: bottom heavy frames that add width to the lower part of your face and oversize frames as long as they don’t draw attention to the forehead.
Avoid: Anything too top-heavy styles will draw attention upward and fussy temples will emphasise the broader part of your face.
There’s no getting around the fact that packing for the annual summer camping pilgrimage can be a monumental mission.
But by following our practical checklist, you can narrow down the basics, save space and enjoy a few creature comforts while you rough it.
- Tent – make sure your shelter is appropriate for the climate and the terrain. Opt for one with a rain shield, which can also double as protection against the sun.
- Folding chairs – starting at as little as $7, camp chairs are affordable and comfortable and most come with a built-in drink holder.
- Portable barbecue or stove – cooking over an open fire may be rustic but if it rains or there’s a fire ban, you need plan B. It’s also easier to cook over portable solutions than it is to negotiate unpredictable flames that sometimes bring new meaning to the word char-grilled.
- Plastic plates and cups – make packing and storage easy by grabbing an all-in-one set.
- Lighting – next to the tent and something to sleep on, lighting is crucial. Lanterns are great for lighting the campsite at night (cooking in the dark is highly overrated) and torches are essential for finding your way to the amenities in the middle of the night.
- Cooler – even if you’re making ice runs into town, you need reliable and durable cold storage for food and drinks. And, usually, the bigger the better.
- Table – Just as burnt snags are supposed to be part of the fun – juggling your plastic plate on your lap is also supposed to be part of the camping ritual – but why? Bring a little luxury to your outdoor dining experience!
The good thing about creating a fantastic indoor wonderland for your little ones is that it doesn’t require more toys.
What it does need is great storage solutions that make it easy to keep the mess at bay – as much as possible.
Use a colourful table and chairs set as the centrepiece of the room where kids can create and play.
Make space for a reading corner with a low set bookshelf, lots of colourful cushions and a fun rug. Add a cozy flip-out sofa for rest time.
Wall stickers are great for revamping a room without repainting and are easy to remove when no longer needed.
Extras such as a chalkboard or mini kitchen will keep them entertained for hours.
If you have space, try designating an area of the room to dress ups. A toy box will keep it all together and costumes and clothes are much easier to find in a box than toys.
Fuel their love music by scattering the room with musical instruments such as a guitar, keyboard or easy to use CD player. And, if your house is large enough that you can escape the cacophony, a drum set.
For some design inspiration you can check out the full IKEA catalogue.
We can’t click our fingers and make you quit smoking but we can help you find the best deal on the equipment you need to you stick to your resolutions – be it to get fit, stay organised or be more creative.
Invest in a Tablet
Whichever way you play it, tablet technology brilliantly bridges the gap between work and play. Tablets are great as a slimline, featherweight alternative to your bulky laptop for meetings, email and the internet. If your New Year’s resolution is to get a subscription to Vanity Fair magazine and the New York Times, or to watch your favourite TV shows when and where you want, then the iPad2, Samsung Galaxy, or Sony Tablet S is a great place to start. They are also a good place to start if you’re looking for motivational applications to help get you through the year.
Laptops
Laptops have come down in price in recent years and compared to tablets, offer better value for money. A laptop with plenty of grunt and great graphics can start as low as $499 for the Toshiba C660/01M Notebook. Make a New Year’s resolution to get all your work done on time or sort of all your photos!
Journals
Much more than a destination for your innermost thoughts, the new range of journals can help you document and organise your family, recipes, travel, accounts, and share accommodation expenses. There are also journals for expecting and new mums.
Exercise equipment
If you don’t have the space or money to invest in heavy duty treadmills and cross trainers you can still get fit at home. Try a home Pilates kit, weights, a Portable Exercise Door Gym Sit Pull Chin Up Bar, or a Zumba Fitness Bundle.
There are many e-readers available but the Kindle is quite possibly the original and the best.
On the plus side, the Kindle has an extremely long battery life, (approximately 30-hours if Wi-Fi is turned off) and can hold up to 3,500 books, all of which are much cheaper than those in real world stores.
It’s portable, has an easy to use interface and is easy to read in full daylight with no eyestrain – you can also read in bed without turning the light on and disturbing your partner.
For those reading weightier content, there is a built in dictionary and you can also highlight pages or passages for later reference. Adjust the font size and you may not even need your reading glasses.
Books are downloaded instantly from amazon.com, which is great for late nights or browsing for new reading material from the comfort of your poolside banana lounge. A try before you buy feature allows you to download free samples.
You can also share books with other Kindle users linked to the same credit card.
Now for the downside. The range of available titles in Australia is not nearly as extensive as it is for US Kindle users, and you are restricted to Amazon as your sole supplier of books and other content. It is also light on Australian content and while US users have access to hundreds of magazine and newspaper subscriptions, this is really limited in Australia.
You an even use the kindle to upload documents, e.g. speech notes for presentations or study material.
Overall, this is amazing- there are not many ways you can carry 100’s of books wherever you go!
Hopefully, this time of year finds you enjoying some much needed down time and the chance to catch up on your reading.
But forget about taking bulky books on holiday; try one of these compact, lightweight e-readers and travel with an entire bookstore at your fingertips. But before you buy, make sure you know which eBook store your reader is compatible with.
Kobo eReader Touch
eBook shop: kobobooks.com/Australia
borders.com.au/ebooks
Best features: Access to over two million titles, many of which are free.
Sony Reader
eBook store: borders.com.au/ebooks
www.angusrobertson.com.au/ebooks
Best feature: WiFi, and MicroSD card slot for extra memory, adjustable fonts, and web browser.
iRiver
eBook store: Google books
Best feature: Six-week battery life
Kindle
eBook store: amazon.com
Best feature: There is an entire range of Kindles suitable for every price point but be aware content is limited in Australia.
Pico Life 7” eReader
eBook store: /onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/ (Free books)
www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
www.Kobobooks.com
www.feedbooks.com/publicdomain
http://www.ereader.com/
Best feature: Has most of the features of the more expensive models but for less. Includes 16GB multi-format eBook music video and image feature.
Decluttering your handbag is easy if you stick to these five handbag essentials:
1. Wallet: While you’re cleaning out the arm candy, get your wallet organised as well. File receipts you need and throw out the others; organise loyalty cards into one section and get rid of any cards you haven’t used in the past year.
2. Perfume: Don’t carry a heavy bottle with you. Invest in a travel size version of your favourite scent so you can top up on the go. For something special, try a solid perfume necklace from Marc Jacobs or Chloe.
3. Notepad and pen: The Smartphone revolution hasn’t killed the efficiency of the humble notepad and it’s often quicker to jot down work notes, shopping and to do lists the old-fashioned way rather than with one-finger typing on your phone keyboard.
4. Lip gloss: Travel light this year with your makeup. Do you really need to cart the entire kit from foundation to bronzer with you everywhere you go? Get back to basics with a lipstick or lip-gloss at the ready for on the go touch ups.
5. Hairbrush: Getting caught without a hairbrush is a recipe for disaster if it’s windy, you’ve left home in a mad rush, you need to freshen up for a meeting or you’ve got something on after work. Try a fold-up or compact brush and leave it in your bag always.
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