I'm a full-time mummy

Back when I was still working in the IT industry years ago, it always make me amused and wondered when year end comes as that means it's time to organize all the documents and filings into the year's boxes for storage. Each and every department in the company will have to request for their storage boxes, compiled and organized everything and arranged them neatly into the boxes, labelled each boxes accordingly before the boxes are sent to off-site storage locations owned by the company.

We will most likely never see these boxes anymore, that is until we have auditors coming in to audit our documents and paperworks for so and so year... and the respective departments will then scrambled to look up for the relevant storage boxes, get the admin department to send back the boxes for auditing. And after all the auditing was completed, the same procedures were repeated, organizing back all the files and paperworks back into the respective boxes and getting the admin department to send the boxes back to off-site locations.

I always wondered how much can an off-site storage locations store all these boxes? I mean, every departments, every year will keep adding more and more storage boxes right?

And then I stumbled upon this awesome idea of a storage company that handles all this storing aspects! Wow! I think this is a great idea for a company (or even us individuals) to consider to place our documents and stuff when we run out of space in the office to put them! I mean, it is an awesome idea to store our documents and boxes of stuff off-site (means outside our office) as it will free up the space in the office and storage companies comes with security and safety measures that will protect our belongings.

You may ask how does this apply to individuals like us? Well, how about if you have to move to another place and needed a temporary site to store your furnitures or belongings? Ta-dahhh!! Storage companies to the rescue! You just rent the space required to put in all your belongings, take away the stress of worrying where to 'park' your belongings and then just move them out when it is time to do so! No need to ask family or relatives to let you put your stuff for a while etc etc.

So what about you? Does your company have any storage solutions or how does your company handle this?

Once your babies are on the go and crawling around the home it is essential that you ensure your home is as safe as possible to prevent any accidents and of course your toddler getting into the cupboards and emptying the contents! I am sure you have encountered this before!

There are an array of different pieces of safety equipment on the market, some of which should be considered an essential, others of course are dependent on the layout of your own home and may not be necessary.

Stair gates for example should be fitted on the top and bottom of every set of stairs in the home and should be considered an essential in this respect. However, the safety gates don’t just need to be used for stairs they can be useful in order to prevent children entering other rooms which may pose a risk such as the kitchen or utility room where you typically find hazards such as washing machines and cleaning products.

Once your toddler moves from a cot to a junior or single bed a bed rail would be recommended especially if your child moves around a lot whilst sleeping.

Smaller pieces of safety equipment can come in ‘starter packs’ and these typically contain everything you will need for a standard home, if you have a bigger house then you may need to double up on the packs to ensure you have enough pieces. These safety packs typically include cupboard door locks to be attached to the inside of the cupboard door in order to prevent your child opening the door, foam door stoppers to prevent trapped fingers, fridge locks, corner cushions if you have any furniture with sharp edges and socket covers to stop your child sticking fingers or anything else into them.

If you have a fireplace in your home it will also be important to invest in a fire guard to keep your child a safe distance away from the heat, preventing any burns.

Do you have any other home safety tips?

Looking for a new vehicle can be an intimidating purchase, and if you're looking for something family friendly it can be even tougher. Choosing a family car requires a lot of thought, as there are several things to take into consideration including safety, style, kid-friendly features, and more. However, picking out a family vehicle doesn't have to be difficult.

First, you need to determine the type of vehicle you need. Sedans may be a practical choice, but an SUV or a minivan will likely offer you the most room and comfort. In recent years, automobile makers have really stepped up their accommodation to better fit growing families. The Jeep Patriot, for example, offers plenty of passenger room in the back while still possessing a stylish design. After you determine the style of vehicle you want, you'll need to check out the safety features and interior options (more information available http://www.carsales.com.au/car/jeep/patriot/)

Safety features should be your main concern. Make sure there's a seat belt to accommodate everyone. If you'll be using booster seats or car seats, make sure there's a latch feature, which will make the children seats more secure. Most cars come standard with a latch feature. Also take in to consideration how many air bags the vehicle has, and where they are exactly. A lot of new cars now provide side impact air bags as well as the ones in the front of the vehicle.

If you're traveling with a family, chances are you have a lot of accessories and things with you. Make sure the car you eye has at least a decent amount of storage room. Storage room in your vehicle is very convenient, especially for road trips, as you'll want to bring a long plenty of things to occupy the kids. Cars with DVD players are pretty convenient as well.

Make sure you test drive any vehicle you consider purchasing, as there are several factors to take in to consideration. For example, you'll want to bring the kids a long for a test drive to not only make sure they're comfortable, but if car seats are easily accessible and easily inserted and removed from the seats.

As always, the 'little things' can make your purchase a lot easier. For example, remote keyless entry is a great feature for any parent who seems to always be carrying a child, a diaper bag, or anything else. Safety locks on the rear door and windows with child-lock are very necessary as well. Also, children can be pretty messy - You'll want to make sure the interior fabric is easy to clean and that there are cup holders easily accessible for the kids.

It can be pretty hard to find a car for your family. You need to make sure it has all the proper features and equipment, while still remaining inside your budget. However hard the search may seem, there will be a vehicle that has everything you want, from looks to safety to engine power. A vehicle is a pretty big purchase, so make you don't settle for anything less than what you want.