15 things you need to know if your child is about to start primary school

September 3, 2016, 5:00 am

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Waving your darling four-year-old off at the school gate raises mixed emotions in parents. On the one hand you’re proud and excited about the future. But on the other you’re struggling with the heart-rending realisation that your baby is, well, no longer a baby!

With their shiny brand-new school shoes and their slightly too big uniform, kids going into Reception look adorable. But starting primary school is a huge leap into the unknown, for both parents and kids.

Here are 15 things that you need to know if your child is about to start primary school:

1. Buy extra shirts. And don’t spend too much on them. They will come home grubbier than you can imagine and you… Read the full story

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An artist spent days covering a 100-year-old house in pink crochet

September 3, 2016, 5:09 am

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We all want the places we live to feel like home.

So we decorate. We make things cosy. We settle and try to grow roots.

This art project takes our need for cosy comfort to another level – and has an important message of hope and community.

Polish sculptor and performance artist Agat Oleksiak (also known as Olek) has spend the last week or so crocheting a giant pink, fluffy cover for a 100-year-old house in Kerava, Finland.

This particular house was chosen for a reason.

Built in the early 1900s, it was the home of Karl Jacob Svensk and his family, who had to… Read the full story

Japanese bunny bags are the cutest way to store everything in your house

September 3, 2016, 6:56 am

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Okay, so these don’t quite fit in with that minimalist, super grownup aesthetic we were planning for our future house.

But who cares? They’re bunnies, and that’s all we need.

Felissimo, a Japanese online shop that specialises in wonderful things like fortune cookies filled with tiny cats, marshmallows that look like kittens, and a spray that makes everything you own smell like – you guess it – cats, has branched out from their feline obsession to bring us BUNNY BAGS.

These are not bags with which to carry bunnies, but little bags that look like rabbits.

Read the full story

Plus-size model Tess Holliday is sharing empowering photos of herself breastfeeding at work

September 3, 2016, 7:34 am

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Plus-size model Tess Holliday is doing a lot for body positivity.

She’s actually representing bodies that don’t fit the fashion industry standard, for one thing. She’s reminding everyone that being a mum doesn’t stop you from being sexy. She’s working to free the nipple.

And now that she’s welcomed her second son, Bowie, Tess is on a mission to normalise breastfeeding.

The model is using her massive social media presence (she’s got more than 1.3million followers on Instagram, FYI) for good, posting photos of herself casually breastfeeding while on set.

This shouldn’t be a big deal.

It should be totally normal and commonplace for a… Read the full story

A music album for cats is officially going on sale

September 3, 2016, 8:00 am

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Last year, we reported on a Kickstarter for an album of music designed especially for cats.

Now, finally, the Kickstarter has been funded and music for cats will soon be a real thing. What a glorious time to be alive.

David Teie, a scientist and cellist with America’s National Symphony Orchestra (fancy), has created songs that combine classical music with sounds that are meant to soothe stressed out or anxious cats, such as suckling milk, chirping birds, and purring.

The album, called Music For Cats, will be released by Universal Music this October.

Read the full story

Time to panic: Coffee could be extinct by 2080

September 3, 2016, 8:38 am

≫ Next: Today in office sexism, men are using apps to track their colleagues’ periods

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Open your bleary, exhausted eyes and pay attention: something seriously bad is coming.

A new report from The Climate Institute declares that if global warming continues at its current rate, coffee could be extinct by 2080.

Sh*t.

The Climate Institute predicts that rising temperatures will wreck the land used to farm coffee, making it entirely unsuitable for growing the beans.

Growing levels of fungi and pests won’t help either, and the report suggests that as a result of these factors, half the world’s coffee farming land won’t be able to product coffee by 2050.

Read the full story

Today in office sexism, men are using apps to track their colleagues’ periods

September 3, 2016, 9:14 am

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Today in seriously frustrating proof of office sexism, news.com.au reports that men are now using period-tracking apps to work out when their female colleagues on their periods.

Not so that they can make sure tampons are provided and painkillers are in stock, to be clear.

These men are apparently tracking women’s menstrual cycles to ‘stay away from trouble’ and ‘avoid unnecessary situations’.

Right. Because workplace arguments are always because a woman is on her period, not because she’s expressing genuine concerns or irritations. Sure.

Read the full story

Women are sharing unedited photos of their thighs to celebrate self-love and body positivity

September 3, 2016, 9:48 am

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All thighs are glorious, whether sandwiching a gap, gently nuzzling one another, stretch-marked, rolling, slim, long, or short.

They get us around and they look great. We should love them – without editing, filters, or self-imposed conditions.

So we’re entirely behind the #ThighsForJeaux trend, which is asking women to tweet unedited photos of their thighs in all their glory.

It all started when 21-year-old Mixo, known as @mijeaux on Twitter, tweeted out a photo of her own thighs with the hashtag #ThighsForJeaux.

She didn’t share the photo expecting it to turn into such a large-scale call to arms (or thighs?), but as an act of self-love and acceptance, and a… Read the full story

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7 things people should know about self-harm

September 4, 2016, 3:57 am

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Self-harm is a controversial subject, widely misunderstood.

As someone who has used self-harm as a coping technique in the past but has come out the other side, I feel I have unique insight into this unusual world.

Everyone is different, and they do it for all sorts of reasons.

There are a few simple things I’d like people to know before they judge someone who is or who has self-harmed.

1. It is a way of coping with deep emotional pain

Self-harm, for me, was a way of managing emotional pain that I didn’t understand.

It was a way of relieving the overwhelming and… Read the full story

Does your relationship go into hibernation when the nights draw in? Here’s how to stop the autumn slump

September 4, 2016, 5:58 am

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Autumn is a season of cosy comforts.

We watch the leaves change colour, we experience a renewed appreciation for soup, we Basics count down the days until the Pumpkin Spice Latte goes on sale and, if we’re in a relationship, we put our pyjamas on at teatime and settle in for months of Netflix and absolutely no chill.

In Autumn, it’s natural to put less effort into our love lives than Cara Delevingne puts into searching for eyebrow lightening products.

So how can we keep connected and make sure that we don’t wake up in spring having forgotten… Read the full story

Autumn pudding recipe – Here’s how to make a vegan, gluten-free nectarine crumble

September 4, 2016, 8:33 am

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Wedding makeup artist’s video shows how to do your own bridal makeup

September 4, 2016, 8:58 am

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Before alarm clocks, people were employed to wake workers up with a long stick

September 4, 2016, 11:36 pm

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Mornings are getting darker, we’ve all got that ‘back to school’ feeling and, chances are, you hit the snooze button at least once this morning.

But, have you ever wondered how deep sleepers managed to get to work on time before the advent of alarm clocks?

Well, before smartphones, snooze buttons and alarm clocks, there were actually people employed to go around and wake people up by rapping on their windows.

Called a ‘knocker-up’ (also known as knocker-uppers), they used to be a common sight on the streets of Britain and Ireland in the early 1900s, particularly in the northern mill… Read the full story

International Day of Charity: What is it and why is it celebrated?

September 5, 2016, 12:00 am

≫ Next: 19 things that always happened on your first day back at school

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Today marks the 4^th International Day of Charity.

Charity is important as it allows us to reach out into wider society, and help those that are in need of our support.

Are you clued up on the history of this day, how it was created and how it is now celebrated?

If you are unsure, do not worry, as we’ve put together a handy guide letting you know all of the important facts and hopefully inspire you to get involved with charitable efforts.

What are the origins?

The International Day of Charity is celebrated annually every… Read the full story

19 things that always happened on your first day back at school

September 5, 2016, 12:00 am

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Even in adulthood, with no children, September still feels like ‘back to school’ time.

And it’s not just all the signs up outside M&S and WH Smith reminding us. Memories of returning to school after the summer holidays are still ridiculously strong many years on.

Going back to school was fraught with mixed emotions – your freedom was over, but at least you could see your friends again and show off your new Kickers.

Here are 19 things that always happened on your first day back at school.

Your mum woke you up unnecessarily early

You were out of practice with the school run… Read the full story

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Meatball the rescue dog just can’t wipe the smile off his face

September 5, 2016, 12:47 am

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Meatball (or Meaty for short) hasn’t stopped smiling since he was rescued by Lisa Reilly from a shelter in California.

Lisa spotted the pitbull mix on the Fresno Bully Rescue Facebook page and couldn’t help falling for his irresistible grin.

‘I saw Meaty’s photo…and just got this feeling that he was “the one”‘ Lisa wrote in a story submitted to the PetCo Foundation earlier this year, explaining that he really reminded her of her pitbull Kitty, who had died three months previously.

She quickly fell for the ‘fat little farty dog’, even though he chased her other dogs, chewed her shoes and would… Read the full story

A student got his whole chemistry class top marks by landing this ‘impossible’ shot

September 5, 2016, 1:26 am

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Here’s how you achieve legendary status at university – in one shot.

Ohio State University student Vinny Forte managed to get top marks for his entire class in their organic chemistry exam, by betting his lecturer that he’d be able to throw a piece of paper from the back of the room and get it into the bin by the front of the classroom.

No one thought it could be done. Clearly, the teacher was convinced it couldn’t be done.

But, that’s exactly what Vinny did.

How to create a subtle daytime smokey eye

September 5, 2016, 2:00 am

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A smokey eye is one of the most popular makeup looks, but it can also be the most daunting to create and the hardest to get right.

Not all smokey eye creations need to be dark and intense – you can create a subtle daytime look that just adds some dimension to your eyes.

But if you over-do it, you could end up looking like you’ve come to work straight from a pretty heavy night out.

Here are the steps you need to follow to nail the look.

Base Shadow

Read the full story

Teacher installs desk cycles to help students focus in class

September 5, 2016, 2:14 am

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A North Carolina teacher has come up with a creative way of helping students focus their energy in class.

Bethany Lambeth teaches maths to 8th grade students (equivalent of Year 9, so aged 13-14) at Leroy Martin Magnet Middle School. She came up with the idea of installing desk cycles after noticing the children were fidgeting in class – they would drum on the desk, reach across to their neighbours and tap their feet during lessons.

The desk cycles, which cost less than $150 (£112) and were funded by a private donation, plus an education grant, were installed last year and they already… Read the full story

16 things every 23-year-old is sick of hearing

September 5, 2016, 3:30 am

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Adulting is hard work.

No more school holidays, no one there to make your lunches, to drive you around or arrange your doctors appointments.

For years you couldn’t want to be a ‘grown up’ and fend for yourself.

But now adulthood has arrived and you’d do anything to go back to the days when things were simpler.

The struggle is real (plus nobody likes you when you are 23).

Here is 16 things every 23-year-old is sick of hearing.

1. So, when are you going to move out?

Do people realise how expensive it is to move out nowadays?!

2. Have you got a… Read the full story