Mums Are Magic #MumsMagicTricks

Have you ever seen someone transform a cardboard box into a castle or space ship? Turn an egg carton into a caterpillar? Or witnessed somebody pop various ingredients into a slow cooker and serve a delicious meal at the end of the day with no effort? These are all skills mums have to keep their families happy day in and out. As a busy working mum myself I always try to make my life just that little easier and make everything go that little bit further for convenience. I don't have a magic wand but being organised and prepared for any situation can really help!

• Rainy day - Make a fort with blankets to keep little ones entertained. They can take in torches, toys and books into play so they won't be stuck in front of the TV or say they are bored.

• Extra person over for dinner - save any leftovers in the freezer, never waste food. It can be really handy to have a meal ready to reheat when you are late home late or have clubs to go to also.

• Save packaging to use in crafts - FREE and better for the environment to reuse than bin them

• Use a sticker split in two so children can identify which shoe goes on which foot - saves time and hassle getting ready to leave the house

• Use a nappy at the beach to keep personal items like your phone and purse protected. Nobody will want to touch it!

• Use chalk on the patio for creative play. It can be washed away with ease so it's mess free for mum

• Use stickers around the house with words written on like door, window etc to teach children spellings of everyday words in no time at all

Another thing that makes my life a lot easier is mobile banking.  Being able to check my balance and send payments without being on hold to customer services or having to make a trip to the bank is really convenient. It gives me much more time to spend with the Mini Mes after school each day to bake and make to our hearts content.

We bank with NatWest and their app is free to download, safe and simple to use. You can transfer money to family and friends at the touch of a button which is really handy while going for coffee or when paying for swimming lessons. You can check your balance and statements day or night to see how much you have in your account at any time and ensure bills have gone out and payments you are awaiting have arrived. You can also (this is amazing) get money out from your account using a Tesco or NatWest cashpoint without entering your pin. If you are worried about bank security this is perfect for you. You receive a Get Cash code and can withdraw anything from £25 up to your card limit twice a day.

You can also:

• Save and print statements up to 7 years old
• Stay in control of your Direct Debits
• Set savings goals
• Receive text alerts to track your accounts

The NatWest mobile banking app is ideal for multitasking magic.

What magic tricks do you have as a mum (or dad)?

This project is in conjunction with BritMums for their #MumsMagicTricks” challenge with NatWest