It’s no secret that autumn days at home with tea-on-tap and onsies-clad are my favourites; but with 5 boys, football season in full swing and non-stop birthday parties between now and Christmas… most of my days are either spent at work, the football side-lines or taxi-ing to and from a 10 year old’s rave-up. But forever the optimist, while carrying out my front-line parental duties, I still daydream of getting home, slipping on my sheepskin slippers and that renowned cashmere jumpsuit!
We all know the dread of getting home cold and a bit soggy, to a dark, nippy house or discovering the home-alone teenagers have munched all the snacks, which is why I’ve teamed up with Honeywell to ensure while I’m shivering my ears off at the park, (building up an appetite) my peace of mind is kept intact! They kindly sent over a selection of busy-family friendly gadgets from their smart Lyric range – the Lyric T6R Smart Thermostat, Lyric C1 Wi-Fi Security Camera and Lyric W1 Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector. The team over at Honeywell, with over 100 years’ experience, are making family life just a little bit easier with their Lyric products and app – helping busy mums (and dads) be in control of their home comforts wherever family life takes you!
Honeywell Lyric C1 Wi-Fi Security Camera
I’ve been quite surprised by how much I love the C1 camera; we’ve positioned ours in the kitchen with a view of the walk-through dining area, back door and the whole kitchen. I initially thought I’d just use it to be on fridge-watch from afar, checking which of the teenage boys are home from school and who’s scoffing all the chocolate; but recently, I’ve found myself working away in London a lot more, leaving grandparents and Mr OG in charge – all with specific instructions on what time kids should be home from football club, when the toddler needs his dinner and which homework the boys need to be doing. So, I’ve been checking in on the house via the C1 camera and Lyric app on my iPhone – I can see who’s home, who’s having dinner and who’s not doing their homework; I can then even talk to them via the microphone in the camera! I’ve found this immensely useful, as when I tend to call the home when away, it can send out toddler into an unnecessary meltdown – this way, I can check everyone is safe and happy without disrupting the status quo.
Honeywell Lyric T6R Smart Thermostat
I can ensure the house is nice and toasty for our return these days! We recently had the Honeywell Lyric T6R Smart Thermostat installed and I’ve now got the heating control at my fingertips, wherever I am thanks to the easy-to-use Lyric app on my phone!
Mr OG is clearly thrilled at my remote ability to now crank the thermostat up… but apparently, we’re not alone as 4 out of 10 women admit to covertly turning up the heating behind their other half’s back1. His consolation is that the thermostat adapts to your schedule, making our home smarter and ultimately saving energy and money. It even knows when I’m coming home, courtesy of the app’s geo-fencing feature, and makes the house nice and toasty for my return! Can it get the dinner cooking too?
Honeywell Lyric W1 Wifi Waterleak & Freezer Detector
Possibly the gadget that least set my home electronics heart alight was the W1 Water Leak and Freeze Detector; that said, it only took Mr OG to point out that should I continue to overload the washing machine, run the dishwasher 7 times a day and ram even more “batch cooked” meals into our freezer, it was only a matter of time before my painstakingly selected new floor was going to get decimated or my Green Sofa of Dreams destroyed! At this observation, my excitement levels still may not have peaked, but my appreciation for this silent little workhorse shot through the roof!
So, there you have it – the reasons I may look a little more zen when you see me out and about this winter! But if you thought I checked my phone a lot before, imagine how much I check it now when I can livestream my own brood!
This post has been sponsored by Honeywell, who also kindly gifted us the Lyric family devices mentioned above; as ever, all comments, opinions and anecdotes are my own!
-
Research sponsored by Corgi Homeplan 2016.
