This post is sponsored by Naked Wines

Our Friday evenings are all about relaxing at home, the kids have such a busy week at school, this is now our time to relax together before the craziness of the weekend begins, which is usually jam-packed with kids sports and spending time with friends and family. To unwind after a busy week can be hard, I hope you find my ways to relax helpful!

1. Have a game plan

Each Friday before I pick the kids up from school I have a game plan to ensure that when I get home it’s all about relaxing:

• Begin with cleaning my office desk and writing a list of tasks that I need to do on Monday.
• Close the office door.  I don’t go back into the office again until Monday morning.
• Have afternoon tea/nibbles and drinks planned, if I don’t have anything I’ll pop into the shop on the way home.
• Take the washing off the line and sort it so I’m not doing housework on a Friday afternoon.
• If we are having pizza for dinner I’ll make a batch of pizza dough to prove for a few hours.

2. Comfy clothes

If you knock on my door on a Friday afternoon you’ll more than likely find me in my PJs (well… usually when I’m not expecting company, if we have friends over I’ll be properly dressed LOL). I LOVE Pyjamas, they are my favourite clothes, they are comfy, they are light, and did I mention comfy.  Getting into my PJ’s helps me relax and get out of work mode.

3. Snacks and beverages

SNACKS – depending on my mood snacks can range from fruit platters, bread/crackers and dip or one of my favourites of late is avocado, tomato and fetta on a vita-wheat.

DRINKS – the kids play sport at school on Friday afternoons so they are usually really thirsty and in need of some iced water.  Then for the adults, drink what you desire, it’s Friday afternoon!!  It’s rare to see me with an alcoholic drink in my hand, I’m happy with a coffee or iced water.

A few of my friends and family LOVE their wine, and indulge in a glass each night or a bottle or two when we get together. I read somewhere recently that wine is an everyday pleasure, that brings great enjoyment to those who consume it. I don’t believe you need alcohol to have a great time, but clearly my taste buds are missing out on something.  I really don’t know much about wines, or what would be a good bottle to have for when my friends and family come over, so when Naked Wines contacted me recently and I learnt about their business model and how it has helped many Australian independent winemakers, I was happy to share their story with you.

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NAKED WINES

Naked was established in Australia in July 2012, with the aim of changing the way wine was made and enjoyed in Australia.  Naked Wines revolutionised Australian wine production by creating an entirely new model where customers buy directly from the winemakers in a crowd funded, pre paid system. Through crowd funding, Naked Wines have turned the wine industry on its head and changed the lives of the winemakers involved.

HOW NAKED WINES WORKS – Naked Wines members, known as Angels, fund these talented, independent winemakers, by depositing $40 a month into their online wine account (think of it as a wine piggy bank!). This money is then used to invest in the winemakers, giving them the tools to make the best wine they can. In return, Angels get rewarded with delicious wines at 25-50% off retail prices, they can order directly from Naked Wines with one-day delivery in most metro areas (it’s next day for Sydney, Melbourne and Perth) and still super quick everywhere else. Most importantly allowing the winemakers to focus on what they love doing, making great wines!

You don’t have to become an Angel to enjoy these wines but if you do choose to there are no tie in’s, no monthly minimums, you can choose from recommendations or put together your own case and there is no contract, your money is always your money, so if you want it to be refunded to your bank, it will be no questions asked.

Via this model it has changed the lives of Australian independent winemakers, many have now purchased their own vineyards following their success working with Naked Wines. Others have upgraded their winemaking equipment and rented new facilities.

Through the Naked Wines website customers can connect directly with the winemakers themselves, and also with fellow wine lovers, enabling a dynamic flow of conversation and feedback on the bespoke wines produced. Angels are also encouraged to score the wine they purchase, resulting in a highly effective customer rating system.

Winemaker Jen Pfeiffer, Rutherglen says, “My life without Naked Wines would be a lot less fun!!! I love connecting with all the Angels and chatting about all things wine!!!  Through Angel funding, I have developed a new range of wines that are an expression of my personality. This has been so exciting and invigorating!!  It has also kept me super busy doing what I love and that’s making wine!!!  Receiving feedback from the Angels on my wines allows me to understand their preferences and tastes. I thoroughly enjoy the ability to chat with them via the Naked site”

When I received my box of wines it came with a card about some of the winemakers, their photo and details about them, which is a fantastic opportunity to learn more the people behind the label. My hubby tried The Boy Meets Girl 2015 Sangiovese, he said it was very enjoyable, light and fruity certainly something that would go very nicely with some casseroles through winter!

I also gave my friend a bottle of the Tapi Organic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015, she loves her wine and was happy to review it for me:

I was not disappointed. Quite a fruity taste, slightly sweet, with a hint of passionfruit. Taste lingers on palette with an acidic hint of lime after taste. Was even better with food. Would buy it again. Another wine to add to the go-to list!! ~ Bec

Connect with Naked Wines – Website | Facebook |  Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Download their app

$100 Voucher for you to see for yourself how great Naked Wines is!

Naked Wines are giving each of you a $100 voucher to enjoy their delicious handcrafted wines. Click here to redeem voucher. Not only will you be helping some of the best independent winemakers you won’t be disappointed by the delicious wines either. Like me, you can order the Angel Favourites Dozen which was $59.99 with my voucher. It gave me a great introduction to the range. And there’s 100% money back guarantee so you really have nothing to lose.

Terms and conditions of voucher:  To use this voucher you must be 18 years or older. This voucher cannot be used in conjunction with any other voucher or Naked Wines promotion. Vouchers are for first time customers only, with a limit of one voucher per person. All orders must be a minimum of 12 bottles. * Next business day delivery is available in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth metro customers for orders placed by 3.00pm. We deliver Australia-wide. Please check the Naked Wines website for rates or call us on 1800 898 677.

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4. Light a candle

Years ago I used to be a candle hoarder, I never used them and just had them displayed for decoration. Now, I light candles ALL THE TIME! As much as I love the scent of the candle drifting through the house it’s the flickering flame that I find really soothing and relaxing.

5. Easy Dinner

I don’t make our Friday night dinners too complicated, as I want to relax and not be pottering too long over hot stoves. Our favourite go-to dinners are something Mexican like taco’s or enchiladas or homemade pizza. I usually top the pizza with left over meats, dinner and salad items from the fridge, nothing too fancy.

Confession…. this glass of red tastes very nice, even for a non-wine drinker like me! It’s described on the Naked Wines website as “soft, fruity, voluptuous and smooth to the very end”. I’d definitely recommend this for a pizza night!

6. Family Games Night

Depending on how early we have had dinner, and how tired the kids are after dinner we often play a board game together before watching a movie.  This is a fun way to bring us all together, to interact and it always got a mix of laughter thrown in there too!  Our favourite board game at the moment is Pictionary, we split into 2 groups, 3 on one team, 2 on the other, a game can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.  We do laugh at each other over our drawing skills, the guesses that are thrown from left field and the times when somebody knows what their partner is drawing is within 2 seconds (so clever!!).

7. Watch a movie

Gone are the days of going to the video store to pick a movie, Netflix has us covered with a huge range of movies to choose from.  Picking a movie drives me nuts, so one of the kids and I quickly tidies the kitchen while the others pick a movie. Mostly we do sit together as a family, but if there is a girly movie we want to watch, the boys will wander off and go play the xBox!

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How do you relax on a Friday afternoon?

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This post was coordinated by The Remarkables Group and run in accordance with my disclosure policy.