Macaroni Cheese

This has become a favourite for the Mini Mes recently which is not surprising as like me, they love cheese. They often request it for dinner and any leftovers are ideal for lunch boxes the following day. It's great for the Mr too to take to work for a carb energy kick.

Mother's Day - Bargain Buys

Homemade cakes and cards are a lovely treat on Mother's Day, but quite often your kind and thoughtful little ones will want to use their own pocket money to purchase a gift for mum. They probably don't have a fortune to spend though so making the most of their pennies will certainly help - our list of bargain buys should provide you with some ideas!

All of these are just £5 or less.

• Aldi have a superb selection of great value gift solutions this March from handbags and pjs to flowers and teapots. Their cosmetic bags come in a set of three and are perfect for mums that like to travel with all of their essentials to hand or just want to keep their makeup organised

Bargain Buys For Your Valentine

Just as we are recovering from Christmas, Valentine's Day seems to appear like magic, and with many still longing for pay day after all of their shopping in December it can be an event that you wish wasn't on your calendar.

These bargain buys for your loved one with show that you care without breaking the bank!

Food and Drink

• Home Bargains has a great selection of items for this February 14th including Chocolate Single Roses (1), Biscuit Lollipops (2), With Love Teddy Mugs (4) and Heart and Lips Treats (5) - none of which will set you back more than £1.99!

• The Orgran Shortbread Hearts (3) are ideal for those with allergies yet a sweet tooth as they are both gluten and dairy free. Just £1.50 on Amazon.

• You can order your Valentine's Day 'Sweets for my Sweet' gift box for someone special and have it delivered directly to their door all for under £4. Check out Mr Big Tops website for details.

Tech 

• The Standeazy comes in many designs to suit all tastes and makes viewing movies on your mobile, video calls and listening to your favourite tunes easy. The credit card sized phone stand will be appreciated by those that love their smartphone as much as their partner and at only £5 it's a cheap way to transform a mobile into a hands-free entertainment machine! 

Health and Beauty

• Arnicare is a bath and massage balm enabling you to treat your loved one to some real relaxation. Packed with Arnica extract, evening primrose and almond oil it with sooth tension and help your partner to unwind, all while hydrating skin. With a mild lavender scent it will also help to calm so you can forget the stresses of everyday life, even if just for a few hours!

• This handy reusable heart shaped tin from Nivea contains 4 full sized products for smooth, kissable lips - ideal for yourself or as a gift for your Valentine. The two lip butters come in both original and raspberry rose scents and can applied with ease using your fingertips. There are also two lip stick style balms in Peary Shine Up and Essential Care, all of which will fit perfectly in your purse for your dinner date. An all year round essential. 

I love that you can remove the stickers and use it as a pretty storage unit afterwards too!

Stationery

• Something for the list lovers, this Post-It dispenser is handy for home or work and will really be appreciated by those that like to be organised and prepared for anything! It's also a lovely way to leave your Valentine love letters in their lunch box.... or a trail up to the bedroom.

There are even heart shared Post-It notes in various styles that you can use as refills.



What will you be buying your loved one this Valentine's Day?

Chocolate Truffles

I make these regularly with the Mini Mes as they are so simple and cheap too! You only need two ingredients and if you want to add a little flavour you can use flavoured chocolate instead - mint and orange are great!

Ingredients

250g chocolate (milk or dark)

120ml Double Cream

Chocolate gratings or cocoa powder

Method

• Break up the chocolate and place it in a bowl.
• Bring a pan of water to boil and place the bowl of chocolate on top to melt it.
• Stir until the chocolate has melted completely, remove the bowl from above the saucepan and then mix in the double cream.
• Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for around an hour.
• Remove the bowl and form balls with the mixture. Roll the balls in grated chocolate or cocoa powder.
• Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill.
• Scoff!

These also make a lovely gift idea when wrapped in some nice paper or placed in a tissue lined box.

I'm linking this with...

Mini Mess - Concertina Caterpillars

We have been joining in with a lot of free, local events over the past few weeks one of which was Mini Beasts Crafts at our library. The Mini Mes got to make concertina caterpillars and they loved playing with them afterwards too! They are very simple to create and you only require glue and paper - nice and cheap!

How to make them

• Fold a piece of A4 paper in half length ways and then half again. 
• Cut out the 4 strips down the fold lines. 
• Stick two strips together by the ends to make a longer strip, attaching approx 2inches overlap to keep it secure, and repeat with the two other strips.
• Using glue, stick one long strip on top of the other at a right angle.
• Fold one strip across the other and continue until the strips are folded over completely to make your concertina caterpillar. 
• Glue the two end pieces together.
• You can add eyes or draw them on and decorate it how you wish!

Have you been crafty this week or enjoyed baking with kids? You can link up your posts here to share!

Mini Mess is a weekly Wednesday link up to share all your fun activites that may have involved mess - be it mud, water, sand, chalk, paint or food!


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