Christmas Gift Giveaway - Day 27

My #ChristmasGiftGiveaway is back - 30 days 30+ prizes!
A thank you from me to my followers this year.

WIN 1 of 2 Smiggle Bundles

I love Smiggle. The products are so bright and funky and really encourage the Mini Mes to be more creative, which definitely gets a thumbs up from me. They now have the pencil cases, pens and lots of quirky little accessories, like animal and macaroon erasers, but I've recently discovered they do far more than just stationery too...

Smiggleball Glow - £12.50
This basketball hoop and ball duo are great for target practise indoors this winter. The hoop can be attached to the wall with the stickers provided (we even stuck ours to the bathroom tiles for some water play) or over a door with ease. The ball glows in the dark so it's perfect for some late night

Easter with Thorntons

When it comes to Easter I generally leave buying gifts until the very last minute so that I can shop around for the best offers and save money - but the great deals at Thorntons really caught my eye this year.

They have 3 eggs for £25 (which includes their delicious Fudge Brownie, Raspberry Cheesecake and Banoffee Pie versions), 5 eggs for £25 and 4 gifts for just £12 which makes your pennies go that little bit further. They have such great variety and create beautiful and quality chocolate that it makes it hard to decide which to choose! 

We were asked to take our pick from the goodies available to review and I would've been crazy to refuse. I selected the Easter Chocolate Surprise hamper which at just £25, reduced from £50, is a complete bargain. It has something for every member of the family and was therefore ideal for us.

Easter with Guylian *WIN*

Easter is just a few days away and if you haven't managed to pick up any tasty treats yet for your loved ones never fear - my Guylian giveaway is here!

We have three prizes up for grabs:

Luxury Egg 

Guylian’s Luxury Egg is accompanied by a full sized Luxury Belgian Collection box containing a mix of both classic Guylian Sea Shells, Opus, Perlines and Trufflina chocolates. It oozes elegance and would make a lovely gift for a couple to share this Easter... that's if you really want to give it away! Both the egg and chocolates are rich in flavour so you can savour the taste over time. This is one that will last a while.

RRP £10.99. 

Sea Shell Egg 

This delicious chocolate egg comes with a classic box of Guylian’s iconic praline Sea Shell chocolates and is perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth. A great sized set for an individual that is presented with class in white and gold. 

RRP £5.99. 

Guylian Mini Filled Eggs

Each Guylian Mini Filled chocolate egg is individually wrapped and there are three delicious flavours within each box; milk chocolate truffle, milk chocolate praline and dark chocolate praline. These are perfect for the younger generation and egg hunts around the home and garden! The Mini Mes are big fans of these.

RRP £3.49.

You can purchase Guylian Easter eggs from their website 

*** WIN ***

For your chance to win 1 of 3 Guylian Easter products as above, you can enter via the Rafflecopter entry form below. 

The giveaway closes on Friday 18th April 2014.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*We received some Easter products for the purpose of this post. The opinions given are honest and our own*

Easter Alternatives - Gift Ideas For Kids

It's more than likely that your little ones will receive plenty of sweet treats from friends and family this Easter, so you may wish to avoid any extra E numbers by purchasing chocolate-free gifts!

Whether your child is 2 or 10 these ideas should help you pick the perfect present.

• Frizzie the Lamb and Diva the Canary are part of the 'My Blue Nose Friends' collection, featuring a blue nose and patches, and they are arriving in stores just in time for Easter! They are seriously soft to the touch so ideal for plenty of hugs and with their own unique character they are lovely for role play games and more. Frizzie is forever getting lost as she is a curious little creature whereas Diva loves to be the centre of attention! At £5 these are perfect for play this April - and even great for grown ups that collect them too.

• Yellow Moon is a firm favourite when it comes to crafts and their Easter product range is bound to please any creative child. With Scratch Art Egg Decorations, Suncatchers, Daffodil Wreaths and Easter Sprinkles galore they will certainly help to keep your kids entertained until they return to nursery or school. There are even Bunny Cards to make and send to loved ones! The Mini Mes really like these items, especially Minxy.

• The kids can enjoy a colour-in eggstravaganze this April with a table cloth, bunting and Easter egg hunt clues to doodle on from Eggnogg. Colouring is not only ideal for rainy days indoors, it has endless benefits for children when it comes to concentration, imaginative and coordination skills - they can learn while having fun without evening knowing it! The bunting will decorate the garden nicely and the table cloth keeps little ones busy while waiting for their Easter feast. The Mini Mes have really liked colouring a different section each mealtime and finding how many eggs and birds there are in total.

• You might worry about your child's sweet intake but you can feel guilt-free with Goody Good Stuff with their all-natural gum range. They are free from fat, meat, dairy, alcohol, gluten, egg, nut, soy and gelatine so ideal for allergies too. We really like the Strawberries & Cream and Tropical Fruit flavours in particular but there are 8 varieties to choose from something for every taste. A great food gift without the chocolate.

• With Eggling you can grow your own plants at home this Easter, inside an egg - its fun and educational for kids! The egg already contains peat mixture and seeds so it's as simple as cracking the top with a spoon, adding a splash of water and then popping in some sunlight to create your indoor garden. The kit comes complete with a terracotta tray and extra seeds to use. Once your plants have grown for as long as 5 months within the egg you can place it directly into soil to continue flourishing! There are three herbs, three flowers and four special edition Egglings to collect. 

What gifts will you be buying this Easter?

*We received the above products for the purpose of a post. The thoughts given are honest and our own*

A short History of Christmas Stocking Fillers

Christmas stocking may look like a pretty weird tradition to anyone looking from the outside of Christianity,

and in truth there’s no definite proof of why they exist. One speculation is that St Nicholas (Santa) Left some gold in the drying stockings of three poor daughters so they could get married. This explains a few of the myths surrounding Santa and present giving on the Christmas Day.

Golden Balls - A variation of the coins being left in the stocking is that he left balls instead of coins. This explains why people get oranges. Perhaps this again explains coal, although that’s still considered to be pretty mean.

A chimney is a ventilation shaft, not an entrance – When St Nicholas heard about the father’s lack of wealth and desire to get his daughters married, he was aware that they probably wouldn’t take his charity. For this reason he decided to give them loads of money in secret. I’m not sure there were even locks in the time we’re talking about here, but anyway, he decided to break into their house via the chimney, hence the tale we’re all familiar with today. Using ventilation shafts as a mode of transports is one of the few things Santa has in common with Solid Snake.

This meant that children would regularly hang out their stockings in the hope that Santa would fill them full of gold and/or oranges in the night.

Present day Presents

Christmas stockings are still firmly part of our Christmas traditions, and like any predominantly capitalist holiday period there are people who are going to take it way too far.

The world’s biggest Christmas stocking is a matter of great contention, regularly receiving attempt to topple its predecessor. Currently the record holder is over fifty one metres in length, and as it had to be filled with presents, they filled it with sweet-filled balloons. This may seem stingy, but that’s thousands of sweets for one person, and this was done by a charity.

We’ve come a long way in Christmas Traditions

It’s fairly obvious that we’re a long way from oranges and coal. Christmas stockings are now simply used as a first port of call for kids’ presents, a kind of warm up for the big ones under the tree. If you look at the range of stocking fillers from gettingpersonal.co.uk you can see that there is now everything from books and mugs to gadgets and even toilet golf.

What do you put in your child's stocking?

*Sponsored Guest Post*

Reasons to be happy

 

My reasons to be happy

The Mini Mes have driven me insane today with constant bickering since 6.50am but regardless of that I still just about have reasons to smile with gritted teeth!

 

 

 

Jamster had a lovely birthday. We all enjoyed lunch out and the Croods and he received lots of lovely gifts. I am grateful for friends and family that sent him birthday wishes.

 

We had a really nice Easter weekend and the Mr even got me a huge Thorntons egg which was a delicious surprise.

 

We had a nice afternoon out yesterday at a small local farm feeding the goats and lambs in the sunshine. There are tea rooms there and a little farm shop with great quality produce too to explore. The newborns were seriously cute and I've not seen bottles empty that quickly in quite some time!

 

I've received prizes for two competition wins this week, I rarely even enter any, and what lovely prizes they were too. Thomas Sabo Sweet Diamond earrings, necklace and bracelet and then a Kenwood Chef Classic arrived this morning from Whitworths Sugar for my Easter recipe... in total worth around £700 which is amazing.

 

 

What reasons to you have to be cheerful this week?

My Mother's Day that was... crafts, shopping and pizza

I'd hoped for a bit of a lay in but the excited Mini Mes first burst into my bedroom at 7.59 on Sunday with lovely homemade goodies and then again a few minutes later with gifts they had purchased with the help of the Mr. I really like the things they make for me, they are from the heart, and I like to pop them away in their memory boxes for them to see when they are older. It's nice to look back in years to come and see how their skills have developed and remember good times.

 

 

 

The Mini Mes had taken our Yellow Moon delivery to their rooms the day previous to make me some gifts secretly, I was told to stay downstairs, and as only glue was required I didn't object to having some peace and quiet! Minxy coloured in 1 of 4 lovely mum pop up card for me which came complete with envelope and made a pretty pink best mum rosette style badge which she said she had found easy to do without my help. Both she and Jamster had a go at some scratch art hearts and wrote little messages to me with the wooden sticks supplied. This is a simple craft and as magnets can be attached to the back they will be popped on the fridge soon with some photos inside the centre - A lovely personalised keepsake. Jamster had also made a teapot trinket box and decorated it with foam stickers. He said it is to store all of my pens in and wedding rings when I get married!
 

 

 

 

Next we had a lovely breakfast at Wetherspoons and met up with my sister, her boyfriend and my parents, as a surprise for my mum, for a little retail therapy... although she ended up treating me to new lingerie and some nice bits from Lush too! In the evening we headed to Pizza Hut for dinner where the Mr and I shared a Meat Feast and the Mini Mes had pizza and unlimited access to the ice cream factory.

Smiles all round.

 

Did you enjoy Mother's Day?

Parcelgenie *Review*

Imagine being able to send a little gift to someone without the hassle of wrapping it, getting their address and heading to the post office - take a look at Parcelgenie!

Parcelgenie is a mobile app that has over 50 gifts including sweets and treats, soft toys, books, cd's and jewellery which are split into the categories of fun, celebrate, romantic, pamper and thoughtful to send to your loved ones. They are very affordable with many gifts under £5 and being on your mobile you can arrange a delivery wherever you are!

Sending a gift is very simple and fast to do. After browsing through the list of presents and selecting which you would like to send you can add a special message for the recipient if you wish. The recipient will receive a text message from Parcelgenie asking for their address and once they respond with their details a gift will be sent directly to their door!

You can pay via instant SMS charge, Paypal or by card so you don't even need cash to hand at the time your order. 

The gifts arrive via first class delivery and are wrapped nicely in purple tissue paper and red ribbon. The idea is great and it makes a lovely way to cheer up a friend, partner or family member or to celebrate a special occasion. We received a Christmas stocking with candy cane and chocolates just before Christmas and I sent the Mr a Big Love Parcel. I was impressed by the presentation, quick delivery and quality of the products that came and I will be using this service again and recommending it.

To receive a discount of 20% you can use code KB73GG at the checkout until 16th February - ideal for Valentine's Day!

Will you be downloading the Parcelgenie app?

*We received some free gifts for the purpose of this review. The opinions given are honest and our own*

Saying thanks

Now that Christmas is over and all the presents are stored away, it is time for us to thank those that have sent us gifts this year. Ever since I was small I remember sitting and writing cards of gratitude to those that had made my Christmas so special and it's something that I always get the Mini Mes to do too.

I think it is an important part of the festivities and good manners for little ones to get involved with - even if they are small they can doodle with some crayons on a piece of paper or you can write them on their behalf.

I think it's nice to show that you appreciate the time and expense that others have made for you. Not only does it confirm to those that have posted you presents that they have have arrived safely but that you are thankful also. 

We make our own cards usually but I've purchased some Usborne Thank You Cards to Colour this year.

Will you be sending thank you cards?
How important is it to you to say thanks?

Our Christmas That Was

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse... 

...well maybe a hidden baby hamster that was running in his squeaky wheel!

We spread the reindeer food outside and left some snacks for Rudolph and Santa to enjoy before popping on pjs and watching Arthur Christmas.

Santa left lots of lovely gifts for us all...

The Mini Mes were wide awake at 6.20am and we had a lovely time opening all the presents...

The Mini Mes went to their dad's house for a few hours which was the perfect opportunity for me to tidy up all the paper and boxes and then we went over to my parents for a delicious meal cooked by my mum...

We had a buffet style tea too before heading home around 7.30pm. Stuffed!

Boxing day was spent setting up and playing with new toys and then in the afternoon the Mini Mes went back to their dad's home for the night so my mum, sister and I went to see The Hobbit while the Mr, my dad and my sister's boyfriend went to the pub.

It all went by so quickly but we had an amazing time!

I'm really looking forward to New Years Eve with a fancy dress party at my parents with all the extended family too.

Reasons to be Happy

My reasons to be happy

The past few days flew by so quickly but we had a wonderful Christmas. I am very grateful for all of the lovely gifts that we received, the delicious roast dinner and buffet tea cooked by my mum and a relaxing Boxing Day. The Mini Mes were up at 6.20am filled with excitement waiting to see if Santa had been and they were still buzzing at 8.30pm when they finally settled for bed.

My blogging Secret Santa gift arrived - a lovely Bumble Bee set from Lush. Thank you, whoever you are, I love it as does Minxy so I need to hide it away!

Yesterday after sorting all of the cardboard and finding places for all the new toys, the Mini Mes went to their dad's house so I headed to the cinema to see The Hobbit with my mum and sister which is a superb movie. The Mr went to the pub with my dad and sister's boyfriend for a few pints and to play darts so it was nice to have the girls together while the lads were occupied too.

I don't tend to do a lot of shopping in the sales but I managed to pick up some calendars, a onesie and some nice smellies.

I'm really looking forward to New Year's Eve. Usually the Mr and I stay in, watch a movie and have a few drinks (I've never been out for it!) but this year my parents are hosting a party with all of the family round and I can't wait. It's this time of year when loved ones are appreciated and I really enjoy spending time with them so I feel it will be lovely.



What reasons to you have to be cheerful this week?

Reasons to be happy

My reasons to be happy

It's day one of our Christmas holiday and after a rocky start with bickering children we have had a lovely day so far. A movie, some craft and some games. A nice relaxing day at home.

I received all 3 of my Secret Santa gifts now and I'm hoping the ones I posted reach their recipients soon (if not already) and that they like what I bought them. I'm excited to open them but I'm behaving and waiting!

I'm pretty much sorted for Christmas day now so I can sit back and wait for the big day. Whatever I haven't got in already I won't be getting as I do not want to head to the shops over the next few days. December seems to be flying by eek!


What reasons to you have to be cheerful this week?

Christmas Gift Giveaway - Korres

Korres is a Greek skincare brand that provides a natural and organic range of products and they have some lovely gift sets available for Christmas. 

The Shower Gel Trio Gift Set contains Basil Lemon, Guava and Fig shower gels for a refreshing clean and with 90% Natural ingredients and Dermatologically tested (no animal testing) you can feel guilt free using it!

The Party Survival Kit contains all the essentials for the morning after the night before; Wild Rose 24 Hour Moisturiser, Evening Primrose Eye Cream, Guava Body butter, Guava Shower Gel, Milk Proteins Cleanser and Lemon Chewing Gums. Packaged beautifully in a gift box it would be the perfect gift for those who like to celebrate the festivities in style.

*** WIN ***

We have a Party Survival Kit and Shower Gel Trio to giveaway!

You can enter via the Rafflecopter entry form below before 20th December 2012.

Good luck!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Both of these gift sets are available to purchase here: www.OliverBonas.com

Christmas Gift Giveaway - The Visionary Soap Company

Visionary Soap is the UK’s leading fair trade body care company whose whole range carries the FAIRTRADE Mark. Their company has been entirely dedicated to fair trade and their products consist of an organic body care range handcrafted in the UK using ingredients from producers in Palestine, India, Ghana, Nicaragua, The Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa.

Their Mini Soap Gift Box consists of 8 hand cut and wrapped soaps presented beautifully in a purple box.

The set includes fragrances of lavender, cinnamon orange glove and lemongrass.

We have one to giveaway!

*** WIN ***

The Visionary Soap Company has provided a gift box to giveaway and you can enter to win using the Rafflecopter entry form below.

The giveaway closes 20th December 2012.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - The Gallery

The 1st December every year the tree and decorations go up. It's like a tradition and happens regardless of what day of the week it is. Before December begins I don't really acknowledge that Christmas is so close bar picking up the odd gift here and there when I see it, I always think that the longer the build up the more impatient the Mini Mes will become and the less special the event feels!

However, now it is December I'm starting to get quite excited! I always take great pride in wrapping and I adore these beautiful gift wrap sets I picked up - funky festive brights...

I actually enjoy wrapping items and trying to present them beautifully regardless of getting tape and bows stuck pretty much everywhere. It's the giving part I really like and seeing people smile when they open something special that I have selected for them. I try to alter the colour scheme each year and these years is teal and fuschia to match the tree with some cute owls too.

The theme this week is 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.'

Christmas Gift Giveaway - Bluebella

Fancy getting a little hot under the covers this winter? You can with Bluebella!

BlueBella offer a wonderful selection of lingerie, nightwear, toys and lovestuff to bring a little heat to the bedroom.

Their Hug Me hot water bottle, complete with woolly cover, will keep your toes toasty in bed this Christmas - it's ideal for the winter weather and cold nights indoors. 

With it's cute slogan and beautiful gift box it makes an ideal present for someone special this year.

*** WIN ***

For your chance to win a Hug Me Hot Water Bottle you can enter via the Rafflecopter entry form below.

The giveaway closes on 20th December 2012.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Christmas Gift Giveaway - Babyhuddle

Imagine a website where you can shop for all of your baby and toddler essentials and Christmas gifts, create wishlists with all the lovely items you would like or need AND receive great advice and product recommendations from other parents and parents to be. Babyhuddle provides just that!

Babyhuddle is a wonderful support network where you can have questions answered while online shopping for your little ones. No new parent need feel scared about seeking advice when you can do it discreetly from the comfort of your own home, or even on the go with your mobile device.

Babyhuddle have kindly provided a superb Avent Bottle Feeding Essential Kit worth £49.99 to giveaway!

The kit contains everything you need to start bottle feeding your baby and would make a lovely gift for a parent-to-be or someone with a newborn this Christmas.

Included in this set:

• Microwave Steam Sterilizer
• 6 Avent Bottles (4 of 260ml/9 oz and 2 of 125ml/4 oz) and 6 teats (2 x newborn flow teats and 4 x soft flow teats). 
• Neoprene ThermaBag
• Milk Powder Dispenser
• Curved Brush Head and Moulded Tip

*** WIN ***

For your chance to enter you can use the Rafflecopter entry form below.

The giveaway closes on 20th December 2012.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mumstuff Christmas Gift Guide and Giveaway

If you are looking for something fun and a little quirky for a mum or dad to be this Christmas, Mumstuff has some lovely exclusive and unique gift solutions!

Their range of gift sets are beautifully presented and contain a variety of great quality items.

The Mum to Be's Fabulous Christmas gift box and Bump & Bauble Gift set both feature a gorgeous pendant, bauble for bump's Christmas and badges, with the Mum to Be's box also containing a lovely bump shaped mug and drink too.

Dad doesn't have to be forgotten as the Pint and Preparation set has a pint size mug, 2 books and a badge to pop under the tree this December too.

MumStuff's Big Bump Mug Collection, features two exclusively designed mugs crafted in fine china and made in England and we have 1 to give away which would make a lovely stocking filling!

As well as being functional the humourous mug holds almost a pint! There are currently two 'MumStuff Big Bump Mug' designs available; a plain white design, and the ''MumStuff Big Bump Mug (Little Hands & Feet)' which is also white and incorporates a scanned image of teeny tiny hands and feet onto the front of the mug!

*** WIN ***

For your chance to win a Mumstuff Big Bump Mug you can enter via the Rafflecopter entry form below.

The competition closes on 14th December 2012

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kidditoona Toys

Kidditoona Toys is a family run toy, gift and accessory shop offering a lovely variety of educational and fun products for your little ones. They strive to provide great quality items from a fantastic range of brands and the friendly team have kindly sent us some goodies to review, much to the Mini Mes excitement! 

Shut The Box

This traditional game is great value and helps to build counting skills and interactive play. The idea of the game is to roll the two dice and using the total number rolled shut the 9 numbered flaps. It doesn't require any setting up and is very simple to play. It's ideal for children in particular but you can play as a family too. 

The Mini Mes were able to play this without any help from adults so it's perfect for when you want to keep the kids entertained but crack on with chores! It's fun yet competitive and as the game is made from wood it will last for years. The Mini Mes thought it was a great game and they enjoyed seeing who could shut the box first... and the Mr and I joined in too!

Interstar Science Optic Creator Kit

Both of the Mini Mes are very much into science so this was perfect for them. The kit contains 49 pieces including real optical lenses to create a telescope, binoculars and a magnifying glass. The plastic parts are chunky making them perfect for little hands and they slot together with ease- no screws or batteries required! 

Jamster was keen to get into this one first and he put together the binoculars in only a few minutes by himself. This is a great product to develop logical thinking skills and to stimulate the imagination. He was soon exploring the garden looking for wildlife and using the magnifying glass to hunt out bugs. The telescope has sturdy legs to hold it in place and it is great for looking out of windows into the trees and sky. The pieces stay in place securely and it seems a robust set, including the lenses.

Hama Beads Farm Life set

Minxy loves creative toys and with this being her first Hama set she was keen to get started. 

The kit comes with around 6,000 beads, 3 animal peg boards, 28 peg stands, ironing paper, instructions and a coloured design sheet. The coloured design sheet makes creating your farm pieces easy as it shows exactly where each bead should be placed on the boards, although you can make your own designs too. Once you have placed the beads on to the board you pop an ironing sheet on top and iron the creation briefly to get the beads to stick together. You can tell when it's done as the colours show stronger through the paper. 

We found the creations stay together well and Minxy had great fun making her own farm scenes and using them together with her other toy figures. The peg stands slot onto the creations to keep them standing. The set is suitable for children aged 5+ due to the small pieces but it's ideal for school aged children and tweens. The kit helps to improve motor skills and concentration and kept Minxy entertained for some time. It could do with a container to store the beads in but we have lots of Tupperware pots so we used one of those to prevent them getting lost.

Building Noodles Maize box starter set

This kit is super for those that dislike glue and mess as none is required to have fun with this box set. The maize noodles are coloured with non-toxic food colouring and stick together when damp (a sponge is included). They are fun to roll and squish and there are sculpting tools and instructions supplied to make and model some wonderful 3D masterpieces. After play you can pop the remaining noodles back into the box and seal with some tape until your next creative session. 

The Mini Mes love crafts and they had lots of fun with this. They can get a little sticky when wet but putting a cloth or newspaper down helps. The noodles come in a nice selection of colours and they stick to card too. The instructions provide detail on how to make different shapes and creatures.

We were really pleased will all of the products that we received and feel that all of these are great educational toys, the Hama Beads being a favourite.

If you would like to purchase any of these or view more of what Kidditoona Toys has to offer you can head over to their website www.kidditoonatoys.com