Christmas Tag 2016

Christmas is definitely my favorite time of the year and so I had to do the Christmas Tag 2016.  I'll be doing a Q&A on my Christmas favorites this year as I've been tagged by another blogger.

What’s your favourite Christmas Movie?
There are so many great Christmas movies my favorites from when I was a child are Miracle on 34th Street and Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas.A more recent film I love is Arthur Christmas. 

 Have you ever had a white Christmas?
I can vaguely remember one year when I was little building a snowman in the back garden of my Nan and Granddad's house. I think it was Christmas day but can't be 100% sure. 

Where do you usually spend your holiday?
Since having Blake we usually spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day the 3 of us having family time and then Boxing day we usually go over to spend time with Stuart's family.

What is your favourite Christmas song?
This is a really tough one I love Micheal Buble White Christmas, but I also love classics such as Last Christmas by Wham. 

Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
No, as a child I use to open one on Christmas eve before bed but it's not something I do anymore. 

Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Ok, I'll give it ago: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen and Rudolph. 

Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
Fake, I'd love to get a real tree one day but would have to be when Blake and any other children we may have are older. 

What is your all time favourite holiday treat/food/sweet?
Gosh Christmas there is always good food though. I love pigs in blankets and Mince Pies are a must. 


Be honest, do you like giving or receiving gifts better?
I do love receiving gifts especially when someone has put great effort into their gift for you. However I do love seeing people open the gifts we have got them, more so since having Blake and seeing his face light up and get so excited. 


What is the best Christmas present you’ve ever received?
Other than 2014 when Blake was born 9 days before Christmas,it has to be a bracelet I got from him last year. It was such an unexpected gift and Stuart and Blake chose well. 

What would be your dream place to visit during the holiday season?
A lot of people have said New York but for me it would be somewhere like Lapland or even Iceland.

Are you a Pro present wrapper or do you fail miserably?
Fail miserably I hate wrapping presents especially ones that are odd shapes. 

Most memorable Christmas moment?
Opening my presents Christmas morning with my Sister and parents when younger it was always magical and a memory I will never forget. 

What made you realise the truth about Santa?
I was about 4 I think and I had decided to sneak downstairs to see if Santa had been and caught my Mum and Dad putting presents into our sacks and stockings.  

What makes the holidays special for you?
Spending time with family relaxing, watching films and just generally having lots of fun together. We also do a Christmas eve basket which we fill with fab stuff for Blake to do with us during the day/evening. 

Our Christmas plans

With Christmas being only 4 days away I wanted to share with you our plans for Christmas eve, Christmas day and Boxing day. 

So Christmas eve this year falls on a Saturday which means that Stuart wont be at work. It also works out that because he has booked time off work and there are the bank holidays he wont be going back to work until 3rd January.  

Last year on Christmas eve I was unfortunate to have caught a bug which meant that most of the day I was too ill to do much. This year I am hoping to make up for it hopefully we wont catch any nasty bugs. The plan is to have a lovely relaxed Christmas eve day, give Blake his Christmas eve basket and watch Christmas films. We are also planning to take Blake to messy church which is from late afternoon to early evening. Before Blake goes to bed we will sprinkle some reindeer food out the back, hang up Santa's magic key, put out a snack and drink for Santa and carrot for the reindeer. We will then give Blake a bath and read him the night before Christmas before putting him to bed. 

Christmas day is going to be the 3 of us opening presents, eating lovely food and relaxing, playing with Blake, going for a walk and just have a lovely family day. I need to plan what we will have for breakfast but dinner we are going for the usual Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.

Boxing day is going to be spent over at Stuart's Mum's and her partners which will be another lovely family day. 

What are your plans for Christmas this year? 

Blake's Christmas Eve basket 2016

This is our second year that we have chosen to do a Christmas Eve basket for Blake. I love the tradition of doing these baskets and we also do one for Easter but Christmas Eve ones have to be my favorite ones to do. 

So here are some of the fab items that Blake has in his basket this year: 

• Peppa's Christmas DVD - We put a new DVD in this year, I picked this up from our local Morrison's for £3. By adding a new Christmas DVD we can build our Christmas movie collection. 

•  The night before Christmas book - This is a book we will have in the basket year after year

• Treats for Santa and Rudolph plate - Another item we include in the basket every year.

• Cadbury festive friends biscuits - Blake doesn't really eat chocolate but he does love little chocolate biscuits like these so its a lovely little treat for him.

• Reindeer food - This is another item we include every year to sprinkle out the back on Christmas Eve. 

• Magic Key - As we live in a flat and have an electric fire place we love the idea of a magic key so that Santa can get in to deliver our presents

• Magnetic drawing board - I picked this up in Poundland  as a little extra something for him to have. 

• Santa and Rudoph Itty Bittys - These mini plush toys from Hallmark are adorable and a fab cute addition to the basket for Blake to play with. They do a range of different themed ones and so make a great collectors item.

• Bath Crayons - I also picked these up in Poundland as a little bit of fun at bath time on Christmas Eve.

• Ickle babybot bath bomb -  This lavender scented bath bomb I picked up from Lush is a perfect bath time treat on Christmas Eve. Here's to hoping it works at sending Blake off to sleep sooner. 

• Cosy PJs (Not pictured) - Im including a pair of Pjs (currently in the wash) for Blake to keep cosy and warm in. 

Do you do a Christmas Eve basket? I'd love to know what things you like to include so please let me know below. 

Accessorize Lovelily perfume

Recently I have been lucky to be gifted the new perfume LoveLily that has recently been launched from Accessorize.

I've never picked out a perfume from Accessorize before. I was aware that they did perfumes but never really thought about trying out any as when I have been in Accessorize I've literally been in and out. 

My favorite perfume of all time is D&G the One which is pretty pricey and so I like to have some cheaper perfume options as well. 

Sweet and vibrant, Accessorize LoveLily fragrance features notes of raspberry, orange, jasmine and sweet vanilla for a delicious concoction that’s sure to become your signature scent – and in a striking bottle with flower cap, that will take pride of place on your dressing table.

The 75ml bottle retails at £19 and is a sweet and girly scent a bit like the Britney Spears fragrances. I like to say that I feel it is suited more for teens but I must admit at 26 I do love it myself too. I feel that this perfume would make a fab last minute Christmas gift and the scent isn't too strong or  overpowering like some sweet,girly scents can be. 

Have you tried any Accessorize perfumes?

Finding a family photographer with Bidvine

As a busy Mum I don't have time to be searching online for the perfect services that I need. 

This is when Bidvine comes in handy which is a website you can use to hire local, trusted service professionals and it's ridiculously simple to use. This can be handy for finding all sorts of services for your needs for example finding a professional family photographer that is within your budget and fits in with what is suitable for you. 

With Bidvine you just have to tell them what you need and where you need it. You'll have to answer some specific questions so that they can match you with the right professionals and give you a more accurate quote. 

When searching for a photographer I knew that we needed someone that was local or could come to us. We also want photos that can be done either indoors or outside and so I was on the search for Photographers in Bedford that could do that for us. Once I had completed the questionnaire Bidvine sent my request to professionals locally to me who could help me with what I wanted. 

Within ten minutes of sending my request I already had my first quote and within two hours I had four overall quotes. Prices were ranging from £60 up to £400 and varied with what they offered such as cost per hour or cost for the whole shoot and images on a memory stick. Some also shared their website details so that you could have a look at their work. 

Overall I think Bidvine is a handy website for helping you find the ideal service for you. I can see this being handy for busy families and those with a busy lifestyle who just don't have the time otherwise to find the professional they need. 

Festive Sensory Tuff Spot

I'm not sure why but I've not really shared activities that I do with Blake that often on here. We have a tuff tray and my aim is for next year to use it a lot more and share with you some ideas. On December 1st I decided that I wanted to put our tree up but than I came up with an idea of a festive sensory tuff spot first. So I delayed putting the tree up and let him explore some Christmas decorations as we have quite a few with different textures etc. 

Here is what I included:

- Tinsel 

- Faux mistletoe

- Different tree decorations in shapes and sizes

- Mini Christmas tree

- Bell tree decoration 

- Felt Christmas tree pen

Christmas decor for the home this Christmas

Since having Blake you can say that I have become slightly obsessed with Christmas and now have a lot more Christmas decor in our home than we use to. If we had the space our home would have a lot more decor and I'd definitely make sure we had a bigger Christmas tree. I love the magic of Christmas, giving gifts, spending time with family and seeing my sons face light up on Christmas morning. 

So today I am sharing with you some pieces mainly for the home from both Tiger and Poundstretcher that are making us more festive this season. 

Starting off with Tiger we have this cute dancing Christmas tree. When the button is activated on his hand the tree spins around, sings 'Jingle Bell Rock' whilst wiggling and dancing in time to the music. This is a fun item to have in your home this Christmas to brighten up cold dark days. I was also sent an angel broach which is a great for adding a bit of festive cheer to your outfit. The santa hanging is also a fab addition to your home, I'm yet to decide where about we plan to have him. Last of all from Tiger is the felt Christmas tree pen which Blake adores as it makes a jingling sound and he has been walking around shaking it everyday. 

Another shop I love looking for decorations in is Poundstretcher. Sadly our local store has shut down so to be sent a few goodies to use this Christmas was fab. The cute snowman and snowflake decorations are yet to have a place to go but I'm thinking of maybe having the snowflake over our living room door. 

This cute little penguin tree handing gives a bit more color to our tree this year and Blake seems to love him too. 

This adorable little reindeer is battery operated and changes color this is another item that Blake really loves looking at and now has it in his bedroom. 

You can't have Christmas without candles and this silver glittery Christmas tree is perfect. Currently sat on our window ledge this is such a cute festive candle that makes you feel all festive. 

We love little door hangings and this cream and red This House believes... design is a lovely addition to our Christmas collection to come out year after year. 

Last of all you have to have the wreath and this gorgeous red and green one will look stunning on your door. We are currently trying to find a over the door hanger so we can put ours up. We love the faux design and colors which makes it all festive an is a welcome addition to our Christmas decor this Christmas. 

Do you have any new Christmas decor this year?

Leapfrog: Fridge Numbers & Melody Musical Turtle #Review

Leapfrog are a brand that we love,in fact the majority of the toys that Blake owns are by Leapfrog. We are excited that we were sent two wonderful toys from the brand for Blake to have fun playing and learning.  Both toys are suitable for ages 2 years and over. 

First up is the Leapfrog  fridge numbers magnetic set which is  the perfect toy to introduce children to numbers and counting. The fridge number magnetic set is a colourful fridge magnet, which also acts as a tile reader and comes with 20 interactive number tiles. Place a tile in Scout’s picnic basket to hear the number out loud, and count along with Scout. Matching numerals to object sets help reinforce the concept that numbers represent quantities. £14.99. 

Blake hasn't really taken much interest yet in this toy. However I feel that as he isn't 2 until next week that as he gets a little older he will start to take more interest. He did however recognise Scout as he has the My Pal Scout which he adores and sleeps with every night.  

Next is the Melody the Musical Turtle that is the ideal toy to keep children engaged over and over again. Melody the Musical Turtle is a modern mix of classic memory play with a musical twist. Ten musical activities prompt toddlers aged 2 years and over to find numbers and colours, repeat sequences from memory and create tunes by pressing light-up buttons on Melody’s shell. It fosters skills such as learning numbers and colours, memory, music etc.  £14.99

Blake absolutely adores this toy and he will spend most of his time when playing with it in the music mode. I feel that this toy will grow with him and once he starts learning numbers and colors he will enjoy doing more of the memory games. 

I fully recommend these new toys by Leapfrog they are fun and engaging and will grow with your child as they start to learn numbers, colors etc and will keep them entertained. One thing I have always liked about Leapfrog toys is that they have not just got an off switch, but they have 2 volume settings which is great as some toys can be really loud. As you can see in the photo below Blake is really enjoying playing with the Melody musical turtle. 

Do you and your child/ren love the leapfrog brand? If so what is their favorite toy from them?

As always I'd love to know so comment below your thoughts. 

Christmas with Snapfish

Snapfish are one of my go to brands for personalised photo items and so when asked if I would like to work with them this Christmas to showcase there photo cards and gift ideas I knew I had to be involved. 

This Christmas why not send out personalised Christmas cards with a photo of you and your family. Here are some tips on how to get the perfect photo. 

1. Get an extra pair of hands

Grab a friend, neighbor or other family member to take the photo for you

2. Lighting

Natural light is your best friend so if indoors set up near a window to get the most of the winter sunshine. 

3. Look the part

You can if you choose to wear Christmas jumpers, Santa hats, etc to give your photo a festive look. 

4. Prop it up

Jazz up your photos with props such as Christmas tree in the background or tinsel, baubles etc.

5. Pets complete the family

so if possible it would be worth including them 

6. Rewards

AKA bribery this is easiest way to keep children and pets interested. 

Onto the cards there are so many different styles and designs to choose from. I chose to go with the very festive Santa in his sleigh, with Merry Christmas above in white font,  a blue background and stars. The photo I picked out was one of the 3 of us taken earlier in the year as we don't have that many family photos. 

You can choose the 8 x 4" cards on different paper such as stationery card and flat lay in glossy or matt. They come in packs starting at 20 up to a pack of 500 cards. Prices vary depending on the style that you choose to go for and how many cards you would like. 

The other item I went for is the 6x4 table top acrylic photo print which was £9.99 each and I got 2 as gifts. I again chose the same family photo of the 3 of us taken earlier in the year. 

The photo is mounted behind a 0.2" acrylic plate and includes a desk stand so is perfect on desks, tables and mantelpieces.

As usual the photos have come out in great quality and are perfect card and gift ideas for the festive season. 

Christmas Giveaway: Baby Born Interactive Wonderland Dragon

Roooaaarrr!!!” BABY born's cheeky dragon with its cuddly soft purple fur is a real sweetheart. Her eyes and her nostrils start shining and it makes funny welcoming noises when you tap the forehead with the magic wand. If you continue to tap her, the adorable Dragon Mommy starts stomping around. While walking she flaps her sparkling wings enthusiastically and makes all sorts of fun noises. £54.99

HOW TO ENTER:
- Enter via the rafflecopter below
- Leave a comment below answering the question in the rafflecopter 
- The more entries you complete the better the chance of winning

T&C
- This competition will close on 14th December 2016 at 12.00am GMT 
- The winner will be chosen at random and notified via email, twitter or facebook
- Open to UK residents ONLY

- You must be a UK resident and over 16

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Christmas Giveaway: Baby Annabell's Brother

Baby Annabell's Brother from Zapf creations is just like his sister with realistic functions and now wets his nappy too. Love and care for him like you would a real baby. He responds to touches, can cry real tears and loves his bottle. Of course a small baby like him needs plenty of sleep. If you gently rock and sway Baby Annabell's Brother back and forth on the arm or in his cradle, he slowly closes his eyes and falls asleep, snoring happily! When he wakes up, it's time for something to eat. When the little one is given his bottle, he will move his mouth and eyes as he sucks – just like a real baby. When you caress the cheek of Baby Annabell's Brother, he will happily babble to himself. In case he ever cries real tears, he will be happy again in no time thanks to the dummy, included in the set. £36.99

HOW TO ENTER:

- Enter via the rafflecopter below

- Leave a comment below answering the question in the rafflecopter 

- The more entries you complete the better the chance of winning

T&C

- This competition will close on 13th December 2016 at 12.00am GMT 

- The winner will be chosen at random and notified via email, twitter or facebook

- Open to UK residents ONLY

- You must be a UK resident and over 16

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cornish Whispers: Personalised Family Tree #Review

When it comes to getting Christmas gifts for the In laws I find it hard to know what to get them. When Cornish Whispers got in touch as they wanted to send me one of their Wooden family tree wall art I thought it would make the perfect gift. The wooden wall art is very pretty with your chosen names cut into the tree design. For £25 you can have up to 6 names on the tree we were sent. They also sell a larger size family tree for £40 so there is no need to worry if you are a bigger family. The wall art itself looks and feels like it will last and not delicate as you may think.

Approx. Dimensions (L x W x H): 230 x 5 x 210 mm

You can also choose the type of finish you would like from 4 choices: 

- Aged Birch 

- Antique mahogany

- Tudor Oak 

- Walnut

Once your custom made family tree has been cut out, it will then be hand finished, waxed and then threaded on to a rustic string ready to be hung on your wall.

The Cornish Whispers website was easy to use and navigate. It would have been good to be able to see a preview of what your tree may look like though which they don't give the option of.  I definitely feel that it would make a perfect gift for Christmas if you are stuck with what to buy for someone. 

Christmas Giveaway: Num Noms

Num Noms are popular right now all you have to do is pick a container, add a nom, pick nums to create your own wacky flavour combos. If your little one is into this craze than they will love the season 2 pack which has recently been released. The delux pack above Includes 5 jelly bean Nums, 2 motorized Noms, 1 jelly bean container, 1 jelly bean accessory, and 1 collector's menu.

HOW TO ENTER:
- Enter via the rafflecopter below
- Leave a comment below answering the question in the rafflecopter 
- The more entries you complete the better the chance of winning

T&C
- This competition will close on 12th December 2016 at 12.00am GMT 
- The winner will be chosen at random and notified via email, twitter or facebook
- Open to UK residents ONLY
- You must be a UK resident and over 16





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Choosing the right buggy for you

Choosing a buggy can be a daunting task for new to be parent's. You want to make sure that it's suitable for your new arrival but also want something that is also looks good. So with there being so many different buggys, travel systems, pushchairs on the market I wanted to share with you some things you need to think of before parting with your hard earned cash. 

Your Baby/Toddlers needs

Your child's needs will differ from age to age for a new born you will need one that will fully lie flat or alternatively you could use a carry cot that attaches. When your baby outgrows you may want them to face you so buying a unit that has a reversible seat means that you  can have them facing you or away from you so that they can see the world around them. 

You may also need to consider if you need a Tandem buggy if you have another child that is close in age and will still need to be using a buggy. 

Your budget

This one is a biggy Online4baby has a range of buggys and other must have items for a range of budgets. A complete travel system can be a great investment as you wont need to purchase a separate car seat for your child's first year.  But one of the questions you have to really ask yourself when choosing a buggy is can you actually afford the one you have your eye on. 

Your lifestyle

When choosing a buggy you also need to take your lifestyle into consideration. Here are some examples you need to think about: 

- If you travel by car a lot a travel system would be a must but you need to make sure you have a buggy that will fit in the boot of your car and also one where the car seat is compatible. 

- If like me you go on the bus regularly you will need one that is lightweight and folds away easily. 

- If you do a lot of walking you will need something that can handle rough pathways and uneven surfaces. 

-Think about the size of your home and where you will be able to store you pushchair. If space is limited you will need something that folds away small and compact. 

- Another thing to consider is if you live in a flat how you will be getting it up stairs if you don't live on the ground floor. If like me you need to carry it up the stairs than you will need a light weight one. 

*This post is in collaboration with Oneline4baby

Christmas Giveaway: £50 Diwah.com voucher

Today we have an amazing prize thanks to Diwah Jewelry one lucky person has a chance of winning a £50 voucher to spend online. 

You can pick out one of their gorgeous already made pieces or you can design your own piece (like I have). This can be done via their online platform or you can fill in their design form so that their team of artisans can create a bespoke piece for you. Having done this myself the service is pretty easy to do and you get a piece of jewelry you will love. 

HOW TO ENTER:
- Enter via the rafflecopter below
- Leave a comment below answering the question in the rafflecopter 
- The more entries you complete the better the chance of winning

T&C
- This competition will close on 9th December 2016 at 12.00am GMT 
- The winner will be chosen at random and notified via email, twitter or facebook
- Open to UK residents ONLY
- You must be a UK resident and over 16

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's time to take control with Buscopan

Irritable bowel syndrome aka IBS is more common than a lot of people think and affects one in five of us. For those that may not know what IBS is it's pain caused by muscle spasms in the bowel and symptoms can vary from person to person. The most common symptoms include abdominal pain and discomfort, diarrhea and constipation and bloating of the abdomen. 

The people at Buscopan have revealed that IBS is on the rise and 81% of GPs saying they have seen an increase over the past 10 years. There seems to be a lot of confusion about the condition though: 

- 1 in 3 don't know what causes IBS for flare up

- 1 in 6 people with IBS haven't told anyone

-1 in 10 Brits haven't heard of IBS.

I have been sent a little hamper to help me to relax this is because stress is a trigger for IBS and I find I get stressed a lot so this tends to be one of the triggers for me. The hamper I was sent contains a vogue coloring book and my own personalised coloring pencils, a keep smiling tote bag and a the white company candle. 

It's time to start taking back control by: 

- Knowing your food triggers

For me my food trigger is takeaways so I don't have them that often. Some foods can make the condition worse so its important to work out what yours are so you can give them a miss for awhile. 

- Talking

Stress is a trigger of IBS and I suffer from stress quite regularly. Its best to talk to someone about IBS and also about stress as this can help you to deal with stress and improve the condition. 

- Have something to hand

At the first sign of a flare up take an over the counter remedy such as Buscopan to help with symptoms of pain and discomfort.

Buscopan IBS Relief works differently to painkillers as it has an antispasmodic action that specifically targets the root cause of abdominal pain to quickly help the muscle of the bowel return to normal. It starts to work within 15 minutes, acting directly on the muscle spasm in the bowel to quickly and effectively relieve the painful cramps and discomfort of IBS. Buscopan IBS Relief is gentle on the stomach and can be used at the first sign of flare-up as needed. Buscopan IBS Relief is priced at £4.99 for 20 tablets and £8.34 for 40 tablets. Buscopan IBS Relief contains hyoscine butylbromide. For medically confirmed IBS. Always read the label.