The Mini Mes' Favourite Christmas Gifts - Minxy

Minxy's presents were mostly pink and purple this year as my little tom boy is fast becoming a feminine tween that loves fashion and beauty.

She had a huge haul of goodies but these are her top 5 gifts this Christmas...

Doh Vinci Jewellery Tree and Flower Frame Kits

Minxy loves being creative so these are ideal for her. She first discovered this range last year and she has loved collecting the various sets ever since. We picked these two up from House of Fraser and at £15 or under they are reasonably low cost to purchase - they make great gift ideas for her friend's birthdays too.

Snowycone Maker

I always wanted a Mr Frosty and was disappointed year after year not receiving one so when Minxy added this to her wish list I knew it was a must have! You tip ice into the bowl and it churns it down and ejects it into the cones. You then pour on your flavouring for a homemade slushy. Delicious and really easy to do.

The Mini Mes' Favourite Christmas Gifts - Jamster

The generosity from friends and family is always quite overwhelming at Christmas and although each present is so gratefully received there are usually a few items in particular that the Mini Mes just can't put down!

Here are Jamster's top 5....

Samsung Galaxy Core Prime
Jamster had wanted a mobile phone for quite a while, and as a lot of his friends had recently received handsets I thought it was time to get him his own. I felt as though this make and model were ideal for his first and it was good value too at £89.95 sim free. I've set up a monthly contract so I don't need to worry about topping it up.

Spy Net Vibrasonic Walkie Talkies
These have been here, there and everywhere already! Jamster took them to my parent's on Boxing Day and to my sister's the day after to show everyone. He wears a set constantly and gives the other to whoever is willing to use it. Once switched on you don't need to press a button when you speak, like you would on standard walkie talkies, this is constant two way chat with a range of up to 30m so he was rather impressed, especially as he loves his action hero/secret agent movies.

WIN an Mc2 Doll

Welcome to the world of Project Mc2 – where science meets style and everyone knows it’s cool to be smart! 

A brand new fashion doll line by MGA Entertainment, Project Mc2 offers a ‘geek chic’ lifestyle approach for tween girls through smart and savvy science-inspired play. It launched on 7th August, the same day as the Netflix original series of the same name.

Aspirational and effortlessly cool, the range focuses on four main characters – each with a different personality, interests and sense of style. They are:

• McKeyla McAlister (Mc2) 

o Writer, hipster and undercover spy! When McKeyla isn’t writing in her journal, you’ll find her reading a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novel, upcycling or saving the world! Her catch phrase is “I’m smart. Get over it!” 

Silent Sunday

You can follow me here:

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest

Drinkaware Resources - Talking To Your Child About Alcohol

I never really touched alcohol until I was 22 which may be surprising to some - it simply never appealed to me and being pregnant at 18 and then again at 20 was also a contributing factor. I recall being handed a bottle at a house party when I was about 15 but after a few sips I left it on a table and didn't return to it, intentionally!

Now as a parent to tweens, one of which started secondary school recently, I do wonder when they will be exposed to alcohol via friends so I feel it's important to make them aware of the affects underage drinking can have. The new resources from Drinkaware are incredibly useful as they not only encourage parents to discuss the risks of alcohol consumption, but the way the facts are presented make them appealing for children to learn too.

The ‘Your Kids and Alcohol’ leaflet certainly grabs your attention with a bold red cover and plenty of imagery throughout. It is split into several sections making it easy to read and it's very informative. I've always been very open with the Mini Mes, I'm happy to discuss anything at all they bring up, and this leaflet provides great advice on the subject and also highlights how beneficial conversations with your kids are. Discussing alcohol from an early age can help to create a sensible relationship with it in the long run so it's probably worth downloading a free copy for a quick read if you're going to be approaching the subject soon.

Creative Wrapping For Kids - The Magic of Giving with Sellotape

Sellotape have partnered with The Honeypot Children’s Charity for a second year running this Christmas, to help raise vital funds for both young carers and the vulnerable aged just 5-12 years of age. They are also sharing the magic of giving by donating lots of lovely gifts and I had the pleasure of receiving some toys to wrap creatively to send to them. 

Hopefully these will help to put smiles on faces come 25th December.

We received a bumper craft box of paper, card, felt string and a variety of Sellotape products, including the very useful On-Hand Dispenser, along with a pretty pink scooter and a Play Doh set as presents.

Generally I just add a tag to usual gifts for family and friends, maybe adding a little matching bow, but I decided to try and make these a little more special for the recipients, as they are so incredibly special too. 

Every child deserves a magical Christmas regardless of what they face at home and Sellotape believe this too. Honeypot is the only UK charity that provides consistent respite support - that's certainly worthy of some extra effort.

Reindeer are a favourite winter animal of the Mini Mes so I used the paper to create one while wrapping the Play Doh which was rather an unusual shaped toy. 

• I cut the brown paper to size and laid it down flat then placed the set in the centre. 
• I pulled the paper up and around the sides of the gift, folding and flattening where necessary, and then twisted it slightly before tying it with thick, iridescent ribbon. This is similar to how I would usually wrap a bottle of wine!
• I then split the paper above the ribbon by tearing it in two to make antlers. 
• I drew on eyes with a pen and added a red circle of card with Sellotape as the nose.

Not only is there now the excitement of wanting to know what surprise is inside but it will look incredibly cute until opened! I was rather pleased with how this turned out so I've wrapped a few other gifts the same for Minxy and Jamster.

The scooter is packaged in a large rectangular box and aimed at a child slightly older so I decided to make an origami windmill with some holly stickers, use the Festive refill from the Sellotape dispenser to decorate it and make a little concertina Christmas Tree to stick on. I hadn't really attempted much origami before but I found it quite relaxing. The Mini Mes quickly learnt how to make these too!

• To make the tree I folded a green piece of card in one direction and then back over in the other so it had a zig zag appearance once complete. I used Sellotape to tie one end together to form the triangular tree shape.
• The felt icicle style ribbon was placed around the tree diagonally to represent tree lights and secured at the back with Sellotape.
• This was stuck into place and a star sticker was added just above

The result...

I had a lovely time being involved in such an inspiring project and I hope the children at Honeypot get much joy from these two gifts along with others that they receive.

Don't forget to look out for the limited edition Original Golden roll from Sellotape.
You can also make a donation to the Honeypot charity here: http://www.honeypot.org.uk/donate-now/

Have you finished your Christmas wrapping?

You can follow me here:

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest
*Sponsored Post*

Pampers Want To Help Make Life #BetterForBaby!

Today, our friends at Pampers released a short film which showcases just how babies bring out the best in us all, highlighting that there’s nothing we wouldn’t do to make life #BetterForBaby - if you haven’t seen it, you can watch it here:

I must admit, my eyes got a little watery watching it!

Whether for your own beautiful brood, grandchildren, nieces and nephews or friends’ children, we all make changes to ensure that their lives are as happy as possible. And, what better time to celebrate the love that babies bring than Christmas?

This festive season, Pampers want to help spread the cheer by pledging to help make life #BetterForBaby in local communities. Celebrating all that people do to ensure that babies can live their lives to the fullest, Pampers are offering five £1,000 bursaries, to help people like you and I make life #BetterForBaby in our neighbourhoods! 

How you can make life #BetterForBaby?

Is there something you’d really love to see built in your community? Maybe you want to improve some much-needed changing facilities, supply nappies and blankets to a local shelter, or update playtime equipment for a community nursery… anything goes! If so, Pampers want to know exactly what you’d do to make life #BetterForBaby - tell Pampers your pledge using #BetterForBaby to be in with a chance of winning one of five £1,000 bursaries!

#200yearsofemma Twitter Party with Scottish Widows

It's 200 years since Scottish Widows was first launched to support widowed women after the 

Napoleonic Wars and also 200 years since Jane Austen's 'Emma' was first published. To mark these special anniversaries Scottish Widows have arranged a Twitter party to discuss how love, money and marriage have changed since 1815 and to also provide some interesting facts and figures from a recent survey based on these topics. 

Women of today's society appear to be far more financially independent and far more influential when it comes to shaping and helping the world around us. Two centuries ago women were often seen as the homemaker while the husband was the breadwinner, but a lot has changed since then. Many of my friends work full or part time with male partners staying home and being more hands on with the kids - that's quite a role reversal since the 1800's. 

Disney Tsum Tsum Toy Shop Playset and Figures

The latest craze from Disney is Tsum Tsum - cute plushies of your favourite film characters to play with at home! The name comes from the Japanese word 'Tsumu' which means 'to stack' and that's exactly what you can do with these adorable soft toys. 

There is now also a Squishies range which features playsets and miniature figures to add to your collection, some of which are exclusive to a specific store, and we received a few to put to the test!

Tsum Tsum Squishy Figure Toy Shop Playset

This set doubles up as a display case as there are two removable units which can fit twenty figures on between them and there is also a pod to show off your favourite! Included are two exclusive figures, Alice in Wonderland and Mickey Mouse, and the set has various little elements to explore with them. 

There is a stacking stage where you can pile your Tsum Tsum figures into a pyramid before pressing the pink Minnie Mouse button to pop them up and make them tumble. There is also a bouncing platform with a transparent tube surround where you can make a figure 'fly' by pressing a different button. Furthermore, there are movable Mickey and Minnie faces on the structure which can be pushed from side to side and a unit that rotates. These simple activities are ideal for pre-schoolers although older children will love them too!

This is quite a low cost set at £25, especially in comparison to others of a similar size for children, although it is currently on offer at £20 which is even better value for money. It seems to be good quality generally but we did find that the platform came out of place from the base when the button to bounce was pressed more vigorously.

Scooter Tips and Tricks

With Christmas just a few days away, excited little ones across the country will have written their letters with care and popped them in the post box for Santa. Whether they long for the latest gadgets, dolls or craft sets, many will have a scooter at the top of their wish list for some great outdoor play throughout 2016 and beyond!

The tips below from Halfords are ideal for those with a two wheeled toy already or for those receiving one this December. The Mini Mes often ride theirs to the shops as a fun mode of transport from A to B but I'm certain they will soon be trying these tricks out safely soon too...

Does your child have a scooter under the Christmas tree this year?

You can follow me here:

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest

*Collaborative post*

Silent Sunday

You can follow me here:

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest

WIN with Sky's #SproutMovies Competition

This Christmas it isn't just about watching your favourite festive films on TV, it's about having fun and creating your own as a family too. Brussels sprouts are often disliked and this year Sky are asking you to make a movie, with them being the star, for a chance to win!

You can see Sky's fabulous Christmas ad featuring the little green balls here: 

Sky's creation features Rosie, a young girl that isn't keen on finishing her sprouts, and her magical adventure where she explores different films under the dinner table. She sneaks away with her unloved veg and disposes them in several ways - including throwing them into champagne flutes at Cinderella's ball and a game of fetch with a triceratops in Night at the Museum! These movies and many others are available to watch this December on Sky and we are very much looking forward to snuggling up beside the twinkling tree lights with a slice of yule log and cream to devour. 

When it comes to Christmas movies, Home Alone is certainly in the top 10 for us. It's one that I remember viewing many times as a child myself but one that the Mini Mes enjoy time and time again too. It was the first film that sprung to mind when putting together our own. 

I actually quite enjoyed this unusual challenge, why not give it a go too!

Win a Bumper Bundle of Peter Rabbit Goodies!

Young fans of children’s favourite Peter Rabbit will love these gorgeous gifts this Christmas.

We have one of the following prize bundles on offer, featuring products from the charming Peter Rabbit range. The bundle includes a soft and cuddly Story-telling Peter Rabbit from Vivid Toys and Games. A great friend for bedtime, Peter Rabbit wants to tell you a story! Open his journal and he will start telling a tale. The pictures in the journal light up as Peter goes through the story. With hundreds of different story combinations you’ll never know what will happen next! 

The bundle also includes two special seasonal DVD collections, Peter Rabbit’s Tales of the Start of Spring and Peter Rabbit’s Christmas Tale both from Abbey Home Media, as well as a bright and festive treat for young readers, Peter Rabbit’s Happy Christmas! from Penguin Books.

WIN 5 Megableu Games

At Halloween we had the opportunity to review 2 spooktacular games from Megableu, Creepy Hand and Ghost Hunt, and now another lovely bundle of family fun products have arrived to put to the test, just in time for Christmas.

Alien Mission 

£39.99

After popping on your sensor goggles (which are adjustable for maximum comfort) and activating the electronic gun, the intergalatic adventure commences! Aliens appear as if by magic around your home and your objective is to find, shoot and destroy them. The player with the highest score wins.

It's a fast moving and active game and Jamster in particular enjoyed this as he likes the idea of being a hero and saving the world! You get a point for each alien shot but if you accidentally hit an innocent robot you lose a point so you really need to be focused during play.  It's great for building concentration skills.

6 batteries are required, 3 AAA for both the goggles and gun, which aren't included but the on/off switch helps to reserve them when not in use. It's aimed at children aged 5+ and although you can play against others you can also play indepentanlty by trying to beat your previous score which is ideal if a child doesn't have siblings or friends around to join in. 

Each session lasts 90 seconds and the final score will be displayed on the gun for you to view with ease. There are 4 cards included in the set which can be hidden in rooms to find and earn bonus points, 2 for each.