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Special Mother’s Day gifts for under £15

March 6, 2015

Earlier in the week I shared with you my Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift Guide. Now I promised I would provide you with a selection of more reasonably priced gifts. This post is filled with some lovely items that would still melt any mother’s heart but wouldn’t melt your bank card in the process!

1. Flowers. Unless your mum is allergic you really can’t go wrong with some pretty flowers. This pretty little basket of Chrysanthemums is just beautiful and just creeps into this gift guide at £14.99 delivered straight to your door.

2. Good old Cadbury Milk Tray, the last minute gift saviour of many a husband and son over the years. This year Cadbury has released this limited Edition Mother’s Day Box. It is a massive (600g) box for £12.99 and will keep any mum happily munching choccies, oh, for at least two evenings I’d say!

3. Pampering is the name of the game on Mother’s Day and this Arnicare Bath and Massage Bar, which is available at Boots, is a two in one product. Use it straight on your skin as a massage oil or pour under running water to create a sweet smelling milky bath. I have tried this and the Grapefruit and Lavender essential oils really do relax you and help you unwind.

4. Personalised books are a big thing at the moment and in this Peppa Pig book called ‘My Mummy’ your children tell Peppa and all the Pig family about their wonderful mum. The best thing is that it’s currently on offer at £10! There are lot’s of personalisation options available and if you order before the 11th it’s guaranteed Mother’s Day delivery. You just need to keep leaving the webpage up on all your electronics so hubby gets the hint 😉

5. Create a handprint bouquet. These particular ‘flowers’ have been on my shelf since the twins were almost two, what other bouquet would look this good after 12 years? They are super simple to make, just some paper, straws and paint (plus some cute little hands), I’ll be sharing a step by step guide with you in a few days.

6. These Nella Milano nail varnishes might be a little pricey for some at £8.95 a bottle but believe me, they are worth every penny. I normally struggle to find a colour I really like and then manage to chip them within 24 hours, but these are not only available in a vast array colours they are quite hard wearing too.

7, 8, 9. This Bodum mug and tea infuser set is only £8.99 and would brew a fantastic cuppa for one when paired up with this Afternoon Loose Tea for £5 per 100g. Now I may be slightly bias here but nothing goes better with a cup of tea than some freshly made Welsh Cakes. I will be sharing my favourite recipe next week so I’ll be sure to let you all know.

Do any of these Mother’s Day gifts really take your fancy here? What else would you add?

***Disclosure: I received the nail varnish, Arnicare and the Cadbury Milk Tray for the purposes of this review but all thought and words are my own***

How to really spoil your mum this Mother’s Day

March 3, 2015

Mother’s Day really is special to me. Over the years, my gifts and cards have mostly all been homemade, which I love, a homemade card is much nicer than any hallmark one in my opinion. But I have never really had a ‘big gift’. This is mostly because my darling husband is a shopaphobe (it’s a word!) and obviously when they are little apart from home (or school) made gifts you can’t expect much from the kids.

Baring in mind that a lot of other mums probably have the same experience I have I decided to put together this Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift Guide. So if you have a little more spare cash than usual this Mother’s Day, why not splash out on one of these extra special gifts for your mum? Show her how much you really care. Or buy for yourself, on behalf of the kids of course!

1. First up we have this Bespoke Children’s Artwork Book by Doodle Nest. It is quite pricey at £175 but if you are the type of person who needs to keep every single piece of artwork your child has ever made (yes I’m speaking to you!) then this might just be your answer. You get sent a box for all your artwork, Doodle Nest photograph it all, make it look bright, beautiful and blemish free, then they add them into this personalised book.

2. Secondly we have the Rokit Gel Professional Nail Kit. This is available at Debenhams for £99.99.
One of the only reasons I don’t like having my nails painted is that I am rubbish at keeping them looking nice. Within the hour I usually have chips and then of course I start picking, but these gels are supposed to stay put for up to 14 days! Now my mum has her nails done every few weeks and they always look beautiful! I was lucky enough to be provided with one of these kits so keep an eye out for a full review soon.

3. Time keeping can be difficult when you have little kids running riots around your ankles but one of these beautiful wood watches by Jord could set you back between £100 and £250 (delivered from the USA) which when you think about it isn’t that steep for a really good quality watch. These really are stunning and any mum would be over the moon to receive one. I will be reviewing one of these over the next few weeks.

4. Flowers are the staple Mother’s Day gift in most houses. This luxury bouquet of hand tied, highly scented white Lilys come with a high pricetag of £119.50 but you have to agree they are a stunning display and they also come with a delicious box of chocolates.

5. Just a snap at £39 each these Colebrooke by Windsmoor scarves designed by Dame Zandra Rhodes will brighten up any wardrobe with splashes of lovely colours and designs. Zandra Rhodes was inspired by pearls, fringing and jewels when she created the designs for this collection which are bright and bold and yet still tasteful. These scarves will make any old outfit come to life.

6. What Mother’s Day would be complete without chocolates? At £190 for 15 they are certainly not your average choccies but these chocolate champagne truffles available online or from Harrods. Handmade, coated in 24 carat gold leaf and displayed in a stunning Swarovski adorned box

7, 8, 9. Both my mum and I enjoy a gossip over nice cup of tea. The next three items go together to make one mighty fine, yet slightly expensive cuppa. Take the Mono Classic Teapot for £195, brew some of this Knotted White Tea from the India Tea Company (£100 of 50g pouch) and pour into one of these Royal Albert mugs from the Miranda Kerr collection. They are only £25 each too (I did see some more expensive ones but these are just so pretty!)

So that is it, my Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift Guide.

Of course if like me, you are as poor as a church mouse, then these wonderful gifts might be a little beyond your reach, but don’t despair! Keep an eye out later this week for my more reasonably priced gift guide, some of the things will even free (or as near as i can get)!

What do you have planned for your mum (or yourself) this year?

***Disclaimer: I was provided a sample of the Rokit kit, the scarf and the watch for this post but all thoughts and opinions are my own***

Britmums Carnival

February 24, 2015

I’m really pleased to be hosting this edition of the Britmums Carnival. I have loads of great posts to share with you from the last four weeks, some I’m very familiar with and others that are brand spanking new to me too. To read the post yourself just click on the name of each blog.

First up we have Sarah, who blogs over at Run, jump, Scrap! Sarah has been contemplating whether, now that she’s 30, there is anything she needs to change about herself. Personally I think if you do something that makes you happy, be that shopping in New Look, loving One Direction or not chopping off your long flowing locks. Then keep at it. I often wonder if I need to start ‘dressing my age’ but then I stick my jeans, tshirt and hoodie on and forget all about it!

This takes me directly on a post over at Tiny Footsteps. Jenna writes about finding all the things that make her happy with the help of her Happiness Jar. I love this idea and really should try it myself. My favourite quote from this post is:

I can stop wasting my time trying to do all of the things that I think should make me happy but don’t.
I will not follow the crowd.

I will value highly the things that I find fun and make me happy.

There seems to be a lot of bloggers evaluating their lives this month as Katy, from What Katy Said, has also been thinking about not worrying about what everyone else seems to have in life and being grateful for, and making the most out of, what you do have! She also makes a valid point that people often only share the best bits on social media. But honestly? I think all these picture perfect images on Instagram and Pinterest will usually have a pile of stinky socks about a foot to the left and all the dirty washing piled up in the sink behind the camera!

Sometimes there are days when our stress levels are through the roof and we feel like nothing is ever going to help us stay cool calm and collected when the kids start pushing your buttons. Julia, who blogs over at Rainbeaubelle, has had a tough time for a while, with an extremely poorly husband and more than her fair share of hospital visits under her belt. She has made a list of tips she’s learnt recently to help try and keep the kids feeling loved and appreciated and also to keep herself calm. I think she deserves a medal for keeping it all together and not just curling up in the corner and crying xxx

Jess, from Mummy of Boy Girl Twins has also shared some of her top tips. Blogging can be a very lonely past time and many people struggle to get out there and get the posts that they worked hard on the publicity they deserve. Jess’s post will show you how to increase your confidence in your own blogging abilities.

Some families have been braving the cold and wet and getting the kids out and about. Karen, who blogs at Mini Travellers took her three to see the Octanauts live. Although not the cheapest day out it seems they were were totally captivated by having life size octanauts on stage! I think there may have been a slightly tearful moment with an erupting volcan0, but luckily everything turned out okay.

Another family off gallivanting was Sarah’s, from Extraordinary Chaos. They were lucky to get a tour of Leeds and Sarah has put together a list of 10 things to do in the city when you have kids. I think mine would love the Thakray Medical Museum the most, although Lee ‘doesn’t do gory’ so he may need to stay outside!

Among other great (and slightly warmer) activities, Rachel from Life of My Family and Me, really did brave the winter weather and went to Chessington World of Adventures. At least the cold weather meant that it was quiet and they got to watch the sea lions display.

One blogger who will be jetting off to warmer climates pretty soon is Stephanie who blogs over at Diary of a Midlife Mummy. She’s written about all the things she’s looking forward to in 2015. Her family will be doing lot’s of travelling but I am extremely envious of her jetting off to South Africa next month and am hoping she will send some sun and warm back this way.

I love reading a really funny blog post and Kat, who blogs over at Beautwins wrote a hilarious one that also had lot’s of mums nodding their heads in agreement. It is a list of all the things that happens when you enter the motherhood club. I’m always doing number 5 and 6, oh and 7. Actually it ALL applies, have a read and you’ll see what I mean!

Another one that had me giggling was Karen’s ‘Whats in my Handbag’ post. I think the title ‘Handbag Horror’ says it all really. I have visions of her walking round with pockets full of seedlings, you’ll have to read the post to find out what I’m on about, Karen blogs over at Stopping at Two.

One of the things us mothers seem to do a lot of is crafts, especially when you have preschoolers in the house. It’s quite hard to keep babies happy and occupied while you are helping create masterpieces or bake cookies but Amy from Everything Mummy has come up with an ingenious solution using two simple ingredients to make baby safe playdough! At last Lottie is happy creating her own, safe, messes.

Of course when your preschooler grows up into a fully fledged ‘schooler’ there are still plenty of activities to do at home that are not only a lot of fun but offer some educational value too. Amelia from The Appletree has shared with us a list of her top ten educational activities. Number 10 would have to be my favourite!

One little school girl who should be very proud of herself is Lili. Heledd, from Running in Lavender, has one very excited little girl to FINALLY get start of the week for ‘doing good reading’! She even got to bring home the class bear and fill in his diary with all their adventures.

And we have come full circle and are back to the wonderful emotion that is happiness.

Katie of Life on Vista is sharing a lovely selection of photos of things that have made her happy this week. Number 4 made me giggle but it also makes me extremely happy to know that I personally got to share in numbers 6, 7 and 8!

Our final link belongs to the lovely Mrs H from Mrs H’s Favourite Things. Right back on the first of the month she wrote this post about her happy days. Just for a heads up they are filled with welly boots, muddy puddles and a date night out with the hubby. Sounds like a great week to me, although I’m not sure about the ‘blackout night’!

What have you been up to this month?

My Captured Moment ~ Thumbs up

February 19, 2015

I came across this photo recently and it really made me smile. It was taken on LV’s 4th birthday ( in 2010) he still likes to dress just as funky now.

I also had a bit of a giggle because we have a running joke in the family that our girls have never been able to wear skinny jeans or leggings without them being baggy!

Thumbs up everyone 🙂

My Captured Moment ~ Time for coffee

January 8, 2015

One of my favourite parts of spending any amount of time out of the house is making time for coffee. I love gossiping with whoever I happen to be with, or doing a bit of writing if I’m alone. Obviously being a mother there is more often than not a child or five with me too!

I was scrolling through my Dropbox folder this evening looking for this particular photo:

Welcoming in 2015, but there’s no new year resolutions from me!

January 1, 2015

So here we are, it’s January 1st 2015. Personally I’m welcoming in the new year and hoping with all my might that, if nothing else, it will be a much healthier year for our household than 2014 was. Seriously, I can’t cope with anyone else being ill. I have had three SOLID months of colds, diarrhoea, fevers, vomiting, swollen glands, eye infections, sore throats, ear infections, the list goes on… and on… and on!

Sunday Stars Linky

Sunday Stars Linky