All I Want for Christmas...

Christmas is one of the most magical times of the year for parents, but it can also be expensive. New research reveals that 35% are worried about how they will afford Christmas presents this year, with parents feeling an increased pressure every year to buy bigger and better presents.

The majority of mums and dads (93%) have concerns about friends and family spending lots of their hard earned money on them, when in fact half would prefer to get nothing at all rather than get loved ones into debt. That’s quite surprising when parents don’t practice what they preach, spending on average  £30.16 per present, and with 6% spending over £100 on an average present.

But it seems there might be a simple solution, according to research of 734 parents by iconic bear brand Forever Friends – it should be about sentiment this year, with a pledge of time and thought rather than an expensive gift.

The research shows almost half would much rather receive something small and thoughtful than something big and flashy with no feeling behind it. In fact 38 per cent said they felt embarrassed when they were given an extravagant gift and one in seven have actually been offended by a gift that obviously had no thought behind it. We are all far too polite to say anything though, as over half of us would keep quiet if we got a present we didn’t like.

Instead of a traditional Christmas present, parents ranked the following as the top 10 things they’d like to receive from friends and family:

1.       To be taken out for a meal

2.       A small but thoughtful token of a friendship/relationship

3.       To be cooked a homemade meal

4.       A big hug

5.       A card which included personal, heart-felt words

6.       Something homemade

7.       For time to be set aside to catch up over coffee for a good old chat

8.       Have someone offer to do the washing up or cleaning (ranked no.10 for non-parents!)

9.       To be run a bubble bath to relax in with a good book

10.     Have a long catch up reminiscing over old photos

To support the research, Forever Friends has developed a downloadable online pledge to allow people to promise to do something as a gift for family and friends – such as babysit for an evening or make dinner, without the need to splash the cash. To download your free promise pledge visit www.foreverfriends.co.uk or even send to a family member as a hint!

To send your free personal promise pledge this Christmas visit www.foreverfriends.co.uk

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A Bear-y Digital Christmas

Forever Friends has announced the launch of two new digital products for Christmas allowing us to express love, sentiment and friendship with the Forever Friends iBook and Christmas animation.

The Forever Friends iBook ‘When Magic Really Happens’

The Forever Friends storybook is available for the first time on the iPad. The interactive iBook, aimed at increasingly tech-savvy children, can be downloaded from the iTunes store.

The iconic ‘When Magic Really Happens’ Forever Friends book is a heart-warming story of kindness following the little bear on a magical sleigh ride adventure on Christmas Eve. Each page is enhanced with flickering streetlights and gently falling snow alongside soothing narration, charming animations and games.

The iBook is designed to enhance the reader’s experience with key interactive features including, three options of reading; ‘read to me’, ‘read myself’ or ‘record me’ plus 18 mini-games, animated films with secret movie episodes and the ability to create Christmas cards to share. It is recommended for ages 4-10 years and priced at just £2.99.

The Forever Friends Christmas Animation ‘The Magical Fairy Bear’

This 3D animation is a story about a Christmas adventure introducing new characters of Fairy Bear, Santa Bear and Ballerina Bear in a heart-warming bedtime story. This animation is free to all Forever Friends fans and is available to watch via Facebook or YouTube.

          

Scotch Mystery Gift Challenge #4

Here is the fourth clue in the weekly Scotch Mystery Gift Challenge.  Simply submit your guess on their Facebook app for your chance to win a beautifully wrapped gift from Scotch.


Cheltenham --- or Leamington--- It’s sure to be a day of pampering; leaving you relaxed and revitalised!

Good luck!

Get Christmas All Wrapped Up - Scotch Giveaway!

This year, I am helping Scotch with their Christmas campaign.  Every week I am posting clues to help my readers guess what is wrapped up in their fabulous festive Facebook competition where you can win beautifully wrapped gifts to the value of £150.   This week's clue is:

A word defined, ‘to set alight or start to burn’ - you’ll be carrying

 a library with you wherever you go!

Solve the clue, submit your guess on their Mystery Gift challenge app and you could be unwrapping an extra special gift this year!

I am also giving away some scotch goodies including a Pop-Up Tape Handband Dispenser  to five lucky readers.  They make wrapping up presents a real cinch, dispensing pre-cut lengths of tape and leaving your hands free to concentrate on the wrapping paper! (See it in action in my wrapping video post here!)

To be in with a chance of winning this very handy prize simply leave me a comment below with a way of contacting you if you win.

For an extra entry tweet:

I've got Christmas wrapped up with @wendymcd83 http://bit.ly/SIeL4p

Then leave me a comment to say you've tweeted.

For another extra entry +1 this post using the Google+ button and again leave me a comment to let me know you've done it.

UK only.  Draw closes on Friday 23rd November at 11.59pm. Winners drawn at random.  Prizes will be sent directly by the PR company.

COMPETITION CLOSED
Randomizer Winners: 6, 31, 3, 7, 30
Entrants allocated numbers between 1 and 99.

Winners:

@aslallan
@meganmem91
@lisajane
Emma Vanstone
@drglynners

Winners will be contacted and have 10 days to email me their address details at wendy_mcd83@hotmail.co.uk to pass on to the PR company.  Many thanks.

How To Make Homemade Christmas Gift Wrap with the Children

Christmas is coming!  Our bank accounts are ready to be hit hard by the festive season and everything it entails and we are about to have to find those extra hours in the day to fit in all the extra things that need to be done.  So it is nice to find ways of saving time and money on those essential Christmas jobs like wrapping up presents!

This year, I have enlisted the help of my children to make homemade wrapping paper which will make our gifts look really special.  Not only will this provide a cost effective alternative to premium shop bought paper, it is also a really fun activity for the kids to do.  It also involves them in the Christmas preparations and makes something that loved ones will really appreciate.

To make the job of wrapping up easier, it is helpful to get some good tools of the trade.  Scotch Pop-Up Tape Handband is a great hands-free gadget which allows you to grab pre-cut strips of tape eliminating the need to wrestle a roll of tape, losing the end and getting in a sticky mess!  It is suitable for both left and right handers, leaving both hands free to wrap.  It is available in pink, blue or silver for £2.49 from leading stationery stores and supermarkets and includes a pad of 75 tape strips.  Refils of three pads cost £2.69.  It is a godsend for wrapping up gifts at Christmas!

A good sharp pair of scissors that glide through the paper is a must.  We have Scotch Precision Scissors which are great for cutting through paper cleanly.  It definitely saves time to use the best tools for the job, especially when faced with a mountain of gifts to wrap.

Tools of The Trade

How To Make Fingerprint Robin Gift Wrap

You need:

Plain Paper

Poster Paint: brown, red, black, yellow

Black Felt Tip

Cardboard

Scissors

Paint Brush

• First you'll need some plain paper to fit the gift you are wrapping.  Plain white, brown or coloured paper is fine.  For some small gifts such as a CD, a sheet of A4 paper will be a perfect fit.

• Using brown poster paint, get your children to make thumbprints randomly on to the paper.

• Top each thumbprint with a index finger print to make a head.

• Make a red breast using a fingerprint of red paint.

• When dried, cut out a cardboard stamp to print a brown tail on each robin.

• Cut another cardboard stamp to make two yellow legs on each robin.

• Using the end of a paintbrush, make black dots for eyes.

• Draw on a beak using a felt pen.

(Tip: You can use the same technique to make gift tags using self-adhesive stickers or on tags cut out from a cereal box or old greetings card.  You could make Christmas cards, place settings, calendars and decorative thank you letters using the same method.)

If you are not a fan of robins, you could make Penguins instead with a black fingerprint body and head, white fingerprint belly and painted on feet and a beak in yellow and eyes in white and black.

Fingerprint Penguin

When the wrapping paper is all dry you can use it to wrap up a special present for a loved one.  You don't need to spend a fortune on buying bows to decorate the present either.  Cheap Christmas ribbon can be used to make a gorgeous mass of curls on top of the gift.  Simply wrap it around the gift and tie off the bow.  Make the bow loops the same length as the loose ends, then snip them to make them six ribbons which can then be curled using the back of a pair of scissors.  It makes a very attractive decoration and is very easy to do and costs just pennies. (Tip:  I always buy things like ribbon in the January sales and put them away for the following Christmas.  It saves a fortune!)

Curled Ribbon Bow

I really enjoy doing Christmas crafts with my children and love how this activity saves me money and makes unique and very special wrapping paper, tags and other essentials that will be really appreciated on Christmas day.  

This video shows you exactly how it's all done!

This post has been sponsored by 3M Scotch but it is an activity I would have done anyway!

Scotch Mystery Gift Challenge Week 1

Every week between now and the January 3rd 2013, on the Scotch® UK Facebook Page,  there is a chance to win a beautifully wrapped, mystery gift.....worth up to £150! If you'd like to be the lucky one that gets to do the unwrapping, simply submit your guess as to what that week's mystery gift is. It is a great opportunity to win some fabulous prizes!

Each week I'll be posting a clue to help you guess what present is all wrapped up ready to be won!  Just solve the clue and then pop along to the Scotch Mystery Gift Challenge page and submit your guess.

Here is the first clue:

Week 1 - I’m the smallest member of my family (one billionth); fit in the palm of your hand and can hold tunes a plenty!

Good luck!  Remember to check back every week for the latest clue and enter on the Scotch® UK Facebook Page for your chance to win a lovely prize.

Christmas All Wrapped Up With Boots

I have always thought of Boots as my favourite high street store.  From being a Saturday girl there in my teens to being a young mum buying all my baby essentials, I've always had a soft spot for Boots.  Nowadays I love to clock up points on my Advantage Cards to treat my older girls to perfume and make-up for free!  However, it is their Christmas range that always excites me the most.  I'll pick up the catalogue in store and pour through page after page of fabulous gifts.  They always have such lovely gift packs for everyone from tots to teens to grown-ups to grandparents!  A real added bonus is the 3 for 2 offer on stickered gifts that can end up saving you a fortune!

This year Boots sent me a sneaky peak of some of this year's gifts along with some samples to test out.  As ever I was delighted to look through all the imaginative box sets matching each one to someone on my 'to buy for' list!  Here are some of my favourites.


The Champneys Spa range includes some beautifully packaged luxurious bath products perfect for spoiling a loved one or for indulging in some much needed festive me-time!

The Oriental Opulence Collection of sandalwood, ylang ylang and patchouli fragranced bodycare treatments include bubble heaven, shower cream, body polisher and body glow.

I received some samples from the range to try.  The scent is heavenly and they feel rich and luxurious on the skin.  The body glow is a very exotic scented scrub with a gentle cleansing texture.  It really makes your skin glow and I felt so pampered after using it in the shower along with the rich, thick shower cream.  I felt radiant with skin like velvet...this range really lives up to its name Oriental Opulence!  Finished off with a spray of Body Mist you'll be enveloped in the gorgeous scent all day.

The Gift Box is just £12.  The full size products are priced between £8-£12.  All are available from Boots stores or online and are included in the 3 for 2 offer.

Another product I loved was the Glitter Babes Giant Pamper Box.  Any little girl would love this pamper set complete with 15 fabulous items that will let them shimmer like a star.  Peelable nail varnish, sparkly lip gloss, shimmer lotion, body glitter and a range of accessories will let any little princess feel pampered.  The products are very girlie and childlike, they are not trying to be 'grown-up', which I like.  It is pure pretend play with gentle sparkly products...your 5 year old won't look like an American pageant winner with this collection.  For £15 and included in the 3 for 2 offer, this is a lovely gift.

There is a brilliant range of branded merchandise that got me embarrassingly excited!  The Nando's Kitchenware including a Hot Stuff Oven Glove and Sauces set, a Chilli Planter Set, a Basting Set or a Peri-Peri Salsa Set, bring a taste of  Nando's to your home.  Starting at just £8 and 3 for 2 this range will see any Nando's fan delighted.  Other great foodie gift sets include some brilliant Jamie Oliver kitchenware, some brilliant Marmite products and some Starbucks Mug gift sets that I would love to find in my Christmas stocking this year!!

For the Disney Fans, this year to co-incide with the release of Cars 2, a brilliant range of Cars merchandise has been brought out.  One of which is the creative Klip Kitz Deluxe sets.  You get to clip together pieces to build your favourite Cars character, and then lock the elements into place using a special key .  You can then customize your Cars character using the stickers and decorate the background to make your own individual creation.  No glue, no mess, no painting and no fiddly bits to contend with...this is an innovative, creative set with no fuss!  A real bonus is the fact that you can unlock the pieces to change bits and customize your car, keeping the play element fresh.  It is great value at £13 and also available in the 3 for 2 offer!!

We were sent a Mater Klip Kitz Deluxe Set for the kids to test out.  Kizzy loved the fact that you can adapt Mater to look how you want him by colouring in and decorating him.  The finished model can be displayed on a scenic base which Kizzy really liked.  You can display the finished character with pride!

When you start your Christmas shopping this year, whether you are buying for tiny tots, work colleagues, loved ones or friends, look no further than Boots.  There really is something for everyone...toiletries, cosmetics, food gifts, toys, gadgets and games...with thousands of gifts included in the fabulous 3 for 2 offer!  And don't forget, Boots put your purchases in descending order, so however many presents you buy, you'll get every third one free!  Brilliant!

That's why I love Boots!

The Curry Recipe Kit from Wish.co.uk

This week is National Curry Week making it the perfect time to receive my first Curry Recipe Kit box from The Spicery.  I've previously reviewed Wish.co.uk...the experience and gift ideas site and activated my voucher to begin my three month subscription to the curry recipe kit from thespicery.com.

The kit arrived and contained lots of exciting plastic packs of different herbs and spices, along with a shopping list of what I'd need to make the meal.  There was also a recipe card with clear instructions for cooking the curry.

The curry meal on the menu was Tamil Black-Eyed Bean Curry with Spinach Raita, Mushroom Bhaji and Spicy Beetroot Salad.  The ingredients needed were very straightforward...all the complicated spices, seeds and herbs are provided and measured out for you to use.

The recipes were very clear and the labelled bags made it easy to prepare the dishes.  The main curry was a hearty tomato based bean curry with a savoury, herbal flavour. It contained cinnamon and ajowan in addition to the more traditional spices such as tumeric, cumin and coriander.

The Spicy Beetroot Salad was sweet with the nutty crunch of Nigella seeds and the heat of chilli flakes.  It was unusual but really surprisingly delicious.

A cooling Spinach Raita made a really nice alternative to using cucumber.

The earthy Mushroom Bhaji was cooked with a whole chilli and panch pooran.  The curry meal was served with a Mushroom Basmati  Rice.

The colourful, aromatic meal had an autumnal feel to it.  There was plenty to serve four and was truly delicious.  I loved how it was hand made from scratch using fresh ingredients but was assisted by having the pre-packaged spices.  We enjoyed cooking the curry which was ready to eat within the hour.  The flavours were really interesting, complimenting each other perfectly.  It wasn't too hot, but had distinctive spicy notes.  It was a real success!

I look forward to next month's kit.  It is a real incentive to do some real Indian cooking...definitely beats grabbing a jar of sauce when you want something special.

The spice ingredients are listed so you can re-create the ingredients if you wish.  The recipe cards are strong and wipe clean and can be secured together the make a booklet to keep them safe.

The Three Month Subscription to the Curry Recipe Kits would really be an excellent gift for anyone interested in cooking or Indian food.  You don't need much skill to prepare the meals, but the satisfaction in creating such a lovely meal yourself is great!  It is a really unique gift idea for the hard to buy for person in your life, and for just £20 it is good value.

For this and other excellent gift ideas visit wish.co.uk.

Make Story time Magical with a Story Buddy

Hallmark is making story time all the more magical with a new range of new and exclusive Story Buddies.  Using exciting, innovative playback technology, each soft, cuddly Story Buddy interacts when the story is being read, with trigger passages prompting the toy to speak and join in.  A new response is revealed with each new page bringing the character and the story to life.  Reading becomes a more engaging and entertaining pastime, which is perfect for children who are not as keen on sitting still for a story.

We were sent Cooper to try, a gorgeous soft and cuddly teddy bear who comes with his own story book "Big Bear Hugs".

Pressing a button on his ear activates Cooper and he is then ready to listen to the story.  Certain sentences, coloured in red in the text, trigger Cooper to respond.  He has a lot of different phrases that he says, keeping the experience fresh and exciting.  I am such a soft touch...I've spent far too long saying "I love you, Cooper!" so he will reply "I love you too!"  It is very cute!!

Cooper is joined by Watson the Inquisitive Raccoon and Jingle the Husky (a limited edition for Christmas) who both have their own story books.  More Story Buddies are due to join the crew in the New Year.

At just £19.99 a Story Buddy would make an excellent Christmas gift for a young child.  Pre-readers will enjoy listening to the story and will delight in their Story Buddy's responses.  Children who can read independently will love to trigger the phrases themselves by speaking the words aloud.

Hallmark have developed a free down;loadable app suitable for iPhones and iPads to accompany the range which includes a short animated story, as well as puzzles and games.

You can buy Story Buddies from Hallmark.co.uk for £19.99 which includes the toy and a book. Batteries are included (big thumbs up!!)  Additional books cost £5.99.

By combining a traditional and important pastime such as reading, with the latest technology, Hallmark have come up with a new and exciting story time experience that the whole family will enjoy!

Also available are recordable story books where you can read aloud each page of one of seven beautifully hand illustrated books and record your voice.  As the book is read by the child they will hear your voice reading the story to them.  You never have to miss a bed time story again.  Perfect for Grandparents or distant relatives to buy for loved ones, they cost just £14.99 from hallmark.co.uk.  I think this is a lovely idea for those who can't be there all the time to share a story with a child.

Christmas is Coming...Gift Ideas for Children!

The evenings are drawing in, the weather is taking a turn for the worse, my Christmas holiday is all booked up...no wonder my mind is drifting to thoughts of the festive season.

Very soon the shops will be full of the latest must have Christmas toys so I thought I'd take a look at some of the products that I loved at the UK Mums.tv Christmas in July event.

Zhu Zhu Pets

These adorable electronic hamsters were one of last year's top toys and since then, the range has increased adding more characters and play sets to make this brand even more irresistible.  The interactive and realistic pets are artificially intelligent and will explore their environment.  They squeak and scurry providing unpredictable fun.  With an ever increasing range of styles and accessories including hamster balls, cars and play houses, the fun just keeps growing.  They are cute, cuddly and entertaining.  They are even about to star in their own movie "Quest for Zhu" so don't miss out on this phenomena!

Schleich Bayala

Schleich produce the most beautiful models.  The range includes the World of Nature including farm animals and wild life,  World of History including knights, heroes and pre-historic creatures , and the World of Fantasy including Smurfs and Bayala.

Bayala is a fantasy land where beautiful elves live in harmony with nature and other fantasy creatures.  Characters and mystical creatures can be put together to create scenes perfect for imaginative play, immersing a child in a world of make believe.  The detail is beautiful.  The Scenery Packs include exclusive items, not available separately, which add to the play value of the range.  The Noctis Scenery Pack includes the dark Arelan warrior Noctis, his stunning panther and the impressive camp fire.  The lovely models are so detailed and made to the highest quality.  A beautiful range for any collector.

My World, My Body

Gibson Games have a fabulous range of puzzles for children.  One such educational, pre-school puzzle is "My Body" which I think is just brilliant.  It is a set of two puzzles made using chunky, quality card, that depict internal and external body parts.  Oval shaped spaces in the 36 and 50 piece puzzles identify the body part pictured, teaching early biology skills.  Fun Facts are included which my 8 year old loves.  Did you know we have the same number of bones in our neck as a giraffe??  Tips for extending the gameplay are suggested to encourage discussion and enhance the experience for both child and parent.  They compliment Early Learning Objectives and government guidelines for children aged 0-7.  For just £8.99 it is a great puzzle with an added educational element.

Deluxe Charm Bracelet Set

The current trend for charm bracelets can prove to be a pricey one.  Looking into a jeweller's shop yesterday I looked at the Pandora beads and charms that were selling for upwards of £25 each!  My Style has a fun alternative for young girls who want to create their own unique jewellery.  The Deluxe Charm set includes everything you need to have hours of fantastic fun using beautiful, coloured clays to make gorgeous and unique beads.  The high quality components are designed to ensure a superior and stunning result.  The silver rivets, charms and special effect components really give a superb end product.  The beads and charms can be added to the bracelets to make a lovely gift for someone special or for yourself.

I think this is a great idea for a craft set with impressive results.  The instructions are really clear.  The clay can be twisted or marbled to make attractive coloured beads which are then oven baked with the rivet inside.  The potential for creating different looks is great, giving the child the freedom to express themselves through their finished piece of jewellery.  For just £19.99, it's a lot cheaper than buying Pandora Beads and much more fun!

Christmas Present Pile