I love Wilkinson as they always stock a fabulous range of products at great prices. Their seasonal aisles are always lovely to browse as they have lots of good value items. This Christmas there are some brilliant presents, tableware and decorations. We were sent some decorations for our Christmas tree. They were all in whites and silvers in different sizes with different textures and effects. We received some individual baubles and some boxes of twelve small ones.
We added them to the tree, which is already a mix and match spectacular of many designs and colours! Freddy helped me to hang the ready strung baubles. His favourites were the small white glittery baubles (12 for £2.50) and the individual reflective silver one which reflects sparkly rainbow colours(£1.50).
If you want to add some extra decorations to your tree this year, or if you want to buy a complete matching theme for your tree, Wilkinson definitely has some lovely stuff in store! Or you can shop online at www.wilkinsonplus.com with delivery to your home or to your nearest Wilko's.
Can you imagine getting a Christmas card from Gary Barlow with a lovely message and a photograph? That would brighten up my Christmas morning for sure! Well, how about the next best thing, a Christmas card designed by Gary! Or if you prefer, Tulisa, or the Saturdays or Matthew Wolfenden. Because this year, these celebrities along with ITV's Lorraine and Aled have their very own card designs on the market.
Hallmark have teamed up with ITV's Daybreak to produce their official Text Santa charity Christmas cards. The pack of six cards includes five celebrity card designs, featuring a special message and a photo of the famous designer, plus a card designed by six year old prize winner Demi Holmes who designed the winning card in the Daybreak Sketch Santa competition.
The cards cost £1.99 with at least 50p going to Text Santa, the appeal that supports six charities offering life saving services to vulnerable people in the UK. They are available at Hallmark stores, online at hallmark.co.uk and in Asda.
I was sent a pack of these fabulous cards. They are a good size, colourful and each card has added sparkle and a different greeting inside. The back of the card has a message from the designer, a photo and information about the Text Santa appeal. It is a nice way to contribute to and spread the word about this very worthy cause.
Full further information on the charities supported by these cards, visit www.itv.com/textsanta
In winter, I really want a good pair of comfortable boots which don't hurt my feet. I want a pair that are warm, cosy, sturdy enough to walk in, supportive and that fit perfectly. In the past I have really struggled in this quest and have ended up with boots that are either painful, give no support or are not warm. This year however I have found the perfect boots!
Keds Sunny Side Boots are extremely cosy faux fur lined boots with suede uppers. They have a cushioned insole, a thick outer sole and have side zips making them easy to get on and off. They look fabulous with velvet lace detailing. Most of all though they are incredibly comfortable, even after walking around in them all day long.
Keds sent me a pair to try and at first when my package arrived, I was worried that they would not fit. I have had trouble buying shoes online in the past because of my odd shaped feet! However, they slipped on effortlessly and felt really good on.
The detailing is lovely. From the labels to the stitching to the decorative embellishments, everything is high quality.
The soles are robust and thick and I have found them great to walk around in indoors and out.
The toffee brown suede has contrasting black faux fur and look really stylish.
The zip-up ankle boot design works really well providing comfort and support. They look great with jeans and are a fashionable and practical addition to your winter wardrobe.
I am so pleased to find a pair of good looking boots that fit me so easily and are so comfy and cosy. I didn't realise that Keds make boots, associating them more with summer pumps. But now I know, I will definitely check out their winter boot ranges next year. I am that impressed!
The Sunny Side Boots are available in Toffee Brown and Gray.
They are currently on offer forjust £48 on the Ked's website. (RRP £80) for sizes 3.5 to 8.5 with free UK shipping until 17/12/12.
Aldi have a range of Christmas seasonal products on sale now while stocks last. Great quality, great value and perfect for keeping the family happy this Christmas. For all your festive food needs be sure to check out Aldi and make your money go further.
I've been sent some goodies for my family to enjoy. They all look great. I think the Lebkuchen would make a good gift for teachers and the reindeer would be excellent for the kids' school friends. You don't need to spend a fortune!
We were so thrilled to be sent another brilliant Wow! Toy to add to Freddy's collection. This is a brand that we hold in very high esteem. The colourful, imaginatively designed, robust, chunky toys inspire great imaginative play and withstand the demands of a hard playing toddler or pre-schooler.
We received Tow Truck Tim and Rolling Ray, a fabulous lorry and car combo. It has thirteen features including a retractable tow rope with magnetic coupling for recovering the car onto the back of the truck. The windscreens lift up to let the drivers in and a button launches the car down the ramp. It has fun sounds, motorised movement and comes with two figures. As with all the Wow! Toys it requires no batteries.
Freddy absolutely loved Tim from the moment he saw the box. The toys are so friendly looking and oozing child appeal. Little hands can explore everything without the worry of pulling anything off or breaking something.
I was so interested to see how the way Freddy played with this toy differed from how he first played with his Wow! toys. He instantly created a story with the female tow truck driver rescuing the business man in his car. The figures interacted with each other, collecting tools, rescuing the car and whizzing off together. His imaginative play has gone to a new level. It was a joy to watch him. The Wow! vehicles and characters inspired him to engage in a fantastic role play scenario that kept him engaged. Any toy that does this gets a big thumbs up from me.
I love how the hero of the story is the woman saving the man! I love even more that Freddy does not question this scenario!
Daddy, is a huge fan of Freddy's Wow! collection and calls the range "genius". He thought the button controlled retractable tow rope was an excellent addition to the toy and spent quite a long time 'testing' it!
Wow! Toys really do allow play to evolve. Toddlers will adore them as much as pre-schoolers will. The type of play changes as the children get older and the games get more imaginative, more involved and incorporate more role play.
Here is a quick video of Freddy playing (excuse the lack of trousers!) He doesn't much like being videoed so I had to sneak this little clip but it gives a little glimpse into his world of play.
Find out more about Tow Truck Tim who is available from Amazon for £27.99.
The range is just perfect for presents for both boys and girls. Wow! Toy's don't break their promises!
In these times of financial hardship,
many of us still feel compelled to go out and buy the most costly presents we
can find. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be this way. There are some great Christmas present ideas that every
member of the family will love, without breaking the bank.
Try and get Christmas lists
together long before Christmas in order to get an idea of who wants what and
how much it is going to cost. You may want to consider limiting children to one
large present and a series of smaller presents as costs can spiral out of
control quickly. If they have one big request such as a bike or a games
console, try looking online to compare prices before purchase.
Kids will often appreciate
surprisingly cheap presents such as torches or keyrings, so it is worth looking
around for clever stocking fillers that don’t cost the earth but will be
cherished by your child. Even little notebooks and a set of crayons can provide
hours of fun and while there are some great gadgets out there, sometimes a book
or a puzzle can be just as enticing for children.
Older children may want a CD or
downloads of their favourite music. A great choice for teenagers would be a
dock for their mp3 player that also doubles as an alarm clock for their room to get them up in the morning (just be prepared to have to tell them to turn the volume down now and again).
If money is tight, when it comes
to your partner you could always buy them a few small presents as well as a
book of homemade coupons that entitles them to something such as a night out
while you babysit or a relaxing bath/massage. This can be a fun and cheap
present that is sure to put a smile on your partner’s face.
Many supermarkets and high street
shops have offers of 2 for 1 or 3 for 2 on their gifts, so it is worth taking
advantage of these offers. Mugs, socks, small gadgets, chocolates and
personalised gifts can make for lovely Christmas presents or stocking fillers.
Again, check online for prices on
clothes, perfume, jewellery and electrical goods to compare prices – you may be
surprised by the savings and with that extra cash you could buy something for
all the family or simply use it to pamper yourself! There are so many great
gift ideas for your family to bring a smile to their faces without causing
financial hardship, so make sure you do the research before you shop. Have a very
Merry Christmas!
This is a guest post brought to you in conjunction with Sainsbury's.
We have only ever visited safari parks in the summer so when we received tickets from MoneySupermarket to visit West Midlands Safari Park for their Wild Winter Safari we couldn't wait to discover this whole new experience. So on a beautiful, clear, crisp winter's day, we wrapped up warmly and headed off for our safari adventure.
We were greeted by cheerful characters, Christmas trees and fake snow. Festive music played keeping everyone in a Christmassy mood. Santa has his own grotto with a workshop full of toys and helpful elves. It's magical! You can meet a cuddly meerkat and ride on Santa's sleigh adding to the magic of the season.
The fun fair is closed for the winter giving the walk-around area a calmer ambience. There is lots to see on foot. The African Village has free roaming lemurs, families of meerkat and friendly goats. We loved the village's attention to detail.
The lemurs in Lemur Woods were running around, jumping from the branches of the trees and scurrying along the fences, acting naturally within the freedom of their woodland home. We enjoyed the antics of the cute, cuddly Madagascan acrobats.
The meerkats live in enclosures with glass sides so you can see them clearly. They were cuddling together to keep warm which delighted the children! Everyone watched mesmerized as they stood up and looked around. Kizzy swears one was dancing to the Christmas music.
The Goat Walk is a lovely hilltop area with free roaming goats who just love being petted. Ella and Kizzy channeled their inner 'Heidi the Goat Herd' and spent ages stroking, cuddling and talking to the characterful creatures who loved every moment of the attention.
In Hippo Lake the huge beasts were dozing at the water's edge. Discovery Cove has lots to explore. The Reptile House gave us the chance to try our best Parcel Tongue to the snakes on display. Twilight Cave was fabulous. The bats were very active and we watched as one climbed up a branch using the claws at the tip of its wings like little hands. Small bats buzzed around our heads illiciting squeals from the kids. The penguins in Penguin Cove looked chilly huddled up together...but I'm sure the Antarctic is much colder! There is a Sea Lion Theatre show but unfortunately we missed it.
The Lost City Plaza has a selection of shops and a fast food outlet. We enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine. The souvenir shop is perfect for a spot of shopping. The huge array of cuddly toys proved very tempting!
We really enjoyed the walk around the exhibits and loved being entertained and educated.
We returned to our car for the Wild Winter Safari. The four mile drive-through is home to more than 600 animals including the UK's only pride of rare white lions. There are opportunities to get up close to the free roaming animals on the lookout for someone to feed them! Animal food costs £3 a box and is well worth buying. Feeding the deer is a really incredible experience for little ones. Freddy gave us some safety advice before we set off.
It was quite late in the afternoon when we started our journey so it was very quiet so we went at our own pace stopping to watch the animals and feed the deer at our leisure.
Freddy was a bit worried initially about animals "eating our face" or "getting in our car" but soon got over his concerns and excitedly watched as deer surrounded our car hoping for a little snack.
It was magical for the children to feed them, laughing as they nibbled the pellets from their hands. Freddy's technique was to drop the food but he still watched excitedly as the animals gobbled it up.
As well as goats, cattle, deer, camels, llama, emu, zebra, rhino and giraffes, the drive through has sections with big cats and wild dogs behind fences. You get very close to them from the safety of your car. The pride of white lions were spectacular. Some were play fighting over a twig, just like playful kitties...only bigger! The white tigers and cheetahs were prowling the fences. We got a great view of some beautiful exotic creatures.
As the sun set on a beautiful day, we felt really close to the animals who were watching us as intently as we were watching them.
West Midlands Safari Park really is a perfect day out. The animals were very active and happy to approach the car which is the magic of safari drive-throughs. The experiences that the children had were wonderful and unforgettable. So whatever the weather, whether it is a sunny, summer's day or a chilly winter day, West Midlands Safari Park is a great venue for a family day out.
We visited West Midlands Safari Park as part of the Moneysupermarket competition to find Britain's best family days out. Take a look at their site to find great deals on family days out!
