Splurge or Save on Christmas Decorations

Christmas can be an expensive time, but not everything needs to cost a fortune.  For example, when it comes to Christmas decorations you can choose to splurge on super expensive baubles and trinkets, or you can take the saver's route and spend a lot less cash buying something that looks just as good. After all, Christmas decorations are only going to come out for a few weeks once a year. So I'd personally prefer to spend my money on something that is going to be of greater use.  But that doesn't mean I don't want a well decorated tree and a pretty looking  festive house!

Asda have got a load of really lovely decorations that hold their own against a lot of pricier items. I was sent a couple to take a look at.

Take for example the Asda Nativity Scene. The eight piece set compromises of the three wise men, Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus in a manger, a camel and a sheep.  It has a lovely handmade look about it and makes a great display.  The children love it, as it is quite cartoon like, cute and colourful, and the detail on each of the characters is quite impressive. Similar looking nativity sets can cost up to £60.

Other comparable items include the Santa Tree Topper from Asda, which is just £3.50.  The felt covered Santa is nicely made and has a friendly appeal that the kids will love.  A similar one from a department store is £12.  It depends on your tastes but if you are looking for a fun, festive theme, the Asda one fits the bill and saves pounds!

I love letting the kids each choose a new decoration every year to add to our mix and match festive theme. When it comes to baubles and tree decorations, Asda has a range from just £1 that are great value and have designs to suit all tastes.  Made from clay, tin, fabric, plastic or glass, each bauble will help you dress your tree in style. Similar ones, from large department stores and garden centres, can cost so much more.  Once hung on the tree, baubles look lovely and no one will be able to tell if they came from Asda or Harrods!

Asda have lots of seasonal Christmas gifts, cards, decorations, crackers and homeware products in store now.

Have a Fragrant Festive Season with Febreze

Christmas is the season where our senses are exposed to so many wonderful sights, sounds, flavours and smells. For me, the scent of Christmas consists of some of the most evocative fragrances, conjuring up thoughts of the most wonderful time of the year! Sweet spices, fresh pine trees, vanilla, tangy citrus, hot chocolate and rich fruits have such lovely aromas that we enjoy at Christmas - but there are also a few bad smells synonymous with the season too. Musty Christmas stockings, burnt dinner, smelly cheeses, the after effects of eating sprouts and stale air have a habit of evading our spaces, creating lingering pongs. This is when Febreze's Christmas scents can help. Nasty smells can be spritzed away using Febreze's fabric refreshers, aerosol sprays, reed diffusers and scented candles. Plug ins and Set & Refresh products gradually release their gentle scents for up to sixty days, adding to the festive ambience. 

Febreze's Christmas fragrances include  Apple & Spice, Vanilla Latte and Winter Garden. All lovely scents for Christmas that can make your home smell wonderfully festive and keep those nasty niffs at bay.  I received some to try out and I love the Apple & Spice fragrance

With the RRPs of the products from £2.00 - £6.00 you can fill your house with beautiful Christmas scents without it costing a fortune.  They could also make a lovely addition to a homemade Christmas hamper for a loved one. 

Win with Sudocrem and TMNT #halfshellheroes this Christmas

Sudocrem have a great Christmas Cracker game that is running during the festive period . In their biggest competition yet they are giving away Amazon Kindles, LeapPads, Go Ape Family Passes, Miffy sets,Sylvanian Families sets, Christmas Jumpers from Morphsuits, Amazon vouchers and over 100 goody bags.

You can pull a cracker everyday and get extra chances by inviting friends, following Sudocrem on social media and Tweeting.

Sudocrem's range, including Antiseptic Healing Cream, New Care & Protect and Skin Care Cream, can help protect the whole family's skin, from a baby's nappy rash through to pressure sores in the elderly.


Half Shell Heroes are the latest collection from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aimed at kids aged 2-5 years old. With bright colours, friendly faces and funky designs they are cute and ideal for the younger audience.  Prices start at £7.99 for an action figure twin pack or figure and vehicle pack.

Every day during December the Half Shell Heroes Advent Calendar is giving away fab prizes. Just visit www.evolutioncomps.co.uk/halfshellchristmas watch a short video and answer a simple question to enter into that day's prize draw.

Freddy was sent a Christmas card from the Half Shell Heroes and a little Ninja character in a Christmas bauble for the tree. It's nice to see such a popular brand made accessible to younger children with a softer style of characterisation. We'll be entering the advent competition everyday, hoping to add to his collection!

Keep an eye out for Christmas competitions on Facebook, Twitter, on blogs and on Instagram - there are literally hundreds of them out there!  Fingers crossed, we can all have a little luck and maybe win a little extra treat for our family this Christmas.  Good luck xxx

The Little Boy Who Lost His Name

There is something very magical about personalised gifts bearing a child's name.  Children love to see their names in print, and even from a young age, their name is one of the first words they recognise. So imagine their delight in seeing their names in print in their own beautifully written and illustrated storybook.

Lostmy.name is a company that creates beautiful, bespoke children's books, each one as unique as the child's name.  They tell the story of a little boy or girl who wakes up to discover that they have lost their name.  They bravely go on a quest to discover their name, meeting marvellous, magical characters along the way, who each give the first letter of their own name to help the child recover what they have lost.

The book is beautifully printed on lovely, thick paper and is exquisitely illustrated throughout.  The rhyming text is warm, rich, humorous, fun and very personal as the child sees the letters gather together to spell out their lost name. Both the illustrations and the story itself, create a beautiful, quality storybook that is going to be treasured for years to come, where the child is the amazingly courageous star of the show.

Freddy was sent one and it is beautiful. The story sees the little boy meet a frog, a robot, an eagle, a dragon and a yeti along on his magical journey. I did wonder how they would deal with the second D in Freddy's name without repeating itself, but this was dealt with when the boy found it inside a talking hole!  It is simply lovely and a brilliant concept in children's books.

For a child with an unusual name, these books are really special.  Any name can be used to create a personalised book that is specially printed for the child.  As a mum with children who do not have mainstream names, I think this is a wonderful service, enabling me to get something very precious and personalised for my children.

The Lostmy.name project is 100% independent and totally self-published. You can tell that it has been a labour of love by the creators.

You can create a book online and can preview how it will look before ordering. Each personalised book costs £18.99 with free worldwide shipping.  This includes a free personal dedication on the front page.

There is still time to order a book in time for Christmas using the fast track delivery service if you order by December 12th. But this gift is perfect for anytime of the year!

www.lostmy.name


           

We had Tea with Father Christmas at Wyevale Garden Centre

Every Christmas, we enjoy visiting our local Wyevale garden centre.  We are just a few miles away from Bridgemere, and when we were invited to enjoy Tea with Father Christmas, we were really excited about spending a festive afternoon there.

Garden Centres always go all out at Christmas with their decorations, displays and events.  The entrance to Bridgemere housed an amazing nativity scene complete with lifesize, animatronic animals.  We enjoyed looking at all the lovely displays as we made our way to the restaurant for our 4pm booking to enjoy an afternoon tea and to see Santa.

An area of the restaurant was reserved for guests and we were greeted and shown to our table, which was beautifully laid out.  We had already organised our food choices in advance. As vegetarians we opted for the Festive Hummus, Red Pepper and Cucumber sandwiches accompanied by coffee, a delicious scone with jam and clotted cream and a mince pie.  I was very impressed that our vegan daughter was accommodated for, and they supplied her with crisps in place of the cake selection. The children had a choice of a hot meal, which for us veggies was a dish of oven baked macaroni cheese and a bowl of peas or baked beans, or a cold picnic tea consisting of a cheese sandwich, chocolate cornflake cake, a satsuma and crisps.  Squash was available for the kids to drink.

There were colouring sheets, crayons and Christmas crackers on the table to keep the little ones entertained. The staff were very attentive, coming over to chat with the kids and making sure everything was participatioionOK with the food.  Once tummies were filled, it was time for Santa. The children were invited to join in with a rendition of Jingle Bells, then they had to shout for Santa. Freddy loves all the audience participation stuff and joined in enthusiastically, shouting at the top of his voice!

The man himself, accompanied by Alice, the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, arrived.  Santa took his seat in his lovely little grotto, surrounded by toys ready to be given to the children.  Children were invited up a table at a time and each enjoyed a friendly chat with Santa.  I was able to take photos of Santa with the children and it was very relaxed.  Freddy and Kizzy then got to choose any gift from the tables of toys.  Both chose a tube of multi-coloured rubber ducks!  Other offerings included dolls, craft sets, toy cars and games.  There was a good selection of nice quality gifts.

To finish the day, children were given a gingerbread tree, a tube of icing and a bowl of toppings (chocolate, raisins and marshmallows) so they could decorate their own biscuit.  These were foil wrapped to be taken home.

It was a really lovely event and Freddy was absolutely thrilled by the experience.  The older girls also enjoyed themselves with the good food and the festive spirit that prevailed!

Breakfast and Tea with Father Christmas is available until Christmas Eve at Wyevale Garden Centres (dates and times vary by location.)  The all inclusive price includes a meal, a visit to Santa, a present and a Christmas tree biscuit to decorate for each child.  Adults get to join in the fun with something to eat and a hot drink.

Breakfast with Father Christmas

For children

Pork sausage, hash brown, baked beans and toast soldiers.

or

Scrambled eggs, hash brown, baked beans and toast soldiers. (v)

£9.99

For adults

Pork sausage, two rashers of bacon, black pudding, fried egg served on fried bread, hash browns, roasted flat mushroom, grilled tomato and baked beans. Served with a slice of toast and tea or filter coffee.

or

Fried egg on fried bread, hash browns, roasted flat mushroom, grilled tomato and baked beans. Served with a slice of toast and tea or filter coffee. (v)

£7.99

Adult mini ticket

A freshly baked breakfast pastry served with tea or filter coffee.

£3.99

Tea with Father Christmas

For children

A hot meal with chicken goujons/sausages and chips with beans or peas. 

or

Macaroni cheese and peas. (v)

or

'My Picnic' meal which includes a delicious sandwich, snack, dessert, fresh fruit and a refreshing drink.

£9.99

For adults

A festive turkey sandwich, a mince pie and a sweet treat.

or

A festive cucumber and red pepper hummus sandwich, a mince pie and a sweet treat. (v).

Your choice of tea or filter coffee included.

£7.99

Adult mini ticket

A slice of delicious cake served with tea or filter coffee.

£3.99

Gluten free options are available and my vegan daughter was accommodated on request.

To find out more, to check availability at your local garden centre and to book a Breakfast or Tea with Father Christmas, go to www.wyevalegardencentres.co.uk/breakfast-and-tea-with-father-christmas

Personalise your presents with Wrap.me

As babies, all of my children preferred the wrapping paper to the gift when it came to Christmas presents.  It seems to be a fact of life that regardless of the amount of thought that goes into choosing the perfect present, the colourful paper surrounding it simply holds more appeal. This Christmas, I think this will hold true for the adults too, but for a completely different reason.  This year it's what's on the outside that counts!

Wrap.me is a company that lets you put the perfect finishing touch to presents by providing personalised gift wrap, made using up to 30 images taken from your desktop or social media.  The wrapping paper is then printed with or without borders as a sheet or a roll, ready to make your gifts look amazing.

I was sent a sample made using some of my Christmassy pics I had taken at the Manchester Christmas Markets.  There is something so special about seeing your own children's faces wrapped around a Christmas present.  It really is the ultimate personal touch to a thoughtful gift for a loved one, providing the perfect connection between yourself and who you are giving the gift to and telling a story. Grandparents will go crazy for it!

The potential to design a sheet of wrapping paper using specially taken photographs using props and poses is enormous.  There are endless possibilities and with a little effort you can create some amazing bespoke gift wrap. You could have a LOT of fun with this product.

How to create your personalised wrap.me wrapping paper:

1. Access the wrap.me homepage via desktop or mobile site
2. Click on “create your wrapping paper”
3. Choose to upload photos from Facebook, Instagram, Desktop or Camera Roll
4. Make a selection of photos, which will then be duplicated to fill the sheet
5. Take a moment to preview your design
6. Choose whether you’d like to receive your wrapping paper as a roll or a sheet
7. Select an optional black or white border for your images
8. Checkout! You will receive your wrapping paper within three to four days
Prices start at £4.99 incl. VAT & delivery

wrap.me

Dr Oetker Ristorante Pizza and Sides

Dr. Oetker has launched a fantastic, exclusive in-depth guide to help customers match their favourite Ristorante pizzas to different side dishes.

The brand new guide, Pizza and Sides, includes recipes created exclusively for Dr. Oetker which are perfect for family meals, date nights,  festive parties and other special occasions. It’s just the thing for anyone who is looking for something tasty to enjoy with their favourite pizza. The sides are designed to enhance the flavours of the pizza and bring variety to mealtimes.

In addition to this, Dr. Oetker Ristorante has added a new limited edition pizza to its range - Limited Edition Pollo Arrabiata. The thin and crispy base of Ristorante is topped with a combination of mozzarella and Edam cheeses, chicken breast, red pepper, red onion and a fiery yet sweet Roquito® pepper sauce for the ideal balance of spice.  This new variety adds a spicy hit and extends the range of flavours offered by Ristorante.

Dr. Oetker Ristorante has also introduced a classic Margherita pizza to its extensive menu of flavours, offering a high quality version of the original classic pizza.  Perfect for  the whole family, the delightfully thin and crispy base is richly topped with creamy mozzarella, succulent marinated tomatoes, and finished with a basil garnish.

The Dr Oetker Ristorante Margherita is perfectly teamed with a side of deliciously simple, fluffy, herby potato wedges to complement the fresh flavours of the pizza. 

The classic Dr Oetker Ristorante Mozarella tastes wonderful teamed with a Sweet Potato, Spring Onion and Feta Salad.  This recipe is absolutely lovely with the contrast of roasted sweet potatoes, salty Feta and the tangy dressing.  The slight crunch of toasted pine nuts and spring onion adds an interesting texture and bite. Delicious.

Other sides include tasty flat breads, citrus salads, warm salads and bruschetta.  My favourite recipe is for a Herby Chickpea Salad combining bulgar wheat, chickpeas, red onion and fresh herbs.  It is the perfect pairing to Dr Oetker Ristorante Speciale.

You can make a wonderful Italian themed feasts using a selection of Dr Oetker Ristorante pizzas and some of the amazing side dishes.  Perfect for  festive celebration with the family.  We thoroughly enjoyed our vegetarian feast of Pizza and Sides while watching a Christmas movie.  It makes a great family night in, and is much cheaper than a takeaway.

Dr. Oetker Ristorante pizzas are made using only the highest quality ingredients on a luxurious thin and crispy base, allowing pizza lovers to sit back and relax as the pizza cooks to perfection  in the oven.

Dr Oetker Ristorante pizzas, including the two new flavours, can be found in the freezer aisles of stores nationwide, with a MMRP of £2.99.

For more information check out the Dr Oetker Facebook page or visit the website www.oetker.co.uk.

Find the free Pizza and Sides downloadable recipe booklet here!

Posted in collaboration with Dr Oetker.