A Present for a Big Brother from a Little Sister

As soon as we found out that we were expecting a second child, I knew we had to get C a present from her. We uhm-ed and ahh-ed over what to buy. Do we just get him a toy that we know he'll like? In the end, I decided to make him one. Now, my craft skills are non-existent but he isn't even 2 yet. I highly doubt he'll mind if it's not perfect!

Regular readers will know that I get a Nonabox subscription and every month, it arrives in a sturdy purple and grey box. This is where I started. I took a box and covered it with coloured card and wrote his name on the lid.

Inside the lid, I printed a little poem (in Mickey Mouse font even though he probably won't even realise it!) and 'I love my big brother' sign.

Inside the box, I filled it with:

1. Bubbles! C loves bubbles and he could spend hours trying to catch them and watch them in amazement. This six pack only cost £1.50 from the party accessories section of Tesco.

2. No. 1 Brother t-shirt. I picked this up in Primark months ago before I'd even decided on making this box but when I was putting it together, I knew I had to include it. It was only £1.50!

3. Sweets! I don't make a habit of giving C too many sweets but I thought they'd be a nice treat for him. I've included a pack of Tayto Onion Rings, 2 bags of chocolate buttons (milk and white variety) and 2 flumps.

4. 2 toy cars. C is obsessed with cars at the moment and he loves to wheel them around on the floor making "brum" noises. These were only £1 each in Poundland.

5. 'My New Baby' by Rachel Fuller. I loved books as a kid and I wanted to pass that on to C. Quite early in my pregnancy, I bought him 'There's a House Inside My Mummy' and he did pick up on the fact that there is a baby in my tummy and he likes to pull my top up, say "baby" and kiss it. 'My New Baby' is so lovely as it's designed to help siblings adjust to a new addition. I picked this up for £3.59 on Amazon.

6 & 7. A colouring book and markers. I've mentioned so many times previously about C's artistic flair. His favourite thing to do is draw so I'd be crazy not to include these. The book was £1 in Poundland and the markers were only £1.50 in Tesco's 'Back to School' section!

Okay, so I didn't break the bank in making this box for him but I know that everything inside will go down exceptionally well and that's all that matters!

Did you buy your first born a present from their new sibling? What did you choose?

Christmas Gift Ideas for Dad

My dad is in his mid-fifties (don't tell him I told you that!) and I find it really hard to buy presents for him. He always says that he doesn't want anything but we both know that something has to/will be bought. 

IWOOT is a fab place to start looking for gift ideas, even the name of the website is great as I do always find myself saying "I want one of those!"

IWOOT recently sent me out a pack of their Vinyl Bookends and as soon as I clapped eyes on them, I knew that my dad would love them. They're so retro and kitsch and he always tells me about records he used to own (he still owns a record player but it doesn't get used). 

When I first opened them, I'll admit that I did think that they might be a little too flimsy to hold up books but I was wrong! They work fantasticly well and I love that both the records have different images on them. IWOOT don't just sell vinyl bookends, you can even pick up bowls and coasters to match!  

I can't wait to give them to my dad! He'll be over the moon. 

You can buy your own Vinyl Bookends here for £9.95 and you can find them on Facebook and Twitter. 

(Disclaimer: I received these bookends free of charge in exchange for an open and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own). 

GoodHeartGifts Personalised Santa Sack Review

Regular readers of my blog will know that I absolutely adore personalised items. If you came into my house you'd probably think I was afraid of forgetting C's name with the amount that we have!

When GoodHeartGifts came along and asked if I'd like to review an item from their range, I jumped at the chance.

GoodHeartGifts is a young company based in Manchester. They specialise in providing personalised gifts that you can give to your loved ones, making that special day truly memorable. What I didn't know was that when you buy, you are helping a charity. GoodHeartGifts give 10% of all their profits to nominated charities.

I scoured the website for a loooong time and with Christmas coming up, I chose the Jolly Personalised Santa Sack.

When ordering you are able to submit the name that you would like on the sack (up to 12 characters). I was really excited to receive mine as it looked amazing on the website.

A few days later, I received a little square box in the post with a GoodHeartGifts sticker on it. When I opened it, I wasn't disappointed! It really does look amazing.

The stitching is fantastic for such a low price (£14.95). The sack measures 70cm x 50cm so I was able to fit most of C's Christmas presents inside. C is only 14 months so doesn't really understand the concept of Christmas and Santa Claus but older kids, I think, would love seeing Santa's face with the words "Santa's Coming" hung up ready for his arrival.

You can find out more about GoodHeartGifts at their website, Facebook and Twitter.

(Disclaimer: I received this item free of charge in exchange for an open and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Little Bird Told Me's Heritage Stable Rocking Horses

Little Bird Told Me are such a fantastic company (you may remember I previously reviewed their Softly Snail Baby on Board sign).

They have just released a new range of Heritage Stable Rocking Horses just in time for Christmas!

"Heritage Stable is a collection of traditional rocking horses, designed to captivate the hearts and minds of all ages. Each is made using classic woven fabrics, given a timeless appeal that looks truly stunning in any room, whatever your decor."

I think you will agree that these Rocking Horses are beyond beautiful and with prices ranging from £120-£300, they would make the perfect Christmas present for that special little person in your life.

You can find out more about these Rocking Horses and Little Bird Told me on the website, Facebook and Twitter.

(Disclaimer: I did not receive any financial reward for this post. I simply wanted to share a fantastic product with my readers.)

Christmas Shopping

A few days ago, I started to panic as I saw a lot of people writing that they had almost finished their Christmas shopping whereas I had barely started! That night, I purchased a Mega Bloks Steer Me Steve on Amazon and a Sing & Giggle Mickey and felt a bit calmer. I could officially say that I'd started my shopping. 

Chris had the day off yesterday so we decided to get some bits in. 

Mickey Mouse Remote Controlled Car - £9.99, Mickey & Friends Train - £14.99, Mickey Mouse plate - 99p all from B&M Bargains

C is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. We watch at least three episodes a day. B&M Bargains, I find, in the best place to find Mickey Mouse toys. We purchased these for him as I know he'll love them. 

Mickey & Friends wrapping paper - £1 each (Poundworld), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Advent Calendar - £2 (Matalan), Santa Plate & Cup - £6 (Matalan)

I had seen this wrapping paper before so I knew I needed to get some in just in case I left it too late and couldn't find any anywhere! I said to my mum yesterday that I planned on getting C an advent calendar this year and just struck lucky by noticing this one. The Santa Plate & Cup was another item that I saw a while back. I want to have a tradition of leaving Santa's treats and milk out and this was so cute that I just had to buy it. 

I had heard that Sainsburys were having a 50% off sale on their toys. I suggested to Chris that we should pop in to have a nosey and we ended up grabbing a basket. The offers were just too good to pass up.

Stacking Fish - £2.49, Spinning Top - £2.49, Felix the Frog - £4.99, First Rescue wooden vehicles - £2.49 each, Little bath swimmers - £1.00 each, Wooden learning books - 2 for £3 

Fantastic bargains! Altogether the total should have come to £36 but we got everything for £20! I'm so pleased especially with the wooden toys. The sale is on instores until Tuesday. 

Had to buy bits for us too! 

Check out our cool new retro canvases! 2 for £4 in B&M Bargains. 

Have you made a dent into your Christmas shopping yet? Have you come across any great toy deals? 

Let me know!

What Do You Buy a 1 Year Old for their Birthday?

When I first started planning C's birthday, presents came first but I had no idea what to get! I took to Twitter and asked some other bloggers what they thought. I got a few responses but as the months went by, I saw that some other people had posed the same question; what do you buy a one year old for their birthday? 

C's birthday is tomorrow and I obviously have all his presents purchased and wrapped so I thought it would be a good idea to share what we bought for him as it might help other parents who are at a loss of what to buy. 

1) LeapFrog ABC Spinamals 

I picked this up last minute as I panicked that I hadn't bought enough! You push the button the middle, the wheel spins and a whichever letter it lands on, it teaches you an animal.

2) Vtech Sing Along Microphone

This was another last minute purchase. Chris picked it and I went with it as C loves lights and sounds. I'm sure he'll get enjoyment out of it.

3) Fisher Price Little People Play n' Float Boat

Yet another last minute buy. C doesn't have many bath toys so I knew that I needed to get him some. This seems great as he can get so much use out of it.

4) Vtech Toot Toot Drivers Police Car

I chose this as a small gift to fill out his presents. I know he'll enjoy pushing it around the ground.

5) DVDs

 

I enter a lot of online competitions and I was lucky enough to win these DVDs over the past few months so I decided to put them away until his birthday.

6) Fisher Price Lil' Snoopy

How cute is he!? I just couldn't resist. C will look adorable pulling his little dog around behind him!

7) Little Tikes Shape Sorter

Please excuse the battered box, it got a bit damaged upstairs! I wanted something like this to teach him about shapes. Really glad I purchased this one.

8) Dumbo teddy

C LOVES Dumbo. He has too much Dumbo clothes and has a smaller Dumbo teddy which he carries everywhere. I saw this in the Disney Store and just had to buy it for him.

9) Fisher Price Laugh n Learn Puppy

This was another competition win. I took so much strength not to give him it straight away but I know he'll love it :)

10) Mega Bloks First Builders

I loved Lego as a child and I wanted to get C something similar. Obviously, he is too small for Lego but this will make a great substitute and will start him off nicely!

11) Elmer Wooden Puzzle

I love puzzles and love wooden toys. I wanted to buy C one with knobs on to teach him then we'll progress when he has mastered it. I love how it is Elmer - my dad used to read Elmer books to me when I was younger!

12) Bowling Set

This one was Chris's idea. This set is aimed at children 3+ but apparently Chris wants to teach him. In the almost 4 years we have been together, I've seen Chris bowl once....go figure!

13) Smartrike

This one was a must. There was no doubt in my mind, I was getting him a Smartrike and only a Smartrike would do. How amazing are they?!

14) Little Tikes Rocking Horse

We saw these on the shop floor of Smyths and let C have a ride on it. He seemed to enjoy it so I purchased it knowing that he'd be happy to have one at home!

I do hope this has helped some people fretting over what to buy. 

Is there anything on your list that I haven't mentioned?

What would you suggest?

I'm In Panic Mode - I Need Your Help

Today, C is ten months old. Two months until his first birthday...and we have nothing planned.

We automatically decided that we'd rent out a hall at a leisure centre and get things like a bouncy castle and painting station for the kids in our families but we haven't booked anything yet and now I'm starting to worry. Chris is very laid back about it all which I think is worrying me more. All I ever get is "I don't know". We really need to get our asses into gear and get something organised!

Now...presents. This is a toughie for me. C is our first child so we have no idea what to buy a one year old for their birthday! I'm thinking that most people with buy him musical/light-y stuff (am I right in thinking that?) so my ideas for gifts are:

A large Dumbo teddy from the Disney Store (£18)- I've already purchased this as he loves Dumbo and I couldn't resist. I think I've done well hiding it away til his birthday - proud of myself!

Big Dumbo next to C's current Little Dumbo

Mega Bloks First Builders - they had this in ASDA for £14.97 so I had to pick it up. I've heard a lot of good things about them so I hope he enjoys them!

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A Smart-Trike - I've yet to buy this (thinking of getting it about 2 weeks before so it's not taking up lots of room for ages!). It seems like everybody's blogging about how amazing these trikes are. They look absolutely fantastic and I can just picture my happy little boy on one. At £75, they could be a great investment!

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A wooden easy-grab puzzle (£5.99) - I think these look great and I love wooden toys. Just one of his small presents. It's recommended for 18 months but I think it would be alright.

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Here's where you, my lovely readers, come in. What else could I get him? What has went down brilliantly at your children's first birthdays? And am I right in thinking that most people will buy musical/light-y toys such as Fisher Price or VTech?