Kids Spring/Summer 2018 Wardrobe Wishlist

With all the snow that we are currently getting, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we are in the middle of December and Christmas is around the corner. In reality, we're almost into Spring so it's the perfect time to start thinking about upgrading my children's wardrobes - if we start getting some better weather that is!

Spring/Summer is probably one of my favourite times to shop for as I just love the prints available - especially for girls. I'm a sucker for anything with a pineapple or watermelon whereas three year old E is obsessed with unicorns. I've been doing a little bit of window shopping for the upcoming season for both C and E and here are a few of my favourites!

Even Spring and Summer months in Northern Ireland can be a bit chilly so I always make sure they have a cute little coat or jacket. River Island have some gorgeous boys coats and jackets in at the moment and this blue denim borg collar jacket would match everything plus the collar is detachable too!

I love a pair of chino shorts on C in the summer and I always opt for a beige or stone colour as it isn't too dark and keeps the outfit nice and light. These ones from Next are perfect.

I am a proper money saving type of mum so I love the t-shirt multipacks that I see in supermarkets each season. They are great value, plain so you can style them up however you want and I don't mind if he only wears them for a couple of months because I haven't paid a fortune for them. I love the colours of these four from Tu at Sainsburys - so summery!

I know C is five now and growing up before my eyes but I can't resist anything with a kiddie motif on it and Boden is always my go-to for this. How perfect for summer are these little shark plimsolls?

I always buy the children a new cap every summer and it's always from Sports Direct. They are an absolute bargain and I begrudge spending more than about £5 because we hardly get any sun!

I find shopping for E much easier as there seems to be a lot more choice for girls. My first stop is always dresses because they are so simple to stick on on a summer's day before a fun day out. This broderie frill dress from River Island is so cute that I actually will cry if I don't manage to get it in E's size!

I absolutely love Disney so have no qualms in putting E in character items and I'm so glad that she shares the love too. The little Dalmatian appliqués on this Gap jacket are so understated and adorable.

E is a massive My Little Pony fan so my eyes lit up as soon as I saw these on Primark's website under New Arrivals. She would have tons of fun flipping the sequins to reveal either Twilight Sparkle or Rainbow Dash.

Every little girls needs a gorgeous pair of sandals for summer and oh how I love the pom poms on these Boden ones! I was even more won over when I spotted that the straps are metallic too.

Similarly to C, E needs a cap! She is obsessed with princesses and Ariel is her favourite at the moment.

Have you seen anything in the shops lately that I need to know about!? Let me know in the comments!

(This is a PR collaboration.) 

Three Easy Ways to Build Your Credit Score

When I left school I was 'book smart' but I wasn't prepared for life in the real world. I'll admit, my parents did a lot for me as a teen so when I moved out and began living with Chris, bills, expenses and all other "grown up" stuff hit me like a tonne of bricks. I've now been living away from my childhood home for eight years now, raising two children and I'd like to think that I'm doing a pretty decent job! The downside is that back then we were, and still are, privately renting a home but we obviously want to get on the property ladder as soon as we can. Although I had a job and had had a mobile phone on contract for a number of years, my credit score was neutral or average.

A credit score is a tool that most lenders use to determine whether or not you qualify for a particular loan, credit card or mortgage. For us, wanting to be able to get a mortgage is high on our list of things to do especially since having children. An average credit score isn't bad but the higher, the better as creditors will be reassured that you will repay your debts as agreed. Here are three things you can do that can help you build your credit score over a little bit of time but if you have bad credit you could still secure a loan if you are short on time and need it urgently!

1. Make sure you are on the electoral register
This may sound simple - too simple - but it really can affect it. If your name isn't on there, you will find it much harder to get credit. Plus, it's always good to be on there so that you can vote!

2. Pay bills on time 
Again, this might seem like an obvious one but if you have bills such as TV licence, phone and electric, ensure that you have the funds available to pay those bills straight away. My bills usually come out on the same date every month and I always account for them before spending. This is a great way to prove that you are capable of managing your own finances effectively.

3. Get a credit card
I know it may be hard to get a credit card in the first place, but if you shop around you may be able to find a company who will allow you to take one out - we managed to get ours from Vanquis. We use our credit card to pay for our grocery shopping even though we have the cash in our current account, then just transfer the money to pay off the credit card right away. Just be sure that you don't spend what you don't physically have and can always pay back your credit card.

Do you have any tips for building your credit score? I'd love to hear them!

(This is a collaborative post.) 

Keeping Your Car Safe When You Have Children

My partner Chris passed his driving test in May 2017 and it was the best thing to happen to us. With two young children, doing shopping could take all day and we rarely had day trips as it could cost a bomb unless it was relatively local.

Having a car has been a huge help and it has been very important to Chris to make sure that it's in top condition. Even nine months after getting the car he religiously checks everything to make sure it's all working, especially as we will be putting our children into the car. The last thing he wants is for something to go wrong when they are strapped in the back. 

The first thing we insist on doing is making sure that both car seats are fitted and secured correctly (it's also important that if it's your first car that your children are in the correct car seat for their age/height), then ensuring that the children are buckled in with no twisted seatbelts. Not wearing winter coats is important as the belts cannot be tightened fully and may not work properly in the case of a crash.

Checking that all the lights work correctly before setting off on a journey is an important one. The last thing you want is to be on a busy road then realise that a light isn't working as you could quite easily cause an accident. Chris is still a restricted driver as he hasn't yet been driving a year so it's still all new to him and does, on occasion, have to refer back to his car manual and test them out by having me stand by the car and tell him if they're working or not. This can be a bit time consuming but definitely worth doing to be on the safe side.

On Christmas Day last year, we had a lot of family to visit and a very short amount of time to get round everyone. We were roughly ten minutes from our house when, bam, flat tyre! This was the first time it had happened and luckily we had a spare in the boot. It took ten minutes for Chris to replace it and get us on our way again but then we had to make sure we purchased a new spare as soon as we possibly could in case it happened again. It's so important to check your tyres regularly for any foreign objects that may be stuck (this is what happened in our case) but also ensuring that the tread and pressure is ideal.

Our car is up for MOT in April and although Chris checks the car as much as he can himself, he is definitely planning on getting it in for a service beforehand. He thinks that this would be beneficial to pay for so that he can be told of any problems and get those sorted, so that his car isn't failing and he isn't wasting money on having to rebook his MOT over and over again. The important thing is finding the perfect servicing station such as Ossett Tyre House which offers all types of car servicing in Wakefield and surrounding areas. Fingers crossed all is good and his "new baby" passes!

(This is a collaborative post.)

Shrove Tuesday - Num Noms Inspired Pancakes! #NumNomsPancakeDay

Happy Shrove Tuesday!

At three years old, this is the first year that E has been excited about making pancakes on "Pancake Day". The only thing the girl loves more than food are collectible toys with Num Noms being top of her list!

Num Noms set us a really exciting challenge - to make some Num Noms inspired pancakes. We received some goodies to help us get started, as well as some Num Noms series 4 sets for us to take flavour inspiration from.

We were familiar with the Starter Packs (RRP £9.99) and we were so excited to smell the Ice Cream Sandwich scents - Wintergreen Crème is definitely my favourite. I'm a sucker for mint! 

We also already own some Glitter Gloss-Up and Polish-It Noms (£3.99) as E received a couple for Christmas. E is such a girly girl and loves applying lipgloss and having her nails painted.

The Num Noms Lights boxes (£3.99) were completely new to us and Erin totally fell in love with them - who doesn't love a light up toy?

After the excitement of seeing which Num Noms we got - it was time to make pancakes! I'm a lover of anything that makes my life easier so pancake mix in a bottle is a game changer and you just can't go wrong.

E put on her trusty Num Noms chef hat and helped me pour the mixture into the super cute heart pan. The fun part was deciding how to decorate them when they were ready. She decided to base her pancake on Candy Karma with her candy floss scent, but first she made sure to spread her beloved Nutella on first, followed by lots of hundreds and thousands.

Now the best part - eating! E had so much fun creating her Num Noms pancakes and receiving her Pancake Champion certificate! I get the feeling that she'll be wanting to make these a lot - yum!

You can purchase Num Noms from Smyths, The Entertainer and all good toy retailers.

(We received the items mentioned for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.) 

Superzings 'Rivals of Kaboom!' - the new collectibles in town!

C and E are huge fans of any collectible toy so as soon as we get wind of a new set being released, I hear a chorus of "Mummy, can we get those?!"

Superzings are newly released and so much fun. They are by Magic Box Toys who also make Zomlings, which we have reviewed here before. The Superzings definitely remind me a lot of Zomlings and for Series 1 of Superzings, the theme is 'Heroes and Villains'.

There are over 80 coloured figures to collect with each of them being every day items brought to life with their own capes and eyemasks. Series 1 has 36 regular characters in two different colourways but, as with most collectibles, there are silver, rare and super rare figures to try and find. C is utterly obsessed with heroes and villains so I knew this theme would be a hit. He especially loved how each individual hero had its own nemesis, as shown on the character leaflet that comes with each set. It also gives you an insight into the Kaboom City background for the characters and it reminds you of a comic book.

Speaking of the sets, there are so many ways to collect and a set for every budget. The blind bags are only 80p so even just buying one of those for your child whilst out shopping will keep them happy and excited to see which character they get, but also not break the bank for you.

You can also get hideouts, which are obviously to hide from your enemy and inside each of these you get one Superzing but again, it's a blind bag so you don't know who you'll get! These are only £1.50 each.

Every hero and bad guy needs their own car to get from A to B and outsmart each other. In each Supercar box you get one supercar and one Superzing for £2.50.

If you have a little bit more money to spend, or are just starting off your collection, the Starter Pack (£5.00), Blister Pack (£7.00), Mission Pack (£12.00) or Kaboom Trap (£5.00) are perfect as they add to the playtime and enjoyment.

The Superzings range is aimed at children aged 4-8 years and is available to buy from The Entertainer, Tesco, Asda, Co-op and Spar!

(We received these items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)