Christmas gift guide for Dad's , Christmas gift ideas 2017

Christmas is coming guys and if like me you find buying for your other half  really hard, then this is the gift guide for you. I have put together 6 items that i feel any Boyfriend/husband/dad / brother or any other male in your life would love to find under the tree with their name on  Christmas day. All of these items have  been very kindly to gifted to me in exchange for inclusion within my Dad gift guide but all views are my own. 

When i think of the Brand Zippo i think of lighters , I never knew that they also made a huge range of other items and accessories Such as the sunglasses and flask shown above, they also make clothing ( hats/ belts/ Tees ) wallets and of course lighters. They are a household name and a product that is made with care and only the best quality items you can find more and buy direct from the website the flask shown is £16.75 and would be the perfect gift paired with a bottle of something ! 

if you have a football fan in on your list to buy for this year ? well art of football is an amazing idea with a range of clothing for football, rugby and boxing fans.  Art of Football create hand crafted designs try to emulate the energy, passion and euphoria that erupts from that one magical kick of a football. They only produce a limited number of each design, so your t-shirts & prints, like any good piece of art, are exclusive and completely original.Every order comes gift wrapped and in a hand painted box. i was very pleased to find our local team and Hubby's team of choice Luton town within the range the sizes go up too XXL and are £25 when you click on your team you will see a few different designs. The t-shirt is very soft and the print is very well printed i have high hopes that it will wash well and i am sure he will get lots of compliments when he is next at a luton match ( Come on you Hatters!! ) 

Who wouldn't want to crack on with some cleaning using a scrub daddy these funny looking little sponges really at the nuts! they are £3.49 each but really are worth the money, I have been using the lemon fresh one in our bathroom and it cleans so well ! he can even go in the dishwasher to keep him super clean and last even longer. I will definitely carry on buying scrub daddy products makes doing the daily house work a little less rubbish and a lovely little stocking filler / table gift for the man in your life and perfect for doing the washing up come Christmas day! ( just add a pair of rubber gloves ) 

This beautiful insulated bottle is made by klean kanteen and is a 20oz steel bottle with a bamboo swing cap, stainless steel inside and out with double-wall vacuum-insulated which will keep drinks cold 24 hours or iced 40 hours. My husband is a keen outdoors kind of guy so i know he will be a hit for him when he is out all day in the warmer months. This would be great for anyone to take out for sports/walking and family days out to keeping your drinks cold, With the size i would say its also great for sharing with others they do also come in other sizes and styles and colours. It isn't advised to store hot drinks in the flask due to the bamboo lid. 

Top Trumps! perfect for anyone anytime anyplace! Top trumps also made it into my children stocking filler i love them that much , Its the perfect on the go game for holidays and travel. This is the retro Horror set and i love the art work and the whole feel of the set you can buy them online via amazon for the bargain price of £5.99 this would be a great game to play as a family while Christmas dinner cooks or later on in the day once the children ( and maybe the grown ups ) have fallen asleep. 

You can't go wrong with shaving items, and Gillette is another house hold name and a brand to trust. Hubby already uses Gillette so i knew i was onto a winner with the Gillette fusion proglide can be brought online via amazon or boots RRP is £12 noticeably smooth skin with a single stroke, even over contours. because this razor combines the best Gillette blades with Flex-Ball technology allowing the razor to pivot in multiple directions for maximum contact so there's fewer missed hairs on your loved ones face! Best used along side Gillette's gels or foams.

• Precision Trimmer on the back for accurate edging
• Enhanced Lubastrip for a smooth glide
• Blade stabiliser helps maintain precise blade shape and
• Blade suspension system for an optimal comfort
• Snowplow comfort guard to help clear away excess shave prep
• Gillette’s best shave great even on sensitive skin

Stocking filler , christmas gift guide ideas for children 2017

Christmas is coming guys and if like me you find buying for your children's stocking really hard, then this is the gift guide for you. I have put together 8 items that i feel any child would love to find left in their Christmas stocking All of these items have  been very kindly to gifted to me in exchange for inclusion within my Child gift guide but all views are my own. 

Now a toothbrush and matching toothpaste might not seem like the most exciting of stocking fillers , But when you add children's cartoon images such as these minions then they become a much more fun and still practical item, You can find these items on boots online website and also in store, the RRP is £7 for the electric toothbrush and the 50ml toothpaste is only £1 ! Electric toothbrushes are the way forward to tooth hygiene, Its recommend changing your toothbrush about every three months, This can change with children tho so always keep an eye of the condition of the brush. 

A clothing item is always a hit in a stocking, But don't feel you need to stick with the norm socks and pants! these Band tee-shirts are one of a kind and can be found online via sum of my experiences family based from east Sussex the idea of the brand came from making own Christmas gifts one year, They are printed from photos that they have taken from gig that they have personally attended. we went for Guns N’ Roses tee shirt with a photograph of Slash in infamous top hat and guitar was taken at Guns N’ Roses Not in This Lifetime gig at London Stadium on Friday 16th June 2017. £19.99 from ages 2-13 years old and matching in adults tee for £25.99 

no stocking would be complete with out a good book, The idea behind wonderbly is to take your child's name and place them within the book, So with this classic tale of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka's chocolate factory it isn't Charley that visits the factory but your child ! I know Bodhi will love this (Who wouldn't ?) Prices start from £19.99 for soft cover and £25.99 for the hard cover. You could win a Wonderbly book of your own a Rafflecopter giveaway  

This gift could also double up as the stocking/santa sack, its so big ! it would be perfect for either toy storage or for a washing basket in your child's room you can find them on aplaceforeverything in the clearance for only £7 the website is full of items that would suit the whole family, The cowboy print reminds me of cath kidson great fit for any child's bedroom and not something that will be out grown in a few months like most phases children seem to have. 

I love Sugru my dad always raves about it I can't wait to see what Bodhi creates with it, it is aimed at 8+ so i will supervise him with it Not only is this stuff kid-safe, it’s also virtually kid-proof. Sugru is the only mouldable glue on the planet that sticks to almost anything - including wood, ceramics, metal, glass, plaster, stone, most plastics and some fabrics. It even sticks to things that bend because the glue itself​ ​becomes​ ​flexible​ ​once​ ​it​ ​has​ ​cured. The website sugru has so many ideas for how the product can be used. 

TOP TRUMPS is the classic card game that has gifted to kids big and small since the 1970’s, now it's going back to its roots with a retro sets, remaking six Top Trumps classics, We went for Horror as Bodhi loves all things dark and a little weird! We have had hours of fun playing this game after dinner, Its the size of the game i love , Pop it in your bag then if your waiting at the doctors or visiting family you've always got a game to play, Bodhi is nearly 6 so having to read and use his number is also a great learning side to the game. Buy online via amazon RRP per set is £4.99 others from the retro set include cars / fantasy and football its a hard choice to make! 

      Moving away from the classic chocolate coins ? why not pop a packet of Jelly belly in your child's stocking this Christmas these 60g packs come in either batman or wonder woman , jelly bean flavours in the DC Super Hero Mix: shimmering versions of Berry Blue, Blueberry, Cream Soda, Sour Lemon, Very Cherry and Wild Blackberry you can buy online and pick from the DC range of items jellybelly the 60g packet is only £2.15 or you could pick up a x3 bundle of superman , batman and wonder woman in a smaller 28g packs for £2.88 

The last item would be a great way to spend Christmas afternoon once all the turkey has been eaten and you just need to chill out aimed at ages 4+ and for 2-4 players this really is a family game. The aim of the game is to collect x5 creatures you do this in a race to find the creatures shown on the cards on the puzzle board before the other players, the nice thing is as the board is made as a puzzle you can't cheat and remember from the last time you played. I am looking forward to playing this game with my family on Christmas day. You can pick it up on amazon for £19.99

Thank you for reading my children's stocking filler gift guide i hope it has given you a few ideas? 

Fentimans Ginger beer ! put some fire in your belly this winter

 In our house we love anything Ginger so i just knew we would all enjoy trying out the Ginger beers made by the lovely people at fentimans , We braved the cold and to watch the fire works. I sometimes find that ginger beer can be a little too fiery but this blend is spot on ( we did add some extra lemonade to his ) 

Available in 275ml, 750ml, 4 x 275ml

A traditional brewed Ginger Beer with a complex taste. Made using the finest natural ginger root. Fiery and full of flavour.

Pour over ice into a tall glass and garnish with two wedges of lime, Or you can enjoy hot with my recipe 

It’s the perfect time to mix your very own hot toddy at home. A run-of-the-mill hot toddy is generally just a mix of hot water, lemon and whiskey.  this hot toddy adds warm Fentimanns ginger beer to the mix in a bid to cure all that ails you.

First, drop a teaspoon of honey in the bottom of your glass and then add a squeeze of fresh lemon. Next, pour in a nip of your favourite whiskey. ( or leave it out if like me and you don't drink )  Add in some grated fresh ginger to an extra kick. Finally heat up some Fentimans Ginger beer on the stove and pour into your glass. Garnish with lemon and enjoy in front of the fire, on the sofa with the tv on or if your feeling brave enjoy your hot toddy out in the cold !!

Fentimans can be brought in most supermarkets now and i will definitely be stocking up this winter.

Christmas gift guide for Mum , Christmas gift ideas 2017

Christmas is coming guys and if like me you find buying for your mum or any female in your life really hard, then this is the gift guide for you. I have put together 8 items that i feel any mum or female friend or family member would love to find under the Christmas tree this year. All of these items have very kindly in gifted to me in exchange for inclusion within my mum gift guide but all views are my own. 

Olverum is a unique and highly concentrated, therapeutic bath oil which contains 10 pure essential oils, I love having baths, its the mum version of a night out right? and an Olverum bath is a very a effective way to naturally relieve  stress and help you achieve a great nights' sleep. It is also a great way to ease aching or sore muscles, is the perfect soothing antidote to a cold or flu. All with a gorgeously aromatic unisex scent, I have really enjoyed using this in my bath and having some me time. olverum 125ml ( x25 baths ) £29.00 

You can't go wrong with a mug at Chrismas time right ? This mug is a real stunner , White bone china mug. Screen-printed and decorated in the UK. Hand wash only. Suitable for use in a microwave and fully personalised mclaggan  sell a huge range of personalised and none personalised items, This mug will be for my use only unless i made friends with another Jess maybe? perfect gift for someone who works in a shared office maybe ? £14.50 for the mug with your chose of personalised words. 

Buying underwear for any female can be a little hit or miss, so shop with care i love the range from taylor and rani being a smaller chested momma i don't often treat myself to nice pretty undies , this set is one of many from the range, they also come in other cuts to fit all body types, they are really well made, super soft and comfy the knickers are £6.50 and the crop top is £19.50 these also stock a range of cute message cards for £2.70 

Who doesn't need a 2018 diary ! I love putting pen to paper and making lists and notes, This beautifully made diary can be found online with a RRP of only £10.99 The A5 week-to-view diary has lots of writing space, a column for children’s activities and seasonal recipes and family tips throughout the year.Plus, you will find schedules to plan your children's activities through the school year, essential children's contacts, calendars, planners, thoughts/plans and gift records and lots more. A must-have for any busy mum, the Mum’s Luxury Diary has everything you need to organise 

Chocolates are a sure fire hit with anyone right? These ones from lilyobriens are really really good and such good value , range of flavours and box sizes a great add on gift or if you stuck on what to buy for someone, I have ordered two more boxes of the desserts collection for my sons teachers only 2 for £15 via the website or £10 each, also can be brought in most supermarkets. my personal favourite has to be the key limey pie and raspberry infusion. 

Fabric storage bags are a god send in a busy family home, many uses from washing basket, toy storage  car boot bag or just a bag for putting "stuff" in to move from one room to another! ( cause lets face it we all have stuff that just doesn't have a home ) aplaceforeverything sells a huge range of house items and something to suit all tastes, These fabric bags sell for £7 very well made and a great size. 

Derwent Wooden Box watercolour pencils the boxes come with 24 pencils in a range of colours and are also Available in coloursoft, inktense, and procolour. these items are a top end product and the £59.99 does reflect this i would be over the moon to find these wrapped up under my tree ( and lucky me i will ! ) I have a BA in fine art and i find colouring a great way to relax and unwind with so many colouring books on the market now , your spoilt for choice. 

What woman wouldn't pop a candle onto her Christmas gift wish list? These candles not only look amazing but all three of them smell lovely and our linked to the poems within the books "letters to the lady" written by george lamptey , He came up with the idea of the dream relax evening maybe in the bath with the salted Carmel candle burning while reading the other poems, The candles are £25 and the book is £10 would be lovely wrapped up in a little hamper with a bottle of wine and some bubble baths 

Thank you once again to all of the brands for gifting me these lovely items, I really am such a lucky girl and yes i will be wrapping these up and putting them under my tree! with a few of the items being gifted to my mum and other female family members. Happy christmas 2017 everyone 

Simple Bakes , Gluten free snacks 100% vegan

We always used to pick up the same snacks with each weekly food shop and to be honest it was getting a little dull, When wellabys got in contact with new product simple bakes i couldn't wait to try them and i knew the rest of the family would also be keen to try. Lots of things about this product ticked a lot of boxes for me, the 1st being that they are gluten free. I have tried to cut gluten out of my diet but its really hard! so when you find a snack that's not only gluten free but also 100% vegan friendly and nut / egg and dairy free they can be enjoyed by most ! 

They come in 3 tasty flavours spicy chilli , smokey BBQ & pinch of salt and pepper I did find that the spicy chilli was a little bit too spicy for my own taste but hubby Chris loved them ! they are the perfect snack for what we call in our house " snack o'clock " this is around 8/8:30 after the children are in bed and you fancy something while watching rubbish on TV! we both really enjoyed the smokey BBQ flavour ( i had to crop out husbands hand from the photo below ) and the pinch of salt and pepper we ate with soft cheese one weekend lunch time. 

These are also great for dipping into soups and Bodhi who is nearly 6 has been taking a few in his lunch box each day , He really likes the smokey BBQ flavour , You can pick up a bag of these simple bakes from selected Waitrose stores across the UK Each 120g bag has an RRP of: £1.79. i feel that for a gluten free product this is amazing value ! 

I will be buying more simple bakes for over the up coming festive period for sharing with friends and family safe in the knowledge that they cam be enjoyed by all. A big thank you to wellabys for sending us these tasty treats to try and to feed back our options its 2 big thumbs up from us all . 

Piccolo - Organic Baby food - Taste test & review

Pouched baby food isn't just for babies as Bodhi & i found out after being sent a box full of the Piccolo range to test out, piccolo is an amazing brand with fanatic values , They give back via 10% of all profits to help fund food education, in partnership with the NCT , they provide practical support to parents when it comes to baby and child nutrition. 

The range starts with stage 1 from 6 months plus, these are 1st taste with a huge range of mix of flavours from mango,pear & kale and cherry & yoghurt. Bodhi really enjoyed the yoghurt based pouches and these become great for after school or after swimming for a on the go snack, No mess or fuss. They also have a pure range within stage one, these are much more simple flavours with mango, pear, plum and banana these i feel are more for the younger market, we added ours to Bodhi's morning porridge and he loved it !

Stage 2 starts to introduce a much wider range of flavours and textures with some fantastic menu options from lamb ratatouille, sweet potato beef ragu we didn't test any of these options as Bodhi is way past this stage in his eating, They look full of flavour and something i would have brought for him when he was at the right age for them. 

Piccolo is now stocked online and in stores you can find a full list of where to by on the website where-to-buy with prices from £1-£1.60* I would like to thank Piccolo for sending us pouches to try and letting us share our feedback with you guys. 

*Prices taken from Morrison's 16/11/17 

Thinking of getting a pet rabbit ? our family is growing

Last week we added a little furry family member to our house hold, We did a a baby rabbit on hold from my sister but sadly that little one died. We already had the hutch and it needed filling! I headed to my local pets at home with five year old Bodhi, I knew as soon as i saw the rabbit that it was the one ( and i told Bodhi so ) We found out that rabbit was a girl and 12 weeks old. After a few questions and some advice we paid for Rabbit and took her home.  We called her Reese ( due to her fur colour looking like a peanut butter cup )

Tips on keeping your Rabbit calm once brought home

1) Nothing to eat but hay & water for the 1st 24hours after coming home ( rabbit stress eat and this can make them very poorly )

2) leave them alone in hutch/run for 1st 24hours , Moving house is a big thing and they need some time to adjust

3) Don't pick them up, bunny's love fuss and strokes but few will like to be picked up off the ground, They are prey and will think you are going to hurt them.

4) let them come to you, sit in the run with them , or let them come into the house to run around they will come to you to sniff and check you out.

5) reward with healthy treats but don't over feed or your bunny will get fat and lazy 

What to feed your Rabbit 

While your rabbit is young they should be fed on JR nuggets and 80% of their daily food intake should be from Hay , Hay is very important for keeping your rabbit healthy and it helps with keeping teeth ground down, Do not be tempted to over feed with the nuggets a small handful per rabbit is more then enough. We was very kindly send a bag of selective JR from the brand supreme pet food, this along side hay will be Reese's Breakfast , lunch and dinner. When she is older she can move onto adult food and for this she can try out Natures feast Rabbit food mix with nuggets/grass and veg. these can both be brought online via supremepetfoods & naturesfeast or from all good pet stores / supermarkets and homeware stores.

 

Natures feast also very kindly sent us a bale of hay for Reese and she really liked this, its full of dried flowers , perfect for these winter months when not much is growing in the garden for her ( she has been enjoying eating the fallen leaves tho ) Garden forage RRP is £5 and something i will be buying again, you could even mix it in with plain hay to make it last longer.

Treats 

Like i said before you don't want to over fed your rabbit with treats same as you wouldn't over eat treats yourself, 1-2 small treat items a few times a week is more then enough for a young rabbit. Ive been giving Reese a treat after she has been out in her run , or when she comes to give me cuddles. Hand feeding treats is a great way to bond with your new pet. They will trust you and see you as a giver of food.

Reese seems to really enjoy these treats from supreme pet food, the garden sticks are RRP of £2.99 and the crunchers are £2.49 RRP these are both slightly larger treats and she will take them from out of my hand to fed. 

Snack selection from Nature's feast are smaller items so these have been given once she is back inside  of her hutch into her food bowl , These RRP at £5 you can also treat your rabbit with a small amount of rest fruit and veg, but so fair Reese hasn't wanted to try ! But i will keep trying with her. 

Housing & exercise 

A rabbit needs a safe warm and dry place to call home, Reese is an outside rabbit she has a double height hutch with her bedroom in the higher level , I clean her hutch out everyday and give her fresh water morning and night. Rabbits also need to run around and to get exciersize, She is out in her run in the day time and them out in the garden with myself or Bodhi. (we are mindful of next doors cats!)

In her bedroom we use a mix of hay/straw and she makes herself a little nest out of Kaytee clean and cozy forage & fun bedding , this stuff is amazing and also comes with chew treats to hide within the bedding , The bedding is by the brand kaytee was also sent to us to try out with Reese. its 99.9% dust free with odor control. Its perfect for using within the bedding area of your rabbits hutch. The forage and fun encourages foraging behaviour and comes in apple orchard or vegetable garden. Can be brought online via amazon.

over view 

Rabbits are a lot of work and can live anything from 8-12 years, They are not a pet to buy without giving it real thought and planning. They also need trips to the vets for injections to keep them safe from sickness ( Reese has her's booked in for next week ) They need feeding and cleaning daily and to be let out to play and run around. They are very rewarding as a pet when treated right, I see Reese as a family pet but really while Bodhi is a little younger and in the winter months the day to day care of her will come down to me, This is fine by me as i am very much looking forward to bonding with her over the next few months. 

Thank you to Supreme pet foods / Natures feast & Kaytee for sending items for us to test out with Reese they are items received in exchange for my feedback and blog post.