The Christmas Tag

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I haven't done a meme in ages. Like months, possible even a year. I went through a stage of being tagged in every single one going and I put my foot down forcefully and ignored the tags. (Sorry taggers)

However, I like the look of this one, I'm in the mood for Christmas so I'm having a go! (I also want something different on my blog in amongst all these sponsored posts, sorry for them but Christmas is coming, ya'know?)

Q1. What's your favourite thing about Christmas?
Seeing my son playing with his grandparents and cousins and exploring his new toys, while enjoying sparkling lights, scrumptious food and Christmas tv on in the background. You know that Asda advert where the mum walks out of the kitchen and sees everyone with hats on in the living room playing together? It made me cry because that's what I love about Christmas.
Q2. What's your favourite make up look for the festive season?
Foundation, lipstick and black mascara are my staples aside from eye-shadow and smoky eye-liner. At Christmas time, I'll have slightly heavier smokiness and bronzer all over. I'm a creature of habit.
Q3. Real or fake tree?
Fake. Real ones bring my arms out in prickles plus I can't be bothered to hoover up after them. Our fake one is a good one with a central pole which you hang the branches onto, we bought it in the B&Q sale seven years ago in January; it was £120 to £60 to £30!
Q4. Giving presents or receiving them?
Absolutely giving them. I spend a lot of time choosing and I like to see the recipient's face when they open their parcel up.
Q5. Do you open your presents Christmas morning or evening?
Morning! What is this nonsense talk of evening?! Why in Santa's name would you wait?!
Q6. Handmade Christmas cards or bought?
Handmade! In the past we've made our own photocards and had them processed. This year, I can't seriously subject The Boy to another costume, however I do have another idea in mind which will be printed onto photo-cards. The Boy will also make cards from himself to his family members.
Q7. What's your favourite Christmas film?
'The Polar Express' although I'm quite partial to Arthur Christmas too!
Q8. What's your favourite Christmas food?
The buffet style tea which we have on Christmas Day and on Boxing Day. If I could spend my life eating buffets, I'd be a) enormous and b) a very happy woman.

I was tagged by Adventures of a Yorkshire Mum, the original post came from Makeup-Pixi3.

In return I am tagging:

Which Tablet? (Sponsored Post)

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Anyone who reads this blog regularly (or knows us in 'real life') will know that we're a technological family: my husband is a software developer and I'm an ICT co-ordinator. As for The Boy? His geek skills are coming along nicely, culminating in him hacking some security features on a tablet in the house recently…

In all seriousness, it's never been intentional that we use technology intrinsically in our lives but it is a marvellous tool to help modern day living that little bit easier. I would never have imagined thirteen years ago when I was travelling back and for from university on the train, playing Snake on my 'flippy phone', that I would now be able to reach into my handbag and pull out a device capable of taking higher quality photographs than my digital SLR, editing them and then sharing them on twitter, Facebook, Instagram and my blog within seconds of snapping the image. I certainly wouldn't have thought it possible to set my Sky+ box to record the latest episode of Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Panorama from school on my lunchbreak or in the supermarket.

It became apparent that technology had infiltrated all aspects of our lives when my mum (who can't turn on a laptop) asked if we'd help her buy a tablet so that she could find out information herself. And so she sits there in bed checking the pages she's liked on her Facebook account.

I'm having issues adjusting to be honest.

However, technology is becoming more a part of our lives and the market is flooded lately with the latest tablet PCs to wow us with their functionality. There's an awful lot of similar models and brands out there, and staying abreast of the competition is hard. The latest models have to have something extra that makes them stand out from the rest of them while not costing the Earth for the average family who may have it as their only computer.

 

For me, the ideal tablet for a young family has to: have user accounts and personalised profiles enabling safe usage for young children; be water resistant because I use it in the kitchen when I'm cooking, husband watches iPlayer whilst doing the washing up, and it comes into the bathroom so I can listen to music while showering; be lightweight for The Boy to use; and make everyday living easier.

The Sony Xperia™ Tablet seems to fit the bill perfectly! It has all of the above features and so much more, plus the funkiest bit is the remote control functions it has which allows the user to switch on the TV, cable box and home entertainment system, select inputs, and adjust the volume.

How cool is that?

Sponsored Post

Guess How Much I Love You? DVD

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We've just watched the most delightful DVD that we've been sent in a while: Guess How Much I Love You?

I'm pretty sure that we're not the only household to own a copy of the book, or indeed the seasonal versions of the book, and they are a firm favourite at bedtime. Our latest 'guess how much I love you?' consists of 'the moon, the sun and the stars and then back home again!'

The books shouldn't need an introduction but I will give one in case anyone has never heard of them. Little Nutbrown Hare and his daddy, Big Nutbrown Hare, have adventures in the beautifully illustrated (with watercolours) and endearing story where they try to convey to each other just how much they love each other, with daddy always gazumping his son's proclamations. There is an additional set of books with a similar theme set in each season, showing the changes to nature throughout the year.

I've always loved this story so much; my 16 year old niece had the book as a child, my mum bought it for me when I moved away from the family home for the first time, and now The Boy has my copy as his own to read. I adore the book so much that it inspired his nursery…

This new DVD (released on 5th November 2012) features eight episodes, lasting nearly an hour and a half, including; Blossoms, What sound does the moon make?, Bedtime Story, and Big Like You, amongst others. In the episodes there are some new characters, Little White Owl and Little Field Mouse, introduced to help Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare with his adventures which promote love and friendship.

This is a truly lovely DVD to snuggle down on the sofa and watch at this time of year, and would make a perfect addition to any pre-schoolers Christmas stocking.It's available from all major retailers with an RRP of £9.99 but I've found it on Amazon for £5.00!

I was sent a copy of this DVD for the purpose of this review, my opinion (that I love it) is honest and unbiased.

366 #47

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Oh my woolly word!

I can't believe that today is day 330!

The end is very firmly in sight and I am expecting plenty of festive cheer to feature in the 366 photos from here on in!

You know the drill, join in with your favourite photograph of the week and show some comment love to everyone else in the community.

  1. Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
  2. Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
  3. If you can spare five minutes to comment on just a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!
ShowOff ShowCase



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Country Kids: In The Castle

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Today is our 11th wedding anniversary and we decided to take The Boy to see our wedding venue.

After we'd examined all the marvellous spiral staircases and hidden doorways, then marvelled at the towers and turrets, we decided to explore the fake moat (it's halfway up Caerphilly mountain, there's no way that the moat wouldn't have drained away. Plus Castell Coch was a folly for the Marquis of Bute and is full of decorative extras that have never had a function: drawbridge and moat being two of them) and splash in the puddles which were attempting to fill it up.

—

coombe mill

Cruise Holidays: Why Are They The Perfect Get-Away For Families? (Guest-Post)

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Cruise ships are much more advanced than they used to be. Most modern ships now have a vast array of innovative activities including climbing walls, large cinema screens and waterparks with huge slides on-board, but this does depend on the individual cruise line you choose. As well as these interesting activities, there’s also many clubs that cater for children of all ages.

According to a recent survey by the Passenger Shipping Association, it has been revealed that around 1.5million British holidaymakers are expected to take a cruise this year, which is up 13% on the same figure in 2007.

Although this figure is not just specific to families, it shows that many more people are interested in booking a cruise to experience the great value for money, wide ranging activities and the opportunity to visit many different cultures over the course of one holiday.

But why are cruises a great idea for families?

  • Nearly all of the cruise lines now cater specifically to the needs of children, unless they are adult-only cruises.
  • As many cruises now provide kids clubs, there’s also the opportunity for mum and dad to have some well-deserved time together.
  • A cruise holiday will give your children the opportunity to interact with children from other countries and experience many cultures.
  • The dining facilities have also advanced, offering an array of cuisines that will even be suited to the fussiest eaters!
  • Worried that your teenage son or daughter might be bored? Many cruise lines now also cater for teenagers offering special shore excursions, film screenings and youth centres.

As a parent, you can often come back from a holiday feeling as though you haven’t really had a break at all. One of the main benefits of cruise holidays is that the children are catered for in every way, ensuring you have the most relaxing and enjoyable stay possible.

For instance, a cruise holiday will allow you the privilege of not having to cook three meals a day for your family. As children can often be fussy about their food, you can avoid cooking numerous meals as their will be a great selection of food already prepared for them.

With the great facilities available, you will also save money on additional excursions you might pay for with a standard holiday. When you pay for a cruise holiday all the activities are included in the price, allowing you to spend more when you step off the ship to explore!

 As cruise holidays offer varied activities and facilities, a range of fantastic cuisines and destinations, you are sure to find a cruise deal that is best suited to you and your family.

This article was provided by Cheapcruises.com; one of the leading cruise retailers in the UK offering family cruises and exclusive family cruise holiday deals.

Flashback Friday: The One About Friends

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This time last year I was preparing to reveal myself to a bunch of people that I'd never met before.

I'll be honest, I was wetting myself with nerves.

Last Autumn, Tots100 announced that they were going to be holding a bloggers' party down in Butlins in Bognor Regis. Very quickly Multiple Mummy, The Crazy Kitchen, Mummy Mishaps and I decided that we had to go and booked our places. We started making plans to have a fantastic family weekend; celebrating Christmas with a bunch of like-minded people and meeting new friends.

Messages to the aforementioned ladies let them know how worried I was about 'coming out', especially as I'd only met The Crazy Kitchen beforehand. Kerry and Jenny reassured me that everything would be ok and they'd hold my hand, metaphorically and literally. Mobile numbers were exchanged and I looked forward to meeting them both.

The weekend arrived and I really need not have worried at all. All of the bloggers I met were friendly, genuine and warm. Meeting Jenny that weekend ensured the start of a real-life friendship that has seen us get together several times over the past year, on our own and with our families.

However, I want to focus on Kerry here. Meeting Kerry was a joy. From the moment I rang her mobile in the hotel foyer to find out where she was, it felt like I'd known her for years. Blogging is a bizarre world; we read about each other's lives, we see photos of our family and we natter away. By the time we meet in person, the inital small-talk is out of the way. Kerry and I had been chatting since she first started blogging and had asked for some advice from me; we also have similar age boys and we both live in the world of education.

We sat next to each other during the Tots100 meal and had a good giggle and very indepth conversation. We may have also both partaken of numerous glasses of Tia Maria and cokes…

Due to our geographical locations Kerry and I couldn't meet up many times, but we did see each other at Britmums in June. I might have been utterly bored rigid during one of the sessions in the main hall and was openly tweeting so (sorry Britmums!). At one point when I hoped the session was ending, the speaker opened up the floor to questions and I might have sighed a little loudly. I realised I'd been audible when I heard a few giggles from my left. I glanced up and was greeted by the sight of Kerry laughing her head off at me .

That image is the one that has stayed in my head since the beautiful and joyful Kerry suffered a brain aneurysm in August. I had just finished reading about her day out to Peppa Pig World with her gorgeous family when I received a message to tell me about the terrible news.

Kerry is battling valiantly to recover, but is suffering setback after setback on the road to returning to her family. On Saturday 24th November 2012 at 10pm, the blogging world will unite to think about Kerry and send her positive healing thoughts to aide her recovery.

Thing is, I haven't stopped thinking of her every day.

—
Linking up to Flashback Friday at Mummy Mishaps and The Real Housewife of Suffolk County

With thanks to Tots100 for two of the photos above

Sadly, the beautiful Kerry died on 14th December 2012. She fought so valiantly for so long, but the infections kept on coming and in the end she couldn't fight anymore. Ever since I heard, I had felt so inordinately sad about the loss of such a fantastic mother to her children, especially as they are so young, and that her soulmate no longer has her to cherish. The memories I've described above have stayed with me and I know that all of her friends and her family have a multitude of happy memories of such a special person.

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