Friday, 23 December 2016

The Christmas Tag!

So Christmas is nearly here and I am so glad because if I get asked one more time 'how many sleeps' I may rip my ears off. Ha, just kidding I don't really mind but I'm sure Alfie is feeling like Christmas day is never going to be here. I'd been thinking about how I'd like to tie things up on my blog before 2017 and it seemed apt to take part in the tag that's been doing the rounds.........the Christmas tag!! So without further ado here's my answers to some very festive questions......



What’s your favourite Christmas movie?

This is a tough one because I love so many Christmas movies but the one I always end up wanting to watch is The Holiday. I just love everything about it, it's heart warming, emotional, romantic, funny and most of all Christmassy! I also love the classics too but my go to film has to be The Holiday.

Have you ever had a White Christmas?

Sort of, the last proper snow around Christmas time was 2012, it snowed before Christmas and the actual day itself was a bit slushy and white. I've always longed for a proper white Christmas but we're not really that lucky in the UK are we (unless you live in Scotland!), I guess the only other time was when I was much younger but I don't remember. 

Where do you usually spend your holidays?

The last few years we've tended to host. My husband is an ace cook and he really enjoys it so I just let him get on with it. This year we have my parents and Adi's Mum and Aunt coming. So we're mostly at home and we spend boxing day as just a family so the kids can play with their toys and we can relax a bit and munch on left overs. It's a proper piggy, chill day. 

What is your favourite Christmas song?

Oh it is The Pogues and Fairytale of New York, it's a proper good Christmas song that you can sing loud and have a dance too.......although I always think you have to be slightly merry to enjoy it to the full extent haha. 

Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

No we've never done this. Although we did let Alfie open a pressie yesterday that was from his Aunty as I figured it would be nice for them to see him open it and he was delighted when he did. Christmas day is for pressies though.

Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?

Hmmmm, I may have to cheat!! Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Blitzen, Rudolph and I have no idea of the rest!

Which holiday traditions are you looking forward to this year?

We haven't really got any proper traditions other than the kids wearing xmas pj's, reading Christmas books and watching a festive film. We have breakfast (and a coffee for the adults) before opening pressies which may seem a bit mean but a bit of food inside them makes things a little less stressy!

Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

We actually have one of each! Having a real tree was always a dream of mine and now we have more space we have a real and a fake one. The real one is in the conservatory which is essentially the play room and that tree has a hodge podge of decorations that are made and chosen by the kids and lots of ones I've collected over the years. 



What is your favourite holiday treat/sweet/food?

Arghhh I'm not too sure! I love having some nice cheeses and biscuits, sometimes after having lots of turkey and all that I will then not eat much but just graze and a selection of cheeses is always delicious. I also love having mulled wine and mince pies which is the perfect festive treat. 

Be honest, do you prefer giving or receiving gifts?

I love giving gifts, I like to try and choose things that I think people will love so I enjoy that part but on the other hand I'd be lying if I said I love getting gifts too. 

What is the best Christmas present that you have ever received?

When I was younger any Barbie toy I was amazed with. In recent years my husband has bought me a Kindle Fire which was an ace gift and last year my beloved Ted Baker bag which is one of my prized possessions. I'm very easily pleased with material things as you can see!

What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

I always quite fancied having a Christmas in France, I think that would be lovely, perhaps in a chateau or something!

Are you a pro wrapper or do you fail miserably?

Oh I spend ages wrapping gifts and making them look pretty, I go all out with the ribbons and bows......only for the adults mind you!

Most memorable Christmas moment?

I think I would have to pick Alfie and Elarna's first Christmases, there is something very lovely about buying things for a first Christmas even though they're unlikely to remember it. Although I do have to mention one Christmas eve moment that will forever be ingrained on my memory. Pub golf........that is all I going to say, ha!

What made you realise the truth about Santa?

Santa's not real? What!? I honestly can't remember but I'm enjoying keeping the magic alive for the kids. 

What makes the holidays special for you?

Having family time and spending it with the kids. I'm also very lucky that my nursing job doesn't require me to work weekends or holidays so I'm blessed that I am able to spend it with the kids. I can't wait for this Christmas!

So as I'm a bit late to the Christmas tag party if you fancy joining in then consider yourself tagged. 

Bidvine Review.

Have you ever heard of Bidvine?? Nope? Well I'm here to tell you a little about it. 

Bidvine is a brilliantly simple way of hiring local services that are trusted, and reputable with a simple click of the button. 

It really is as simple as it sounds. You enter details as to what you need or what you are looking for and wait for the companies and services to send you quotes. 

The website is extremely simple to use and laid out well for ease of navigation. You write down what you want (I searched for photographers who specialised more some in children/family shoots) and where abouts I am and my travel range and pressed submit.




There are hundreds of services that you can search for ranging from finding a plumber to etiquette lessons to furniture assembly. or salsa dance lessons, the possibilities are endless It truly is a brilliant concept.

Once I'd submitted my query I waited around 48 hours for a response to come through. I had a couple of responses from local photographers with quotes and contact details, everything that I needed was provided for me to make my decision. Had I been living in London or surrounding areas I can imagine that I would have got alot more responses but to be honest I was pleased not to be bombarded. You get up to a maximum of 5 bids so really it isn't too much to choose from and it's good to be able to compare the quotes. 




I really like the concept of Bidvine and I wouldn't hesitate using it again when searching for a service I require. I enjoyed using the website, a simple website that is easy to navigate is a huge bonus in my opinion as it makes it more accessible to a wide range of age brackets.

It's a great idea and I hope lots of people choose to use it and support our local services. Head on over now to check it out!

* Collaborative Post.

Wednesday, 21 December 2016

*WIN* Lee Stafford Hair Straighteners!

I have been straightening my hair for as long as I can remember. I can vividly recall my 1st straightener, it was the Babyliss steam one and crimper.....you know the one, it was white and turquoise I believe and used steam to straighten your hair.......oh how things change. I think we all know now that steam has the total opposite effect on getting the hair to behave, or at least it does with my frizzy monstrosity.

Fast forward several years and I jumped on the GHD band wagon along with everyone else and my life was changed. My hair has always been quite hard to control, it's naturally curly and very frizzy, I look like Diana Ross with wet hair - I kid you not. I've continued to be a loyal GHD for several years now and honestly thought I would never venture away from them but you know, sometimes change is good. My current straighteners are starting to show signs of ageing so when I was lucky enough to be offered some Lee Stafford Ionic Flat Iron Straighteners to review I was intrigued to see how they would live up to my expectations, after all GHD's can tame my mane. 

When they arrived (in super quick time I'd like to add) I spent some time oohhhing at the packaging. It's pink and black and oh so sleek. 



On opening the box there is a little bit of info about the Lee Stafford academies and his inspiration and passion behind  his vision. I've always quite liked Lee Stafford products they are excellent quality and I've always found them great. Plus I've always admired Lee Stafford himself for his enthusiasm within the industry and his creations.



When I opened the box I was once again oohing over just how lovely the straighteners looked. All new, sexy and ready to be used. I have to admit I did stroke them a couple of times as they so pretty! Ha. Also included is a little envelope with some directions on how to use the straighteners, how to achieve a sleek look as well as curls. 




So I've now been using the straighteners for a couple of weeks now and I have to say I really do love them. As I said previously I'd wondered if they'd live up to the efficacy of my GHD's and I really think that they do. Achieving straight hair is not an issue at all and creating curls is super simple, if you've made curls with GHD's previously it's the same concept. I would maybe say that my curls didn't last as long as they normally do but I don't mind that as I prefer a loose, wavy curl rather than a tight curl. They feel so lovely to hold, they feel so smooth and using them on my hair they glide through creating a really lovely smooth look. 

What I really like about them is the variable heat selection,  heating from 80 degrees to a super hot 230 degrees, I think that function is really handy when you don't want the heat cranked up to the max and just want to do a quick touch up straighten. They have a little display screen so you can see how hot they are and they heat up so quickly that there isn't much waiting around for them to reach max temp. The variable heat is easy to control and also included with them is a heat protection guard which is so useful.




I'm very pleased to let you know that you could be in with the chance of winning your very own set of Lee Stafford straighteners (worth £79.99). I'm really excited to be hosting this competition as they are fabulous and the lucky winner is going to love them, I'm sure. So if you fancy entering you just need to follow the instructions below. You can also leave me a comment if you fancy.

 The competition will close on January 11th 2017. Good luck!!!

* Please note I was very kindly sent a pair of straighteners to review and run a giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are that of  my own.


Win a Lee Stafford Academy Straightener #10

Best and Worst Linky - PLEASE READ

Beautiful Things




Hello everyone! So you may have been expecting this weeks linky but Sarah and I made a little 'boo boo' last week and said that this week would be our last linky but actually last weeks was our last one before Christmas......oops. So we'd like to just say a quick apology to anyone hoping to link up this week, but we will be back in the new year and will be tweeting out when we back up and running for link ups. 

On behalf of Sarah and myself, we hope you all have an amazing Christmas and festive period and welcome the new year in with a bang. We are planning on spending lots of time with the family, eating too much and drinking lots. We both want to thankyou for your continued support to make our little linky a lovely place to be. 

We hope to see you all back in the New Year but until then have an absolutely brilliant Christmas!


Best of Worst

Sunday, 18 December 2016

My Sunday Photo - 18/12/16


One misty morning on the school run I managed to snap another stunning shot. These December mornings really are becoming one of my favourite's for capturing beautiful pictures of the Cambridgeshire countryside. I really do love where we live.

Photalife

Friday, 16 December 2016

Our Week!

So another week is drawing to a close and once again it's been a busy one, I'm not complaining mind you as I do love to be kept occupied. It was my birthday weekend and I had lots of fun planned starting on Friday. I went out with some lovely Mum friends on Friday night, it was our first get together since all of our kids started school and we had such a laugh! I'm already looking forward to the next get together. 

On Saturday during the day Elarna's nursery was holding a little winter wonderland and it was so cute! Although we didn't get to see Santa as the queue was over an hour long both kids loved painting some decorations, making us some cards and running around the garden. It was lovely for Alfie to return and see some familiar faces in the staff and it was clear just by the confidence he displayed (after a few minutes) and his actions that he's grown up so much since starting school. We then picked up our Christmas wine order, there was a good few bottles......should keep us going for a while, ha! 

On Saturday evening myself and hubby were heading out for a couples meal, I was looking forward to this so much especially as we were heading to a restaurant that I've been wanting to try for a while. We were booked into Prevost which is one of Peterboroughs newer restaurants and has only been open for 6 months - and has just made it's way into the Michelin guide which is such a huge achievement. It's an interesting restaurant, the food was absolutely stunning and we had a fab evening.


On Sunday we had some friends over for a little birthday/christmas get together. It was so lovely to see everyone and the kids all had a great time running around and generally enjoying themselves, Alfie was shattered by the evening. Monday was my my actual birthday and I was working till 5pm but it went ok and was no major problem to work, birthdays aren't what they used to be ha! I was thoroughly treated by friends and family, I think everyone knows by now that makeup, sparkles, chocs and handbags are always a winner. 

On Tuesday we had a little house guest joining us for a couple of nights while my parents were away. Little Lenny pup came to say and he was sweet to have around. He's still only young so not quite toilet trained and completely barmy so there wasn't a whole load of relaxing with him around. On a plus side Alfie is becoming alot more around confident around him which is brilliant. Wednesday and Thursday are my days off which is nice, I get some much more done having 2 days off than alternate days. Wednesday was quiet, I had a huge mound of washing to work my way through. On Thursday it was much the same but it was Alfie's school Christmas dinner which one parent was allowed to go to. Adi went while I looked after Elarna, apparently Alfie was a star, ate all of his lunch and really enjoyed being there. The rest of my afternoon was spent tidying the house (more washing) and wrapping Christmas pressies!

I'm looking forward to a festive filled weekend ahead, it's our annual get together with our close friends and we've got some fun Christmassy stuff planned so it's going to be fab. 

This is what I've been up to, what you been up to? 

Wednesday, 14 December 2016

Best and Worst Linky #78

Beautiful Things


Run, Jump, Scrap!

Hi everyone and a huge welcome to the best and worst linky run by my lovely friend Sarah who blogs over at Run Jump Scrap and co-hosted by myself. If you're new to the linky we're delighted for you to join in, please do have a read of the rules. If you're a regular then thanks as always for the support. Sarah and I split the commenting now, it is working well doing it like that. You should have received a comment from one of us so if you are missing one please do drop us a tweet or email. We've had some great posts over the last few weeks!

This is the linky where you can tell us about the best or worst things that have happened in the last week or even the last year, this could in the form of a blog post, a photo or even a video. It can be an old post or a new post, we don't mind we just want you to share it with us. We want you to share your babies firsts, the crappy day at work you've had or a makeup disaster basically the good, the bad or the downright ugly! We want to share your excitement and tears, highs and lows no matter what it is.

So as always, on with the linky........please have a little read of the rules and we look forward to reading this weeks posts.

We are continuing to notice that some people aren't getting the comments they deserve, linkys only work if people spend time to read other blogs and comment on them.

**Please note that Sarah and I are taking a well deserved Christmas break so next week will be the last Best and Worst for a couple of weeks!**

My featured link up from last week is from the amazing Rach who blogs at Our Rach as an only child myself I can totally agree with this post! Go read!

Rules
  • The linky will open at 6.30am on a Wednesday and close at 23.55pm on a Friday
  • You can link up one or two posts each week
  • Please comment on the 2 posts before yours and have a nosey at the host's too. We've noticed that some people have just been link dropping and not commenting on the 2 in front, please do return the favour so everyone gets some comments and linky love, thankyou.
  • ***Please add the badge to the bottom of your page so everyone knows where you have linked up***
  • Tweet your hosts @helsy_1983 and @RunJumpScrap once linked up so we can retweet you. When tweeting and commenting use the hashtag #bestandworst so everyone knows where you have come from

Best of Worst




    

Tuesday, 13 December 2016

New Years Goals & Aims.

Resolutions ............... anyone make them? I have to admit I tend not to anymore, I can never stick to them and I hate feeling like a failure. However this year I might set myself some goals, things to aim for rather than things to give up or stop doing, I want to try ensure I have a positive outlook on life. After 2016 being quite a pants year I want 2017 to be a  more vibrant and happy year. Of course you never know what's round the corner but I want to take on 2017 with some optimism.

The start of a new year does signify for a lot of people a good opportunity to try and give up something they've been meaning to so perhaps you're giving it some thought and thinking about stopping smoking and starting to use a disposable electronic cigarette or cutting back on the booze or simply to lose some weight, 2017 could be the year to aim for this.

As I said above my resolutions, or aims if you like for 2017 are more centred around positivity and making the most of the year. So what are my aims in the coming year.......

  • I want to make sure that I see my friends regularly, we see a lot more of our friends now than we used to but for our friends that are not living so close I want to make sure we meet up regularly throughout the year.

  • More family days out. I love having time as just the 4 of us, I think it's vitally important for the children that they have lots of experiences and are able to create lots of memories. I am planning zoo trips, Lego Land again and hopefully if Alfie has his way another trip to Yorkshire and Flamingo Land!

  • Restart my gratitude journal. At the beginning of 2016 I started to write a gratitude journal with 3 good things that had happened that day as well as a short reflection, I can't tell you how refreshing it was to look back through the day for the positives.

Image result for Gratitude Jar
Image courtesy of Pinterest

  • Ok, ok so I know I wasn't going to be clichéd but I do want to lose a few lb's before our summer holiday. The weight is slowly creeping back on and I don't like it so I'm going to try and be a lot more health conscious in 2017.

  • Be 'crafty Mum'. I'm not going to be too worried if I don't achieve this fully but recently I've observed how much both Alfie and Elarna are enjoying to paint and do lots of colouring so I want to be able to let them do that at home without having a meltdown over mess!

  • I'm going to do my blogging goals in a separate post as there are a few things that I would like to focus on with regards to that.

  • I want to do some extra study within my career, I was going to do my masters but I don't think I am going to this year, I'm not quite ready to commit just yet, however I would like to do my prescribing so that's perhaps an option.

  • Start to decorate a couple of rooms in the house. As far as decorating goes we do have a lot to do. My first priorities are our bedroom and the spare room. It'll be really nice to get them done and that's a big tick of my list. I already have colour schemes in  mind it's just finding the time to actually do it!

  • Try not to stress and worry about silly little things, it's crazy to focus on such minor things and I don't want to spend 2017 stressed.

  • To save a bit of money. I'm terrible at saving and really would like to make a conscious effort to put some money aside. I started to fill my money pot up a little while ago, only silver coins and pounds are allowed in it and I've already got a fair bit so I want to focus on filling the pot to the top!

  • I used to walk a lot but now I don't seem to as much as I used to so I'm definitely going to be aiming to get out on my days off even if just for half an hour. Housework sometimes takes over and it really shouldn't, fresh air does wonders for the soul.
I'm sure that there will be other things that crop up throughout the year that I can add to this list and I'm certain that I'll look back on this in a years time and not have done all what I would like to but I like to have something to work towards and it's  nice to have some goals throughout the year to work towards.

Have you thought of any aims and goals for the 2017? Do share!

* Collaborative content.


Friday, 9 December 2016

Our Week!

Wow it has been a mega week, super busy and lots of fun. I didn't write a weekly update last week as was doing a catch up on some reviews and knew I had a busy week ahead. We had a quiet Friday night in as we were to be up fairly early to get ready for our day of fun in London. We have been promising Alfie for months now that we would take him to London on a Virgin train (his fav) and show him where Daddy works (canary wharf) and take him on the underground again so with Winter Wonderland on we thought we'd tie it in with a visit to that. After having a pretty rubbish trip a couple of years ago to Winter Wonderland we were really hoping for a better time. There was nothing wrong with Winter Wonderland when we visited previously we just chose a terrible day weather wise, it was pouring plus freezing and we ended up all being pretty miserable! We tried to make the best of the day but it was hard when we were all drenched and shivering. We'd decided not to take Elarna to London with us, we didn't take her to the Christmas market the week before and we weren't being mean but at 18 months she doesn't want to be stuck in a buggy all day and it was so busy that we were grateful to only have the one child to monitor. We'll be taking her next year when she's more aware of things, besides she had a great day with the Grandparents so I didn't feel too bad.

Anyway so we caught our train (yes the Virgin train much to Alfie's delight) and arrived quickly into London, even more exciting for Alfie was being able to sit in the train drivers seat in the front of the train - as we were leaving the station we managed to have a quick chat with the driver and to let Alfie look in the front and the very lovely drivers invited him up and showed him around and even let him push a couple of buttons. I've never seen such a big smile appear on his face! We then took the DLR to Canary Wharf for a whistle stop tour before heading back to St. Pancras to meet our bestests for a champagne pit stop. Always a good way to start the day off!


We headed over to Hyde Park and we kind of got a feeling it was going to be busy but I didn't think it was going to be quite as busy as it was, it was absolutely heaving! That been said though we didn't have to queue for a massive amount of time for rides and food. The rides work by purchasing tokens rather than paying in cash which does make things a little easier but it can be slightly annoying as you then end up with a surplus of tokens to try use up. Alfie went on a ton of rides and he had a blast, his personal favourites were the dodgems, the santa workshop and the ferris wheel......which was far too high for my liking and I personally didn't enjoy it that much although the views across Hyde park were pretty cool! We got home just before 8pm and were shattered. We had a much better time this year and although it is pricey it was alot of fun. My tips - be prepared to pay a ton of money out for everything, expect it to be busy, just go with the flow and enjoy yourself. After the excitement on Saturday I had planned on a quiet day on Sunday but in the end spent a few hours Christmas shopping, I swear I'm still exhausted from the weekend!

The rest of the week has been fairly quiet other than Alfie's Christingle service on Wednesday evening. I remember having Christingle when I was younger but don't really have many recollections about it other than holding the orange! Alfie and the rest of the EYFS class were to create the nativity scene and Alfie was a sheep. I was initially a bit peeved that Alfie was playing a sheep but actually he was quite happy with this and he looked so flipping cute in his little outfit. The whole evening was really lovely, the church looked so pretty all lit with tealights and the children throughout the school put on a lovely performance with singing, poems and readings and then then nativity scene at the end. The EYFS class did brilliantly and I was super proud of how well Alfie performed.........and he didn't turn into a human fireball when he held his lit Christingle so that's also a big bonus!

Sorry to ramble, as you can see a busy old week. We are so busy from now until Christmas, I do like having busy weekends but sometimes it can be a bit much! We do have some great things coming up in the next couple of weeks and as it's my birthday on Monday this weekend also holds lots of fun ahead. 

So this has been my week, what have you been up to? 

Wednesday, 7 December 2016

Best and Worst Linky #77


Beautiful Things


Run, Jump, Scrap!

Hi everyone and a huge welcome to the best and worst linky run by my lovely friend Sarah who blogs over at Run Jump Scrap and co-hosted by myself. If you're new to the linky we're delighted for you to join in, please do have a read of the rules. If you're a regular then thanks as always for the support. Sarah and I split the commenting now, it is working well doing it like that. You should have received a comment from one of us so if you are missing one please do drop us a tweet or email. We've had some great posts over the last few weeks!

This is the linky where you can tell us about the best or worst things that have happened in the last week or even the last year, this could in the form of a blog post, a photo or even a video. It can be an old post or a new post, we don't mind we just want you to share it with us. We want you to share your babies firsts, the crappy day at work you've had or a makeup disaster basically the good, the bad or the downright ugly! We want to share your excitement and tears, highs and lows no matter what it is.

Each week we will both choose our favourite posts from the week before and feature you on the next weeks Best and Worst, we will also feature you on our Twitter feed. 

My featured post from last weeks link up is from the rather fabulous Natalie who blogs at Confessions of a Crummy Mummy I totally just got this post. Well worth a read!

confessions of a crummy mummy

Sarah's featured linker was from Laura who writes at Five Little Doves all about their trip to Lapland UK! How amazing does it look......

Five Little Doves

So as always, on with the linky........please have a little read of the rules and we look forward to reading this weeks posts.

We are continuing to notice that some people aren't getting the comments they deserve, linkys only work if people spend time to read other blogs and comment on them.






Rules
  • The linky will open at 6.30am on a Wednesday and close at 23.55pm on a Friday
  • You can link up one or two posts each week
  • Please comment on the 2 posts before yours and have a nosey at the host's too. We've noticed that some people have just been link dropping and not commenting on the 2 in front, please do return the favour so everyone gets some comments and linky love, thankyou.
  • ***Please add the badge to the bottom of your page so everyone knows where you have linked up***
  • Tweet your hosts @helsy_1983 and @RunJumpScrap once linked up so we can retweet you. When tweeting and commenting use the hashtag #bestandworst so everyone knows where you have come from
Best of Worst




    

Tuesday, 6 December 2016

*WIN* Christmas Survival Kit!

I'm sure we could all use a little 'Christmas survival' over the festivities and I was sent just the thing to help me get through the next few weeks with a smile on my face. Although Christmas is a time of fun and celebration it can be stressful and anything that makes it plain sailing I'm all for. I was recently sent this ace box stuffed full of little things to make Christmas that little bit more manageable. 

I'm sure you're all wondering what's in the box?? What's in the box?? Well read on to find out.......





As you can see the box it beautifully presented and festive with a candy cane and Christmas tag securing the contents. I was pretty excited to see what was inside.......




The box was so full of fab stuff and if you follow me over on Instagram you may have seen me oohiing and ahhing about the items, sadly the stories only stick around for 24 hours but you can still keep up to date with my day to day updates if you fancy!





I'll just do a quick roundup of what was included and then if you like what you see carry on reading to find a link to where you can win a box of your own.

Included in the box, with some very cute little tags were the following.......


Elf Buddy's Musical Christmas - a festive classic to keep the family happy.

Michael Buble Christmas CD - Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a bit of Buble to play!





Mulled Fruit Infusion - A regular cuppa just doesn't cut the mustard at this time of year! This smells amazing by the way!

A roll of sellotape - Because you just know you'll run out at the most inconvenient time.......

Humbugs - For all those  miserable sods out there who mumble and grumble about the festivities (I subtly gave one to hubby!)



A gingerbread man soapy treat - A relaxing treat after all the wrapping for a well deserved soak.

Marbles - Just in case you lose them in the festive chaos (I lost mine a while ago, ha!)



Santa soft toy - Just because! It's so cute though, look at it!


Gold chocolate coins - So that you're not left penniless this Christmas. We can hope!







Instagram selfie props - Fun for the whole family eh! I'm sure after a few drinks these will put a smile on everyone's face.



There was also a variety of cute little candy canes and chocolate coins within the box. Also included were some Santa letters and envelopes for the kids but these were used before I could take any pictures.



As you can see the box is packed full of gorgeous things to help me survive the Christmas season. It certainly put a smile on my face and Buble has been playing in the background several times to get me through the day. This is such a lovely idea and one of my lucky readers could be in the running to win their very own Christmas survival kit. All you have to do is head on over to Room to Grow and it will tell you how to enter. You'll have to be mega quick though as the competition ends on December 9th at 5pm. Go, go, go and good luck!


As you can see this is going to help me with the chaos of Christmas, so I want to know what are your festive tips?

* Please note I was kindly sent the box as a gift in exchange for a little blog post, all thoughts and opinions are that of my own.