Tricky to buy for?

You will always find there are people on your 'to buy for list' that seem impossible to buy gifts for. Often I find that when I set myself a budget I cannot find anything within that price bracket to fit the bill. As the years have gone by, I have found my ideas for Luke's Christmas gifts have dwindled and he is now one of those who has been marked with a 'tricky' next to his name on my 'to buy for list'.

I am sure the reasoning behind this is because I do now have to have some kind of budget in place to ensure I don't splash to much cash. Once upon a time we never really worried about budget...Back in the day before we became parents. Things have to be different now as we have our beautiful boy to clothe and feed. So budgets these days are an essential part of gift buying and instead of upgrading Luke to the new Playstation 4 I will be chasing other avenues this Christmas.

As for my immediate family, the younger brother and sister are relatively easy to please. For the last couple of years the younger brother has been more than happy with money so he can choose something that he would like for himself. The younger sister is into make up and clothes, and seems to like the same kinds of things as I do... So that makes shopping for my mini me an enjoyable task.

I know that my parents are big Miranda Hart fans, and now following her hit TV Series on BBC One she is launching into stand up comedy. Maybe some Miranda Hart Tickets would be the perfect gift under the Christmas tree this year?

Leo has been pretty easy to shop for, but it has meant going through all of his current toys and making room for the new arrivals. It has taken some time but his toy box can now be firmly closed and there are no toys fighting their way back out again. Toys he has outgrown have gone on to new homes and we are now ready to face the arrival of Santa's Sleigh...

We will always have those people on our list that we struggle to buy for, but I think as long as we make the effort and consider what they may appreciate, we can't really go wrong right? 

If in doubt, you could always have a look into a hamper of some sort. This is an option I will be pursuing this year for friends and family.

Now we are into December... I best get a move on!

Disclaimer: This is a featured post

Recycling Week 2013

This week is National Recyling week.

Over the past decade, we have been recycling more than ever in the UK. With our combined efforts we have recycled an astonishing 50 billion plastic drinks bottles – that's enough to stretch to the moon and back more than 10 times over!

Recycle Week 2013, took place from the 17th - 23rd of June and has been focusing it's efforts on recycling ‘at home and away’. Originally launched as ‘The BIG Recycle’, the annual event has played an important role in helping to spread messages about recycling to consumers across the UK during a decade which has seen huge improvements in how much, and what, we recycle.

I have been sent a Squeaky Canimal for Leo, if you aren't familiar with Canimals then the programme is currently running on CiTV.

I was tasked with building our little Canimal something out of recycled items, so I opted to build our little guy a shiny new home..By 'I' I mean that while Leo was asleep I got creative with Lolly Pop Sticks! I know the task was really for him...But my creative streak took a hold....

I took a old takeaway tub (apparently we have too many takeaways as there was ample choice) and the very colourful lollypop sticks and stuck them around the circumference of the takeaway box. Very soon our little Canimal had a new home, and Leo awoke from his nap. Perfect timing.

Have you taken part in Recycling Week at all? What did you get up too?

Kissing Frogs - A me&i Review

You never fail to see Leo coming at you in his bright attire. His bright shirts and his funky tights, he is full of pattern and character.

I love to see him looking smart and colourful, which means I am always on the look out for fitting clothes to add a splash of colour to this abysmal winter scene that we seem to be stuck in.

me&i are a company I have told you all about before, and they have just recently released their Spring/Summer 2013 collection. 

I am pleased to report that it is as bright and desirable as ever.

Leo has been sent a really funky t-shirt for when the sunshine decides to come out and play, and of course when this cold weather decides to give into the throws of Spring...It can't be much longer... Can it?

Leo's new t-shirt is Green and dotted with very dashing frog princes, fittingly named 'Kissing Frogs'. Over all it is a very cheeky top for a very cheeky chappy. 

What I adore about me&i is the feel of their clothes, they are soft and stretchy giving lots of growing room for kids. 

This current t-shirt that Leo is modeling is in a size 2-3 and he is not even 2 until June. So this means that it will see him throughout the entirety of the summer months, and the 95% cotton and 5% elastane materials will aid the shirt to grow with him.

When the sunshine does come out to play Leo is going to be looking super smart in his t-shirt and shorts, but for now we are pairing it with trendy jeans and his winter shoes! It will go with anything and really liven up an outfit choice with the playful patterns that are carried throughout the design.

I think the frogs are charming, but I have to admit I am already eyeing up the rest of the range. There is a fabulous Dinosaurs t-shirt in the new collection in the most fantastic vibrant blue. I will certainly be adding this to Leo's summer wardrobe this year, as he will look absolutely super duper in it. 

I am so confident in putting my money in me&i as I know exactly what to expect from them. The clothes are to the highest quality providing comfort for Leo and the bright unique designs are so fantastic. 

The Kissing Frog's t-shirt retails from £15.00 to £17.00 and while being a little pricier than your average t-shirt you really can feel the difference in the material, and of course the flamboyant prints!

Have a look over at me&i for yourselves and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I was sent the Kissing Frogs t-shirt for the purpose of this review. However all views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.

A Very Merry Christmas

Christmas is a very special time of year, even more so for me these days with Leo around.

I love how everyone gets together and spends that one day a year breaking food and enjoying each other's company. I have to say that I absolutely adore the run up to the big day, the excitement and magic that this one day a year brings in it's wake.

Christmas Eve is pure magic, the anticipation is enough to awaken the child in any grown up and for me I just cannot wait to see the look on Leo's face as he begins to un-wrap his gifts.

This Christmas was Leo's second and in a year the differences in him are astounding.

On Christmas Eve we packed our car full of goodies and drove the 2 minute drive up the road to my parents house, the car was full to bursting and after taking a rather long time to pack it all in...I then had to un-pack it at our destination. 

Santa popped by on Christmas Eve, not that we saw him...But some gifts for Leo were left. Santa had brought Leo big boy pajamas and his very first pair of slippers in preparation for his nightly slumber.

The stockings were hung and after we put out a mince pie (home made I hasten to add!) a glass of milk and of course a carrot for the hungry Rudolph, Leo was put to bed, where he dreamed his dreams until at least 9am. In the mad house this time on Christmas Day is un-heard of, normally we are up before the sun even rears his sleepy head. With my younger siblings getting older, it seems that they now tend to sleep longer, even at Christmas.

We all arrived in the lounge to find that Father Christmas has indeed graced us with his presence this year, and the amount of gifts under the tree insinuates that we have all been incredibly good this year...Santa must have missed all the mischief that Leo get's up to and I am guessing he certainly does not read this blog! 

I had in-visioned Leo running around and opening every present in sight, the same way he devours the newspaper as soon as it is posted through the letter box. But actually Leo was very restrained, he opened a present and was presented with a baby doll. A little baby boy. As soon as he saw baby in the box Leo took him over to his Uncle and waited patiently for him to open it. Leo then brought baby and the baby's toy milk bottle over to me so that he could feed him. It was lovely watching Leo play with him and really interact, but it was clear that Leo didn't want to open anything else after that first gift!

I managed to hide baby so that we could open more presents together. A pram, a sit and ride train, a quad bike and play food soon joined his expanding gift pile, but it was far to obvious that he was not interested in the act of present opening but more the playing that followed after. It was great seeing him get the play value out of everything and you could really see he was enjoying every moment, despite the  over whelmed look on his little face.

Christmas lunch did not appeal to Leo, he didn't even devour any pigs in blankets...I thought he would love the sausages! Leo merely picked at his dinner and pushed it around his plate. However he did take to dipping his fingers in the bread sauce and exclaiming 'yum!'.

Leo discovered Christmas Crackers this year and even got to pull one with his Uncle, despite the odds of winning being against him. Leo won! He worse his crown with pride and 

Since having Leo Christmas Day has become extra busy as so many people want to see my little man and enjoy the moments of him opening his gifts. So after spending the day at my parent's we headed over to Luke's Dad's so that we could give them that special time.

Leo was reluctant to open yet more gifts and avoided the presents, and would show interest in everything but! He finally opened up the rubber bath ducks and decided the best way to play with them was by throwing them at Granddad and shouting 'B'.

Christmas carried on for Leo well into Boxing Day when we visited his Nanny and Granddad where yet more presents were waiting for him. The over night break seemed to give Leo the motivation to get on opening more presents, a tool bench complete with tools, a hop along bunny rabbit and even a nursery rhyme CD for the car. 

Santa even came along to pay the kiddly winks a visit, and as expected Leo was not a fan! He quite happily took the gifts that Santa was baring, but Leo left the rest of the detail to be desired.

Poor little Leo topped off Boxing Day by coming down with a viral infection. He went down for his nap perfectly ok and then awoke completely out of character and with a raging temperature. 

He spent the rest of the evening cuddled up and very lethargic. We had a pretty rough night with little man and had to keep bringing his temperature back down, but by the next day Leo was well on a the mend again!

Leo's second Christmas has been wonderful, and even now a week later, we still have a Santa Sack full of gifts for Leo to still un-wrap. Even now that all the Christmas decorations have come down and we are met with the bleak January gloom, we still have those special memories of all the magic that took place.

I hope you have all had a very merry Christmas and are now easing back into the day to day runnings!

Happy New Year!

Laura

xx