• Christmas - competition

    Win a £50 hamper from Hipp Organic

    Worried how you’ll get through Christmas with the children? Fear not, HiPP Organic have created their Top 10 Tips which will help you have an enjoyable Christmas and make it to January in one piece! 1. Set a present budget for baby and stick to it! They’ll probably be more interested in the boxes and bows anyway! 2. Delegate Plan ahead and put your guests in charge of special jobs. Photography is a great one to hand over – you won’t have time and will want a record of this special day. 3. Rule The Routine   One of the…

  • competition - sewing

    Giveaway Day is here!

    Ok, I’m a day late due to lack of internet but I really wanted to participate in the Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day! Giveaway Day is their huge biannual event where everyone with a blog can give something away. Don’t forget to check out the Sew, Mama, Sew! blog for all the other giveaways. This year I have some lovely Sewing + Craft Supplies which I bought at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally to give away and I’m happy to ship internationally. The fabric includes: a Japanese Fat Quarter a Fat Quarter of cherry christmas by Aneela…

  • Christmas - competition

    Scotch Pop Up Handband giveaway

    The other day I shared my first video review of the Scotch Pop Up Handband which makes gift wrapping quick and easy. My toddler is now addicted to using it and runs to put it on his wrist every time he sees me reaching for the brown paper! The Handband comes with one pack of 75 pre-cut strips but you can buy refill packs which contain three packs of strips. Scotch have kindly offered me 5 prizes of the Pop-Up Handband for readers of the gingerbread house so keep reading to find out how to enter. Giveaway: I have five…

  • competition - film review

    Po’s Winter Wonderland giveaway

    Yesterday we received a copy of a new heart-warming winter adventure from DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. Arriving just in time for Christmas, Po’s Winter Wonderland is the perfect centrepiece for festive family fun! The toddler is a huge fan of Kung Fu Panda and loved his latest adventure! In Po’s Winter Wonderland, Po (voiced by Jack Black) is preparing for a traditional Winter Festival with his dad when Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) reminds him that his duties as Dragon Warrior include hosting the formal Winter Feast for the Kung Fu masters. Po is torn between his responsibilities to his position and…

  • competition - homestyle - housekeeping

    Win with Ariel and get rid of bad dress sense!

    Are you one of the 1 in 10 British women who have admitted to intentionally ruining one of their partner’s items of clothes just because they didn’t like it? It’s not just women, apparently a quarter of British men and women frequently ask their partners to change their outfits because they’re embarrassed to be seen with them! I must be lucky as my husband’s wardrobe doesn’t make me cringe. I love this advert from Ariel about a woman and her golf-mad husband. Can you empathise? Ariel asked me to go under cover and put their theory to the test. I…

  • competition - film review

    Win a copy of Arthur Christmas on Blu-ray

    Deck the halls early this festive season when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases the critically acclaimed, charming family adventure Arthur Christmas which is out on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD on 19th November from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. © 2011 Sony Pictures Animation Inc. All Rights Reserved Ever wondered just how can Santa deliver billions of presents to the whole world in just one night? With an army of one million combat-style Field Elves and a vast, state-of-the-art control center under the ice of the North Pole!  So how could this incredible operation have MISSED one child?!  To Santa’s young…

  • competition - days out - Local Review - London

    Win tickets to South Ken Kids Festival

    The South Ken Kids Festival brings you a marvellous mash-up of music, live drawing, and fun for the whole family! This children’s book festival features dozens of literary events, workshops and talks for kids of all ages. Quentin Blake, Emile Bravo and Tony Ross are all on the bill. This year we have Franco-British drawing duos, a preview screening of “Ernest and Célestine”, and many many workshops….see their website for full details. I have a great give away for 2 pairs of tickets to the Drawing Jam with David Coulter as part of the South Ken Kids Festival on Saturday…

  • baking - book review - competition - food review - recipe

    Win with Flora Cuisine

    I spent yesterday afternoon baking my first apple cake. The recipe was suggested by Sian Hallewell, and was handpicked by Jean Christophe Novelli to appear in the new cookery book Let’s Get Cooking! by Flora Cuisine. Let’s Get Cooking! contains 30 everyday recipes, from simple suppers to great cakes, by mums and dads from across the UK. It was created after they ran a recipe competition on their Facebook page earlier in the year. Flora Cuisine is a healthy cooking oil which is great for frying, roasting and baking. It has 45% less saturated fat than olive oil which means…

  • book review - Cath Kidston - Christmas - competition - crafts - handmade - sewing

    Make your own Christmas decorations!

    Over the past few evenings I’ve been busy making 12 festive decorations from Cath Kidston’s latest book – Make Your Own Christmas Decorations. Featuring 12 projects the book includes the patterns as well as the felt, thread, pompoms and cord so all you’ll need is a basic sewing kit and some toy stuffing! There are patterns for a Christmas Robin, Father Christmas, Striped Stocking, Gift-Wrapped Present, Christmas Tree, Frosty Snowman, Winter Reindeer, Holly & Berries, Christmas pudding, Snowy Cottage, Festive Stanley and Christmas Angel. Make your own Christmas decorations! Each project is well laid out and includes a large colour…