Introducing Rainbows and Daydreams

AD 

My teenage daughter recently lost her part-time job due to the covid-19 pandemic, as she worked in the hospitality sector. So she decided to set up an online, handmade gift shop called Rainbows and Daydreams selling bespoke wooden home décor gifts, handmade resin keyrings and clay hearts. As she is still only 17 and studying for her A-Levels next summer, I have been roped in to help her - I mainly order in stock from suppliers, keep track of orders, accounts etc while she creates the items. We have a Facebook and Instagram page and an online Etsy store and we are planning on setting up a website in the next few weeks. The shop only launched last month and we have already had over 25 orders, so it is going well for being such a small and new business.  

Embracing Mischief As A Parent With A Little Help From MAOAM

 AD 

With 6 months of lockdown under our belts, the children are finally going back to school! It has been a long time for children and us parents to be home and away from school, friend and family. As a mam of three, including a teen, 7 and a 6 year old (who fight often), I hold my hands up and admit that lockdown was challenging at times. When boredom hit and tempers frayed, I found that laughter was the best medicine and quickly brought harmony back to our family life. 

I recently told you all about the MAOAM Mischief Hub, which launched in April and is home to resident, Mischief Maxer, Max. The site is full of mischievous ideas to prank your family or take part in fun crafts and challenges, even featuring children's favourite pranksters, Dick and Dom. 

Tips For Getting Married On A Budget

 AD 

Last summer I got married and wrote so many posts about our wedding day, it even featured in a wedding magazine. As parents, we did not want to go crazy and spend a fortune on our wedding so it was on a bit of a budget, although we did end up spending a lot more than we originally planned. When planning a wedding I always think it is best to decide what you want to spend on and what you don't mind saving on, for example, we splurged on a sit-down meal, decent DJ and booked a venue decorator. Whilst we saved on transport and made our own sweet table, place settings and seating plan to cut down on costs. 

With so much uncertainty in the world right now and so many people having weddings cancelled and having to make re-arrangements I thought I would share some of the ways, I saved on my big day. 

Back To School Ready With Smash Lunch Boxes

 AD Review. 

After months at home, children will be returning to school in just a matter of weeks. As a parent I have very mixed feelings about this, my children are so ready to return to the classroom, see their friends and have a bit of normality back in their lives. However, I am a worrier and have been trying my best to think of ways to keep them safe when they return to school. One thing that I have decided to do is to have all three children (one in 6th form, one in key stage 2 and one in key stage 1) on packed lunches. Previously the younger two had school dinners at primary school and the teen would head to the local shops for lunch on her lunch break. So for my teen especially, taken a packed lunch will be a lot 'safer'. 

The kind people at Smash sent all three children lunch boxes and water bottles for the return to school and I have to say I am impressed. We were sent three totally different style and designed lunch boxes and each one is high-quality with Blue iQ lining, which helps protect against harmful bacteria. We all know how grubby kids can get their lunchboxes in, but the lining has a protective barrier which won't allow food to absorb, which prevents bacteria. They are also wipe-clean which reduces smells and stain and they are insulated, helping keep food cooler for longer. 

We were sent a football lunchbox, a mint green one and a blue floral design lunch box. 

A Little Update August 2020

It feels like such a long time since I last typed up a blog post, other than a few brand campaigns that were agreed at the start of the year I haven't blogged much this year. With the coronavirus pandemic taking hold it did not feel right for me to blog about days out or product reviews, it all seemed a bit pointless when so many people have lost loved ones, jobs or businesses. I had been following the pandemic since earlier this year and was worried about it - I think I drove my husband and teen mad talking about it, but I don't think any of us realised just how bad things would get. I suffer badly with anxiety and it was just too much for me, I even took my children out of school almost two weeks before they officially shut as the whole thing scared me. 

Having the children home for such a long time has been challenging at times, I suck at home-schooling and I will be honest we didn't do an awful lot of it. The teen had online lessons (she is studying for her A-Levels) but the little two didn't do a lot. We baked, we watched films, we went on family walks, the children played. Sophia has flourished and enjoyed being home, Jacob not so much as he has missed school, his friends and football. It has been very chilled out and it has been so lovely to have all three children home and to have a break from normal life, after school clubs and busy weekends. 

I just feel very lucky that my husband still has a job and none of our family has been affected by the virus. 

Playmobil Scooby Doo Toy Review

 My children aged 5 and 7 adore Scooby-Doo and will often watch it on T.V as it is one of their favourite shows. So when I heard about the new Playmobil Scooby Doo range I knew this would be something that both of them would enjoy playing with and we were kindly sent some of the new toys to try out and see what they both thought. The new range of Scooby-Doo toys are to coincide with the realise of the latest Scooby-Doo film, which will be premiering at home and I am sure my children will ask to pay to download and watch.

Playmobil sent us three toys from the range. We were sent the Mystery Machine, a set with Scooby, Shaggy and a Ghost and four mystery figure blind bags.  The children were super-excited when the box of toys arrived and could not wait to start playing. 

Getting Crafty This Christmas With Design Bundles

AD

Being on 'lockdown' seems to have made so many people reassess their life and discover or re-discover hobbies that they never knew they had. There has been a huge rise in the number of people baking, decorating, gardening and crafting as people look at new ways to keep occupied as they finally have the time to do things that they have put off. I know of so many people who have discovered new skills and have used the extra time at home to be creative in all sorts of different ways, as not only does it keep you occupied but doing crafty things yourself often means that you can save money too, or you may even learn a new skill you can sell and make a few extra pennies from. Super important at this uncertain time in the world.

A few friends that I know have recently started up little craft businesses selling personalised items, prints and even clothing. My own teenage daughter is one of them, as she sadly recently lost her part-time job due to the lockdown impact on her workplace (she worked in hospitality). As she is studying art for her A-Levels she has put her artistic streak to good use by setting up a handmade gift company - with a little help from me of course. It is still early days and we don't have the website or Facebook page up and running yet as we are busy making stock but we will hopefully be launching it in August. We will be selling mainly handmade wooden and clay decor gifts and of course some Christmas items.