Gift Ideas For Young Boys This Christmas

Today I am featuring a range of gifts for young boys in my latest Christmas gift guide. My little boy is three-years-old and every gift in this guide is suitable for children of a similar age to him. As he is only three all that he has asked for this year for Christmas is Pop out Pig game, so we have had to buy him gifts that we think he will like. I think that he will like every item in this gift guide and it includes a mix of toys, keepsakes and practical gifts. 

1.) Personalised Bauble 

This snowman Christmas bauble makes a lovely keepsake and the fact they are personalised makes them a lovely gift idea too. It is made from bone china and feels quite heavy and you can tell it is a quality item. They cost just £8.99 making them a really affordable gift too, you can buy this beautiful snowman bauble from www.giftpup.com

Lunch At Toby Carvery

On Thursday we had such a busy morning, we had people around to discuss our upcoming renovation work, we had errands to run and some more Christmas shopping to get done. As we had been so busy we had totally forgotten about lunch and we were starving, I really did not feel like cooking so we decided to head to Toby Carvery as I was craving a roast dinner. We are big fans of Toby carvery, when I was pregnant with Sophia I used to visit weekly. We visit less often now we have the nursery and school routines to stick too, it has been a few months since we last visited so we were long overdue a visit.

Gifts For Her This Christmas

I find buying for the women in the family so easy as I normally just buy things that I like the look of myself. I would personally be happy with any of the products on this list myself (take note family!). Featuring a range of different products their should (hopefully) be a gift suitable for everyone in my Gifts For Her Gift Guide. 

1.) Braun Silk Epil 9 Wet & Dry Epilator

This 4-in-1 epilation, exfoliation and skin care system is sure to leave her feeling pampered this festive season. With a wet and dry epilator to leave skin fuzz-free, a message pad to improve skin tone and exfoliation brush to leave skin silky smooth. It has an RRP of £165 but it is currently on offer at lots of retailers in the run-up to Christmas.

Gift Ideas For Young Girls This Christmas

This year my little girl Sophia is four and she is so very excited for Christmas, she decided what she wanted back in the summer and has asked for Toilet Trouble board Game, My Little Pony toys, Hatchimal collectables and a fingerling. I know lots of people - especially our family have struggled with what to buy for her this year though so I thought this gift guide might give those of you struggling with what to buy a young girl some ideas. 

1.) Personalised Cuddle Buddy Teddy

This personalised Cuddle Buddy Teddy Bear is so soft and cuddly and makes a great gift for any child, no matter what their age. Available from www.giftpup.com he is sure to become my daughter's new bedtime companion. They have a range of different soft toys available with prices starting at just £12.99 and items are personalised and dispatched in just 24 hours. 

Other Bloggers Family Lives Featuring Me Becoming Mum

This week I am joined by Naomi who blogs at Me Becoming Mum on Other Bloggers Family Lives. Naomi has a family blog all about life with her two little girls and family lifestyle topics. So let's find out more about the family behind Me Becoming Mum. 

Afternoon Tea With Santa At Wyevale Garden Centre Gosforth

This year I am so excited for Christmas as it is the first year my little two (aged 3 & 4) have properly understood what Christmas is all about. They have already written their Christmas lists for Santa, they keep asking when we can put the Christmas tree up and they are amazed by the twinkling lights from the shopping centre decorations. They are so excited and each day they race downstairs in the morning asking if today is the day we can put our tree up. They truly believe in Father Christmas and the magic of Christmas and it is heartwarming to watch. 

Crepe Affaire Newcastle Review

Last year Newcastle's Eldon Square opened its new Grey's Quater which is home to a great variety of place's to eat and drink. Tucked away on the ground floor near the escalators is Crepe Affaire, a small and very modern looking Creperie serving a selection of sweet and savoury French crepes. This week Crepe Affaire is celebrating its first birthday in Eldon Square and to celebrate they will randomly be handing out vouchers for a free crepe to ten purchasing customers per day during its Birthday week (this week). They will also be handing out a free glass of prosecco to all customers who place a crepe order after 5pm this Thursday (23rd November) too. 

Starting The Day With Ready Brek & Despicable Me 3

Now that it is winter and the mornings are cold and frosty we have been starting the day with a nice warming bowl of Ready Brek each morning. I fondly remember having Ready Brek for breakfast when I was a child and now my own children enjoy it for breakfast too, especially my four-year-old daughter Sophia. Packed full of vitamins and minerals and only containing natural ingredients it is the perfect way to start the day before school. Plus it is super quick and easy for us parents to whip up in the morning too, bonus! 

Behind The Scenes At McDonald's

Last week I was invited to McDonald's Silverlink to go behind the scenes and see what new changes they are making to the restaurants, and also to make my very own Big Mac! We were greeted at the store by franchisee Bill who was the 6th McDonald's franchise owner here in the UK and now has several branches here in the North East, including the Silverlink branch which has the busiest drive-thru in the North East. Bill employs over 600 people here in the North East, and funnily enough my partner actually worked for Bill and the store manager Simon many years ago when he was a teenager at the Silverlink branch.

Other Bloggers Family Lives Featuring My Chaotically Eclectic Life

This week on Other Bloggers Family Lives I am featuring Debbie who blogs at My Chaotically Eclectic Life. Debbie blogs about family life with an older child and two younger ones, just like me and she features days out in Yorkshire, reviews and crafts. So let's find out more about the family behind My Chaotically Eclectic Life.

Cote Brasserie Newcastle Review

A couple of weeks ago Cote Brasserie opened a new branch here in Newcastle, I was invited to the press night but unfortunately could not attend and luckily I was booked in for an evening meal a week later instead. Located in the former Barclays bank building on Grainger street you will find Cote Brasserie, and what a transformation it has been under. The building has been transformed with rustic, yet luxurious decor that almost makes you feel you are at a Parisian bistro and not in cold Newcastle. 

Photo via Cote Brasserie

Silver Cross Pioneer Doll Pram Review

My little girl Sophia is 4-years-old and she loves playing with her dolls and pushing them around in her doll's pram. Now that she is getting older her current dolls pram is getting a bit small for her and we were thinking of buying her a new one for Christmas this year, then just like magic Play Like Mum got in touch and asked if we would like to review a Silver Cross Pioneer 5-in-1 doll's pram (perfect timing). 

Christmas Gift Ideas For Foodies

Christmas is just around the corner and I don't know about you but sometimes I really struggle when looking for gift ideas for family and friends. One group of people I find especially hard to buy for is the grown-ups in our families, whenever we ask what they would like for Christmas they never ask for anything (especially my dad). Normally when I am unsure of what to buy people I will resort to food and drink gifts, as let's face it everyone enjoys a tasty treat at Christmas time. So here is a list of some great quality food and drink items that would make a great Christmas gift for the foodies in your life. 

1.) Guylian Chocolates 

I am a huge fan of Guylian chocolates, they are so yummy and feel like such a luxurious treat, making them perfect for a Christmas gift. The temptation bags are great as they come with lots of different flavours of wrapped seahorse-shaped Belgian chocolates and they are ideal for sharing. RRP £10.00

Other Bloggers Family Lives Featuring Trinimamabebe

This week on Other Bloggers Family Lives I am featuring Trini who blogs at Trinimamabebe, which is a family lifestyle blog about life as a first-time mum, money saving and reviews. So let's find out more about the family behind Trinimamabebe. 

Halfords Black Friday Competition

Now that it is November everyone is starting to get ready for Christmas, I know I certainly am. I have started my Christmas shopping and I am hoping that I can get it finished by the end of this month (maybe that is wishful thinking) so that I can relax and enjoy the festivities that December brings. I like to try and be organised for Christmas but I often find myself holding out buying a lot of gifts until the end of November, to see if I can grab myself some Black Friday deals. 

A Prestige Christmas Hamper

I do love Christmas and now that it is November I am starting to think about gifts and getting organised for the big day. Every single year my partner mentions getting a Christmas hamper delivered as he remembers them from his childhood, I never end up getting a one as I always thought they would be expensive and full of items we would never use. So when Prestige Hampers got in touch and offered to send me a hamper I was keen to see if they were worth the money or not.

Chaophraya Thai Cooking School Review

Last year Eldon Squares new grey's quarter opened which is home to a great range of dining options, one of these is Chaophraya Thai restaurant. Chaophraya is located on the top floor with wonderful views of the city below, I had heard great reviews but had never actually visited myself although I have visited sister restaurant Thaikhun in nearby Metrocenter many times.  While Thaikhun has a very family-friendly, street-food type vibe to it Chaophraya has a more elegant and upmarket vibe, making it perfect for date night or a meal out with friends. 

Things I Loved October 2017

I am so happy to see the back of October as it was an awful month for us, it was a month full of job uncertainty, money worries and yet more broken appliances. The other month our fridge died and this month our very expensive TV died (fingers crossed it can be fixed). It has also been a month full of illness, poor Sophia had a chest infection and was on antibiotics and then we all had the most horrific sickness bug over half-term, I am still recovering from it now a week later! 

Even though the month was pretty rubbish compared to last month I still like to try and see the positive so let's have a look at some of the things that I loved in October. 

Other Bloggers Family Lives Featuring The Money Whisperer

This week on Other Bloggers Family Lives I am featuring Emma who blogs at The Money Whisperer. Emma blogs about a host of ways to make and save money and her blog is full of really useful tips on how to easily save money - something I really need to get better at as I am terrible at wasting money! So let's find out more about the family behind The Money Whisperer.