I’ve always been a big fan of Mother’s Day. I have such fond memories from my childhood of taking my lovely mum breakfast in bed with a homemade card and now I’m a mummy myself I love it even more. This will be my fourth Mother’s Day as a mummy and although i’m still waiting for that breakfast in bed (!!), I am always treated to handmade cards and lovely gifts from my little ones (and their daddy!) and we have a wonderful day together.
With Mother’s Day just around the corner (it’s Sunday 15th March FYI), time is running out to find the perfect present for your lovely mum / mummy of your little one’s. I loved putting together last year’s Mother’s Day gift guide, so decided to share another handy gift guide for you to suit all budgets and tastes.
a // SWYC Name Tag Necklace , from £24, I love these bespoke handmade necklaces where your choice of word, saying or date is metal stamped across a matte finished Iron bar. They are super simple but look incredible and I especially love them layered up as shown above. They have a huge celebrity following and I recently featured them on the blog here if you want to get some more inspiration.
b // Pewter ‘Love You Mummy’ Heart Keepsake Dish, £15.99, With its hand-stamped message, this little dish would make the perfect Mother’s Day present. It is the perfect size for keeping rings or earrings safe overnight.
c // Bloom & Wild Subscription, from £50, Give your mum the gift that keeps on giving with a fabulous floral subscription from Bloom & Wild. Choose between a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription and she’ll love you that little bit more every month when a gorgeous bunch of flowers lands on her doorstep.
d // Clarisonic Mia 2, £125, Make your mum feel radiant this Mother’s Day with a Clarisonic Mia 2, a compact cleansing system designed to gently remove impurities and leave her skin feeling softer, smoother and more beautiful. I have one and I can honestly say it’s brilliant! (A review will be coming soon!)
e // Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi, £30 for 150ml, I’m a huge Shu Uermura advocate and this cleansing oil will make a fabulous gift this Mother’s Day. The anti-oxidation and anti-pollution formula helps rejuvenate skin leaving it smooth, radiant and youthful.
f // Forestbound Escape Canvas Bag, $99, Only available in the US, you will have to give your mum an IOU if you decide to buy her this, but it will definitely be worth the wait. This unique, canvas utility bag is perfect for weekend adventures and I LOVE it!
g // Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Candle, £40, I adore this classic fragrance and so will your mum. Last year I featured the Pomegranate Noir Diffuser and as the fragrance is so divine, here’s the candle!
h // Mr & Mrs Smith Gift Card, from £50, Treat your mum to a relaxing break at one of the coolest boutique hotels on the planet. Mr & Mrs Smith Get a Room! gift cards make the perfect Mother’s Day gift and can be used towards booking any of Mr & Mrs Smith’s 1,000 boutique hotels / houses around the world.
i // Zara Leather Tassel Shopper Bag, £79.99, Your mum will love this gorgeous Zara bag. Made from the softest leather, this Tassel Shopper is big enough to carry all her daily essentials without compromising her style credentials.
j // Nutribullet, £99.95, Give your mum the gift of good health with a brilliant Nutribullet. Incredibly versaltile, I use mine daily and cannot rave about it enough! (A review will be on the blog in the near future!)
k // Coco Madamoiselle Eau de Parfum, £67.50 for 50ml, My signature scent, I’m sure your mum will love this perfume as much as I do.
l // Chatty Feet’s Kate Middle-Toe socks, £7, I LOVE these socks. In fact I love most of the Chatty Feet collection. Each pair of socks has its own name, from Prof Brian Sox, with his trade mark hair cut, to Brad Feet. These socks are full of personality and will make your mum smile. (You can also get ‘family sets’ so both adults and children can wear matching pairs!)
m // SewLomax ‘Mummies Only’ Pouch, £12.50, This gorgeous pouch is the perfect home for any Yummy Mummy’s essentials! Whether it’s her favourite lippy or those ever essentials for the kids bumps and bruises, this is the perfect pouch for any super mum.
o // Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, £36, A miracle in a bottle; this lightweight, readily- absorbed elixir effectively restores skin’s healthy appearance overnight. What more can your mum ask for?
p // The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector, £5 for 30ml, This lovely hand cream is a huge hit in our household. If your mum suffers with dry hands, this is the cream for her.
Superworm is super-long. Superworm is super-strong. Watch him wiggle! See him squirm! Hip, hip, hooray for SUPERWORM!
Following on from the success of The Gruffalo trails, Spring will see the launch of a Superworm Forest Trail by the Forestry Commission. Another brilliant story by Julia Donaldson, Superworm tells the story of how a superhero worm and his mini-beast friends defeat the villainous Wizard Lizard.
From 13 March until the end of October, families can enjoy Superworm activity trails at 20 selected sites across the country. Each activity trail will include up to 10 stops and take approximately one hour to complete with activities suitable for children aged 3-6, as well as elements that will appeal to 6-8 year olds.
Superworm’s author, Julia Donaldson, commented:
“There’s nothing better than getting out into the wild as a family. I’m sure these trails will be really enjoyed by those taking part.
“The idea of using Superworm to get children excited about nature is a great one. The characters in the book include ants, beetles, caterpillars, spiders, birds and reptiles, many of which can be found on the activity trails, bringing our woods and forests alive for young adventurers.”
You will find the trails in the following locations:
Moors Valley Country Park, Dorset
Bolderwood, Hampshire
Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest, Kent
High Lodge, Thetford Forest, Suffolk
Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire
Jeskyns Community Woodland, Gravesend, Kent
Thames Chase Forest, Essex
Birches Valley, Cannock Chase Forest, Staffordshire
Hicks Lodge, Derbyshire
Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Nottinghamshire
Top Lodge, Fineshade Wood, Northamptonshire
Beechenhurst, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
Cardinham Woods, Bodmin, Cornwall
Wyre Forest, Worcestershire
Dalby Forest, Yorkshire
Guisborough Forest, North Yorkshire
Whinlatter Forest, Keswick, Cumbria
Hamsterley Forest, County Durham
Kielder Water and Forest Park, Northumberland
Grizedale Forest, Hawkshead, Cumbria
It’s a shame that the Superworm trail won’t be following in the footsteps of the Gruffalo Trail in Delamere Forest (our nearest forest), but as Jack is a huge Superworm fan, we’ll certainly be heading to Sherwood Pines when we visit his grandparents in Nottingham.
For more information and to receive free activity sheets, click here.
How do you fancy getting your hands on a Mamas & Papas Armadillo Flip XT stroller worth £479?
Well, Mamas & Papas are currently running a blogger photo competition and are giving the winning blogger an Armadillo Flip XT to give away to one of their readers. We were challenged to choose one of the Armadillo Flip XT’s USPs and take a creative photo.
I chose to showcase the XXXL hood (brilliant for naps as well as protection from the sun) and set off into Manchester’s Northern Quarter for an urban feel to the photo as I think it’s the perfect urban stroller due to it’s compact nature.
Here is my entry…
I adore this stroller and would love to be able to give one away to one of you guys so please, please, please head on over the Mamas & Papas Facebook page and vote for your favourite photo (ahem, mine!).
There are some brilliant photos entered into this competition and I wish all the other bloggers the best of luck.
Thanks Kim, and thanks for the heads up, I found out from you first ReplyCancel
Nadine laneFebruary 27, 2015 - 7:15 pm
This Is Beautiful!! so creative and full of colour certainly gives off that Urban feel????
Would love to win one myself!!ReplyCancel
Steph@HelloBabyFebruary 27, 2015 - 7:41 pm
Ah thanks Nadine, keep your eye on the blog over the coming week for the giveaway ( you can subscribe for updates/follow on Facebook so you don’t miss it!)ReplyCancel
As a parent, it’s so tempting to wrap your little ones up in cotton wool and keep them away from every risk and danger known to man, but as we all know that’s neither practical nor possible. So the next best thing we can offer them is education. We need to educate our children and give them the opportunity to develop their own risk assessment skills to keep them as safe as possible throughout their lives.
Now that Jack has reached the grand old age of 3 we are trying to instil in him the importance of road safety as it is one of the many things as a parent, that scares the life out of me.
I’ve always insisted that he holds my hand if we are walking alongside a busy road, but I know it won’t be too long before he’s ‘too cool’ to hold mummy’s hand so it’s really important that I help him develop the tools he needs to stay as safe as possible.
When we are out and about, at every opportunity I keep reinforcing how to cross the road safely and the importance of why we need to stop, look and listen before stepping onto a road. I’m hoping that this practical reinforcement will slowly sink in and become second nature to him, but I also think that online resources are really helpful too.
I can still remember this ‘King of the road’ TV campaign when I was growing up and I think it’s a real shame that there isn’t anything like this on the TV at the moment for Jack’s generation. Instead we are looking increasingly to the internet for reinforcement and thankfully rentalcars.comwho provide car rentals worldwide have created a fun quiz for you to take with your children to raise awareness of child safety on the roads. If you can spare a few minutes, it’s well worth having a go!
*Disclosure: This has been written in conjunction with www.rentalcars.com, but all words are my own.
Having a little boy myself, I know how happy Cianne must be with these very special photos of her and her gorgeous little boy Seb. Captured by Jodi Redhouse Photography, the images are so precious and showcase a truly wonderful bond between mother and son.
Jodi explains:
“I first photographed Cianne and her son Seb when he was only 6 months old. Now just over two years later, it was such a joy to photograph these two again. A lot has happened personally in the interim, but it’s clear to me that during this period, their bond has strengthened and these two just adore other. In fact, during a quiet (ice cream filled!) moment, I had to hold back a few little tears when Seb piped up out of nowhere to tell Cianne that he loves her. I love how Seb’s personality shines through in these images, I feel like I have captured the essence of their special relationship.”
How cute is Seb!
A huge thanks to Jodi for sharing these beautiful images with Hello Baby. Jodi is a lifestyle and portrait photographer covering London, Surrey, West Sussex and Kent. For more information and to see Jodi’s fabulous photography portfolio head on over to her website. You can also find Jodi Redhouse Photography on facebook and instagram.
Thank you for such kind words and amazing photos – I absolutely love them and how you captured my gorgeous boy – love the photo of him licking my face lol – Jodi is an amazing photographer and very welcoming, comfortable and calm – highly recommend her. XReplyCancel
Ah, thanks so much Cici! That photo makes me bust out laughing every time ReplyCancel
Steph@HelloBabyFebruary 18, 2015 - 10:06 am
Oh Cianne, they are so beauiful and Seb is one gorgeous little boy! You must be so proud! Thanks so much for sharing them with Hello Baby xReplyCancel
LauraFebruary 15, 2015 - 11:45 pm
Absolutely stunning! Well done Jodi you have really captured the magic of their relationship, you can almost see the love and hear their whispers! Ci is a phenomenal mother and that really shines through in these photos….great job!ReplyCancel
Wow these are amazing, what a lovely reminder of a day out with her little boy!! Beautifully captured. Hope you got my email with the photo links, did you decide to get some portraits done? I can’t wait to get our family photos done later this year! xxReplyCancel
Steph@HelloBabyFebruary 16, 2015 - 4:54 pm
Thanks for your comment hun, such beautiful photos aren’t they. I did get it, thanks! Nicola’s photos are beautiful!! You must be thrilled. I think I’m going to wait until Phoebe is more mobile (make it more challenging for the photographer ;))as I think it’ll make for a better session. When are you due?? XxReplyCancel
Hi Steph, yes was over the moon with them and made a lovely book out of them for us and grandparents. I’m looking forward to getting more done this year I got in touch with a local photographer and I’ll contact Jodie too. Are you going to wait until summer time, that’s what we’re going to do as Isabella will turn 4 and the baby will be about 4-5 months old, so although not mobile will at least be smiling (I hope!!). Due in 12 days………eeekkkk!! xxReplyCancel
Steph@HelloBabyFebruary 17, 2015 - 10:06 am
Can you believe are first babies are four this year!! Yeah I think we’ll wait until Summer or Autumn, I love the colours in Autumn. 12 days, eeeek!! Are you all set? XReplyCancel
I know it’s frightening isn’t it how fast time is going, only seems like yesterday that she was this tiny little baby, watched some old videos of her when she was only a few weeks / months old and it is so mad to see how much she’s changed!! I can’t believe she will be going to school this September, I will be bawling my eyes out!! Is Jack going too? I think we are about set, went to Bluewater today and got last few bits including his / her first cuddly toy, a little Jellycat Penguin Can’t wait to meet him or her!! Just wish I knew when it was coming, getting impatient and tired! Yes Summer / Autumn will be a great time to have the photos taken. I might have ours taken down by the beach as we are right by the coast in Kent xx
Steph@HelloBabyFebruary 18, 2015 - 6:24 am
The beach sounds like a great shout, very jealous you live so close to it! Thankfully we have another year with Jack as he is an Oct birthday so doesn’t start school until next Sept. Phoebs is June though so I’ll have a year less with her at home, sob! I’m dreading both of them going already!! And the whole catchment/school allocation fills me with dread too!! Ah nice, sounds like you’re all ready to go, I love Jellycat, is it the rattly penguin that Phoebs has? (In one of her ’52 project’ photos?) we’ve aptly called ours Monty
We put it in the crib last night and Isabella has already spotted it and wants to ‘borrow’ it, did you find Jack wanting things you bought for Phoebe? I really hope she’s going to be ok once the baby arrives, she seems excited but the reality of a newborn probably won’t go down quite as well!!
That’s lovely that you have another year with Jack, I’m so worried with her being one of the youngest but from what her nursery said, there are quite a few in her group that are summer babies and most of them will be going to the main school in the town if that’s the one she gets into, it’s quite daunting deciding where she should go but thankfully most of the primary schools around us have good reputations so hopefully wherever she goes she will do well Good luck when it comes around xx
Steph@HelloBabyFebruary 19, 2015 - 1:00 pm
Cute!! She’ll be absolutely fine when baba arrives. To be honest in the first few weeks, Jack wasn’t interested in her at all but now they are obsessed with each other! When he walks in the room, her eyes light up and he adores ‘playing the clown’ to make her laugh. xx
What absolutely beautiful photos- I would love for someone to take photos of me and my girls like this. My husband tries occasionally but he hasn’t got the patience. xxReplyCancel
Steph@HelloBabyFebruary 22, 2015 - 7:43 am
Andy’s the same Katie, after a few shots he’s losing the will to live You should book Jodi in! XxReplyCancel
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by Steph@HelloBaby