A day with Build A Bear....

What better way is there to while away a half term day than at Build A Bear? If you've a girl of a certain age I'm sure that you are more than semi acquainted with the whole shebang but for those out there who aren't - this is for you.....

Our visit was courtesy of Build A Bear and we had a great time in store followed by a rather fab tea party. There was food, party games and of course THE bear himself (who FunnyGirl took more than a passing shine to) and there was the most amazing face painter.
We were there to meet their new Children in Need Pudsy Bear - who is rather cute - but possibly not quite as cute as ModelGirl post face painter.

Thank you to the Build A Bear team for our amazing day. I for one was wiped out by the fun and games - and it looks like I wasn't the only one!

Yeah - OK, she's pretty rubbish at pretending to be asleep - but you get the picture!

As an aside and a nod to yesterday's post I simply have to mention their range of Star Wars outfits. Leia - she's cool, Jedi Knight - kicking it, Han - not bad but C3PO is something else....

I bow down to the designer that managed to make good old bear look like a throw back from a fetish club. Just sayin!
Build A Bear has stores around the UK and you can shop online at www.buildabear.co.uk

Because sometimes random is where it's at

Firstly, I have no idea how I chanced upon this garment but I do know that I am duty bound to share. 

Setting the scene...

Thanks to No1 son I have seen each of the original three Star Wars movies over a hundred times. In many scenes I'm word perfect. A fact that on certain days I'm quite proud of.

The new movies are in my humble opinion - a pile of pants, in fact I resolutely refused to watch the last feeble offering.

Then in some random wandering today - I came across this and it did make me chuckle...

An Artoo body. Total and utter random classic. Here are a couple more images for you to ponder...

I love it! Get your paws on one for $85 from Black Milk

Update:
Quote from hubby.....
"Unless you like the thought of teenage boys dreaming of dodging Tie Fighters whilst flying down your canyon aiming their torps at a very small hole... then that is wrong in every way..."

I'll get my coat!
And - no it isn't me modelling it! She just has blonde hair!

Stocking Filler Suggestion #1

Did you know that there are only 60 days left till Christmas??!! No? I didn't either till I googled it this morning and then instantly regretted doing it! 60 days..... OMG....

So perfect timing to review this 3D drawing pad kit from John Lewis then!

We vlogged it......

It's a rare thing that keeps all three of my children equally entertained but this did it. It makes a great stocking filler for children of all ages and at £3.95 it's a great price too. It would have been an advantage for it to have more than one pair of glasses but not a deal breaker as we just pulled a couple of pairs from Street Dance 3D!

Available from JohnLewis.com

Can your baby follow in ModelGirls footsteps?

My girls have been modelling since they were very small babies, they've worked for some huge brands including Nokia, Halfords, Asda, Annabel Karmel, Joules, Adams and NEXT and with this fab new baby model comp that NEXT are running your little one could become a star too.

The NEXT Baby Boutique Model Competition, in association with Prima Baby magazine is looking for the UK's cutest and most photogenic babies and toddlers to star in a forthcoming photoshoot for NEXT and Prima Baby. The winners will also bag a modelling contract with leading children's agency Urban Angels and £500 worth of NEXT vouchers.

There are two categories, birth to 18months and 19 to 36 months - so if you have a beautiful little one - and I know that lots of you do, head over to the NEXT Facebook page for full details on how to enter.

To wet your appetite - here is a vid that ModelGirl did for the NEXT website last season.

Very good......

Loads of my friends are having babies at the moment and on top of that it's full on birthday season in our family. Yan and FunnyGirl are done but over the next few weeks we are really packing them in and I'm hooked on producing cool and funky pressies that no one else has thought of.
So with all of these new babies in mind I've been looking for cool baby clothing and I stumbled on Very.co.uk and these really cute bits for little ones.

I LOVE, this Diesel baby gilet  and at £65 I think that's pretty cool. I've always favoured a gilet over a full on snow suit for a baby as it's so much easier to deal with when they fall asleep in a car seat.

For a newborn gift you can't really go wrong with a multi use blanket and this one from Tommy Hilfiger  For a new baby gift you can't really go wrong with a baby blanket and this one from Tommy Hilfiger is  pretty good for £40. I'm not a huge Hilfiger fan but this blanket rocks.

A staple item in FunnyGirls wardrobe has always been a furry coat and this one from Ladybird is a bargain at £16

Then I came across this little frock. I love it - OK so it has more than a nod to Fake london styling but I love it all the same - just gutted that my girls are way too big for it! Mammas and Pappas knitted tunic £27

So that's the little ones sorted but what about the bdays in my house?
Stay tuned.......

Do you have any other hidden gem sites that you think are worth stopping by?

Alton Towers pass winner is...

@Mummy_V well done. I will pop you a tweet for your address now. Thanks to everyone else who entered.

You got to be in it - to win it...

It's been a pretty crazy old day in the mummy blogging world today - but I'm offering a bit of light relief!

I have a family pass to Alton Towers for 2 adults and 3 children that has to be used by 30/10/10 and I'm going to give it to one lucky person tonight.

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment - with your name, email or Twitter name, so that I can contact you if you win and I'll pop all the names in a hat at midnight tonight. Winner will be notified tomorrow and passes will be sent via Special Delivery tomorrow.

The pass is worth £135 - so what are you waiting for?

Pass is as stated - there is no cash alternative and well no alternative at all really as I am just trying to be nice.

The Gallery.....Red

There was only ever one pic for the Red theme of this weeks Gallery. I love, love, love this pic of FunnyGirl, way back when she was only about 9 months old. If you have ever stopped by my business website you will have seen it before - but what a perfect image to promote my company?

Not so horror but cute beyond words.

If you have just stumbled across this post - do head over to Tara's blog for The Gallery linky, that will go live on Wednesday morning. You will find some amazing blogs for sure.

I heart Stokke®!

It's no secret that I love all things Stokke. Yes I do work for them but that's an added bonus as far as I'm concerned as I loved all of their products way before I landed a job with them.

It's been a big year with some pretty amazing product launches and their newest addition is quite simply the icing on the cake to me.

Tripp Trapp® Newborn...

Available in the UK from the end of November, Tripp Trapp® Newborn bridges the gap from birth to highchair brilliantly. The neat seat simply attaches to the top of your existing Tripp Trapp® to allow your baby to be part of family mealtimes from day one.

I don't know about you but I really struggled with all the floor, bouncy chair options especially at family mealtimes. FunnyGirl didn't want to be viewing our legs - and who can blame her? I so wish the Newborn set had been around when I had a baby. It would have been at the top of my list for sure.

RRP in the UK is £99

If you would like to keep up to date with launch information you can subscribe to the official UK Stokke blog. www.stokkelovers.com or bookmark the Stokke site www.stokke.com

FunnyGirl's Lyrical Practice..

Dance festival tomorrow - her first time in the junior section so fingers crossed. Here is her Lyrical solo.

The Logo Game Review...

Courtesy of Toys R Us and @TRUtoyologists...

I love this game. It's a real get the family together fun activity. We have a lot of strong characters in our house - so more often than not someone ends up having a major strop - but that's all part of it! As I said on the movie, it really is great for all ages. The box says ages 12 to adult but so long as your little one has an adult on their team they will answer way more questions than you would imagine. A testiment to the power of advertising for sure - but a great game.

The Gallery........ Favourite Photo

Everyone knows that I love The Gallery, Tara has been an inspiration to our whole community pulling us together week after week to share a little piece of our lives.

I have to say that I find it really hard to pull my entry together for a theme like this as I have so many pics that I love with all my heart.

This week I have taken a dive into my archives and pulled out this shot of TotallySonny when he was so cute that I could have easily eaten him - not in cannibalistic way you understand.....

This is Sonny aged about 8 months on holiday in Thailand. For the first time in my life I found myself in a stable loving relationship with a husband and a family and I was living the life that I always wished for. A far cry from the depression, worry and hard times I'd encountered as a first time mum ten years before.  I love my children with all of my being and I am so proud and happy to be loved by them back.

Winner of the Maclaren comp.....

Thanks to everyone for entering to win the Maclaren GTLX. We have a winner - and that is...
SoniaThorpe Sonia can you pop me an email with your address details to mummytips at gmail dot com so that I can get your whizzy new pushchair over to you?

A Restaurant Bans Screaming Kids

This morning I received a call from our local radio station. They were doing a piece about a restaurant called Olde Salty's in North Carolina banning screaming kids - and wanted a mums opinion.

So should noisy kids be thrown out of a restaurant? 

"Hell no" was my response, I suggested that a group of gaggling mums can make way more noise (she thinks back to the bar antics after this years CyberMummy... not mentioning any names..... you know who you are).

But this is an interesting debate and of course it has thrust Olde Salty into the news around the world making it North Carolina's most talked about food establishment.

My children have always been used to eating out and I can hand on heart say that I don't remember a single incident where my dinner would have been in jeopardy due to their behaviour but I'm well aware that a calm toddler or child can flip into devil mode without a seconds notice. Would that mean that a waiter marches up to you and throws you out onto the street mid bite before you get a chance to calm your little one down?

Luckily ModelGirl was not in a food establishment whilst screaming.

Call me a bitter old PR, but whilst the "SCREAMING CHILDREN WILL NOT BE TOLERATED" signs on the door have kept some families away trade in the restaurant is said to be booming.

What do you think?

Here Come the Girls.... The Gallery

I missed Tara's Gallery last week for the first time ever..... I hope she didn't notice. I just couldn't get a food vibe going that could get any place near my good pal @cosmicgirlie but give me theme of the girls in my life and I am all over it.
Enjoy.

My girls. ModelGirl left and FunnyGirl right.

Cheryl - my baby girl. xx

Purdy Wurdy - my puppy dog, completely stupid but we love her all the same.

Apple - my latest Blythe

Amy Lee - My first Blythe. My Christmas pressie from my hubby this year. She continues to be my most photographed girl. She is stunning.

Rosie of Scribble... named after my adopted blogging sister @rosiescribble. She is beautiful inside and out, just like her namesake. If you haven't stopped by her blog lately then do it now. She's been on her own adventure of late - to Cameroon with Pampers UNICEF. You can help save a life by reading about her trip. Rosie - you rock. xx

If you haven't seen my comp round up post get over there now.... you can win all kinds of things including a Maclaren pushchair worth nearly £600. So you don't have a baby - so what.... win it and give it away to a fab charity - or a children's ward. They will really appreciate it.

It's gone a bit comp crazy

Yesterday I posted on my work blog about Stokke picking up the Gold award in the Practical Parenting awards and to celebrate they are giving away a Tripp Trapp® on the StokkeLovers blog. You can enter here...

My clients My Carry Potty started the #ToiletTrainingTuesday hash tag last week and they will be giving away one of their amazing must have products every Tuesday. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is post a potty training tip on their Facebook group.

The fab mummy blogger @missielizzieb reviewed My Carry Potty for us last week and she also has one to give away on her blog.

And I'm in on the act too... you can win a Maclaren GT LX worth £590 on my previous post. Click here to be in with a chance.

Another client of mine PushchairTrader.co.uk are giving away a Jane Rider worth £440. Click here to enter.

Summerland Creative are giving away a rather cute Halloween costume on their Facebook page. Enter here.

This has now turned into a constantly updated post!! Another mummy blogger friend of mine @kahanka has a comp over on her blog to win a mamaRoo baby chair. Enter here.

I know that these comps are all baby related and you might not need the products - but how about entering anyway and then donating the prize to a charity that could make great use of them if you do win?

If you have a comp on your blog that you would like me to add to this round up, please use the Linky below...

Win a Maclaren Pushchair worth £590!

It's grim and wet outside and I have a great competition for you this week. Thanks to the very lovely people at Maclaren I have one of their sophisticated new Grand Tour LX pushchairs worth £590 to give away to one of you lucky lot.

You don't need to be a pushchair user to enter. Get creative - if you won you could give it away to a friend or a local charity.

The GT LX is no ordinary Maclaren it's suped up and more akin to a car with it's dashboard, remote control lights, clock, temperature gauge and Strollometer so that you can measure how fast you are working off that post pregnancy weight.

It's suitable from birth and comes complete with a soft carrycot, raincover, shopping basket, cup holder and mosquito net.

All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is subscribe to my blog using the form below. Don't forget to verify your subscription when the email comes through to you.

For an additional entry you can tweet I'm in to win a #MaclarenGTLX on @mummtips blog http://ow.ly/2OyQM 
Then leave a comment below with your Twitter ID.
Entry closes at midnight (GMT) on 10/10/10. Maximun two entries per person. A winner will be chosen at random, prize is as stated, there is no cash alternative.

Enter your email address:


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