The CyberMummy Gallery...

I'm so happy that I managed to pull this off - with big thanks of course to Tara at StickyFingers who kindly lent us this week's The Gallery and also to Photobox who are printing all of the lovely images to create a real life Gallery at CyberMummy on Saturday 3rd July.
I can't wait to see all of your images in print.

Motherhood.....

The moment I became a mother for the fourth time.

Happy Birthday. xx

I know that I have written about the challenges of a working mum many times before but today has been hard for me but even harder for ModelGirl. You see - today is her birthday and instead of being tucked up at home with her I'm in Barcelona.

I feel awful. I'm tired, worn out from the three days of meetings and the three nights of socialising with my colleagues from around the world. I feel as though I have let her down by not being there for her even though she is celebrating today with her friends, with me tomorrow and at her party on Saturday.

Who ever said that being a mum was easy?

At least the Blythe outfit that i had made for her in America arrived in time!

My first good pressie under £10

Here we go with the first of my under £10 gift ideas. I thought that it was only right to start here are as I found this lovely company at bubble this week.

As you know we have an overriding theme of bunnies, owls and pandas here at mummy tips - so I was quite literally beside myself when I clapped eyes on these cute little paper panda balloons (yes I know that I really should get out more).

I got talking to the lady on the stand, she was lovely and very interesting. I told her of my plight for gifts and whilst talking to her it suddenly dawned on me - that with three children in classes of 30, the majority of which have a birthday party each year I am 3 x 30 x £10 each =£900 on birthday pressies in just one year.

OMG - we are no longer going to the opening of an envelope. Our party attendence will be strictly monitored as will the gifts.

So I am happy to report that the paper panda ballon is a bargain at £2, given along with the lovely owl notebook at £3.50, packaged in a nice reusable box - is quite frankly job done.

The paper balloons are available in other styles and are made from bright, crisp environmentally friendly paper. It comes flat and you simply blow in the small hole to inflate.

The plain paper notebook has a matt finish cover with a pattern on the inside of the sleeve too. 64 pages 17cm x 13.5cm

All available from the lovely online boutique Petra Bose, they have lots of other beautiful gifts if you have more budget to play with - including some really nice Owl canvasses that DinoBoy has fallen in love with (why do I get the feeling that I know where the money from his M&S shoot next week is going?!)

Standard delivery is £3.95 but to be fair I would buy for more than one party at a time - and they take PayPal, which I do think is a bonus. I always have money hanging around in there from ebay stuff that I have sold - so to me it doesn't really feel like I am paying for anything at all.

Like free stuff and yo can't beat that!

Help I need a birthday gift and fast.....

It has to be said that there is a certain amount of competitive parenting that goes around these parts and never does it rear it's ugly head as much as around party season!

My dilemma today comes in the form of a friends daughter's birthday. The said girl is turning 8. She is one of the last birthday's in DinoBoy's class - which means by this point I have totally and utterly exhausted the ideas pile in my brain. The situation is not at all helped by the closing down of our beloved Woolies.

Not a place on my general shopping radar - but for birthday toys it was all our little town had - and now that is gone we are left with a smackering of adult designer wear stores, a couple of kitchen shops and not much else.

To add to my problem - the party is today. Straight from school and I haven't so much as left the house, which is limiting my options even further.

Is it OK to do money in a card - or is that a weak willed - I can't be bothered to shop for you statement? I know that DinoBoy would choose cash any day of the week. So that he can buy more complete rubbish of his choice. Which to be honest does seem a bit more appealing than getting a whole load of rubbish that you don't want.

Case in point - on Sunday he bought a Victorian shell from a Giant Tortoise at the car boot sale (?). This now sits next to his Victorian stuffed Owl.......

ModelGirl on the other hand, would be happy with anything that involved her making stuff - but I know that not all parents (including me to be fair) like messy stuff that they have to clean up.

Then, if you do go down the money route - how much do you give? Is £5 OK or should it be £10? I know without the aid of a Woolies that you certainly couldn't buy a half decent present for under £10 around here.

I welcome your feelings and feedback on this. I am going to try and put together a quality kids gift feature with £10 as my budget. Obviously todays party problem still remains but lets see if we can't help some of you out in the future.