Christmas Gift Ideas For The Adults

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Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

I know we have no idea what Christmas will look like this year but I am sure you have someone special to buy for this Christmas and if you are struggling for ideas then look below for some gift inspiration. 

There is always someone in the family that you never know what to buy them for Christmas. The perfect choice is a Buyagift Experience voucher. They can then choose exactly what they want from thousands of experiences across the country. 

Practical hand warmer with 6 levels: the reusable Zippo pocket warmer can be adjusted to 6 levels up to 50 °C, so you can find exactly your desired temperature. Can also be used as a power bank – the Zippo power bank hand warmer is not only your hand warmer in winter, but also a practical power bank with 5200 mAh all year round.

The Kikkerland Emergency Tech Kit is a compact basic kit containing everything you need for a smartphone and iPhone. 4 accessories including screen spray, cloth, cable tie and usb charger.

Restore a super sharp cutting edge to blunt knives with this knife sharpener from AnySharp. No special sharpening skills required; anyone can get great results. Easy to use, simply draw your knife through the AnySharp sharpener 3 to 4 times using light pressure.

For use with EasiYo Yogurt maker. Each sachet makes one kilo of fresh yogurt. New Black Design, Requires no electricity, No fuss, No mess. Made in 3 Simple Steps; simple and cost effective.

The ION8 Stainless Steel 600ml Water Bottle. Keep hydrated with this thermal insulated bottle which opens with just one touch. Easy to carry and available in a range of stunning colours.

The spacious bag for men, designed by Lazy Bear is ideal to carry everything you need. The bag is crafted from strong, durable fabric with sleek faux-leather highlights for a handsome finish.

Large, colourful interior features a padded laptop compartment for extra protection. Two secure front pockets zip shut and help organise your gear. Removable shoulder strap ensures comfortable carrying.

Kikkerland Collapsible Wicker Print Picnic Cooler Basket & Seat. Keeps hot or cold for 4 hours with a 5.8 gallon/22 Litre capacity. You can also use this basket as a seat and it has a sitting capacity 180 lbs / 80 kg.

Keep your wine cool with the Kikkerland Wine Cooler. It matches the Kikkerland Picnic Cooler Basket and Seat so ideal to take out with you on your travels.

BeLoved 100% natural pet care range is a superb gift idea for any occasion for your four legged friend. 

Be:Loved 100% Natural Shampoo Bar. Sand, sea, leaves, muddy streams, sticky fingers and endless pets can leave your dog’s coat looking less than perfect. However, with Be:Loved handmade, 100% natural shampoo bars it is possible to wash on the go.

Be:Loved Nose & Paw Balm. The Nose and Paw Balms are perfect for on-the-go fixes for those little aches and scrapes that come from being an adventure dog, the Be:Safe, First Aid & Ache Nose & Paw Balm is just the ticket. 

Be:Fresh Probiotic Home & Kennel Sanitising Spray. Accidents happen and when they do it’s easy to clean up with this specially formulated spray. Use to clean, scent and protect your dog’s bed – the spray is safe for use on fabrics - and surrounding areas whilst on holiday.

The Positive Planner is a 12 week planner and journal dedicated to self-care, the practice of gratitude and encouragement of daily positivity. A powerful daily companion, The Positive Planner helps to cope with life's daily challenges and offers support through tough times.

Ordinary moments seen through the eyes of a poet, Branches of my Tree is a collection of insightful vignettes that will inspire, uplift and help you think differently about life.

A special Christmas bouquet inspired by winter walks on a brisk, sunny day. What more could you need as the perfect Christmas gift. This bouquet combines the elegance of luscious red carnations and scented red lilies with subtle green foliage and the earthy tone of pine cones and hypericum berries finish off this festive masterpiece. Elegantly arranged and sent via a tracked courier direct to their home or office this Christmas.

Puzzle and military enthusiasts will enjoy the new military history-themed range of 1000-piece puzzles. Designed by award-winning aviation artist Keith Burns, the Bellica Beaufighter Long Run Home 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle is just one from the range of ten stunning WW2 combat depictions that will be of interest to any military history fan.

Box of Favours - Show someone how much you care about them by treating them to special favours. This beautifully designed box filled with cards is the perfect stocking filler this Christmas- for Him or Her. 15 beautifully designed favour cards with gold foil boarder held in place by black velvet covered foam. 10 of these cards have set favours and 5 are left blank for you to write your own personal favours.

Glo32 Teeth Whitening System is an effective stain removal in just 20 minutes. You can double your glow with the advanced whitening system kit, including a 14 Day treatment of advanced whitening strips to lift your smile, and the advanced whitening stilo for on the go whitening. The Glo32 Teeth Whitening System Whitens teeth by gently reducing surface stains and discolouration.

Seams couturiers hand cream with shea butter, rosehip oil & oat beta glucan to mend, moisturise & soften dry, distressed hands.

Our Remedy is an award-winning female-founded brand with a focus on sustainability and self-care. Our Remedy believe in happier periods, finding balance and caring for our planet. Their range is lovingly made in the UK, totally vegan and packaged using eco-friendly materials.

Forever smoothing exfoliator removes dead skin cells to reveal brighter skin and smooth tone and texture. Smoothing Exfoliator uses five powerful and natural ingredients like jojoba beads that work together to provide a rejuvenating cleansing experience.

Take your lashes from lackluster to lush! This amazing Lash Serum was formulated by the world’s leading lash experts to deliver powerful ingredients with shocking results. Just one swipe of this lash-loving serum each night makes your lashes look fuller and thicker in as little as 4 weeks, with maximum results at 8 weeks—all with a nourishing formula that works wonders on natural lashes, while still being perfectly safe for lash extensions.

This high-efficacy ampoule helps lessen the signs of ageing skin, with a high concentration of CellActive Code. It’s a powerful booster for impactful brightening, firming and line-reducing results. Plus, it boosts face and neck elasticity, leaving a radiant complexion. 

Dry skin is something we all suffer from in winter, but the range of SOS Serum skincare is here to save parched holiday skin. Ideal for sensitive skin with soothing, healing and moisturising properties. 

Treat someone special to Arran's signature fragrance with the After the Rain Home Fragrance Gift Set. The set will bring the beautiful aroma of rose, sandalwood and lime to your front home, and the reed diffuser uses essential oils to provide an awakening and enlightening scent to your home, without becoming overpowering. The 8cl travel candles perfectly compliment the delicate aroma, with up to a 12 hour burn time. 

Vegan Bunny Christmas Candle Trio Set include seasonal scents of Spiced Christmas pudding, Zesty and strong Mulled wine and Fresh & Earthy Christmas tree. Each candle is a handcrafted soy wax candle infused with essential oils and an approx burn time of 25hrs.

I am a huge fan of subscription boxes and this is perfect for the man in your life. Get fresh Pants & Socks, whenever they need them. There is a wide range of pants and socks to choose from which caters for all and top brand names too. 

Deciding what to buy for a new Mum and Baby can be tough however there is nothing better than pamper products. Johnsons and Aveeno offer a range of products suitable for both Mum and Baby. 

The Aveeno Baby Mum & Baby Giftset is the perfect skincare bundle for new mums or mums to be.

It includes Daily Moisturising Lotion, Baby Daily Care Hair & Body Wash, Baby Daily Care Moisturising Lotion  and a soft teddy bear comforter.

Johnson’s Bedtime NaturalCalm fragrance is centered around soft floral and powdery notes to help soothe baby before bed. Johnson's understands how special bedtime is to parents and their little ones and want to ensure it’s as calm as possible to create memorable moments, with the help of our known and loved scents along with a soothing bath and massage.

Whether it's a gift for a newborn boy or girl, this 'Really Useful' baby hamper is always popular with new mums. Containing a variety of practical baby gifts to make new parents life just a little bit easier!

The medium hamper box contains

Aden and Anais Musy, muslin square in 'Winnie the Pooh' print.

Wooden rainbow rattle.

Baby Bunting Star print bodysuit - Age 0-3 months.

Baby Bunting Star print hat - Age 0-6 months.

Poo-Pourri Christmas Scents Toilet Sprays are the perfect stocking filler or secret Santa gift and will bring nostalgic festive smells that captures the magic of Winter, and everyone’s favourite holiday season into your home.

GuyLian Belgian chocolate sea shells are sure to deliver you the ultimate chocolate experience. Capture the exquisite taste of original chocolate sea shells. Each carefully crafted with a blend of delicious white, milk or dark Belgian chocolate. Not one of them has exactly the same marbled look as the other one. Each Belgian chocolate is filled with the delicious GuyLian roasted hazelnut pralines.

Bradfords Bakers have a huge range of treats and gifts including this Gingerbread basket. This cute little shopper basket is filled with tempting treats including chocolate covered flavoured fudge squares and traditional gingerbread made with golden syrup and lightly dusted with sweet icing. The basket also includes Bradfords Blackberry Jam, Shortbread and New English Afternoon Tea Bags.

Lost Sheep Coffee gift box tower will make the perfect present for the coffee lover in your life. 30 Nespresso Compatible fully Compostable Capsules in 3 of Lost Sheep Coffee's best selling flavours, all made from Speciality Grade 1 Coffee Beans.

Kikkerland Day of the Dead Corkscrew and 3D Skull shot glasses are a great gift for that someone special. The corkscrew measures 22.2 cm by 8.2 cm by 3.8 cm and the 3D skull shot glasses 4,7cm diameter and 6cm height. 

Mermaid salt vodka at 40% abv is hand-crafted at the isle of wight distillery and shot through with a pinch of locally sourced sea salt, enhancing its smoothness and accentuating its subtle flavour.

Cranes delicious and smooth cranberry and blood orange liqueur is made with the finest cranberries from Wisconsin USA along with blood orange juice and orange rind. Over 115 delicious cranberries go into making one 50cl bottle, creating the perfect rich and smooth liqueur.

    

Michelle

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Helping Your Child Develop their Fine Motor Skills

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Many, if not all, of our day-to-day activities revolve around fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are the skills needed to use the small muscles found in our arms, hands and feet that can only be developed through practice and lots of play. Activities aim to strengthen these muscles and improve coordination to allow children to develop their own independence.

We have teamed up with a pre prep school in Hampshire to share more on helping your child develop their fine motor skills.

Weaving Wool

All this activity involves is a cardboard cut-out and a reel of wool. You will need to tape the end of the wool to the piece of cardboard and get your child to wrap it tightly around the cut-out until it is fully woven and covered. This exercise offers a great way to get your child to exercise their creativity while getting them to practice their holding and gripping skills. For ease, you might want to choose a shape with a hole to make the process of feeding the wool through easier. This could be a circular or heart-shaped hoop.

Create a Post Box

Another option for getting your child to practice holding and gripping is a post box. This is a box with cut-outs for your child to post items through. These items can be bottle tops, balls or beads. You can just as easily turn this into a lesson on shapes by adjusting the shape of the cut-outs and finding objects to fit.

Play Dough 

Some may be fearful of play dough and the potential consequences for their carpet, but it can greatly help children in their development. All the squishing and squashing that’s needed to mould play dough can help your child to develop the essential skills needed to press and pinch. As an activity, you could create playdough versions of each other. This can make for lots of fun and stretch your child’s creativity.

Musical Instruments

One less frightening option that won’t create a whole lot of mess is musical play. Instruments such as the guitar and keyboard require a lot of finger work which will help your child to exercise the muscles in their arms too. This could also be a way of getting your child into the arts by igniting a love for music at a young age.

These are just four ways to help your child develop their fine motor skills. There are so many more and you can make it as fun as you like. The messier the better!

Michelle

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Which Vinyl Flooring is Best for Quality?

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Luxury vinyl flooring can come in a variety of colours and textures, but the one thing that is not different is the overall quality each brand provides to your floor.

 

Many point to the lowest price Amtico flooring as the name brand that is extremely popular in proving not just the best in perfectly replicated looks, but also the safest investment you can make for the home. If having a more durable lifespan than other flooring is not enough, the ease in keeping it in its best possible shape with small maintenance sure adds to its high points.

What is Amtico?

Known as a leading brand in hard plastic flooring, able to perfectly and effortlessly imitate any type of flooring, Amtico has climbed high above many vinyl flooring brands throughout the decades to become the most popular with interior designers.

 

It looks exactly like hardwood or stone flooring, or ceramic or otherwise. It looks so real that anyone visiting the home will be shocked to discover that it is not the real thing. On top of all this, it is the perfect insulator for heat and sound.

 

When it comes to vinyl flooring, the Amtico brand sure covers a lot more than just your floor.

Keeping Real

In comparison to other floorings such as carpet or real hardwood flooring, vinyl planks and tiles present a much easier and quicker way to keep your floor's appearance as good as the day it was freshly unboxed.

 

With a regular sweep of the floor with a household non-brittle brush, you can remove all dirt and dust and dispose of it in no time. Follow this up with a quick vacuum and then mop with warm soapy water or a specialised approved floorcare product so as not to affect the warranty. As little as a few quick mops, a month can keep the floor healthy and looking as it should.

 

Some people will undertake a deep clean to their floor to keep it in the very best appearance and use a recommended floor stripper once or twice a year.  You will need to redress it with flooring dressing and ensure that all dirt and marks from the flooring are gone before layering the LVT.

Eliminate Risk

Ensure everything is more secure by undertaking a few precautionary measures before laying the floor.

 

By using protective felt pads under the feet of furniture you can avoid deep scratch marks and scuffs, especially if you have a heavy sofa and chairs that drag around the floor whilst cleaning. As you may end up buying new furniture, it's wise to make sure that furniture contact areas are wider to spread weight.

Luxury vinyl flooring is an easy flooring solution to keep in great shape for decades. Always discuss with your supplier any special considerations that need to be taken. When you want flooring that offers the best in quality, look to Amtico.

Michelle

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5 Important Life Skills to Explore With Your Child from A Young Age

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Children grow up so quickly and giving them a toolkit of essential life skills can serve them well for when you're not there. We have paired up with a prep school in Buckinghamshire to share 5 important skills to explore with your child from a young age.

Cooking

While you might not be looking forward to the mess in the kitchen, teaching your child how to cook can serve them well when you’re ill or when they go off to university. You don’t need to get all the pots and pans out for this one and can just teach them how to make a sandwich or make their own toast.

First Aid

Children can be very clumsy. Getting cuts and bruises all the time. Showing your child what to do in the event that they injure themselves can teach them how to protect themselves and help others. For this, you can show them where to find the first aid kit and how to use all of its equipment.

Mindfulness

Knowing how to deal with your emotions is a powerful skill to have and can allow your child to live a healthier and more fulfilled life. As your child grows up, they will face different challenges and knowing how to deal with anxiety can help them to increase their focus and see a clear path ahead. This can help them in their education, work-life and personal life by allowing them to identify how they’re feeling and use calming techniques. There are many mindfulness techniques out there that can help them to be brought back to the present.

Organisation

This is an important skill that can help when working through tasks in the workplace or when completing schoolwork. Without having the knowledge and skill to organise, it can be hard to create a plan to move forwards and tackle a problem. Teach your child good organisation, get them to do chores from an early age whether it be making their bed or folding the laundry.

Problem-Solving

It would be unusual for your child not to find themselves in a predicament. Life is full of so many challenges and knowing how to tackle them is a valuable skill. It starts with identifying a problem, brainstorming to think of solutions and brainstorming again to identify their strengths and weaknesses. It’s a process that involves looking at problems from all angles and is something that you can practice with your child by regularly asking questions.

Michelle

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How Do My Child's Lifestyle Choices Affect Their Education?

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Take care of your body and it will take care of you. Your child is no different and all of their lifestyle choices will inadvertently impact their health, energy levels and their education. We have teamed up with a prep school in Bristol to share more on the effects that they can have on your child’s education and the changes that you can make to their daily routine.

A Poor Diet 

A poor diet can be detrimental to your child’s health with obesity causing 13 different types of cancer. In the short term, indulging in sugary snacks and beverages can be just as bad by creating a sugar high that is then shortly followed by a ‘crash’. This can impair your child’s concentration in school while making them feel tired and drained of energy. It's not all doom and gloom. A healthy balanced diet can help your child to maintain healthy insulin levels, stay focused and remain energised throughout the day.

Exercise 

We all know how beneficial exercise is for our health in helping us to maintain a healthy weight but there are some surprising facts that you might not be aware of. For example, did you know that exercise can help to improve concentration and promote sharper thinking? Research shows that cardiovascular exercise can actually increase the size of the brain’s hippocampus to improve brain function and memory. It can also make for a happier and healthier life as exercise releases endorphins. To ensure that your child is getting enough exercise, try walking to school 1 or 2 days a week or enrol your child in an after-school sports club.

Bedtime Routine

The older we get, the more this becomes apparent. Sleep recharges the body's batteries and allows us to perform at our best. On the other hand, a lack of it can lead us to be irritable with psychologists concluding to a heightened threat system. This can impact your child’s behaviour at school and make concentration harder as they have less energy. To help your child perform at their best in school, implement a bedtime routine where devices are all switched off half an hour before bed.

Mindfulness

A crazy fact that you probably didn’t know is that optimism can help you to live longer. By challenging negative thoughts and carrying out mindfulness, you can help your child to be more optimistic about their future. This can help them to achieve better grades and get more from life.

Michelle

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How To Raise A Respectful Child

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To socialise and connect with others, knowing how to be respectful is important. It can prevent miscommunication, help to make a good first impression and be a good member of society. We have teamed up with a boys pre prep school in London to share tips on how to raise a respectful child.

Open-Mindedness and Respecting The Beliefs Of Others

There are over 8 billion of us living on the planet. All different and unique in their own way. Teaching open-mindedness can help your child to grow up to be a respectful citizen, allowing them to connect and learn from others around the world. This is even more so important with globalisation making the world a much smaller place. This encompasses not only religious and cultural beliefs but personal beliefs too surrounding issues such as identity.

Manners

Using your manners in front of your child and reminding them to do the same can help it become second nature to them. This isn’t just ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘excuse me’. You can teach your child etiquette too. 

Understanding Emotions

An emotionally intelligent child knows how to interact with others respectfully without hurting their feelings. By teaching children what the different emotions are and when they may be felt, they are able to behave appropriately in social situations. To teach this to your child, you can use flashcards with facial expressions and what they mean. 

Exercise Empathy

Without knowing how to be empathetic, emotional intelligence can be rendered useless. It can be hard to teach a child all the societal norms of what is acceptable and unacceptable which is where teaching empathy can help. By placing themselves in the shoes of others, your child can make their own judgements about what is appropriate and inappropriate.

Be Kind To Your Child

It’s contradictory to expect respect from your child and not do the same in return. To teach your child respect you must start with how you treat them. Be considerate and open to what they have to say. Being anything other than respectful to your child can teach them that behaving in this way is okay.

Managing Emotions

As humans, we are not cruel because we want to be. Often there is an underlying emotion that’s brought it out. This could be anger or hurt and whatever it is can be managed. By getting your child to use their knowledge of emotions, get them to label how they feel and ask themselves why. This will help them to identify what is wrong and create a logical solution for tackling it.

Michelle

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Disneyland Paris At Christmas - Ten Things I Missed in 2020

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This time last year Disneyland Paris announced they were to remain closed over the Christmas period. When I read Disney's announcement of the closure it brought tears to my eyes as this time of year is usually when we are preparing to head to Paris for a Disney break and it's sad that last year we couldn't go. Disneyland Paris at Christmas time has become a little bit of a tradition and I then got more upset thinking of all the things I will miss because we were unable to go. 

Watching Big and Little J's face when we tell them we are going to Disney that night

John and I are very good at keeping secrets and we manage to make it right up till before the journey to the airport before we tell the boys we are going. We usually get an early evening flight so we always have the suitcases packed and in the car, pick them up from school for a quick change of clothes and head to the airport. Their faces are priceless even though we usually go every year they never know when so are always surprised. 

Arriving At The Hotel

Again we usually keep the hotel a secret until we are almost there. We have stayed in all the hotels over the years and I love watching them guess which one we are staying in based on little clues we give them. I love walking through the hotel doors knowing we all wake up in Disney the next day.

Walking down Main Street from the Christmas tree to the Castle. 

The Tree and Castle take my breath away every year. Seeing the tree as you enter the Disneyland Park never gets old, it's my favourite. I love walking down Main Street with the castle in the distance, Christmas decorations all around and the Christmas songs playing. It's just the best feeling ever. 

Planning Our Days

Christmas time at Disneyland Paris is fairly quiet compared to other times of the year so we usually head there for 3 full days and that is more than enough time to do everything we want to. I don't usually plan the days beforehand however we usually spend a day in each park and then do half a day in each park on the last day. I love watching little J as he gets out the park maps and starts planning where we are heading to first and what rides to go on. 

Our Little Thrillseeker

Although he is only eight little J has been riding some of the bigger rides in theme parks for a few years now as he is very tall for his age so is over the minimum height required. Every year he chooses a new ride and is more than happy to push himself out of his comfort zone. Although a family ride his first thrill coaster at Disneyland Paris was Big Thunder Mountain, then he moved on to Crushes Coaster and last year it was RC. I think last year he would have chose Indiana Jones Coaster or Tower of Terror. 

Big Thunder Mountain In The Dark

This has been one of our favourite things to do at Disneyland Paris for as long as I can remember. There comes a time in the late evening where Frontierland goes completely quiet. Big Thunder has almost no queue so we keep going round and round riding again and again and it's just one of those small things that we do and it makes us happy.

Meeting the Characters in their Christmas clothes

Like all the other seasons the Characters dress in their best for the Christmas season and we love meeting Christmas Winnie, Christmas Stitch and a personal favourite Christmas Jack Skellington. Again the queues are always pretty quiet so we never have a problem meeting them and I find they spend lots of time with the boys than they do at other times in the year. 

Choosing A Christmas Decoration

Our Christmas tree is filled with Disneyland Paris decorations that we have bought over the years. Some have the year on, others don't. It will be really sad not adding a Disneyland Paris Christmas decoration to the tree this year. 

Watching The Tree Lighting Ceremony

Every evening Mickey and Friends gather at the bottom of the huge Christmas tree and put on a show for everyone which ends in the whole of Main Street going dark whilst we then watch the tree light up as Christmas carols play in the background

Spending Time Together

Although over the past two years we have spent more time together as a family than usual it is always nice to spend quality time together especially on holiday away from screens and distractions. It's nice to chat, laugh and watch the boys enjoy the magic of Disney together.

Disneyland Paris is so magical especially at Christmas time and there are so many more things that I missed last year but I know it's was best to stay safe. This year we are hoping to visit at Christmas time for the first time in two years and I cannot 

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Michelle

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