Finley Doodles: Giggle Extraordinaire

You know those little babies on the TV ads where they're giggling so much they make your heart melt?

Well, ladies and gents....  49 seconds of utter joy, guaranteed to put a smile on your face... I give you Finley Doodles: Giggle Extraordinaire!!



You smiled yet?
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Win £50 to spend on Toxic Fox this Mother's Day!

Mother's Day is a'coming. Oooooh what to buy? Ooooh what to receive?! 

I'll be treating my Mum to something special as she has shown strength like nothing else these past few months, I'm really, really,  proud of her - if it's even possible to be any more proud than usual of my superhero Mum!

Well, having reviewed and commended Toxic Fox's gifts on several occasions, I have no doubt that they can produce the goods yet again for all of those other superhero Mums out there. What's more is they have a giveaway where 4 lucky duckys will win a £50 voucher to spend on their website!


Details.
There are 4 chances to win a £50 voucher to spend on toxicfox.co.uks’ Mother’s day collection – one per social network (Google+, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest).

To enter all you need to do is go to http://www.toxicfox.co.uk/gifts-occasion/mothers-day-gifts and browse around the fabulous Mother’s Day Gifts and Ideas. Pick your favourite one and share it on your social channel of choice using the hashtag #toxicfox to ensure toxicfox.co.uk can see your entry.

Nitty Gritty.
Start date: 18th Feb
End date: 1st March
Winners Announced: 2nd March
For full terms and conditions please visit http://www.toxicfox.co.uk/terms-and-conditions

I can't wait to get nosing now... good luck everyone!

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Schools and 'Lost Property'

I got sick to the back teeth of the number of jumpers Carson was losing at school (I'm talking double figures between Sept and October half term - honest to goodness, I was raging!!) that one day I went straight to the main office at the end of the day and demanded I look in lost property myself for them because they can't just 'vanish'.

In the case of me searching for Carson's stuff, they weren't there. Not one single jumper that belonged to him. Well, his lost clothing did have his name in so I guess it's no wonder they weren't there, right?

Well, what appalled and shocked me MORE than not finding his entire wardrobe conveniently sat there washed, ironed and folded was that around half of the great big wooden chest, stuffed with hardly worn items varying from polo tops and coats (that look like they cost a fair bit of dollar by the way), to a school shoe (who loses a single shoe?) actually had names in. 

Surely when they're in lost property it's because they CANNOT trace locate the owner? 

Now, Carson's school has a yard sale at the end of term with the lost property. Anything not claimed is laid out on the ground and available to buy if you fancy a little bargain. 

Having never been to or bought anything from these yard sales, I can't say whether the labels are still in tact when available to buy but how convenient that not a lot of items are claimed? (ahem, #moneyspinner much?) 

Like I said earlier in this post, if your child's items have names stitched/ironed/written in then you wouldn't expect it to wind up in lost property would you? It's not lost, it j ust needs returning to the classroom it was found in!  I guess what I'm saying is go take a look - just in case!

Why teachers can't say to their classes at the end of the day "Do you have what you came in with?" I just don't know. I can't afford 8-10 jumpers every half term, even George's £4-a-pop ones. That's 40 quid every 6 weeks! I'm debating on having a uniform surgically attached this next term. Wonder how much that would be...

In all seriousness though - have you had much of a loss this school year so far? How do you find the "lost property" these days?
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Have you applied for Flexible Working?


When Carson was 3 years old, I applied for flexible working as the cost of nursery was just far outweighing my wage, travel and time taken out of the day. I was lucky if I saw my baby awake for 20 mins a day and it was having a profound affect on my ability to enjoy life as a mum, wife or an individual. We just had to do something about it.

This time round, with Finley, it was my hubby who applied for flexible working under his right to do so as a parent. The process was quick, simple and successful and now means that we don't have to use a nursery to raise Finley whilst we both work our socks off to pay for the 'privilege'.

GoToMeeting (www.gotomeeting.co.uk) have recently released an infographic relating to Flexible Working in order to enlighten parents who may never have thought about it before.







Flexible working is there for the benefit of both employers wishing to gain the best potential out of their workers and parents wishing to strike that (almost!) perfect work/life balance. Don't be afraid to enquire - you're well within your right to do so!

Have you had any experience of flexible working? If so, how did you find it?


A collaboration with GoToMeeting

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Valentines Gift Ideas with The Works #WIN

I dedicated an entire crafty post at Christmas-time to The Works thanks to their innovative and incredibly cost effective ideas. 

Well, just because Christmas has been and gone, it doesn't mean that Valentine's season is any different. Yes, there is lots of inspiration over on their site for Valentine's Day this year and I've picked out my faves...


I've been having the best time over the past week filling in this "It's All About You" book ready to gift to my husband. It's a 110 page hardback book with pre-printed pages revolving around things like 'our first date' and your partner's 'firsts'. 

I tell you what, it's made me realise how much I do know about him, and also throws up things I didn't know, or didn't even think to ask. This will spark brand new conversation between us - even after having been together for 8 years! 


What a fantastic idea it is, and at only £2 you just cannot go wrong. You couldn't make your own at a more cost effective price, nor would you think of so many different 'chapters' - trust me, there's so much you've probably never even talked about. Awww, imagine the grandchildren in years to come getting to read this? GET ONE!!

If you have your very own Superhero-mad  Man Of Steel at home, the Superman book to accompany the movie is spot on. A very heavy hardback book, measuring a mighty 28.5 x 24 x 2.2cm, usually retails at £29.99 is now only £6.99.


If it's not up your partner's street, why not put one aside for a loved one at Christmas whilst you can at such a good price?

For the inked up lover, why not present them with a collectable item that can also produce endless hours of fun and games? This Tattoo Playing Card Game Set is £4.99 and comes complete with 2 packs of cards, 5 dice and a card game book, nicely contained in a presentation tin for safe keeping and show-off-ability!


I love the colourful design that runs through the contents and it doesn't look cheap. It's just perfect for male or female recipients and for any occasion whatsoever. 

Valentine's Day neeeeeeds Love Hearts. Pick up this cute, limited edition, heart shaped tin bursting with mini yumminess for just £1.99! Keep the tin thereafter for love notes and other such smush!


If you're anything like me, I like to opt for useful and humorous gifts when it comes to the hubby. I laughed my socks off when I saw that The Works sell a mini handheld drill. We don't own any power tools and that's the excuse I always get when it comes to something being done - pictures mounted on the wall etc.


Well I'm sure he would just love this - how handy, hey?! Only £4.99 this is a genuinely practical as well as a sincerely thoughtful gift for your loved one this Valentine's Day.

Reflexology is one of those therapies that I would love to master. There is nothing like a good massage and what better idea than to learn how to do it for your loved one? 


This brilliant boxed gift set comprises a hardback book for beginners and an 80 minute DVD to boot. Incredibly, you can pick this up for less than a fiver at The Works. Perhaps you could make a night of it and learn together? N'awww, romantic!

I adore storage solutions (am I sad?), so this next beautifully stunning piece is exactly what I would choose for my own dressing table, as I'm sure many other's would wish for too. That's why it's in my faves list as a gift idea... 



A wooden decorative box with 6 compartments to store your trinkets and treasures in securely with the addition of the metal clasp. It's versatile in that it can sit as pictured above, or stand as pictured below (with some nail varnishes in as an example)

This box is only £4.99 as a single or you can buy a set of 2 for £7.99. 

Dating Slick Rick or Dapper Dave? How about opting for something pretty swish like this stainless steel decorative hip flask complete with a 64 page book where you can discover the history of whisky, how it's made and where to find the best whiskies.


There is also an extensive guide to well-known whiskies and some less common brands to expand your taste horizons. At only £4.99, it's a pocket money purchase that packs a 'whisky-based' punch!

We all know that 50 Shades of Grey is about to explode onto our screens (crikey! no pun intended!) so pick up the trilogy to get an idea before you go to see it in the cinema surrounded by strangers... it could be a little, um, awkward if you don't know what you're walking in to! 

The rrp is £23.97 but The Works have it on offer for just £12.99 right now so be quick, QUICK.

I've teamed up with the lovely guys over at The Works to give away one such trilogy to one of you lucky devils. Just enter via the rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Toxic Fox Valentines Gift Ideas for Men

Do you go for something serious or something smushy where a partner is concerned? For me, personally, it's my hubby that does the romantic stuff - not me. That's not to say that I don't want to, he just doesn't particularly care for it when aimed at him. I like to opt for things of a useful nature, or humorous. Nowt like a smile (or having a household chore completed thanks to my gift!)

Toxic Fox have some unusual ideas for someone like me to buy for someone like my hubby. They kindly sent a couple for me to take a look at and share my honest opinion with you all.

First up... The Ultimate MAN Bowl. Genuinely, made me LOL. It's right up my hub's street, this.


A truly huge 'dog bowl' just for the greedy guzzling love of your life. (Bizarrely, it's Bran Flakes my hubby can't get enough of!) A nice cuboid box - easy to wrap, and large - impressive... Seriously, this thing is mahoosive, hide the ice cream!

Retailing at £14.99, the bowl itself is quality ceramic, both dishwasher and microwave safe. Not a cheap and naff 'joke', but something actually worth your money.

I personally love the lip around the edge, it catches those annoying drips of soup and such that I normally have to scrub off of his shirt.

If a bowl's not really your idea of love and stuff, how about this Hot Stuff Heat Changing Mug?


A cheeky bargain at just £7.99 and comes in a box so, yet again, no awkward wrapping this year! An inconspicuous black mug, that suddenly reveals what you really think of them - but only once they've brewed up... (Coffee please!)

These 2 are the kind of things that I'd opt for for my hubster. It's just who we are - silly! What kind of couple are you?

You see, Toxic Fox don't just list what they have available, they sort it into categories that you can easily identify with such as Crazy, Romantic, Rude, Bunny Boilers (HA!), Unusual, Personalised and Cheeky. Why not take a look HERE and see what category you fall into?!

To make things even better, I've teamed up with Toxic Fox to give you a 10% discount (valid 'til 15/02 on all of the valentines categories except the 3-4-2), by using the voucher code: TFLove
Let me know what category you fall into, and what you're planning on buying your loved one this year?

Much Love xxx

 I was sent the above pictured items FOC for purpose of review 
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