CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE FOR MUMS

With Christmas only a month away (eeek, I'm so not organised!), you may be struggling with ideas for the important ladies in your life. I've put together a few things which I think any Mum would love...

1. Yankee Candle - Christmas Cookie (£11.99) - I LOVE Yankee Candles and there's nothing better than a home smelling of your favourite scents. The Christmas editions are all lovely but my current favourite is the Christmas Cookie one - husband if you're reading this, this is a hint!
2. AM/PM Yoga for Beginners; Roxy Shahidi (£12.99)* - You may recognise Roxy from Emmerdale but you may not know that she is a certified yoga instructor too! Beat the post-Christmas rush of fitness DVDs and pop one of these in your mum's stocking, she may thank you after over-indulging in mince pies ;)
3. 3D Polar Bear Mug - John Lewis (£5) - John Lewis always have a great selection of Christmas gifts and this cute little polar bear caught my eye. Just imagine him filled with steaming hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows ...mmmm!
4 & 5. Avon Body Butter and Lani Necklace (£5 & £15) * - Avon have some brilliant gifts this Christmas and you will be spoilt for choice for ideas for your Mum. I love this body butter, it feels really luxurious but you know with Avon that you are getting great value!
6. BIC® Conte Colouring Pencils (£5.99) *- Adult colouring seems to have taken the world by storm - apparently it can help destress you after a busy day! These colouring pencils from BIC® can help you colour your worries away. For more info, check out @mybicpen on Twitter
7. Accessorize Snowflake Scarf (£35) - You can't go wrong with a snuggly scarf as a gift and this one from Accessorize is perfect for the festive season!
8. Olverum Bath Oil (From £23.50) * - Olverum Bath Oil is a unique blend of 10 essential oils and has been described as "bath nirvana".  Not only does it sooth tired muscles, it relieves stress and helps you achieve a great night's sleep. I'm usually one for showers but I will definitely be making time for more baths after trying out the oil for myself - I went to bed feeling thorough de-stressed and relaxed!
9. Photobox Personalised Calender (From £22) * - A personalised calender makes such a great gift and it's something I've given to my Mum for the past few Christmas'. Photobox have some brilliant gift ideas and the photobooks would also make a great Christmas present for Mum. The mobile version of the website and the apps are really handy for creating personalised gifts, I'm guessing most of us have lots of photos on our phones! (App available from App Store, Google Play and Amazon)
10. Bakedin Baking Club (From £4.99) * - For something a bit different, Bakedin have launched the Baking Club which is a monthly subscription service supplying everything you need to bake delicious cakes from scratch at home. I love eating cake but my baking skills aren't amazing so this kit is perfect for someone like me! The Baking Club costs £4.99 for the first month and £9.99 per month thereafter but gift packages are available starting at £29.99 which makes it an idea Christmas present.

I hope that's given you some good ideas. 

Are you organised with your Christmas shopping this year?!

*Disclaimer - some of the items were provided to me for the purpose of this gift guide

Hotter Loves Mums!

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting my local Hotter store in Bournemouth for a special #HotterLovesMums event - and I got to take my Mum along too!

You may remember I blogged about Hotter shoes last year (see here) and I became the proud owner of the Pixie boots. The boots have been firm favourites in my winter wardrobe and I couldn't wait to see what Hotter had to offer in the SS15 collection. 

What I love about Hotter is that the shoes are just SO comfortable! You know when you buy a pair of heels and you get those gel pads to stick in so they don't hurt as much after a night out? Well Hotter heels include special Pyramid Technology which adds soft cushioning to every step - no more sticky gel pads needed! 

My Mum was a newcomer to Hotter and I think she was pleasantly surprised how much choice there was and how well made the shoes were. She tried on a few different pairs but eventually decided to go for a pair of Sorbet Shoes, velvety loafers in light taupe. Well...that was until she spotted the Shipley! The Shipley is a stylish, slip-on kiltie and mum chose this style in tan. She can't wait for the warm weather to arrive so she can wear them with cropped jeans! 

As somebody with big wide feet, shoe shopping is sometimes a chore but Hotter offer so many of their styles in extra wide fitting so I was spoilt for choice really. I love a bit of a nautical and one of the new styles for this season was the Kate, a stylish boat shoe which came in 5 different colours. Unfortunately they didn't have my size in stock but I will definitely be popping back to try these on!

After much deliberation (practical or pretty!) I chose a pair of Mist shoes,a stylish waterproof walking boot which isn't the sexiest of shoes but something I've needed for a while now! My husband always tells me off at weekends when we go for walks and I wear inappropriate footwear (his words, not mine!) so now I'll be able to walk through mud and not worry about losing a trainer ;) 

Whilst Hotter prices are not for everyone's budget, you really do get a quality product and the customer service you will receive is first class. My mum is now a convert and says she won't hesitate to return when she is looking for shoes for a special occasion! 

 Disclaimer: Mum and I received a free pair of shoes for the purpose of this honest review. All views are my own

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing all the mums out there a Happy Mother's Day - hope you've had a lovely day! I would love to say I had a long lie in and breakfast in bed but sadly I got woken up at the crack of dawn by Elliot shouting "Mum! Dad! Done a poo!"...sigh!!!! By the time I'd dealt with that I felt wide awake so we left Daddy snoozing in bed whilst we watched Cbeebies. So one of us had a lie in at least!

I was very spoilt though - Elliot (and Daddy) got me a lovely bunch of flowers and a pot plant and apparently Elliot picked the card out himself!

We spent the afternoon at my parent's and it's always lovely to spend time with the whole family. Mum made two giant cottage pies (one meaty and one veggie!) and we were all stuffed by the time dinner was over. My mum does a brilliant job of feeding us all - it can't be easy with 2 vegans, 1 vegetarian, 1 who doesn't like vegetables, and the rest of us meat eaters doing Weight Watchers!

So Happy Mother's Day to my Mum who does so much for us and is always on hand to look after Elliot. And here's a picture of us looking much younger ;)

Did you get spolit by your children today?!