Bringing the hobby horse up-to-date

Get this latest accessory for you Mini Micro from www.micro-scooters.co.uk.

Ketchup With Everything

My boys would have tomato ketchup with everthing if I let them - am very tempted to get this top currently 15% off at Mini Boden.

Visit www.boden.co.uk.

Win 1 of 5 £50 vouchers for JoJo Maman Bébé

Dell'Ugo are passionate about making the best fresh pasta they possibly can - but they also recognise that there’s more to life than great pasta. That’s why they love giving their customers the opportunity to share in other brands which are just as passionate about what they do as they are.

They have teamed up with Nappy Valley to offer 5 lucky mums the chance to win 1 of 5 £50 vouchers to spend at JoJo Maman Bébé.  

To enter the competition click here.

JoJo’s unique combinations of design and practicality show that they really understand what being a mum is like.  These buoyancy jackets are great for giving little ones confidence in the pool. They are currently reduced from £25 to £18 in JoJo's fabulous Summer Sale. To see more sale items with up to 60% off click here.

Feather Down Farms

We have just returned from a long weekend at Midgham Farm, a Featherdown Farm in the New Forest. Despite the cold and the ever-present threat of rain, I couldn't recommend this type of holiday enough. We were two families with six boys under 7 between us and I think we found boy heaven!

Situated in an idyllic bluebell wood, surrounded by small streams, the boys spent endless hours den-making, engaging in pretend army battles and jumping in mud!

The farm owners were fabulous hosts, taking us on a tour of the farm and introducing us to all the animals. The children fed the pigs, patted the alpacas, groomed the horses and gave bottles to the newborn lambs. A particualar highlight for the little ones was visiting the chickens every morning to collect freshly-laid eggs for breakfast.

The ample canvas tents were very well designed with lots of interesting touches; a cupboard with peep holes for little ones to sleep in, antique crates for shelving and a wall-mounted coffee grinder. The gorgeous enamel cooking pots and utensils I would have loved to have in my own kitchen and proper beds with thick duvets allowed for a proper nights sleep. The wood burner in the centre of the tent was easy to light and fun to cook on although a constant hazard for our toddler.

At the end of each day we all enjoyed the simple pleasure of collecting wood and building the camp fire.  Evenings were spent with relaxed converstations with other campers around the fire, glass of wine in hand.

Featherdown is expensive for "camping" but it does feel exclusive (there are only 5-8 tents per site), you do really get the farm experience and not having the hassle of bring you own stuff is a huge help. It works really well if you are a few families wanting to holiday together. The sites give children the freedom to run off and play together but also allow the adults a bit of privacy and time together in the evenings safe in the knowledge that the kids are sleeping only a stone's throw away.

For more information or to book visit: www.featherdown.co.uk

Cheeky Monkey

It started with a Jellycat soft toy given at birth, that led to my little boy's monkey obsession. Now I am always on the lookout for kids stuff with a tasteful monkey theme. I couldn't resist this gorgeous applique bedlinen from Feather & Black. This duvet and pillow set is of a lovely quality, a cut-above other children's bedlinen on the highstreet and well priced at £28 for the set.

For an extra 10% off this weekend plus free delivery, visit www.featherandblack.com and enter code: MAYDAY12 at the checkout.

Swoop Bags

Ever since my boys got into Lego I have been looking for a product like this. These fabulous toy bags will make "tidy up time' a pleasure not a chore!

The bags are made in the USA by Swoop who will ship to the UK for $12 a bag.

Useful Buggy Bag

After the hole in my Maclaren shopping basket got too big for the bag to be useful anymore, I was delighted to discover this fab net stroller bag from Minene. It comes in a fab range of bright colours and is just the right size for fitting in all your little ones essentials for a trip to the park. I particularly love the internal pocket which keeps my son's drink bottle secure and upright.


The Minene Stroller Net Bag is available from www.play.com priced £11.90.

Stamptastic

With two little boys now at school, I am always looking for ways to cut-down on all the labels to sew on schoolwear. Having never really got on with iron-on labels, I was delighted to discover these fantastic stamps that print on fabric, wood, plastic - pretty much anything you need to label. So with a new term approaching I got to work trying them out. I found the stamps very easy and quick to use and found that they stamped much better on some materials than others. They were perfect for quick fixes for PE tops and polo shirts, but where they were really useful is on 'difficult to label things' like rubber diving sticks and swimming hats! After several washes the stamps on the PE tops and polo shirts have faded slightly, but who minds when it is only take seconds to stamp again.

A personalised stamp with ink pad costs from £16.99. For more information visit www.stamptastic.co.uk

New Year Toy Clearout

 

Our house is overrun with lego. My boys love it but it gets everywhere and is so painful when you tread on it. I really don't think we need 6 tubs. Just hope they don't notice when I have a bit of a clearout!

Classic toys such as Lego, Brio, Duplo and Playmobil always sell well secondhand on Nappy Valley.

To view all toys for sale on Nappy Valley click here.