Snot - The toy no one wanted. Now available at Smyths Toys #picksnot

Have you seen the new Smyths Toys Christmas Ad? It tells a sweet story about Snot - the toy no one wanted, narrated by much-loved children's author, David Walliams.

One dark, stormy night a toy was created in error and thrown out with the rejects, not to be deterred, this little green blob set out to find a place to call home, but just as he found Smyths Toys Superstore, he encountered a huge 50ft monster and with his bravery (and stickiness!) he saved the day! This was witnessed by all the toys in the toy shop and he was hailed a hero!

If you've not watched the ad for yourself you can watch it below:



Now we had a very special package delivered yesterday, which my six-year-old was delighted to open to find her very own Snot cuddly toy! She absolutely loved the advert and we've already downloaded and read the story together.

Elizabeth #pickedsnot and thinks you should too! #picksnot Have you seen the new @smythstoys Christmas Ad? The unlikely hero saves the day! You can buy the story book and plush toy in Smyths Toys Superstore now and proceeds go to @gosh.charity #ad

A post shared by Jen Dixon (@mymummyspennies) on Oct 16, 2017 at 12:04pm PDT

It's not just a heartwarming story though, the #picksnot campaign is donating all profits to the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity to support their work helping seriously ill children, so why not pop to your nearest Smyths Toys Superstore and give your children the chance to pick Snot today?

All for a good cause and just £9.99 for the plush and the book.

Find out more, play an online Snot game and download the story on the Smyths website.

This is a collaborative post.

Win a Pudsey and Friends DVD this Children in Need

Today my children have gone to school dressed in spotty clothing and head boppers ready to donate to Children In Need Appeal. This charity campaign has always been close to my heart, even more so since I went in to labour six years ago and all of the staff on the maternity ward were dressed up and raising money for this fantastic charity.

This year, the stars of CBeebies have joined forces with Pudsey Bear in a one-off collection of favourite episodes. 

 The nation’s favourite bear Pudsey is bringing you a very special DVD compilation featuring 15 episodes from CBeebies’ best loved shows, providing over 3 hours of top entertainment in Pudsey and Friends, released by Abbey Home Media, raising valuable funds for this year’s 
BBC Children in Need appeal. 

For the very first time BBC’s Children in Need, and Abbey Home Media are bringing together all your favourite CBeebies shows on DVD to help disadvantaged children and young people throughout the UK. You can purchase the DVD for just £5 and a minimum of £2 from the sale of every  one will go towards helping children and young people across the UK have a safe, happy and secure childhood and the chance to reach their potential. This donation has been made possible through the generosity of the many companies and individuals involved who have either contributed their shows or services to this unique project with no charge.

This very special DVD compilation is a great way of entertaining young children with its familiar, well-loved characters and diverse range of fun and engaging programming whilst also helping raise funds for a fantastic cause. 

The collection features the following episodes:-

Twirlywoos – Turning; Peter Rabbit – The Tale of Old Rusty; Something Special – Fishing; Bing – Hearts; Teletubbies – New; In The Night Garden -. Cough
Charlie & Lola – I Can Train Your Dog; Timmy Time – Timmy’s Picnic; Sarah and Duck – Sarah, Duck and The Penguins; Chugginton Trainee Camp -The Furchester Hotel – Peckity Woodpecker; Octonauts – Porcupine Puffer; Cloudbabies – Rainbows Orchestra; Q Pootle 5 - Pootle’s New Spaceship.

This very special DVD compilation is a great way of entertaining young children with its familiar well-loved characters and diverse range of fun and engaging programming whilst also helping raise funds for a fantastic cause.

The lovely folks at Abby Media have given me a copy to give away to one of my readers! Just pop over to twitter, follow @mymummyspennies and retweet for your chance to win...

                                             

#RT & Follow to #Win this Children in Need Pudsey and Friends DVD from @abbykids #CiN E:20/11 #FreebieFriday UK only https://t.co/lSr7bda4At pic.twitter.com/HSfoovQhSq

— Mymummyspennies (@Mymummyspennies) November 18, 2016

Don't Wish Me Happy Birthday... #SaveSyriasChildren

Today is my birthday. as I turn 31 I'm not thinking about presents and cake, I'm re-running images in my head, images I've seen across the news and social media over the past days and weeks. Images that I want to get rid of but I know I have to continue to see. I have to re-live them over and over again because I need to know this is real. I need to be reminded that these are not far away 'migrants' or 'refugees' these are children, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters.

If I'm honest with myself it's more than days and weeks. I've seen reports of Syrian refugees dying at sea for much longer than that. I've heard of children drowning en masse, of boats capsizing and being refused entry to countries for many months, but I've closed my eyes to it, I've closed them and looked only at my family, my safe healthy children who were fortunate enough to be born in a country that's not being torn apart by civil war. A country where they have the opportunity of education, of a future, of fulfilling their potential.

My eyes are now wide open. They see the lifeless body of a young boy lying on the beach. They see the photographs of his parents who felt that they had no choice but to pack their children into small, unsafe boats and trust their lives to the dark and dangerous sea. Who saw no other way to give their children a future they deserved.

As much as I'm looking forward to spending the day with my family, my thoughts will be with other families. Those who are in such a situation where even after recent events will still feel that their only way to escape terror is to take to sea with their children. More lives will be lost. There will be more images of of dead bodies washing up on beaches. We cannot stop that straight away, but we can help. 

We can help by donating to charities that are providing help around the world, both to those still battling civil war in Syria and those living both in and out of refugee camps in Calais and other places. 

Some fellow bloggers have used images of their children to portray how close to home this crisis really is. You can watch the video below and if you can spare £5 please donate to Save The Children’s emergency relief fund by texting the word SYRIA to 70008. See terms and conditions. You can also donate on the website here.






There are other things you can do if you don't have cash to donate, Donate old clothes, time or other essentials that you don't need any more. Read these 5 practical ways you can help from The Independent.

Ten Ways to Spend Less this Christmas

I love Christmas, I love the preparations, the excitement, the food and unlike some I actually love the shopping! I take a great amount of joy in finding the best deals on toys for the children, finding unique and special gifts for friends and family and managing to source a couple of surprises for my lovely husband. One thing I don't like though is worrying that i'm spending too much. As you will know, however carefully we budget and plan, things always creep up on us and this year we have had to replace two large appliances and have some work done on the car in the last month so things have been even tighter than usual. That is why I've been looking around for some tips to enjoy a big festive celebration this year while spending a little less than I usually would. I've brought together ten of the best ways I found to spend less this Christmas with some fabulous inspiration from other bloggers:

Make Your Own Festive Decorations

Christmas decorations are lovely but they are sometimes quite expensive! Why not put an afternoon aside to get crafty and make your own? We made our own Christmas Crackers and a Paper Wreath last year. Red Rose Mummy Recycled an old lightbulb to make this cute Robin. Zing Zing Tree has a great guide to making 3D Snowflake decorations and Over 40 and Mum to One shows us how she makes other Festive Papercrafts.

Give Handmade Gifts:

Last year the whole family got involved in making gifts for teachers and nursery staff and these Gingerbread cookies were very well received! Hand made gifts from the children are lovely and always take pride of place on the grandparent's mantlepiece or dresser but us 'grown ups' can make gifts too! Blue Bear Wood makes a Pampering Beauty Hamper with Bath Soak and Lip Balm. The Brick Castle shows us how to make some delicious sounding home made Fudge.

Buy Secondhand

For me giving gifts isn't about buying the latest gadget or must have toy. It's about making somebody smile knowing that I have spent time thinking about what they want or like doing. Sometimes I have found the best gifts second hand searching on ebay or even scouring around charity shops or carboot sales. It's also worth remembering that when you buy your gifts from a charity shop you are giving twice, once to your friend or family member and secondly to the charity that is helping to fund research or provide care for the needy. Me and My Shadow took part in a Charity Shop Challange and found some great gifts from charity shops.

Enter Competitions

I've always said that entering competitions is a great way to get a few extra gifts that you wouldn't usually be able to afford at Christmas. As it happens my eldests' main present this year is a LEGO Movie set that we won a few months ago. He will be delighted with it! On the run up to Christmas there are lots of competitions running at the moment that just take a minute or two to enter, from stocking fillers to some rather exiting prizes! You can take a look at Mymummyspennies Giveaways here and pop over to Superlucky for a great selection of competitions hosted on other blogs. Many toy brands are also running fantastic 12 Days of Christmas Promotions over on facebook, I've been entering a few including the one from Toys R Us that has some amazing prizes!

Bake it Yourself

As I've been doing my grocery shopping over the last few weeks I have spotted more and more gorgeous looking treats from Christmas cakes to festive biscuits and chocolates. As easy as it is to pop a box in your trolley it all adds up. Why not raid the baking supplies in your kitchen cupboards and see what you can throw together yourself? If you need some inspiration take a look at these Stained Glass Window Cookies from ET Speaks from Home or these Christmas Cupcakes from CasaCostello

Regift

Sometimes you get the perfect gifts and other times people just get it wrong. They have good intentions but the end result is that despite ranting regulary on how much you hate the colour pink you unwrap that beautiful packaged gift on December the 25th to find the handbag you'd been wishing for... in hot pink. Or a lovely pair of fluffy slippers two sizes too small. Or it could be that people get it so right that you end up with a fabulous Cath Kidston Ipad case... twice. If you have a gift receipt then fantastic, you usually have until mid January to exchange but if not then it's likely that these unwanted gifts will stay at the top of the wardrobe until next year. Why not get them out and see if you know anyone that will appreciate them more than you? (Just make sure you remember who gave them in the first place!) If you don't remember then why not gift them to someone you don't know? Maybe your local women's refuge or other charity?

Have a Free Festive Day out!

We have lots of Grotto's local to us at the moment and my children have been lucky enough to visit a couple, they have enjoyed chatting to Father Christmas and looks at the festive scenery and decorations but you don't need to spend money to have a festive day out. Check out your local council's website for local festive fayres and events (these are often free or have a small charitable donation to enter) and why not even pop down to your local garden centre and enjoy looking around the decorations, you don't have to buy anything! On Sunday 14th of December Altrincham Ice Skating Club will be bringing Disney's favourite Princesses, Anna and Elsa to Spinningfields Ice Rink in Manchester to perform a free Frozen on Ice show for all the family. (You can book to skate with the stars for a charge afterwards if you wish). 

Shop Around

It can seem easier to see what you want to buy, and purchase it there and then, especially if it has a big red 'special offer' sign next to it, but how do you know just how special that offer is? Find out! There are a number of online sites that you can check on to see if you really are getting the best deal. Price Runner is a good general comparison site, it's also worth checking out the forums on MSE and HotUkDeals too. If you are looking at amazon check the pricing history on CamelCamelCamel. My final word on this is if you are shopping online ALWAYS do a quick search for a discount or coupon code, even if you find one for 10% off or free delivery, you are still saving some pennies!

Earn Money when you Spend it

Once you have made sure you are getting the best price for what you are buying the next thing is get as much money back in cashback as you can. There are a few different ways you can do this the two main Cashback sites are TopCashBack and Quidco. I'd recommend signing up to both of these as they can both offer competitive deals on different sites, so just do a quick check to see which is the best before you make a purchase. If you pay using paypal when shopping online you can boost your cashback by linking up your paypal account also. You can also link them up to your debit cards so that you earn money back when you spend in store to. As well as these site many credit card company offer rather impressive cashback deals around this time of year as well, just remember that it's only worth signing up to these if you pay your balance off in full each month as otherwise your interest will cost you more than any cashback you earn!

Don't Buy it

If you don't need it then just don't buy it. 

It's easy to say but can be a lot harder to follow through with. Sometimes you have to say no, and often you have to say no to yourself as much as your children. 'Just one more present', 'But it's a bargain', 'I'd better buy another just in case' are all phrases I've used to justify spending more money when I knew I shouldn't. You CAN give your family an amazing Christmas without going into the red and you are likely to enjoy it that much more if you aren't dreading the credit card bills arriving in January. 

I hope these ideas will help you spend a little less this year and still have a fabulous Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

If I've got you feeling thrifty why not check out these other festive money saving posts:

Having a £10 Christmas

Easy Moneysaving Tips for Christmas

Cancer, we're coming to get you... Again!

Last year my son and I took part in Cancer Research UK's race for life in Heaton Park, we walked a very emotional journey that you can read about here. It was only 5k but it wasn't a 'walk in the park' (Well technically it was a walk in our local park, but you know what I mean!) We were very proud of ourselves and delighted to have raised £267 for Cancer Research, including a generous donation from Scottish Power.

This year Scottish Power have again offered to sponsor me to take part in the race which is happening at Heaton Park in Manchester next Sunday, the 13th July! This year I'll be walking along side my mum who sadly lost her best friend to breast cancer almost 5 years ago.

We will be taking part in the Scottish Power High 5 Wave to help raise £30k for Cancer Research UK. Check out the #high5wave hashtag on twitter and instagram.

We have decided to try and beat last year's fundraising total and have set a target of £300!

Now comes the begging part...

If I have saved you money over the years by sharing discount codes or bargains I would really appreciate it if your would consider donating some of that to support us. Every penny counts and even if you were able to donate just £1  It will put a smile on our faces as we are taking part in the race next week...

Click here or the button below to donate...

Or you can Text MYMP99 £3 to 70070 to donate £3 by text (or change the £3 to what ever amount you like.)

Thank you so much if you have donated, I would love it if you could click on share at the bottom of the page and spread the work on facebook and twitter too!

Please join me to shout....

Cancer, We're Coming To Get You!

#Teamhonk Digital Postcard from Tanzania #lastingchange

You may have noticed that today has involved a lot of cakes, as I was organising a charity bake sale for Sport Relief as part of #teamhonkrelay I'm really pleased with what was raised and I will be sharing more about this with you soon. However today is also International Women's day and three fabulous bloggers have been to Tanzania to visit some truly amazing women. 

Team Honk is about bloggers raising money and awareness for Comic Relief. To celebrate International Women's Day #iwd2014, Tanya, Annie and Penny are in Tanzania finding out how donations to Sport Relief last year have created female entrepreneurs and #lastingchange for women, their families and communities and beyond - rippling out #lastingchange in Africa.

Below is a digital postcard I was sent to share with you...

Eliafura makes the most beautiful batiks and tie dyed material.  With the support of the Gatsby Trust Eliafura has registered her business and learned important health and safety rules around the chemicals she uses.   Eliafura now also trains other women in the village who bring material to her and she shows them how to create these beautiful patterns.   They sell easily to not only local schools where teachers like to buy them but also overseas.   We bought her entire stock because we loved them all so much and are now working out how to sell them on so we can complete the circle of donation, funding, training, selling, donating. 

Team Honk is about bloggers raising money and awareness for Comic Relief. To celebrate International Women's Day #iwd2014, Tanya, Annie and Penny are in Tanzania finding out how donations to Sport Relief last year have created female entrepreneurs and #lastingchange for women, their families and communities and beyond - rippling out #lastingchange in Africa.

How can you help?

5 MINS  Please RT, share and support any updates you see with the #lastingchange hashtag.

DONATE You can help create #lastingchange by sponsoring #teamhonkrelay for Sport Relief

GET INVOLVED Join up for your local Sport Relief event here.

Thanks for helping to create #lastingchange

Happy National Christmas Jumper Day! #xmasjumperday

As well as being Friday the 13th, today is National Christmas Jumper Day!

Whatever you are doing with your day, a Christmas jumper is a great way of getting into the festive spirit!

It's not just a way of adding a bit of festive fun to your day, you can also do your bit for charity too!

Save the Children are asking you to make the world better with a sweater on Friday 13 December by wearing a Christmas jumper for the day and giving £1 or more to Save the Children. 

Donate now by texting WOOLLY to 70050 to donate £1!

Here's a rare photo of me in my Christmas Jumper...

Well today Rudolph and I had quite a busy day, starting with a morning in the office where we joined some colleagues wearing their funky Christmas knits and donated my pound. We then had a quick run around the shops in Manchester before popping for a doctor's appointment and followed by attending my daughter's Nursery Carol Concert which was definitely the highlight of the day! Although, as is often the case with these things, it didn't go exactly to plan, (some technical difficulties with sound and a chorus of children needing the toilet halfway through!) it was so lovely to see the children enthusiastically singing their hearts out! Elizabeth's favourite was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!

And just so you know I've kept to the penny pinching ethos, Rudolph cost me just £9.99 in my local Quality Save store and is lovely and snuggly! 

Think Pink - Mini Strawberry Cupcakes

Tomorrow my daughter's nursery is holding a Think Pink day to raise money as part of  Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As well as inviting all children to dress in pink for the day they are holding a Pink themed bake sale.

Making a mess...

Of course we wanted to do our bit, so tonight after work we rolled up our sleeves and had some messy fun in the kitchen making some cakes. Now I have to tell you my little girl was rather excited; not only does she get to wear her pretty pink ballet clothes for nursery tomorrow ( I predict a lot of pirouettes!) but she also got to sprinkle icing sugar all over the kitchen floor today! (As that is of course the best way to make strawberry icing!)

We had a lovely time baking, and I realised that it had been a while since we had made cakes together. I always worry about the mess and the squabbles over whose turn it is to stir the mixture or lick the bowl but this evening showed me that my two little monsters can actually work really well together, they were really sweet taking turns and made a great team.

Educational...

It was a learning experience too as they counted out the mini marshmallows and Ben encouraged Elizabeth with her counting, helping her to get up to 15! This was the first time I had seen her accurately count that high and it was heart warming to watch her big brother helping her.

I think the part they enjoyed the most was the icing. We made a makeshift piping bag by chopping a corner of a ziplock sandwich bag and we all made an attempt at decorating the cakes, I won't tell you which ones I did...

So how did we make them?

We used a basic vanilla cupcake recipe I found on the BBC food website, but adapted it to add some strawberry food flavouring in place of vanilla essence so they tasted pink!

After baking the cupcakes and letting them cool we made some buttercream icing using softened butter, icing sugar and the tiniest drop of red food colouring and a drop of strawberry flavouring, I'm not sure if the colour turned out as pink as I had intended, but after posting a picture on facebook I was told it looked like angel delight so it can't be that bad!

The children had one each after dinner as a reward for all their hard work and the rest have been packed away for the bake sale tomorrow. I hope they help to raise some money...

Barnardos #Bigtoddle #countrykids

On Saturday morning our family returned to Heaton Park for the second charity walk of the week (Have you read our race for life post yet?) this time it was my two year old Elizabeth who was being sponsored, to take part in the Barnardos Big Toddle. 

We slapped on the suncream and packed a picnic, then walked up to her nursery to meet up with all her friends and their families ready for a lovely walk around one of our favourite parks...

It was a really enjoyable day and it was really nice to chat to the nursery staff and other parents in a less formal environment and hear lovely little anecdotes about our daughter, apparently she is a very keen hugger in nursery! (And a bossy boots but we knew that already!)

After waking for a little while we went to visit the animals at the farm centre, the children were quite taken with the ducks and goats, and I fell in love with the tiny baby piglets that were less than 3 weeks old, Adorable!

We had a snack and a cool drink and then we were off walking again in the direction of the small play area. Elizabeth looked so grown up walking along in her Frugi bunting sundress with her little friends.

They all had a lovely time on the play area, the wooden horse and carriage is always a favourite! We also got to have a run around on the grass and both my adventurous children had a go at climbing trees, they definitely get their love of nature from their scout leader Daddy...

We finished off our adventures by enjoying a yummy summer picnic on the grass...

It was a really lovely day but it was also about raising money for a good cause.

Barnardo's say... 

"The money you raise doing the Big Toddle helps fund Barnardo’s vital work with Britain’s most vulnerable toddlers and helps give them the childhood they deserve."

 Have your family taken part in a Big Toddle event? I would love to read about your experiences in the comments below...

#Raceforlife 2013 - memories and emotions...

Heaton Park is a very special place to me. When my husband and I found out that I was pregnant with our eldest over six years ago now, one of the first things we did was visit this lovely open space that is actually one of the largest Municipal Park's in Europe. We took a picnic and sat on a grassy hill smiling secretly to each other as we watched children laughing and playing around us, imagining what the tiny little bean inside my tummy would grow up to look like, daydreaming of future picnics there as a family. Just over two years later we chose Heaton Hall in the centre of the park as the place where we would celebrate our wedding surrounded by family and friends.

A Special Day

Our wedding wouldn't have been possible without all the help and support from our loved ones, one of these lovely people was my mum's best friend, she had been a part of my life as long a I remember, our families holidayed together in the lakes and she was part of many fun filled days out in my childhood.

On the build up to my wedding day she took my mum shopping for the obligatory 'mother of the bride' dress, gave me books on flower arranging (yes I was crazy enough to do my own wedding flowers!) and arranged for her husband to chauffeur us for the day in his Mercedes which she decorated with beautiful flowers and ribbons....

 All this while she was battling with breast cancer for the second time.

Less than six months into our marriage she sadly lost her battle with this dreaded disease.

When the lovely Pippa from Red Rose Mummy told me that Scottish Power were looking for local bloggers to take part in Race For Life for Cancer Research UK at none other than Heaton Park, I knew I had to do it. How could I not?

Not Alone

When I told my five year old son what I was planning to do I was quite surprised when he asked if he could do it with me, at first I wasn't sure if he really understood what it was about and just fancied a trip to the park, but I soon realised this wasn't the case when a family member asked him why we were doing it and he replied...

"We're going to walk to raise money to help all the poorly people get better" (Ben, 5)

From the mouths of babes, eh? What more can I say?

So that is what we did. 

We walked 5k in the sweltering heat with 7000 others to raise money for Cancer Research UK whose valuable work helps so many who are affected by Cancer each year. It was hot, it was hard, we were tired, it took us a while, but we did it, and I for one am very proud of us both. So far, including a generous donation from Scottish Power, we have raised a fantastic £257, if you have any spare pennies pretty please...

  donate here and help us help Cancer Research.

On the Day

The day itself was full of emotion and memories, during the Race we walked right passed the Hall, passed the place where we had stood four and a half years ago on my wedding day to have pictures taken surrounded by those that we hold close, I find it so sad that this beautiful old building no longer holds family celebrations and is instead now closed to the public. The bright and fragrant flowers that featured in my wedding photographs are now replaced by overgrown weeds and unkempt grass. I paused for a moment to remember one person in particular from that day. We also passed the hill where my husband and I had sat with our dreams and ambitions and I looked down at my tired and sweaty five year old who was in the middle of telling me a story about a very special hero called Fireman Ben, and I was so incredibly proud.

My husband, daughter and mum came to support us and as my mum came over to hug me at the finish line I could see her cheeks were wet with tears, It had brought back memories for her too.

Cancer, We're Coming To Get You!

As well as being emotional it was also a really upbeat day. This was about fighting Cancer and about winning! There was music, there was fancy dress and there were smiles.

I met up with some other lovely bloggers at the Scottish Power High 5 challenge tent where there was lots going on for the whole family, from doing the Cancer Slam Dance on video, decorating a special pink High 5 Glove and jumping up for a High five, or posting a personal message on the High Five Memory wall.

Scottish Power have set themseles a target of 50,000 high 5's and if they meet this target they will be donating a fabulous £25,000 to Cancer Research UK. You can join in with the High 5 Challenge and help them reach this amazing goal!


Find out more over on the High 5 Challenge Facebook Page.

I was sent a high five glove and t shirt to bling up before the race, with a little help from the children's craft box this was what we created....

So that was my Race For Life Heaton Park journey, have you taken part in Race for Life?

I would love to read your comments about your experience of it...

I'd like to finish this post by asking you to take a moment, wherever you are and join me in shouting...

Cancer, We're Coming To Get You!

You can also read about  the Barnardo's Big Toddle that we took part in also in Heaton Park.

Scottish Power kindly covered the cost of my entry and donated to my sponsorship.

Roll up, Roll up – this is more than just another Walk in the Park!

I love a good walk in the park, the sun shining on your face, the fragrant scent of grass and flowers and of course the excited cries of the children running ahead, hiding and jumping out at each other, then rolling down the grassy hills or racing each other to the swings...

However on Sunday 30^th June 2013, visitors to London’s Battersea Park will be treated to a unique and wonderful cocktail of 3 amazing walking challenges, live stage music, circus sideshows, stalls, dancing, delicious food, stilt walkers, clowns and escapades and experiences for all. This will not be just another walk in the park!

There’ll be plenty of entertainment for the children, including popular Children’s TV Stars Andy and Sid from Cbeebies, Strictly Come Dancing star's Anton, Erin, Darren, Lillia, Matt and Nicole. Tickets for Andy and Sid’s shows, and for Dance the Dance workshops are available at www.walkthewalk.org or on 01483 741430.

There’ll also be free live music al fresco in the park from X-factor star Misha B, chart-topping band Sam and the Womp, singer/songwriter Sam Gray and the Urban Voices Collective, the amazing singers known for performing at the Closing Ceremony of London 2012. 

And the good news is there is Free entry into Sun Walk City all day Sunday! 

The main event is all about raising money for very worthy causes! Walk the Walk has raised over £86 million for vital breast cancer causes, since it launched 17 years ago. This money has funded research and helped to improve the lives of those who live with cancer.  

Some fabulous people will be taking part in one of three Power Walking challenges - a 5K, 10K, or Half Marathon. They'll not only have a day of unforgettable experiences and visual delight, but getting fitter, reaching goals, and raising both money and awareness for breast cancer. 

To add to the fun and keep up tradition, all walkers over the age of 13 will wear the Walk the Walk trademark of brightly decorated bras. The theme this year is all about the Circus, so if you're taking part, get decorating now! Entries to walk are now closed but you can sponsor a walker here.

So if you are in London, why not head along for what promises to be a fun filled day in the park? Whether you are taking part in the walks, watching the shows or just listening to live music in the sunshine every penny raised is one more weapon in the battle against cancer that effects the lives of so many.  

Find out more at www.walkthewalk.org 

Gaby Roslin, Radio presenter on BBC London 94.9 said:
"The SunWalk is such a family affair and the fact that we can all do the walk, together, as a family and raise money for such an incredible charity, means we wouldn't miss it for the world. As a patron of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, to whom Walk the Walk has granted over £18 million, I feel overwhelmed on the day, seeing all those women and children who are there to raise money too, because someone they know had or has cancer. Nina is an inspiration, what an amazing woman. I feel blessed to know her and to be a part of this".

A Mile In Memory of Matilda Mae

Yesterday we joined many other bloggers and their families from across the North West in Clifton park to walk a mile in memory of a special little girl who was taken from her family too soon and without warning by SIDS. In February of this year at just 9 months old Matilda Mae was found sleeping. Since that point her mummy Jennie has worked tirelessly through her grief to help raise awareness of SIDS. Read more about this over at Edspire.

 Yesterday we walked through the beautiful Clifton Country Park in the rain with our families, we chatted and I reflected on how lucky am to have my two beautiful healthy children. At just two and five I found it hard to explain to my children why we were there...

I told them that we were there to remember a beautiful little girl who now lived in the sky,

I told them that she was a shining star looking down on her family,

I told them that Matilda Mae loved the colours purple and pink and they hunted for any hints of these colours in the trees...

They  shouted out when they spotted pink and purple flowers, a purple balloon and the pink and purple umbrellas and coats of other families walking around the park.

At the end of the walk we stood together and blew bubbles which floated up towards the sky for Matilda Mae. I felt that these bubbles contained our children smiles and laughter and I hope that some of them reached her.

Although we had packed a picnic, we were all quite cold and wet so decided to leave and have our picnic on a blanket in the living room instead once we were all dried off and warmed up.

While my children ate, I sat watching them and thought about the walk and the families who had come together in the rain to remember a little girl that some of us had never actually met, but like me had followed her life on line through Jennie's beautiful words and pictures. It is heartwarming the sense of community that can be found online, Since I started blogging two years ago I have found friendship and support from women who I have never met in person, together we share the highs and lows of life through our blogs and facebook and twitter communities.

I would like to thank Susannne from Ghostwritermummy for organising this walk and inviting us all to come together and remember.

There were walks arranged throughout the country yesterday to remember this little girl who is now a star shining bright in the sky looking down on us all. As well as spending time together thinking about Matilda Mae and her family the walks aimed to raise money for The Lullaby Trust (formally FSID) who provide specialist support for families bereaved through sudden infant death; support research and promote expert advice on safer baby sleep. Quite simply they can help save lives. You can donate here. There is also an auction running with lovely products donated by a variety of companies and all funds raised go direct to The Lullaby Trust, click on the image below to take a look, please bid generously...

I have linked this post up with Country Kids over at Coombe Mill...

Help Disney Junior support Great Ormond Street Hospital

Help be one in a million by sharing your first Disney memory on Disney Junior's Facebook page here.

Once 1 Million Disney memories have been shared Disney Junior will donate £1 million to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital (GOSH). So please help by speading the word for this fantastic cause by sharing your first Disney memory and then Disney can do their magic once again and support such a fantastic Hospital.

Great Ormond Street Hospital is a fantastic place, no child wants to be in hospital but as we all know this is sometimes inevitable and GOSH do a fantastic job of not only caring so brilliantly for poorly children but make it feel like a home from home while you are there. 

 I have donated my memory - My first Disney Memory was when I was six years old, going to the cinema to see The Little Mermaid, I remember about 6 of us children packing into the back of my friend's Dad's estate car (no car seats in those days, two of us were sitting on boxes in the boot!) It was my first ever trip to the cinema and I remember being fascinated by how 'Big' and 'Magical' it all was! I loved the film and and for ages afterwards I kept saying I wanted to be a Mermaid like Ariel when I grew up!

Please head over to Disney Junior’s Facebook page and donate your Disney memory too, I would love to see them reach 1 million memories very quickly.

Well done Disney this is a brilliant thing to do!! I hope you reach your goal.

To help spread the word I was tagged by LovedbyLexi so I am tagging 5 mummy bloggers and hope they will share this with their followers too:

Hex Mum

Mummy Vs Work

Busymumof3

Wonnablogger

Bubbalovesblog page

Keep this going and spread the Disney love.

If you would like to donate to GOSH you can do so directly here.