Baby & Children's Gifts from Born Gifted

I love shopping for gifts for other people. I really take my time shopping around to find something that I think is really unique and personal to them (and at the best price of course!)

Over the summer we have quite a few children's birthdays among family and friends so I've been having a look at the lovely gifts available at Born Gifted and I wanted to share a few of my favourites with you...

This ABC print Deckchair is just adorable and a perfect addition to any child's garden this summer, it looks great quality at just £19.99.

My children absolutely love gardening and I know they would be delighted with this bright and colourful gardening tool kit that can even be personalised with their names, a really fun summer gift at £18.99.

If you know a mum who can't function without her morning coffee then this funky Rise and Shine Sippy Cup inspired by a certain coffee house chain would make the perfect accessory for their little one at just £6.99!

Keeping cool is what it's all about in this weather and these Lickety Pops Ice Lolly Moulds shaped like tongues are both practical and a little bit cheeky, a great budget gift at just £4.99 for a pack of two!

At Born Gifted, they understand that everyone has their own budget to stick to so they offer a wide variety of gifts at prices to suit every situation. They also have a very handy search tool that allows you to look up suitable gifts within your price range.

They also know that we all love a Freebie so as well as offering FREE standard UK delivery on everything, they also have their own FREEBIES page where they have brought together the best offers and freebies for parents in one place. These great finds include Free nursing tea for breastfeeding Mums, free printable colouring sheets to keep children entertained in the summer holidays and even a free cuddly cow for baby!

The lovely folks at Born Gifted have offered me a £20 voucher to give away to one of you lovely readers. Just follow the rafflecopter instructions below for your chance to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions
One winner will receive a £20 voucher to spend at http://www.borngifted.co.uk/ The prize will be provided by Born Gifted  No cash alternative. Please allow up to 28 days for delivery of prize.
Entrant's must be 18 years or over, 
Entrants must reside in the UK.
Winner will be chosen by blog owner using rafflecopter which uses random.org after the closing date and will be emailed and announced on the widget.
Winner must supply a postal and email address which will be used only to send out the prize.
Multiple entries will be disqualified.

The competition will close at 12.00am on 14 August 2014.

Muddy Puddles #bargainoftheweek!

If you read the blog often you will know that we are a family that love the outdoors! My husband is a Scout leader, we regularly go on family camping trips and enjoy days out in the countryside! We are National Trust Members and Forestry Commission Ambassadors.

All these adventures mean that the whole family needs to be kitted out in suitable outdoor clothing and that can get expensive! Last week a friend told me about the sale at www.muddypuddles.com  and I am so pleased she did! With up to 70% off children's outdoor wear I couldn't resist filling up my basket and I was thrilled to find when getting to check out that 2 x Fleeces, 2 x fleece lined waterproof pants, a funky skort, a fleece hat AND four pairs of socks came to just £40.50!! Delivery was £3.95, as you will know I usually HATE to pay delivery charges, however as this was my first order I signed up to their newsletter and was sent a code for £5 off which more that covered the delivery charge! So for less than £40 I had kitted both my children out for outdoor adventures! 

One thing to mention is that I'd read on social media about the sizing being a bit small so I bought a size up from what I would usually in both the fleeces and the trousers!

So my bargain buys included:

Cosy Cranberry Fleece £6
Cosy Star Fleece £6
Reversible Trousers Navy £8
Reversible Trousers Pink £8
Reversible Fleece hat £3.50
Girls spotty Cotton Skort £6.00
Cozy Socks (2 pack) Aqua £1.50
Cozy Socks (2 pack) Red £1.50

Delivery £3.95

First order discount £5

Total £39.45!!

The order arrived in just under a week and of course we had to go and try it out! So off we went to Delamere forest to try out our muddy puddles bargains by jumping in lots of Muddy Puddles!

Here's an action clip...

Even after all that mud the clothes have washed well and are ready for our next adventure!

If you fancy grabbing some bargains to kits out your kids in funky outdoor style you'll be pleased to know the sale is still on and until Monday there is FREE delivery if you spend over £40! Don't forget to sign up to the newsletter to get £5 off your first order too!

If you've blogged about any bargain buys this week please do link up below and I'll come and check them out...



Disclaimer: I paid for these items myself and was not asked to write this post, I just wanted to share some great bargains with you!

Save 20% and get free delivery at Bambino Mio!

Bambino Mio have launched a brand spanking new website! To celebrate their shiny new site they are offering YOU a FABULOUS discount to help them celebrate. Receive 20% off EVERYTHING from Today Thursday 28^th February – Monday 4^th March 2013. And that’s not all; there is free delivery on every order too!

Check out what we think of their nappies in our Bambino Mio posts!

Simply visit www.bambinomioshop.co.uk and your 20% discount and free delivery will be applied automatically at the checkout. Happy Fluffy Shopping!

Saving on the Christmas shopping with Savoo... and win £500 too!

Yes there it is the 'C' word again! I'm really sorry to those of you who choose to ignore it until December, but it is going to be appearing on My Mummy's Pennies quite a lot over the next few weeks. Why? Because I love a bargain and I love to share a good bargain and there are so many fabulous deals out there at the moment, i can't keep them all to myself! There's just no better time to do your Christmas (there it is again!) Shopping...

As you may know I am a Savoo Dealpro and love to share their fabulous codes and offers with you on facebook and twitter. This week they have so many great 'Exclusive' Deals I thought i'd post on here as well so you don't miss them!


Below are some of my favourites this week , most of them starting today and running until nest Sunday...

Save £10 on any order over £20 at The Body Shop with code SAVOO2040

Valid until 26th November

Save 10% off all orders and get Free Delivery at I Want One Of Those with code SAVOOIW10

Valid Until 25th November 

Spend £75 at John Greed Jewellery and get 15% off and Free Delivery with code JGSAVE15

Valid until 25th November

Get 20% off all orders at Savile Row with code A20V

Valid until 25th November

Get 20% off any order at Crocs with code Savoo20

Valid until 25th November

Get 20%  off all orders at Kaleidoscope with code Y3PP

Valid until 25th November

Get £75 Marks and Spencers vouchers FREE when you join Sky+HD  

Valid until 22nd November

Get 15% off all orders at BUYAGIFT with code SAVOO15 

Valid until 22nd November

Get 12% off a £25 spend at Ryman Stationary with code 12OFF25SAVOO 

Valid until 24th November

Get 10% off orders over £50 at Chemist Direct with code 50SAV11 

Valid until 25th November 

And possibly my favourite deal this week, perfect if you're looking for a Christmas party Dress...

Get £10 off when you spend £50 at Oasis with code SAVOONOV 

Now Savoo are so generous that not only are they bringing you all these fantastic codes to save you money on your shopping, they are also giving you the chance to WIN £500!

All you need to do is Share your favourite deals from the exclusives tab at www.savoo.co.uk either on twitter with the hashtag #savooxmas or in the Savoo community on this link.

Good Luck!

 I just had to update this to let you lovelies know I won week one!! Woohoo! So why not try your luck over the next 5 weeks and you could be a winner too! Just click on the 'exclusives' tab pick your favourite deal, click on 'tweet' and add the hashtag #savooxmas! Good luck!

Save 25% on wet bags and get free delivery too...

It's no secret that I'm obsessed with cloth nappies (especially the pretty, fluffy ones!) but I have to admit I have a bit of a thing for wet bags also and have quite a few!

The first wetbag I ever bought was the bambino mio wet nappy bag and I still use it now. It's a great size for taking just a few nappies out and about, it's waterproof and reliable and most importantly comes in a variety of gorgeous colours! It's also great for wet swimwear too and I found it invaluable on our holidays this year.

It's so good that this month's Pregnancy & Birth magazine even featured it!

As a fabulous treat for a limited time only bambino mio are offering you 25% off & free delivery on all wet nappy bags. Enter discount code WNB25* at the checkout. What a bargain! Offer valid until 15th October 2012. What are you waiting for? Go to www.bambinomioshop.co.uk and order yours now....


And if like me you love a competition why not pop over to their facebook page? This month they've teamed up with Hippychick to offer 3 lucky winners a fantastic prize bundle worth over £75 each! This month’s prize includes 1 x Wallaboo Fleece-lined Wrapper, perfect for the winter months ahead, 2 x miosolo (all-in-one) nappies and 50 x mioliners (nappy liners). Enter at www.facebook.com/bambinomio

Hello Canvas Review and Giveaway...

 

Like most Mummies I love taking photos of my children. You may even say I'm slightly obsessed! I recently transferred the last four year's photos over to an external hard-drive and even I was surprised at how many there were! Just over twenty one thousand!

Having all these pictures that are of full of precious memories hidden away in a computer seems such a shame so I like to have as many on display as possible. One way I love to display them is on Canvas's, as well as a great way of showing of my favourite pictures, it also brightens up dull and boring walls.

I was delighted to be offered a canvas to review from HelloCanvas!

After spending a few hours going though photographs (I love doing this, I rediscovered lots of great shots I’d forgotten about and they brought some beautiful memories to mind) I decided to go for something a bit different this time. So instead of a a portrait of my children, (as we have many of these hanging on our walls) I decided to go for something a bit more arty...

Over the Jubilee weekend last month we had a family day out to our local park and had a ride on a lovely old fashioned tram, I got some lovely pictures and there was one that really stood out, Elizabeth is standing in front of the tram waving her flag and it just looks so timeless!

So after choosing the picture I couldn't wait to see what it looked like on canvas, and luckily I didn't have to wait long at all as less than a week later a very exciting package arrived...

The first thing I noticed was the quality, the 1.2 inch frame is sturdy and well made and the 100% Canvas is strong and smooth. The printing of the image is impeccable and I love the way the image wraps around the edges of the frame, this is really striking!

I couldn't wait to put it up on the wall, it came 'ready to hang' so took just a moment and as soon as I did I fell even more in love with it!

The Canvas is a really good size ( 20" by 28" ) and the printing is so professional you wouldn't believe that the image originated from a snapshot on my phone in the Park! At just £39 this is a real bargain, it could easily be mistaken for a piece of artwork costing double that.

Hello Canvas has a wide range of sizes to suit every budget starting at just £13 and delivery is free and with you within a week! Perfect if you've left ordering a gift until the last minute!

As well as offering such amazing quality at surprisingly good prices they also offer some fabulous extra services. Red eye removal, Date removal and a choice of Colour, Black & White or Sepia are all free of charge. And a range of fancier effects from colour highlight to wood effect and many more start at just £10...

And if you don’t have a digital copy of the photo you want you can simply send it to them to scan for you for free.

I am really impressed with both the service and the quality at Hello Canvas and would recommend them to anyone wanting to create some beautiful artwork from their photographs, I will certainly be returning to place another order soon...

To find out more and turn your memories into beautiful artwork check out their website www.hellocanvas.co.uk.

You can also like Hello Canvas on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and offers...

The lovely folks at Hello Canvas have offered Mymummyspennies readers the chance to win a 20 x 28 inch Canvas worth £39!

 Enter below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Why not check out some more great competitions at... ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Get 20% off and Free Delivery at Bambino Mio...

Cloth Nappy company, Bambino Mio are celebrating their 15th birthday with a big competition! Dubbed #thebigonefive Bambino Mio have teamed up with 15 of their favourite baby brands to offer a fantastic prize bundle worth £1500!! Find out more here... http://mymummyspennies.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/thebigonefive.html

You may know that the Bambino Mio two part system were the first cloth nappies I ever used and earlier this year we took part in the #miosolochallenge putting their newest product the miosolo All In One nappy through its paces.

 I am delighted to be able to tell you that as well as this amazing competition Bambino Mio are offering their customers 20% off everything (including Sale items) AND Free Delivery for 4 days only! This fabulous 15th anniversary sale will go live at 9am on Thursday 24th May and is running for a limited time only, ending on midnight of Monday 28th May 2012!

So pop that date in your diary and don't miss out!!

www.bambinomioshop.co.uk/


I know I'll be grabbing some liners, miofresh and wipes! (we use washable wipes most of the time but love miowipes too!)

Also if you liked what you saw in the  #miosolochallenge  then you can get  miosolos for £12.50 at Boots with their introductory offer and 3 for 2 on selected baby stuff! (free delivery to store also!)

#Miosolochallenge Day #4 - The Daddy Challenge!

So yesterday was Day four of the #miosolochallange And Bambino mio asked us to find someone who doesn't usually change baby or is not used to reusable nappies to have a go! Now although 'Daddy' does his bit, he freely admits that the cloth nappies we use on Elizabeth confuse him and tries to avoid changing her botty when possible, claiming 'I'll get it all wrong and she'll leak!'.

On a few occasions that he has changed her we have had some 'disasters! There was the time when Daddy was on Nappy duty last Summer, we went out to the park and after playing on the swings for a bit I noticed that Elizabeth's leggings looked very wet! My first thought was that the swing had been wet when she sat on it, until I noticed the smell! Pulling her leggings down I discovered that Daddy had put an empty pocket nappy on her! Just the cover, with no insert!!

Now I don't know how much of his 'confusion' with cloth nappies is an excuse to get out of the smelly job of 'changing time' and how much is actually true. But I decided to challenge him to use the Miosolo's to see how he coped with such a simple to use all in one nappy! And to make the challenge even trickier I would not be there to help him!

Yesterday after work I was attending a meeting to discuss creating a local Abundance group as part of the Incredible Edible project I am involved in, So it was up to Daddy to pick Ben and Elizabeth up from School and nursery then feed and entertain them until bedtime!

I left him full instructions on how to use the nappies and reminded him again when I spoke to him on the phone at lunch time!

This to me was the ultimate test! I have been using the Solo's for a few days now and am very impressed with their performance but I am used to using real nappies! If Daddy can use the Miosolo then next week I will be adding it to the part of our 'stash' that I am comfortable sending to nursery!

When my daughter started nursery earlier in the month, we went on quite a few 'settlng in' visits and I demonstrated cloth nappies to all the staff that would be caring for her, they were fab about it and are really surprised how easy they are to use!  I have a mixture of different types of nappies and there are some that I favour when packing the nursery bag, these are ones I am confident won't leak or wick, and that won't confuse the lovely staff!

So how did he cope?

When I arrived home the children were tucked up in bed and the house was (relatively) tidy! There was no sign of any sort of disaster (nappy related or otherwise!) so I breathed a sigh of relief!

Daddy's verdict...

Daddy had changed E's botty twice in the time that I had been out and had even had a poopy one to deal with! He told me...

'They're really simple to use, I like the strong velcro and they feel really soft on E's skin, the flimsy bit inside (he means the flushable liner!) was a bit fiddly to put in but was really easy to just tip in the loo when it was dirty'

When I asked if he'd be comfortable using them again, his response was... 'yeah, why not?'

Now Mr Mymummyspennies YOU HAVE NO MORE EXCUSES!!

So Daddy (and Elizabeth!) survived this challenge and I now feel confident enough to send the Miosolo's into nursery next week!

Check out the thoughts of my fellow bloggers on the Bambinomio website or by searching for #miosolochallenge on Twitter.

If you have a miosolo why not Join in?

Have you challenged Daddy to try a cloth nappy yet?

If you like what you see and you haven't tried a Miosolo for your little one yet, Bambino Mio have a fabulous #miosolochallenge offer on this week (ending Sunday)...

http://mymummyspennies.blogspot.com/2012/01/miosolochallenge-week-offer.html

The photo was taken today as I was not there to watch him last night (and although Ben loveshis camera his style is quite abstract and he would have taken a photo of the carpet!!)

#miosolochallenge Day#3 The overnight challenge

So Bambino Mio have challenged me to use the Miosolo on Elizabeth overnight! Although I have been using cloth on her botty at night since she was around six months old I have a specific part of my nappy stash that I keep as 'night time nappies', (these are made of bamboo, are bulkier that the others and take longer to dry but I know that they are thirsty enough to last the night!) So I was quite nervous about using such a slimfitting, microfibre nappy overnight even if I have been very impressed with it's performance so far!

There are a number of reasons why a nighttime nappy needs to be so much more absorbent that one that we would use during the day...

Elizabeth still breastfeeds during the night, so unlike some babies who sleep through and barely wee over night in contrast Elizabeth is quite a heavy night time wetter!

The obvious issue is the length of time its on, instead of the usual three (or at a stretch 4 hours) The cloth covering Elizabeth's botty at night has to last 11 hours! That's nearly 4 times longer!

The other main issue is that Elizabeth co-sleeps with Mummy and Daddy, so if her nappy was to leak its not just a case of quickly whipping on a new cot sheet and changing her jimjams, we would have to change all our bedding, which is not something I want to be doing in the middle of the night!

To make sure the Miosolo was as absorbant as possible we u

sed the Mioboost with it for the first time. The mioboost is an addition booster made from a highly absorbent, lightweight fibre that can absorb several times it's own weight!

Getting ready for bed....

We used the peppermint cream miosolo for this challenge and I have to say I love the colour! This definitely my favourite from the bonbon collection and would again look just as gorgeous either on a boy or a girl! A beautiful 'green' nappy for 'green' parents!!

To make sure the Miosolo was as absorbant as possible we used the Mioboost with it for the first time. The mioboost is an additional booster made from a highly absorbent, lightweight fibre that can absorb several times it's own weight!

The Miosolo comes with a very handy little pocket to slip one end of the mioboost in to keep it in place, once this is in you just tuck the inner into the pocket add the liner and there you have it! An all in one nappy with enough extra absorbency to last the night...  hopefully!

When putting the nappy on Elizabeth's botty I did notice the extra mass of the mioboost, it was noticeably bulkier on her, but at night this doesn't really matter as her jimjams are nice and stretchy! (and the cloth nappies we usually wear at night are quite bulky too!)

Elizabeth went down well after a bedtime story with her big brother and seemed comfortable in the miosolo.

The next morning....

So we ended up having a really bad night, the worst in quite a while, but the nappy was not to blame....

Elizabeth is getting two back teeth through and it is causing her a lot of discomfort and pain. (Isn't teething the worst?! I just wish I could go through it for her!) We were up for about half the night and for most of it she was completely inconsolable, poor sweetie pie...

On a few occasions through the night I did wonder whether the nappy was adding to her discomfort, but I checked it periodically and it had not leaked or wicked and her skin inside was dry, so it was just those horrid meanie teeth!

We did finally get to sleep, then (what felt like) 5 minutes later the alarm went off, beginning the morning rush! I was slightly surprised but pleased to find that both the bed sheets and Elizabeth's Pyjamas were completely dry, there had been no leaks! When I removed the nappy her skin was slightly damp and the liner had stuck to her skin a little but it did not leave a mark when I removed it, and her skin was not red or appear to be sore.

So another successful challenge! Although I already have preferred cloth nappies for night, I find it really useful to know that with the Mio solos and a Mioboost I know have a spare nappy that will last the nighttime if needed!

Check out the thoughts of my fellow bloggers on the Bambinomio website or by searching for #miosolochallenge on Twitter.

If you have a miosolo why not Join in?

Have you tried it overnight yet?

If you like what you see and you haven't tried a Miosolo for your little one yet, Bambino Mio have a fabulous #miosolochallenge offer on this week...

http://mymummyspennies.blogspot.com/2012/01/miosolochallenge-week-offer.html

#Miosolochallenge Day #2 - The out and about challenge...

So today was Day 2, the out & about Challenge!

Unfortunately Elizabeth is teething quite badly at the moment and was a bit poorly today so we didn't get to go very far! However we did need to pop out for a 'top up' shop, run some errands and return some books to the library then visit the grandparents! This meant a trip out in the pram and then a car journey.

I always worry that some cloth nappies will wick when Elizabeth is strapped into the buggy or the car seat for a period of time Obviously it is important that the straps are tight(ish) and secure but with some cloth nappies this can put too much pressure on the fabric and cause wicking , meaning that Elizabeth's skin gets wet and clammy. If this happens Elizabeth is likely to develop nappy rash, which although never a nice thing, would be even worse at the moment as she is already in pain and discomfort with her poorly toothy pegs coming through! I have certain types of nappy that I am very confident to use in the car (usually minky outers) but as The miosolo was new to me I had no idea how it would cope!

So it was with quite a bit of apprehension that I got the lovely and bright 'Sherbet Lemon' MioSolo out to put on Elizabeth.

We walked out to the shops with Elizabeth in the pram, picked up our bits and pieces, ran a few errands and then popped into the library. After returning the books , I took Elizabeth over to the 'Children's corner' and got her out of the buggy to have a play. At this point the Miosolo had been on for around an hour and a half, so as I lifted her out I had a quick feel of her jeans to make sure there were no damp patches, but she was completely dry and eagar to explore her new surroundings! We has a lovely play with the toys in the library, read some books and had a little toddle around! Elizabeth is fascinated by other children so got very giggly when an older little girl came over to talk to her!

Before leaving the library I wondered whether it would be worth going in the 'babychange room' and popping a new nappy on before the car journey to Granny's (just to be on the safe side) but when I had a quick sniff of Elizabeth's botty (classy I know!!) It smelt clean and she seemed happy and comfortable so I took a chance and left it!

Daddy picked us up in the car and off we went to Granny's and Grandads!

After we had arrived and Elizabeth had been thoroughly fussed over I sneaked her away to change her. Taking the Miosolo off I was very pleased to discover her skin was clean and dry inside the nappy with no sigh of clamminess or a rash! The miosolo had been on for around three and half hours at this point which is a bit longer than I would usually leave a cloth nappy. I was quite impressed, especially with Elizabeth having been strapped in both her pram and her car seat during that time!

I flushed away the liner and popped the wetnappy into our funky green Bambino mio wetbag (not provided as part of the challenge, we already had this) ready to tip into the bucket when we got home!

So on the second day of the challenge I have been impressed again by the Miosolo and it's performance while out and about!

#Miosolochallenge Day #1 - The stay at Home Challenge...

Yesterday I told you all about the #miosolochallenge...

Well,  today was our first day of trying the Miosolo on Elizabeth and I have to admit I was rather excited, I have been eyeing the three miosolos up in the nappy box all weekend ever since they were prewashed and dried, but I managed to control myself and waited for today after work to finally try one!

When we got home from nursery I undressed Elizabeth and changed her botty. The first solo we opted for was the Cola Cube, it's a really nice bright reddish colour that I think would look fab on both girls and boys!

I found the Miosolo really easy to 'set up' and put on Elizabeth. After having folded the nappy
out to dry on the radiator rack I simply needed to tuck the inner into the pocket and snap the poppers to the right size. (At 13 thirteen months but still only 17lbs Elizabeth is a tall but skinny baby so I adjusted these to the middle setting).

I popped a mioliner into the inside and was ready to go!

Elizabeth likes to think that nappy change time is a game, I lie her down, take off her nappy, get a new one out and she crawls away with a bare bum and giggles! Now, although this may sound like fun, when it is repeated every single nappy change (and has resulted in more that a few 'carpet accidents) it can get a bit frustrating!


The strong velcro and simple shape of the Solo meant that I was able to get the nappy on and fastened in super quick time and she didn't have a chance to escape! (not until after it was fastened anyway!) (Mummy wins that round!)

The fit of the solo was nice and snug, the crossover tab at the front meant that there was no gaping at her waist which I find there can be with some cloth nappies. The elasticated leg cuffs were soft and seemed comfortable on, giving her lots of room to move and not digging into her skin.

The velcro was easy to adjust but strong enough so that little fingers couldn't pull it open (not yet anyway!) and the overall look of the nappy was really nice, It didn't look bulky or uncomfortable on Elizabeth at all!

 We spent the next few hours at home playing, Elizabeth was able to crawl about on her playduvet and cruise along the furniture following her big brother about with ease. She did not seem restricted by the nappy at all. While sitting in her highchair to have dinner the harness strap did not dig into the nappy or cause it to wick.

After just under three hours playing in her first Miosolo I changed Elizabeth into her usuall 'night-time cloth' ready for bed. (No Miosolo tonight, but we do have an overnight challenge coming up later in the week!!! eek!)

When I took the nappy off to pop in the nappy bucket, it was wet but not saturated and Elizabeth's skin was not damp or clammy at all. With no sign of leakage after a very active few hours of playing I have to say our first day of the #miosolo challenge was a complete success!

Why not pop over to Twitter and search #miosolochallenge to see how my fellow bloggers are getting on?

Don't forget to watch out for Challenge number 2 tomorrow...

In the meantime if you like what you see and you fancy trying a Miosolo for yourself Bambino Mio have a fabulous #miosolochallenge offer on this week...

http://mymummyspennies.blogspot.com/2012/01/miosolochallenge-week-offer.html