Black Friday Family Wishlist

Over the last couple of years Black Friday has winged it way from America and hit our stores with gusto, to the point that chaos has ensued in some places whilst people fought to get a bargain. I have never really joined in the fray, mainly because the thought of so many crowds fills me with dread, and for some reason I seem to miss all the good deals online. This year, though, I've set myself a few reminders and signed up for notifications with the intention of maybe buying a few bits for Christmas, if I see anything that catches my eye.

With that in mind I thought I'd put together a few wishlist ideas of what I'll be looking out for in the sales this year.

Smiles and Giggles With Smiggle

At the weekend we were invited to the unveiling of the latest range of stationery products at the in the Manchester Arndale branch of Smiggle. Smiggle has taken the world by storm, first opening a small store in Australia in 2003 and eventually making it's way to the UK in 2014. I have to say, it's not a store I'd heard of before but once we'd visited that was it, we were sold.

Why Shop On The High Street?

I'm not going to lie, I'm a a big fan of online shopping. Being a busy mum and also having chronic fatigue, my opportunities to get outdoors and actually shop in a real-life store is limited. However there are definitely set-backs from not being able to try clothes on before you buy them and the amount of clothing I return as it just doesn't look as good as it does in the photos on my screen ,is probably more than half of what I buy. So every now and again, when I get the chance, I take a step out of my front door and into a store and actually try things on and find what fits. It's also a chance to have some child-free time and just relax and be with my friends, which as a mum is a real treat.

How I Beat The Christmas Shopping Queues

Christmas is my favourite time of year - I have always loved sharing the magic with my family and with Miss H's birthday being just a week before, it really is a special time for us. One side I don't love, though, is the Christmas shopping. Don't get me wrong, giving presents is one of my favourite things about the season, especially now I have children, but I have never been a shopper and trying to battle my way through hoards of people is my worst nightmare. So I thought I'd put together a few things that I do to beat the Christmas queues and make present-buying a much more enjoyable experience.

My Top Buys This Week

Over the last couple of months I have shared my top purchases so here is what I've been buying over the last few weeks.

The Collar Necklace

I recently purchased this for £4.88 from Amazon and I am really pleased with it, and looking forward to giving it a try to jazz up those plain tees.

#What2Buy4Kids Twitter Party

I'm really excited to let you know about another Twitter party we will be taking part in, with a brand I have just recently come across and who I am so happy to support - What2Buy4Kids. Started five years ago, when the owner, Lisa, failed to find somewhere to buy special and unique birthday presents for kids. Using her experience as a primary school teacher, Lisa is able to select fun toys and games and also encourage development and learning.

Holiday Shop Bargains Vlog

Today I have vlogged about my recent holiday bargains, featuring purchases from Mothercare and Matalan - so do have a look!

#MatalanSummerTips Twitter Chat

Next Thursday Matalan are hosting a twitter chat all about travelling and going on holiday with children. As we are driving six hours down to Cornwall in a mere four weeks, I for one will definitely be taking part and on the look out for some tips!

If you are planning a trip this year and need some advice, or if you've travelled with children and can offer some perils of wisdom then join in at 8pm on Thursday June 5th. Oh and there's ten £20 Matalan vouchers up for grabs too! Don't forget to use the hashtag #MatalanSummerTips!

Bents Christmas Wonderland

Ever since I moved to Lancashire, Bents Garden and Home has been a must-visit at Christmas time. They are known in the area for their amazing displays, in fact my mum now insists that I take her every year and Mr H has decided we MUST own one of those light-up village scenes for each year - so far we are up to four and I'm not quite sure where they're going to go this time!

A Kid In A Sweet Shop

Last weekend we were invited to a bloggers morning at The Sweet Shop at the Trafford Centre. I wasn't completely familiar with the store before the invitation, but I do have a big sweet tooth so was looking forward to it.

Making Memories - A Giveaway with Truprint

There's nothing more I love than sitting on my sofa, snuggled up, flicking through old photographs. My mum and dad weren't massive on cameras but they still have a lovely collection of memories gathered over the years. Since I was at university I have loved taking photos. My walls at various uni accommodations were covered in the photos I'd taken over each year and often friends would stop by my room just to have a look at them all, remembering each cherished (and often stupid) occasion.

Ballerina Girl

Source

Over the last two and a half year H has owned a couple of tutu's - her last one being for her second birthday. However I have always wanted to put her in one of those you see that just take your breath away. You know the ones, big swirly skirt, lots of layers. The kind you always wanted yourself as a little girl, and even now would love to own one just to twirl and twirl in.

The Baby & Toddler Show Manchester 2013

Have you been to The Baby & Toddler Show before? I haven't been have always heard what a fantastic event it is! The Manchester Baby Show this year is being held at Eventcity, at the Trafford Centre, on 27-29th September, and I am going to be there with bells on! There are so many amazing brands that will be there, to name a few:

Cosatto - a brand with a massive personality and a huge Hollybobbs favourite

Kiddy - who have designed those innovative carseats with the Impact Shield

Bugaboo - a yummy mummy's dream and one I would love to know more about

SnuggleBundl - the creators of the amazing carry blanket, if only I'd have known of them after my c-sections

Puddleducks - who I really wish I'd taken my two to from the start, as I want to get them used to water.

Chicco - popular choice for baby items in our house, we've had a highchair, walker and many toys from them



The Babyworld website include some top tips for making the most of your day at the show, here are a few of my own:

• If you are bringing a little one with you, plan your journey around nap/feed times. You don't want to be trying to find the best deal and chatting to brands whilst your little one is screaming for a feed, so try and work this into naptimes. 
• The nearest place for food is at the Trafford Centre food court, just across the road. Be prepared to leave them event when you need food and give yourself time to get there just before lunchtime when it will be packed out with shoppers.
• If you can be there at the end of the show, you are more likely to find a good deal. Brands often don't want to be transporting bulky products home and you can often negotiate a bargain.
• Save £10 on your ticket by using the code WF18 here, kindly provided by the people at The Baby Show.
• Have a great day!

The Hunt for the Perfect Present

Two weeks ago I turned 30 and the question on my mind has been for some while, a gift? I'm not really one for surprises when it come to gifts, especially big ones, I'm a bit of a control freak! After getting an iPhone two years ago and then an iPad not long after I really fancied a MacBook. My laptop is so slow and drives me crazy when I'm trying to upload photos, create collages and write blog posts in the same session. After about half an hour of usage it would just go painfully slow and trying to load photo-heavy pages such as webstagram or snapfish would take an age.

The old laptop had to be used in sync with the iPad

Having not owned a MacBook before I was a bit unsure, so turned to Twitter for some advice. Anyone who owned one instantly said it was the best thing they had bought, so I was convinced!

After doing a lot of research, including visiting Which? for their opinions, asking the techy gurus for advice and sourcing the best prices for laptops and netbooks, I decided on a MacBook Pro 13" with 8MB memory and 750GB hard drive. I take so many photos a week I really need something that can hold a high amount of data, so to me the extra £250 was worth it.

My Macbook arrived two days after my birthday (note: if you know a student, they get 15% off) and it is beautiful. It's lightweight, especially compared to my old laptop, it is shiny and the buttons light up - what more could a girl want?? On a serious note, it is super fast and the picture quality is amazing, everything is so sharp. It may be an expensive present but i know I will get so much use of it, it will definitely be worth it for years to come.

Now I just have to get to grips with a completely new platform!

*This post is brought to you in partnership with John Lewis

Superheroes For A Day with Cosatto!

How the staff at Cosatto get anything done is beyond me! A bright building with everything from the phone announcing your arrival, the stairs as you enter to the toilet roll in bright wacky colours - it's no wonder their brand is so fun and colourful!

A group of bloggers and press were invited to spend a lovely afternoon in Wonderland with the lovely staff there to view their AW/13 ranges as well as explore a world of giant (and very fast) slides, green grass and superhero baby stuff!

A Day To Be Me: Courtesy of Next Home and Garden

On Friday myself and a few other northern bloggers were invited to a Next Home and Garden event. When I received the schedule for the day my eyes popped out of my head. Not only were we to receive a tour of the new Home and Garden store in Warrington, we were to be sent for a fabulous day of pampering and dining. I left the kids with the in-laws, waved a cheery goodbye then skipped to my car - a day to myself. A day to be me. Not mummy. Me. I could not wait.

Home Shopping at Homesense Manchester

Today we visited our local Homesense store for a tour around and a browse at the lovely things on offer. I've not visited a Homesense before so it was nice to go and have a look around, plus it was an excuse to buy some more things for our already over-stuffed house!

Review: Polarn O. Pyret

I am always on the look out for new brands to try out so when I heard about Polarn O. Pyret I was excited to give them a try. We were sent a lovely red cardigan and matching leggings for Little H and Baby J received a polo T-shirt.

An Essential Giveaway

Regular Hollybobbs readers will know I was thrilled to announce that the online baby brand The Essential One are sponsoring me to attend this years UK Parent Blogging Conference, Britmums Live.

I have owned several outfits by The Essential One and have always been impressed by the high quality, super soft feel of the brushed cotton and I am yet to find a bobble on any of them yet - now that is impressive in my book!

Recently The Essential One launched their new maternity range, which has already been hugely successful. From nursing tops to super soft pyjamas, the range is practical, stylish and comfortable.

So, it is with great pleasure that I am hosting a fantastic Essential One giveaway. The lovely team have offered one Hollybobbs reader the chance to get their hands of one of their lovely new nursing tops!

The ultimate breast feeding top, they are super stretchy and designed to be worn from day one of your pregnancy. They give you comfort and discreet breast feeding and look great too. To enter simply follow the Rafflecopter instructions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kiddicare Aintree

Last Thursday I was invited to attend a bloggers event at the latest Kiddicare store. After opening several branches down south, I was beginning to wonder if we would ever see one up north, so I was excited to hear about the new store in Aintree, Liverpool. Many moons ago I went to university in Ormskirk, not far from Liverpool, so the journey there was like a trip down memory lane!