On the eleventh day of Christmas...

 

To win fab prizes every day, visit www.next.co.uk 

and click the banner Daily Xmas Giveaway

On the eleventh day of Christmas,

my true love sent to me

Eleven pipers piping,

Ten lords a-leaping,

Nine ladies dancing,

Eight maids a-milking,

Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying,

Five golden rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves,

And a partridge in a pear tree.

The Christmas challenge, sponsored by Next, is coming to an end - only one more day to go... It's probably frantic down the high street and the snow looks wonderful but is not that great if you want to use public transport or your own car! I do tend to cycle and the grit is not bike friendly at all. Some of the bike lanes have not been cleared so it's like being on the skating rink. You can't even go on pavements (some are shared by bikes and pedestrians here in Cambridge) as they have an icy coating. I'll have to get out on my bike tomorrow, good luck to me!

Now back to the task, eleven pipers? Not exactly, but Next.co.uk has piped clothing. My pick of the day includes a White Piped Shirt for him, £26... a Grey Piped Military Coat, £65 for her and a quirky but fun GX Skate Quarter Pipe Set, £20 (pictured below) for older kids.

On the tenth day of Christmas...

 

To win fab prizes every day, visit www.next.co.uk 

and click the banner Daily Xmas Giveaway

On the tenth day of Christmas,

my true love sent to me

Ten lords a-leaping,

Nine ladies dancing,

Eight maids a-milking,

Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying,

Five golden rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves,

And a partridge in a pear tree.

What do you buy for a man who has everything? Perhaps Yellow Spongebob Long Bottoms, Where’s Wally Jersey Long Bottoms or Turquoise Animal Long Bottoms, £18 each... Babyliss Easy Cut Hair Clipper, £45... Superdry Sports Watch, £40... Diesel® Colour Binding Trunks Three Pack, £44  or Cadbury Chocolate Money Box, only £8?

On the ninth day of Christmas...

To win fab prizes every day, visit www.next.co.uk 

and click the banner Daily Xmas Giveaway

On the ninth day of Christmas,

my true love sent to me

Nine ladies dancing,

Eight maids a-milking,

Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying,

Five golden rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves,

And a partridge in a pear tree.

Let's get this festive party started with some... dancing! Show off your moves to your family and friends with Wii Dance Party Pop, £25 and fill your father's sock with a Dancing Dad, £6.

On the eighth day of Christmas...

To win fab prizes every day, visit www.next.co.uk 

and click the banner Daily Xmas Giveaway

On the eighth day of Christmas,

my true love sent to me

Eight maids a-milking,

Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying,

Five golden rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves,

And a partridge in a pear tree.

Surely, it's all about cute cow prints! Daisy Cow Mule Slippers, £15, Pull Along Cow Blocks Cart, £20. Click here for mooore ideas.

 

Toys for all ages - and you get to support a parenting charity!

Not sure what to buy for your child or your friend's tot?

Here is an extract from an article I wrote for an NCT newsletter. All toys are available at www.nctshop.co.uk (all profits go to support the work of a national charity). Prices right at the time of posting. There might be sales in January.

From birth
Sneezy (£27.99) has a squeak in his nose and crinkle ears/wings. One hand rattles, the other squeaks, a mirror hides in a pocket, a flower pops out of another, a bell rings in his tail! Whoozit (£7.99) crinkles, rattles, squeaks and has a mirror hidden under its nose.

From three months

Double-sided activity centre (£39.99) One side has six different activities, a mirror that shows the under patterns of the spinner, a squeak, knocker, twirl and happy face that lights and plays music. The other side has buttons to press that cause the flower to spin, the frog to pop up, plus levers make noises and four musical instrument buttons that play Bach. Attach to the cot or play on the floor. Age: 3-24 months. Suitable from birth, the Winkel (£7.99) comes in handy when your baby is teething, which can start at around three months. It’s BPA free, easy to hold and soft to chew. Chilled, it makes a soothing teether.

 Nine-12 months

Wooden baby walker (£34.99). In brightly coloured wood with rubber rimmed wheels, it comes with 24 shaped and coloured blocks. This updated version of the traditional walker is very stable, giving toddlers confidence while they learn to walk. Sidney School Bus (£10.99). Award-winning friction-powered shape sorting toy, complete with six shapes and driver. Age: from 12 months.

Katie's Camper

From 18 months
Katie’s Camper Holiday Friends (£22) Sturdy, friction-powered toy full of features inside. Everything packs away neatly for easy storage. Or Flip ’n’ Tip Fred (£27.99). Sturdy truck that promotes ‘green’ thinking. Friction powered with tipping loader and other features. Stack ’n’ pull Dinosaur (£14.99). Stockable wooden toy.

 From two years
Ark (£24.99). Includes Mr & Mrs Noah with six
pairs of animals and one pair of doves. Animals
and figures can be stored inside the ark. The top
half of ark attaches to the base with magnets. Not
to be used in water. Crocodile name jigsaw (£8.99). Teach your child to spell their name! Letters can only be put together in the correct order.



From three years
Oldfield Farm (£44.99). The wooden play base includes barn with loft and
ladder, animal shed, farmhouse, pig sty and fences. The roof panels attach with magnets. Farm Animals are sold separately and include pairs of cows, pigs, lambs, chickens and ducks. This toy is still popular with kids up to nine years of age. Danny’s diving adventure (£10.99). This bath toy is suitable from 18 months but my three year old (and other toddlers at the preschool) is still enthusiastic about water play! Open the boat to discover the secret cabin inside and use the spring loaded diving board to shoot the figures into the water.

Wooden wonders

If for you plastic is not fantastic, here are a few more wooden toys from the NCT shop.

Rattle

• Rattle (£5.99). Made up of colourful beads and bell, it will keep your baby amused. Age: 6 months plus.
• Push-along seal or butterfly (£13.99). Push along the seal and watch the ball spin. Or you can go for a butterfly and flowerpot alternative. Age: 1 year plus
• Sorting cage (£14.99).Push the shapes through the corresponding holes into the wooden cage. Age: 18 months plus.
• Rolling slope (£34.99). A retro looking toy for car-mad toddlers. Age: 2 years plus.

On the seventh day of Christmas...

 

To win fab prizes every day, visit www.next.co.uk 

and click the banner Daily Xmas Giveaway

On the seventh day of Christmas,

my true love sent to me

Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying,

Five golden rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves,

And a partridge in a pear tree.

When no swans are available, you have to make do with ugly ducklings. Fear not, there isn't an ugly duckling in sight on next.co.uk, only pretty fluffy ones, including a cute, spotty duck baby sleepsuit, £7. Or you can opt for the comfy and warm duck boots, from £16 - perfect for this freezing weather!

Environmentally-friendly pledges

Bring in the New Year with your own unique mix of cheery optimism and dogged determination to provide a future for your kids. With YOUR help, it can be done! Read my pledge and Michela's here.

Send your and your children's pledges to 

GROWNUPS: www.bagladyproductions.org/asap-world/pledge/

KIDS' Pledge: www.bagladyproductions.org/asap-world/kids-pledge-asap/

On the sixth day of Christmas...

To win fab prizes every day, visit www.next.co.uk 

and click the banner Daily Xmas Giveaway

On the sixth day of Christmas,

my true love sent to me

Six geese a-laying,

Five golden rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves,

And a partridge in a pear tree.

No products featuring geese but since it's cold and snowing again, why not invest in an Anti-Allergy Goose Feather & Down Duvet? Prices start from £35 at ww.next.co.uk.

 

Lookalikes and soundalikes

You have probably heard of lookalikes - I do love Private Eye's section and their double take on Cher from the X Factor but watching (yet again) that ad from L'Oreal, I propose a soundalike....


Christophe Robin, the colourist and Christopher Robin, Pooh Bear's best friend. I cannot resist when they try to pronounce the colorist's name with an exaggerated French accent to avoid any mixup!

Find out where to download this cute colouring picture by clicking here

On the fifth day of Christmas...

To win fab prizes every day, visit www.next.co.uk 

and click the banner Daily Xmas Giveaway

On the fifth day of Christmas,

my true love sent to me

Five golden rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves,

And a partridge in a pear tree.

There are various types of rings on www.next.co.uk - for your fingers or your home. Choose between gold napkin rings £7 for your table or for you, two-tone rings from £18... tricky!