Life Update - Bear With Me

This photo was taken yesterday, my last day at home full time with my gorgeous little boy. As this post goes live, I will be stepping into my new office and starting my first day in a new job.

The Best Christmas Yet?

I am writing this on the evening of 23rd, sitting in front of the tree with its lights twinkling, and Oliver's Christmas Eve box placed beside it, waiting for us to open in the morning. Normally we'd put our presents under the tree as and when we receive them, but this year it remains completely bare, through fear that Oliver will go after them, just as he does with the decorations! They will all be laid out when he is in bed tomorrow night, so the first time he sees them will be Christmas morning. Sitting here in my festive setting, with a candle burning, and a Christmas tea nicely cooling, has got me feeling all reflective.

My Christmas Favourites

I can't believe Christmas Day is almost here. I've had the most amazing time being off work this year and enjoying the entire build up with my little boy! Today I thought I'd share with you some of my festive favourites, feel free to share yours in the comments too!

The "Driving Hone For Christmas" Playlist

If you haven't already, I'd imagine quite a lot of you are going to be driving home for Christmas today. I have to say, that's one thing I've missed this year. That moment when you get in the car, pop on some festive tunes, and think "that's it, I'm done, the holidays can begin now!" I have, though, been listening to Christmas songs for about a month, to get myself in the mood when I started my Christmas shopping! I've put together a list of my favourite Christmas songs to hopefully get you in the festive mood, whether you're finishing work today or not!

My Perfect Winter Night In

I'm not one for big nights out at any time of your, but particularly in the winter. I'm much more content snuggling up for a cosy night in at home. It's warmer, it's cheaper, and nothing beats the comfort of your own home, especially in the run up to Christmas with the lights from the tree sparkling. Here's my recipe for my perfect winter night in.

Day Out At Hatton Country World

My husband has had a couple of days off in the run up to Christmas, so we wanted to have a nice day out as a family. With Oliver still being so young, we didn't want to be travelling very far, and with Hatton Country World being just a 20 minute drive from our home, it seemed like the perfect place to go.

My Christmas Traditions

I've mentioned a few times through blogmas that I've wanted to start our own little family traditions now that we have Oliver, but what about all of the traditions we already kept? Here are the things we have done in the run up to Christmas practically every year, some of them since I was a little kid myself.

What's In Oliver's Christmas Eve Box

I can't believe it's only a week until Christmas Eve! This month seems to just be flying by! Even though Oliver, at just 9 months old, is far too young to understand Christmas yet, I wanted to start the Christmas Eve box tradition now, so that we can say to him it's something we've done since he was a baby - plus it's a little bit of fun for me! Today I'm going to share with you what we've put inside he first ever Christmas Eve box.

Christmas Baking

Every Friday evening my family get together at my Gran's house for dinner and a catch up, which I'll quite often go to. This week I decided to pop along, and bake some festive treats for us to enjoy as dessert.

Cutest Festive Outfits For Kids

I had a lot of fun researching for this blog post - kids Christmas outfits are so adorable! A couple of years ago I dressed my niece as a reindeer, and I'll be doing exactly the same to Oliver at some point next week! As well as the reindeer costume, he also has the obligatory Christmas jumper for today's Christmas Jumper Day, and a couple more festive pieces. After searching through the web, here are my top picks of the festive kids outfits out there.

Festive Date Ideas

The build up to Christmas can be full of parties and big meals out, but what about spending quality time just with your loved one? I've put together a list of festive themed date ideas, to suit all budgets and all weather eventualities.

Mini Festive Haul

I always like to treat myself a little bit when I do my Christmas shopping. After all, it's a lot of hard work, so you need rewarding for your efforts, right? Whilst past years have seen me buying the likes of luxury beauty sets and fitness trackers, this year I've been on a much tighter budget - plus I have way too many products to get myself through now - so I just picked up a few bits & pieces that I liked the look of, plus a few cute little decorative things, all of which were under £5.

Creative Christmas Ideas

Christmas is always a time that inspires my creative side. It's always nice to do some little DIY projects, especially if you've got young ones that can get involved. Making things yourself can also save you money on things you would normally just go out and buy, perfect if you're doing Christmas on a budget this year. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Our Home At Christmas

If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that as soon as December hit, I started decorating my house for Christmas. I would've done it sooner if I could, but I don't think my husband would've been impressed! The trees went up on December 1st, and I've been adding other little finishing touches in the week since. So, this is what my house looks like this Christmas.

The Under £10 Gift Guide

We've been on quite a tight budget this Christmas, so I've been on the look out for those more affordable gift options. I've managed to find my top gifts, all £10 or less, for him, her and the kids too. Whether your on a strict budget like me, or on the hunt for stocking fillers or that perfect secret santa gift, I hope you'll find some inspiration here.

How To Survive Christmas Shopping

I personally love Christmas shopping, but I'm one of the few people in my family that does! For many it can be a source of stress, and they just want to get it over and done with as quickly as possible - I know a few people that would happily pass on their Christmas shopping to me if they could! Today, I thought I'd share with you my tips for making the process as stress free as possible.

Easy Handmade Christmas Cards

I really wanted to make a few handmade Christmas cards this year. A few years ago, I made cards for every single member of my family, spending a tonne on card stock and embellishments, and sitting down for hours on end to put them together. This year, however, I didn't have a great deal of time, having to squeeze it in to Oliver's nap time, and I had a much smaller budget, so I decided to simplify things and make just a few, with a much simpler but still creative design. After scouring the internet for inspiration, I liked the idea of fingerprint designs, and settled on reindeers. This is how I made them...

Tanya's Christmas Review

I'm not one to jump at the latest YouTuber book release, but when I heard about Tanya's Christmas, I was very excited. I've been subscribed to Tanya Burr's YouTube channel for quite a few years now, and her Vlogmas videos are probably my favourites to watch, mainly because her love of all things festive is so infectious. Every year, when I watch her video from her annual Christmas party, I think I'd love to be able to host a gathering like that one day, so I was really interested to read her take on Christmas, and what tips she had to offer.

My Christmas Bucket List

I know lots of people who have written bucket lists, but I never have. I was browsing the internet a few weeks ago and came across a few festive themed lists, which seemed to be more generic, so I decided to create one personal to me and the things I'd like to do this December. As it's our first Christmas as a little family, there were lots of new things I wanted to experience and traditions I wanted to start for when Oliver is old enough to understand what's going on. Hopefully you'll find some inspiration for things to add to your own bucket list too.

December Reading List

It's December, time to dust off those Christmas novels! I've built up a small collection of Christmas books over the years, but when it comes down to it, I've never actually sat down and read many of them! I'm making it my mission this year to have a bit of me time before bed every evening and try to get through three books in the run up to Christmas. So here's what I'll be reading this month.