The Year That Was… 2012

The year of 2012 will soon be over, we will wave it farewell as we enter a new chapter.

Is it because I’m getting older or do the years really fly by so quickly? It seems not so long ago I was sat here writing a post summing up 2011 yet here we are again fast approaching the year 2013… I can hardly keep up!

So, how was 2012 for us? Well, amazingly it was pretty drama free (just the way we like it)! With little man now really settled at his new school things have been… Well… “Normal” I mean I no longer get daily phone calls from head teachers demanding I collect little man! I’m actually able to go shopping without that niggling fear that my mobiles about to ring as soon as I start loading the supermarket trolley.

We have had some wonderful highlights to this year one being our second Mad blog awards win where the blog was crown most inspiring for the second consecutive year in a row. It was a truly wonderful surprise and one we didn’t expect. Lets just say I woke up with a somewhat sore head the following morning.

I was also a runner up for most inspirational blog in the BIBs (brilliance in blogging wards) run by Britmums.

At the beginning of the year I got to attend Little mans first ever sports day. Ok, his 12 years old so that may seem strange for some. But those who like me have a child on the autism spectrum will likely have experienced the same… Their child being excluded from everyday activities as they are branded something of a health and safety risk.

Little mans attendance at his new special school has brought with it a lot of “firsts” this year, including his most recent Christmas performance that almost had me in floods of happy tears. I also attended the school Christmas lunch which is such a big deal when you have got to the stage of thinking “You’re child will never be given such opportunities” such negative thoughts are all based purely on the bad experiences of the past.

Other wonderful things that have happened this year include, being chosen as Toy R Us Toyologist. Alice and little man were blue group reviewers and lots of fun was had reviewing all the great toys in the run up to Christmas. Little man discovered his love of making review videos and mini tutorials, his confidence grew and as a result his only gone and started his very own youtube channel.

We were also invited to be LEGO Family bloggers this year and as you can guess, that news had the little man excited beyond belief.

Another really big surprise was being chosen to be one of Butlins Ambassadors. Next year we will be visiting Bognor Regis resort and I’ll be able to share with readers our experiences including how the park caters for children with additional needs and sen. We start our holiday on the 1st April and I for one really can’t wait.

October see me as one of ten bloggers and writers who were chosen as finalist in the Savoo smartest shopper competition. I was in with the chance of winning a prize of £10,000 plus the chance to write my own money saving blog. No I didn’t win! But looking back I do realise what a wonderful achievement it was to be in the final amongst the red hot competition.

This year seemed to be the year for competitions. What with Alice being a runner up in the Ice Age Jr reviewer competition winning a fab trip to Bristol, Little man bagging himself an iPad Mini on an online raffle that was organised by his school reward system Vivo, and that of Alice finding out on Christmas Eve that she had won £750! This was for her amazing entry into the post card from Santa competition run by Travel Supermarket (the entry & video can be seen on my sister blog mummy of many talents).

Above… A beautiful trip to bristol

On the whole the year has been a kind one. Sadly we do still have the worrying situation involving my sister and the SS (see the blog post peek a boo) following us into this coming new year. As a family we are continuing to support her the best we can while fighting the system that is destroying her.

So… What will next year bring? New opportunities, more school plays and sports days. I don’t hope its a good one I’ll be sure to make it a great one.

Names In Lights

We have been busy making the little mans bedroom as sensory friendly as possible. This is important as its where he spends a lot of his time. It needs to be a room he can relax in and somewhere he is able to switch off and try to sleep in. Yes, sleeping is still difficult and its the little things that can help to make a difference.

For little man, main lighting must be kept to a low! He then has a number of sensory stimulating lights like a lava lamp and small bubble tube to produce low level lighting.

The latest light we have added to the collection is one designed by ‘Name In Lights’. By combining his love of WWE wrestling with the calming and sensory effects of mood lighting, Names in Lights have made a big impression.

These are not your average LED lights they are truly unique with each one being carefully handmade to order making no two the same.

The effect these lights give of are simply stunning. Within each crackled ice letter there is a constant, subtle colour change provided.These are not to bright or over powering, they really do create a calming atmosphere within a room. They are not just a light but also a piece of art of art for the home.

When I asked the Little man which word he wanted to be named in lights he excitedly requested the logo WWE which stands for World Wrestling Entertainment. Transport has always been his special interest but its safe to say that over the past year WWE has really began to take over.

Both little man and myself are super impressed with his light. The letters came displayed on a decorative stand and little man’s named is written in gold and displayed on a black plague fitted to the front of the stand. This really was a lovely personalised touch. The lights are truly wonderful and provide a stunning light show that little man is lucky enough to experience every night.

This is a fragile product so it comes delivered well boxed but is still easy to remove and unpack, meaning your light can be plugged in and used within minutes of receiving it.

You can request what ever name or word you like! It could be your own name, initials, favourite popstar or even footballer. It really can be absolutely anything your heart desires. It comes with a USB and mains adaptor. The light is well made and although its fragile like any piece of art, with love and care it will certainly last the test of time.

Impressed… Oh yes! Little man love’s his new WWE LED lights and I can really recommend these as a great addition to any room, especially that of a sensory room.

Prices vary dependent on how many letters you want. A 3 letter light like little man’s cost just £29.95 which I feel is really reasonable for a light and a hand made piece of art.

Check out Names in Lights… They run monthly competitions, have a great gallery on their website which provides lots of inspiration and ideas for possible Christmas presents.

Win board games in our big Christmas Countdown

5

Days till Christmas

With five days left till the big day here is another awesome prize to excite!

The lovely people at www. theboardgamers.co.uk have donated a lovely prize in-order for me to run yet another great give-away!

The Boardgamers is a great online retailer selling a good selection of games for all ages and abilities. When they invited me to come and pick a prize for my readers, I will admit, I had my work cut out when choosing due to the number of great games on display!

I also discovered that  The Boardgamers  products are actually what I’d call “Better than reasonably priced” instead their games are much cheaper than many other online retailers selling board games that I’ve come across. With all your top brands and names in board-games www.theboardgamers.co.uk  really is worth taking a peek at!
Honstly don’t just take my word for it, check it out yourself by clicking HERE

The Prize

Well, as a result of my inability to choose I instead narrowed it down to two, therefore letting the lucky winner chose which game they want to win.

So, here’s your two choices

The winner can choose either

Imaginations Doctor Who’s battle to save the universe

or

Imaginations Play that tune

Here’s how to enter

It’s simple, just leave me a comment telling which game you would choose if you won and who it would be for. Don’t forget to leave me a comment containing your contact details (email or twitter)

Additional entries

To gain additional entries just use any, or even all the share buttons within this post… Leaving an additional comment for each action taken. Remember in-order to gain extra entries you must first do the compulsory action required to enter (located above)

Merry Christmas all and good luck

Competition will close at Midnight on the 10th January 2012.

T&C
Winner must choose one one the two listed board games, Competition open to those in the Uk only, the prize is as stated and no alternatives will be offered, winner has 48hrs to respond to the winners notification. Name and address will be passed on to Boardgamers.co.uk who will send out the prize directly, winners name will be published on this blog.

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