Get Fathers Day Wrapped Up In An Instant

Father’s Day is drawing closer so I thought I’d share some fun and funky treats that I think are awesome gift ideas for Fathers Day.

Here’s my top 5 contenders… I’m counting down here with number 1 being my top pick.

At number 5… A 12 Week Beer Subscription For Dad from BeerBods

Price – £36 (12 Week Subscription)

Product – BeerBods offer more than just a case of beers to your door but instead an online resource (plus a case of 12 beers delivered at your door). The idea is for BeerBods to deliver dad 12 bottles of bear then for dad to drink and share (just one bear a week) with the online BeerBods community. Each week BeerBods tell dad what beer to drink and the story behind it as he drinks it. Dad then shares his thoughts with the BeerBods community!

A great gift for beer loving dads who are quite opinionated when it comes to a pint.

4) Personalised Silver Hand Stamped Word Ring From – Boutique To You

Price – £45

Product Info – Personalised Silver Hand-Stamped Word Ring that comes beautifully gift boxed. The personalised silver word ring is made to order and you can choose whatever word you wish to be stamped on it. How about the name if his child? I thought it would be a great gift for Father’s Day if dad has more than one child. If each child buys dad a ring then these would equal a great stacking set!

3) Personalised Tax Disc Cufflinks From – Firebox

Price £29.99

Product Info – What a fun and funky gift idea for any dad. Following in the great personalised apparel tradition of monogrammed hankies, and your Mum writing your name on the tag of your jumper, Firebox bring you these Personalised Tax Disc Cuff Links. I think they are Awesome.

2) Why My Daddy Is Brilliant (Personalised Book) From ‘Not On The High Street‘

Price – £15.95

Product Info – More than a card, this beautifully illustrated twelve-page book is a wonderful way for children to show their love for daddy. From favourite hobbies to why they make them smile, the book has been especially written for children to say why they love the ‘superhero’ in their life. It even features blank frames for them to draw their own illustrations in or stick their favourite photographs in! Whether it’s as a family memento or a bedtime read, this book will forever be a reminder of a child’s love for their own ‘superhero’.

How can any daddy be anything other than chuffed with a gift like that.

In the number one spot it’s the gift I’ve chosen for that of my own father…

… 1) Dinner at one of three Marco Pierre White’s London restaurants (tasty 3 course meal for two and a cocktail too) Brought to us by ‘Buy A Gift‘

Price – £50

Product Info – The personalised gift website lets you purchase an experience voucher, activate it and then from their you simply book your reservation with one of the three restaurants on offer, My choice being that of London’s Kings Road Marco Pierre white restaurant. Whats more this fantastic 4 star rated deal is currently on special offer, allowing costumers to purchase this yummy fathers day treat at just £50 instead of £101 making it just under half price for three courses of fantastic fine food.

Here’s whats included for that very special price…. The Kings Road Steakhouse & Grill is a traditional steakhouse in the heart of Chelsea, serving a mouth-watering range of classic steak cuts, as well as a wide variety of timeless English dishes – making it the perfect place to enjoy an indulgent meal for two! You’ll be treated to three courses from a menu including the finest quality steaks, roast meats and fish mainboards in the area, as well as a refreshing Champagne cocktail each

This is the perfect gift idea for the hard to buy for dad who has everything, or one who just appreciates a nice bit of steak (as I know mine does).

Disclaimer: I have not been paid to write this by any of the above brands. I just wanted to share some great potential gift ideas with you all.

#silentsunday

Tutorial For Making Your Own Tactile Sensory Buddies

Children on the Autism spectrum can often have sensory processing difficulties, so much so that it affects their day to day life considerably. I’ve written plenty of material on this subject over the past 4 years but if you want to find out a little more on the subject just click HERE to be taken to one of my most detailed posts.

If you follow my blog you will already know that all my little mans senses are somewhat sensitive especially that of his tactile sense (touch). This can often make life very difficult for him. He can only wear certain material and practically lives in jogging bottoms (I can’t remember the last time he wore a pair of jeans). However, its not just his clothing that he finds difficult to tolerate but everyday things that he needs to touch such as pencils, or certain plastic and more besides. Little man explains that by touching certain objects he is left feeling “Fuzzy” his whole body goes cold, his hairs stand on end and his skin tingles endlessly. He describes such an experience to be painful even.

Nonetheless, there are certain textures little man wants to touch. He will seek such textures out and cannot rest In till his got a hold of them. This combined with his constant need for movement has resulted in me buying many types of sensory toy. When buying such items I look for toys that not only provide a pleasant tactile experience but also ones that double up as a fidget as well as stress relievers to help avoid meltdowns.

We have discovered some fabulous items online and many of them costing very little money. However, we can go through such high numbers that this can actually work out rather costly in the long run. That’s why I’ve taken to making them myself.

Today I want to share a really easy to follow step by step tutorial that shows you how you too can create easy handmade tactile sensory buddies with nothing more than some thread, felt, buttons and dry rice.

So… Here it goes…

To make a tactile sensory buddy you will need the following materials…

A piece of felt in any colour you wish (measuring 17 by 11 cms)

Pen or pencil

Ruler

Sharp scissors or craft knife

Dress pins

Some tread in the same colour as your chosen felt.

Needle

Two medium size buttons of the same colour and size.

One Small pink self adhesive button

Four small red self adhesive buttons

Dry uncooked rice

How to put your buddy together…

1: Firstly cut your felt to size so that it measures roughly 11 cms across and 17 cms in length. Use your ruler to measure and your pen or pencil to clearly mark out where it is you will need to cut (don’t worry about pen marks as these wont be seen when finished.

2: once you have cut out your felt fold it in half and with your ruler and pen draw a line about half a centimetre from the edge of the felt on all the open sides of your fabric (not the folded bottom section). Hold in place with a few of your dress pins.

3: Now take your needle and thread in the same colour as your felt and start sewing along the 2 lines located at the sides (not the top section this comes after). Don’t worry to much if it looks a tad untidy with dangly loose ends etc as this will form the inner body of your tactile sensory buddy once you’ve turned it inside out.

4: Now sew along the top line but stop and tie of your thread once you hit the halfway mark. This section will be sewn later once we have turned the buddy inside out and sewed on all the accessories and filled it with rich.

5: Now turn your felt inside out so once closed no traces of tread can be seen.

6: Once you have done this turn your felt so that the smallest part becomes the top and the unstitched section is now at the side.

7: Now sew the two medium buttons on as eyes. Sew these on just one side of your buddy and sew them on from the inside so the ties are hidden. Do this by accessing the inside from the area you have yet to sew.

8: Now fill the buddy with dry uncooked rice and sew the remaining area. You could also use material glue to keep things tidy.

9: Add the pink self adhesive button for the nose.

10: Add your four red buttons as a mouth.

Finished!

This is a really simple addition to the collection I plan on creating. Be as creative as you like. Add funky feathers, painted spots, stripes and more.

The rice provides a very satisfying tactile experience and can be squeezed and played with easily. A great homemade sensory toy that doubles up as a fabulous stress toy… Sick! (Little mans words not mine by the way!)

NatWest Search For A New Iconic Piggy #pigsbykids

Have you heard about the NatWest #pigsbykids Campaign?

No? Well, let me fill you in then…

NatWest are encouraging children to save by way of launching a fabulous campaign based around its iconic piggy.

NatWest Piggies have long played a massive part in the banks advertisements and savings promotions… Its actually a huge part of NatWest as we know them! And I for one have always related the two very closely, especially given how I always wanted one of my own piggies. Its fair to say that the last piggy became somewhat famous within its own right, what with it being worth a good few quid nowadays. Maybe your lucky enough to still have one of your own?

Well, its a new generation of saving and with it must come a new generation of pig. So, with this, NatWest are encouraging kids to bank their pennies with a fabulous competition. They are on the look out for a new piggy icon and they want your children to get their creative juices flowing by way of creating one.

The winning child’s pig will then shoot to fame by becoming the brand new NatWest Pig.

Little Man and Alice-Sara have both been extremely busy creating their pigs. They have started the design plan on paper and are now applying their ideas to clay model designs which are not yet complete and still very much a working progress.

Nonetheless, I can’t wait to upload their final designs and enter them into this exciting competition.

It really has given little man lots of motivation, given his not all that keen on art due to his difficulties with fine motor skills and low concentration levels. Its really is a positive step that he feels inspired to give it a go.

I really like the message behind this campaign and love how NatWest are delivering it. This is a fabulous opportunity to get your children’s imaginations over flowing while teaching them why saving money is important. I wanted my children to have a good understanding about the campaign and the reasons behind it! I’m all for children having some degree of independence when it comes to money. Children need to learn the importance of saving and the true value of money at an early age.

I also think it would be pretty awesome to see a design created by a child used in such a way by NatWest. Children tend to have the most magical, wonderful and if not sometimes slightly strange ideas floating around in their heads. So, I for one cannot wait to see what both my children and others produce in the name of #pigsforkids

Alice’s paper creation

As the competition has a deadline of the 11th November 2012 I wanted to make sure everyone was aware so they could join in the fun and get creating Piggies of their own. However, I will be sure to pop back and share the children’s designs that they are currently creating with the use of some fantastic art materials that were so kindly supplied by NatWest.

Read the information below to discover some of the competition requirements and a link to the full terms and conditions over at Natwest.

The competition is open to children up to 13 years old.

The winning design will become the new NatWest pig.

The closing date for entries is 12pm on 11th November 2012

Terms and conditions apply and should be read over on the NatWest website.

This is an advertising promotion for NatWest.

I am promoting the competition as its one of great interest and something the children will be taking part in themselves. I was not paid to write this but NatWest did supply the children with a great craft kit to help them create their own little piggies.

Sensory Fun with Crazy Soap

We have massive issues trying to convince Little man to jump in the tub.

His very tactile defensive which can make the whole malarkey of washing something of a battle.

I use sensory play to help the little man get used to certain textures in order for him to cope with them on a daily basis.

Sensory play can also be really fun for the whole family especially pre-schoolers. I’m forever looking for ways to bring sensory fun into the bathroom, especially for the little man (no mother wants bath time battles after all).

This year I was really excited to discover that Crazy Soap would be the main sponsor of the inspire category in the Mad blog Awards. The guys at Crazy Soap have some really fun sensory bath time products that kids and grown ups alike love.

I’ve tried all the products out with the help of my three children, it was really important for me that this sat well with little man because as mentioned bath time is still a struggle for him.

Before letting the children loose with some crazy soap in the tub, I filled a huge bowl with water and with the children tried out the crazy selection as a team.

We did have some really good sensory fun with all the products we tested and each one has become a regular addition to the bathroom cabinet (especially for Little Man).

For Little man in particular the Crazy Soap bath time fun soap was really enjoyed. This pliable foam soap can be shaped and even bounced (no seriously this stuff does actually bounce). As we are a family who engages in lots of sensory activity we would normally use shaving foam for this type of play. However Crazy Soap has a much firmer texture and is more easily moulded into various shapes making it much more fun to play with. Plus this has a PH balanced formula to gently cleanse and moisturise delicate skin which all of my children have. We tried the Glorious Green and Original White which for me smelt very fresh and clean. Some wash products are far to over powering for little man but this was just right.

Next up we tried the fabulous Crazy Soap bath paint which i thought would mean I’d be left with lots of mess to clean! So, I won’t lie… I wasn’t wrong, but it was mess that was easy to clean. The paint comes in a squeezy tube with a sponge on the end (perfect for little hands which meant my toddler of two had lots of fun). Children can paint pictures on the tiles around the bath to keep them entertained or even paint themselves (this counts as washing without actually realising it, great for kids with sensory processing disorders or autism). Again the product has a PH balanced formula to gently cleanse and moisturise delicate skin it rinses off the body and bath easily and is available in the colours Red and Blue.

Crazy Soap Bath Goo… I loved this stuff! Thick scoopable bath gel that once added to water creates thick long lasting foam bubbles. This isn’t like other goo, it has an incredible texture to it. As mentioned Little man is mainly tactile defensive to lots of different materials and textures. However when he does find a texture he loves he becomes a sensory seeker. He absolutely loved the texture of this goo and we ended up going through one pot in just a couple of baths (Little Sister wasn’t impressed). Bath goo is therefore fantastic for any little sensory seeker and is a great way of making bath time fun. Bath Goo has a PH balanced formula to gently cleanse and moisturise delicate skin.

So there you have it. At long last some fabulous bath products that are really great for all children including those that have difficulty with sensory processing.

Crazy Soap isn’t the cheapest of kids bath ranges available but in my view there are certainly not the most expensive either. Crazy Soap Products range from around £2-£3 and are available in most big name stores and supermarkets such as Tescos and Sainsburys.

Visit the Crazy Soap website to find out more or find them on Facebook

This is not a paid review but I did receive some product samples to enable the children to try these out and for me to share our honest feedback. Crazy Soap is now a product I buy on a weekly basis.

The Matalan family day and competition

 Have you heard about the Matalan Southern Baby event and family day?

Below is some information on what’s set to be the family event of the year.

Have a read and then if you fancy it, enter our fantastic competition to win a £25 Matalan voucher here on the blog. 

FREE “WOW” Toys, FREE MATALAN GOODIE BAGS, FREE Child Classes, FREE Creative Arts

Sunday 16th October 2011 – 10am to 4pm, FONTWELL PARK RACECOURSE

FUN FUN FUN is what this event is all about!!

Natasha and MATALAN welcome you to the third exciting year of the Southern Baby Event and Family Day! with MATALAN as it’s Headline Sponsor. Following the phenomenal showcase of this event in 2009, it has grown each year and attracted the amazing footfall of over 4000 families in 2010, we will be building on these strong foundations and learning from last year to ensure that the 2011 is even bigger and more successful. ‘I’m really excited about this year and Deven thinks it’s his party, so come along & join in the fun!’

 Don’t be the one missing out REGISTER NOW all online registrations get entered into a prize draw on the day.

This exciting fun packed day is for the whole family, a real traditional day with laughter that will create lasting memories.

The day hosts COMPETITIONS so everyone gets a chance to be a winner. Daddy’s, Uncles, Grandpas, Children even those ladies that dare enter our ‘Surfing Competition’ – the longest ride wins. Mummys, Aunties, Grandmas – anyone pushing wheels ‘Pimp Your Wheels’, jazz them up! Catch our eye and the treat will be yours!

And don’t forget the Matalan 2011 ‘Photo Competition’.

Please invite grandparents, aunties, uncles and friends to come down and join in, make it your party with Free admission & Free car parking – it’s a great way to get everyone together.

Whether it’s at the fun fair or exploring the Mobile Ark and cuddling the bunnies or have a go at being a jockey with the pony rides. Relax and get a mini pamper in our ‘Little Corner of Heaven’. Seeking advice while enjoying the shopping opportunities.

So are you convinced? We are. Attend the Southern Baby and Family Day on October 16th 2011 and learn, enjoy, watch, play, chat and buy all your essential baby and family needs…. Don’t be the one missing out REGISTER NOW all online registrations get entered into a prize draw on the day.

We have all the makings of a great day we just need YOU!!!

 To celebrate this coming event Matalan have asked me to run a competition, offering my lovely readers the chance to win a £25 Matalan gift voucher to spend on anything they desire.

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me what you would use your voucher to buy?

 Maybe it’s something for the kids or the home or just maybe you’ll treat yourself? 

 Click here to view the Matalan store online

Please leave your twitter id or email with your comment! I can’t stress how important this and those that do not leave a way for me to contact them in the event that they have won, may lose their prize leaving me no choice but to redraw the competiton, chosing another winner!

For an extra entry follow my blog via networkblogs (link in sidebar) or via email. Please let me know you have done so in an additional comment from that above.

For another additional entry please tweet, I want to win a £25 Matalan voucher with @clairelouise82 adding the URL to this post.

Please let me know you have done so in an additional comment form those above.

This gives you three chances to win

Competition open to UK residents only and will close on the 30th October 2011. Winner must claim their prize within 7 days of the post announcing the winner.

BLOG ALERT!

I have been thinking about starting a blog with google’s blogger for quite sometime now.

Well today I did! In fact I started two. I know what your thinking, How on earth will I find the time to use them? Well I fault the same thing to once I had signed up for them! But ( There is always a but with me, have you noticed? ) I just love blogging! Anybody fell that way? I’m sure I can do it despite the two children, hubby and dog. It’s not like it takes forever! I find once I start a blog I have these post ideas constantly running through my head. Believe it or not guys they are not always autism related. 

So let me tell you a quick something about each of them! 

DON’T LOOK TWICE!

Right this is the one I’m looking most forward to using. I only started it yesterday and already have posted a few post. It’s concerning another of my interest which is psychology ( I bet that wasn’t hard to guess:) ) So on this blog you will find me writing about Mental health, Autism, Dreams, and all stuff concerning the mysteries of our mind and how it shows in our behavior. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO MAKING THIS BLOG INTO SOMETHING GREAT. 

The second blog which I must add is very random is named

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

As I pointed out a very random kind of blog. It states although I’m a mother this don’t mean I’m unable to have fun! So this blog is for all the other stuff. My art, Fashion, Great nights out ( When I have them ) Great reads, what I’m watching on u-tube, make up, iphone stuff and much more. 

Will list the links for the sites in the sidebar under MY OTHER BLOGS. So would be great if you would all pop along some time and show some support:) No pressure!