Christmas Gift Ideas | Your Mum

If you were like me growing up as a child, then you will understand that Mum’s do EVERYTHING when it comes to your Christmas presents. The hours she must have spent trawling through Toys’R’Us and searching on Argos - all for Father Christmas to get all the credit. Now that I’m a bit older and am earning more money, I feel like the past few Christmas’s, it’s been really nice to spoil my Mum and surprise her with some really lovely gifts. I’m quite organised this year and have pretty much sorted what I’m going to buy her apart from the obvious “bath stuff” that goes without saying. So, here's a few ideas that I’ve either bought my mum in the past or that I bought her for this Christmas – some expensive, some a little cheaper. So, Mum, if you’re reading this – please don’t carry on!

Amazon Kindle

 If your mum is like mine and loves to read then this is a great gift idea! I was a little nervous at first as I knew how much to she loved to actually hold a book whilst reading (sounds a bit weird) so I was worried that she wouldn’t like the idea of holding a device. But now she’s never without it! If she’s in bed, she’s reading on her Kindle, if she’s by the pool on holiday, she’s reading on her Kindle, if she’s in the bath, she’s reading on the Kindle (don’t worry, we got insurance haha). So I would definitely consider this idea if your mum loves a good read!

Jewel Candle

 I thought this was such a unique and lovely gift idea! The idea is that you burn the candle and inside is either a pair of earrings or a ring (your choice) of the value of £25-£250! I thought this would be a lovely idea for Aunties and Grandma’s too. http://jewelcandle.co.uk/

Weekend Superbreak

Warning - this does take a lot of planning! This year, I’ve organised a trip to London for myself and my Mum to see The Lion King in the theatre. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the show and have been dying to see it for a while, as has my Mum. So, I spent days looking at reviews and working out the best deal for two nights in a hotel with theatre and train tickets. I ended up booking it through Superbreak.com as they had some fab offers on. However, this is quiet an expensive gift so I’d recommend going halves with someone else if possible.

Slanket

This is more of a jokey idea but thought it would be great for my Mum. My Mum and I ALWAYS end up fighting over the blanket on the sofa when watching the telly so I thought what better idea than to buy my Mum her own?! The blanket even came with arm holes AND a pocket (which she usually uses to hide the remote inside). I found mine at my local market but you can pretty much find them anywhere.

Tablet

This was actually one of my (very few) Dad’s ideas which I was actually quite impressed with. My Mum had a little iPod Touch at the time and was forever complaining of sore eyes from trying to see the screen. So we thought that a tablet would a great idea for her to be able to see the screen properly and also carry it about with her when she needed it. She is now never without it, along with her Kindle (Mrs Gadget).

Costume Jewellery 

What Mum doesn't like jewellery?! My Mum is a massive sucker for costume jewellery so a few pieces from our local Christmas market was a lovely present for her to receive.

Hairdresser’s voucher 

My Mum usually gets her hair done at a little back street salon that doesn't charge much. But I always notice that she's never fully happy with what she gets. So, I thought it would be a great idea to buy her a High-End Hairdresser's gift voucher. There are a lot offers on at this time of year and I managed to get one for £200 worth of hair cutting/treatment for £40! She gets four free appointments where she can have a cut, colour and a head massage. I was very tempted to buy it for myself to be honest!

Spa Break

My mum works really hard and I thought that a spa break would be a lovely treat for her to wind down and relax. Again, I noticed an offer at one of my local hotels for 12 days of free use of the spa, a £20 gift voucher for treatments and they always threw a cute little boxed candle. Lovely idea for you & your mum to spend some quality girly time! 

Theatre Tickets

My Mum & I LOVE to go and watch a good show so I figured a surprise trip to the theatre would be a lovely idea. I booked for us to go and see War Horse at our local theatre on the day after her birthday. Will definitely earn me some top brownie points!

Makeover with vouchers 

My Mum has only recently got into wearing make-up (with the help & encouragement of yours truly).  She only ever used to wear the odd bit of blusher and lipstick here and there but now she's constantly asking for me to do her make-up for when she's going out. I thought that a make-up lesson at one the beauty counters at my local Debenhams would be lovely for her and I even threw in some vouchers for her to treat herself to anything she liked!

There's just a few ideas of variously priced gifts that I think any Mum would love to recieve. I do however, think that Mum’s appreciate any gift she gets just so long as she knows that it's you that's put the effort in to think of something that she'd really love. 

Have a lovely Christmas time!

Where Have I Been?!

Hello my lovlies,

Just a little post to explain why I have completely disappeared from the face of the blogging world this past month or so! October/November time at work has been pretty hectic and has involved a lot of late nights and hell a lot of early mornings, thus, resulting in me wanting to starfish my bed at every opportunity I got. To add to the bleak set of excuses, I’ve also been quite skint if I’m honest! Buying Christmas presents for every cousin’s cat’s aunty in the family really has had a terrible effect on my Boots/Primark/Topshop/Asos/Missguided/And-the-rest shopping fund. Plus, I’ve not felt majorly inspired by any new products or lines and didn’t just want to write a post for writing a post’s sake.

I am here, however, to announce that I have returned to the lovely world of blogging and to confirm that, no I am not dead, for any of you that might be worried. I have also been thinking of a few Christmassy themed posts that should be up soon! Apologies again for my disappearance!

Pay Day Picks #2

Benefit They’re Real! Mascara

I don’t think I could physically live without this mascara. Since discovering it, I’ve purchased it endless times. A bottle usually lasts me around 2 months and I’ve noticed my current bottle is on it’s last legs so it’s definitely time to repurchase!

Chunky Scarf

Now that the cold winter months are setting in, I feel that it’s time to purchase a big snuggly chunky scarf. I’ve spotted this one online from Asos. I thought that black would pretty much go with everything (including my coat) so I will definitely be grabbing one of these on Pay Day!

Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation

I’ve had soo many sample bottles of this foundation and I absolutely love it! But when I get round to buying the full size, I always find another sample bottle stowed away in my samples box. However, it’s finally come to the time when I have run out of samples and have to splurge on a full size. However, I found out a while ago that if you book a ‘Fake-Up’ at Benefit (where the MUA does your make up for you in the hope that you will purchase some) then, if you book a second Fake-Up after your first then you get a LOAD of free samples! Hence why I had so many samples of their foundation haha!

Urban Decay Make up Setter

I’ve heard a few bloggers raving about this so I’m really intrigued to give it a go! I’ve found that by the end of my day, my make-up doesn’t look as tippity top as it did when I left the house in the morning (although the Borjouis bronzing primer does help). It probably won’t be great for my bank account but hopefully will have a better effect on my face!

Asos Tube Trouser in High Waist Check Print

Now that I’ve lost a bit of weight, I’ve found that I feel a bit more comfortable wearing trousers, instead of covering my thighs up with dresses and skirts. I am really loving printed and patterned trousers at the moment and especially in monochrome. So, when I saw these beauties, I literally went weak at the knees! I think they’ll go with so much from an over sized wintery jumper to a cute white cami layered with a scarf and a chunky cardy. JUST SO NICE!



*images sourced from Google

Weight Watchers Update #1

If you have read my previous blog posts then you may know that last month, I started Weight Watchers. I was weighed last night and I am happy to tell you that I’ve lost just over half a stone (7 and a half lbs) in 4 weeks! It doesn’t sound like a lot but apparently the less you weigh to start with, the more time it takes for your body to lose the weight. During my first week I lost 4 lbs which I was MASSIVELY shocked at and after then, my weight has slowly but surely dropped off. I have found myself getting into a routine now and it’s weird to say it but I’m really not struggling with it at all! I can still eat well; I have just changed the amount that I eat. My points allowance has also dropped from 29 points a day to 27 which at first I was really worried about exceeding but it really is no trouble at all! If you’re like me and aren’t a massive fan of lots of salads or fruit & veg, then this is what a typical day for me, food-wise, would consist of;

Breakfast

1 Bowl of Honey Cheerios
(3 points)

1 serving (142ml) of semi skimmed milk

(2 points)

Glass of water

(0 points)

Lunch
½ bowl of cream of tomato soup
(2 points)
Slice of white bread
(2 points)
Packet of Quavers/Weight Watchers chocolate biscuit

(2 points each)

Any fresh fruit – any amount (I usually go for a banana or some blueberries)

(0 points)

Dinner

This is where it can be quiet varied. I tend to just have what my family are having but in a smaller portion. It’s so much easier than having something different from everyone else and doesn’t leave you drooling over what everyone else is having while you’re sat in the corner with your carrot sticks. For example; if my mum makes Spaghetti Bolognese then she will use the Weight Watchers Bolognese sauce (2 points for ½ a jar plus it doesn’t taste any different!). Then, instead of serving it on a plate, I will have mine in a bowl. It means that I’m having a much smaller portion but my bowl still looks full of food. From doing this, my body now isn’t used to digesting big plates of food anymore and I have found that I get fuller a lot quicker and a lot easier.

If you prefer to make your dinner yourself then the Weight Watchers ready meals are also a favourite in my freezer. If I need something quick then I will warm up a shephard’s pie or lasagne (which are worth around 7-8 points each) and add a FEW low-fat chips. I’ve found that because I’m still giving my body that fix of more naughtier foods but in much smaller portions, I am not craving them like you would be on a crash diet. So, a typical dinner would be worth around 10-12 points. Adding my points up, that’s still only 23 points at the most, which is great for when I fancy that little bit of chocolate or a packet of crisps! I just make sure that they are the low-points option.

So far, I have been really pleased with the whole programme and I am secretly really proud of myself at the weight that I have lost so far. Wish me luck for next month! J