Thank you Gift Ideas for Teacher

The school holidays are fast approaching and as well as thinking of ways to entertain the children over the summer, it's time to start thinking about ways to show your child's teacher how much you appreciate them. I believe that putting time and thought into a Thank you gift for your children's teacher is more important than the money you spend so I've brought together a few simple ideas to say thanks, all for under £10...

Stationery. Who doesn't love a brand new notebook and pen? Package it up nicely with some ribbon and pretty cards and you have a lovely looking and useful gift that looks a lot more than the £2.48 it cost!

Why not get crafty? This cute little corsage is so simple to make and your child could even get involved. I recently tried some sewing with my four year old and she loved it! You could make it out of scraps of any fabric and use a coordinating button. It costs just pennies but it a lovely gift that shows that time and thought have been spent instead!

Everyone loves chocolates and wine, right? Why not team a home made gift up with some yummy chocolates and a small bottle of wine? It looks like a an expensive gift but with Lily O'Brien's Petit Desserts costing just £7 a box, this whole gift is still less than £10.

If a lovely pot of Earl Grey is more your teacher's cup of tea then why not team a a pretty china cup and saucer up with some chocolates or even a candle? This blue spotty teacup and saucer was just £2.69 from Quality Save and Lily O'Brien's Tasting collection is a bargain at £1.50! This whole gift was under £5!

Whether you decide to buy a gift or make one, there is always room for a home made card, let your children express themselves and make a card that will show their teacher how much they appreciate them and will miss them.

We were sent some samples from Lily O'Brien's to include in this gift guide.

Easter Egg Hunting and Fun in the Sun at Dunham Massey

Yesterday we planned to visit one of our favourite National Trust locations to take part in their annual Easter Egg Hunt with Cadbury's. We were a little disappointed  to wake to cloudy skies and fog however we packed up our picnic and set off with hope that the sun would still come out to play.

Thankfully our wishes came true and not long after we arrived the fog cleared and the skies turned a brilliant shade of blue.

The magnificent hall at Dunham Massey has been transformed into the Stamford Military Hospital as it was almost 100 years ago, during the First World War. We decided to take the tour around the house learning about some of the characters that worked and were treated there during the war years. I found it really interesting but I have to admit there wasn't a lot to hold the children's attention.

They were much happier when we stepped outside into the beautiful gardens to begin the Easter Egg Hunt. They have been looking forward to this all weekend and loved every second!

Despite a huge amount of visitors, the staff were extremely organised and we had soon parked up the scooters and collected the Maps and guides ready to follow the Easter Egg hunt! The clues all centered around Buzz the dog who had befriended the soldiers when Dunham Massey was a hospital during the war. The children excitedly skipped from one clue to the next while my husband and I trailed behind, enjoying the natural beauty of the gardens.

After figuring out all six clues Ben and Elizabeth eagerly exchanged their sheets for a Cadburys chocolate EggHead each while Daddy headed to the car to collect our picnic.

The beautiful sunshine warranted a sweet treat so we queued up for a delicious ice cream, that was definitely worth the forty minute wait!

Despite being a very busy bank holiday, Dunham Massey didn't feel too crowded and we enjoyed relaxing on the grass watching the children play with their scooters until it as time to go home.

We had a wonderful Easter Monday and thanks to being National Trust members it only cost us the price of our ice creams!

I've written before about the benefits of our Family National Trust membership for an annual fee of just over £100 not only do we contribute to a very worthwhile charity we also have unlimited entry to a  multitude of amazing places to visit. We're already looking forward to our next National Trust adventure at St Michael's Mount on our Cornish holidays.

Did you have an Easter Egg hunt for your children?

Win a Hotel Chocolat Father's Day Collection

Father's Day is on the 15th June and I've been wondering what to get for the 'Dads' in our family.

When buying a gift for female relatives I often go with flowers or chocolates, and they do say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach so chocolate is a great idea for the menfolk of the family too! Especially if it's from Hotel Chocolat!

Hotel Chocolat have a great range of father's Day gifts to offer and they will deliver to your door too! They have delicious gifts to suit any budget from kiddies' pocket money for Daddy to an extra special treat for Grandad from the whole family!

If Dad likes a tipple the why not combine beer with chocolate? At just £3.85 the Hotel Chocolat Beer Selector pack is perfect to accompany a home made card full of love from your little one!

If the Dad in your life doesn't have a sweet tooth then Hotel Chocolat's English, small-batch beer, brewed with traditional Fuggles hops and the warming flavour of cocoa shells to create a complex, rounded ale of real character, with pleasing savoury bitterness and notes of tobacco, cocoa and coffee will be perfect at just £5.50!.  

At £15 the Father's Day Collection offers an irresistible collection of their finest chocolates paired with Hotel Chocolat's Special Reserve Tawny Port – perfect for sipping lightly chilled on a summer’s evening.

If you have a bit more cash to splash out with then the For My Dad Collection is ideal. An irresistible selection in a sleek and stylish box created especially for your dad to enjoy with his feet up. At £39 it's a treat for a very special Daddy!

I have a fantastic Father's Day Collection worth £15 to giveaway to one of my lovely readers. Just follow the rafflecopter instructions below for your chance to win!

Good Luck!

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#Project365 Week Five

Day 26

Today was a family day full of cuddles together on the couch and catching up with some homework practice, I love today's picture of Ben, Elizabeth and Minnie all piled on Daddy!

Day 27

A long day in work. Chocolate was needed and it came in the form of Green & Blacks mini's; a third off at Waitrose...

Day 28

After work today was Date Night! I had some time to kill before my husband got to the City Centre so I decided to 'window shop ' the House of Fraser Sale.... This may not have been a great idea as I ended up coming away with 3 Dickens & Jones dresses. They are are beautiful but I can only afford to keep one, I'm still deciding which one!
We had a lovely meal at Olive Manchester and then went to see 12 Years a Slave at the Cinema, a very moving film that had me in tears throughout.

Day 29

On Wednesday evenings Ben goes to Beavers so I had some Mummy and Daughter time with Elizabeth, we played with Duplo, read some stories and had a dance, Elizabeth was all dressed up like a little ladybug and I couldn't resist capturing this photo of her admiring her wellies.

Day 30

My new toy arrived today! I have been researching and agonising for weeks over this purchase. I really want to improve my photography skills this year so I wanted a camera that would let me have more control than the iphone and point and shoot that I currently use. Although I would have loved a DSLR I had to be realistic about how far my budget would stretch and factor in the cost of extra lenses, I also wanted something that I could easily carry with me on days out so I finally settled on the Nikon P520 Bridge. I'm a bit scared really looking forward to learning how to use it properly!

Day 31

Elizabeth made this Chinese New Year card in Nursery today, she was very proud of it and delighted to have stir fry and noodles for dinner!

Day 32

We got up early for Baby Ballet today then had a movie day with a living room picnic (blanket and all) we watched Cars 2 and The Little Mermaid. I thought Elizabeth looked adorable in her ballet outfit and Ladybug Wellies so couldn't resist getting this shot of her knocking on the front door for Daddy as I'd forgotton my key!

I'm adding this post to The Boy and Me's 365 linky, why not click on the badge and check out some of the other contributions? 

I love to read your comments, so please do share your thoughts!

Win a Magical Christmas Collection Stocking from Hotel Chocolat!

Can you believe that it is just one month until Christmas day? 

It will be here before we know it! 

Now that my daughter's birthday is out of the way I am letting the Christmas preparations get into full swing and am feeling rather festive!

So how better to spread that festive feeling that with a fabulous giveaway from Hotel Chocolat? 

I am a bit of a chocoholic and for me Christmas day is not the same without unwrapping some yummy surprises from their festive collection. Luckily (for him!) my other half always remembers! 

I would be rather pleased to find this Magical Christmas Collection Stocking under the tree this year, but I will have to keep dropping hints to Mr Mymummyspennies as this is for one of you lucky readers to win! Follow the rafflecopter instructions below to enter...

I also wanted to share with you a couple of great offers from www.hotelchocolat.com that will give you a helping hand with your Christmas Shopping....

Receive a free £5 voucher when you spend £35, plus don't miss out on your free gift worth £12 when you spend £65 or more. 

See full terms and conditions here.

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101/365 Mmm chocolate Easter egg

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Ooops!

The coundown to Christmas is about to start...

So tomorrow is the 1st of December!! I cannot believe 2011 has flown by so quickly! So much has happened this year! My son Ben has started school, I have watched Elizabeth grow from a tiny baby into an adventurous little toddler with her own personality, and I have discovered and entered the blogosphere!

All that and more has happened yet I shocked to find that we are approaching Christmas already! Usually tonight I would be wrapping up little toys and sweets for Ben's beautiful wooden advent calendar ready for him to start opening in the morning! But this year like most of our other belongings, it is packed away in a box ready for our move next week. Ben is just as excited about his chocolate Peppa Pig calendar but to me it's just not the same!

Whether we're ready for it or not the countdown to Christmas will be starting tomorrow and while the children open a paper window to reveal a chocolate each day many companies are bringing you an advent of offers and competitions! So keep an eye on the facebook page and twitter feed where I will do my best to share any I find with you and if you see any I miss please share them with our community of 'penny pinching' mummies!

So what do you do to countdown down advent with your children? Do you have any family traditions/ Does anyone make there own 'advent calendars?