Sometimes you open a package so awesome you can't stop grinning. This is what happened to me when I opened a delivery from Joyville Made and found this bar of Cadbury Dairy MilkWITH MY NAME ON IT.
If you'd like the chance to open your post and grin like the Cheshire Cat, read on.
Joyville Made are giving away three free personalised bars of Cadbury Dairy Milk to Baby Baby readers.
To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is leave one comment (per household) on this blog post telling me what you would choose to have written on your chocolate bar. Leave your email address or Twitter ID in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
The draw will close on Monday 18th February (cough - my birthday - cough) at 8pm. I will select the winners at random the following day.
These personalised chocolate bars would make a perfect birthday gift (cough - 18th Feb - cough) or Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, random Wednesday or 'your blog is fabulous' present. Just saying.
The winner, selected at random, is entry number 61 out of 64.
Congratulations, Karen, I'll pass your email address to the PR.
What would you do if you were given £40 (plus p&p) to spend at Serenata Flowers?
Do you know anyone who has just had a baby? You could treat your mum or your best friend or even your favourite blogger (coughs) to a surprise in the post and make their day. Would you buy someone flowers for Christmas? I'd be tempted to send my husband a surprise hamper or - more likely - just get something for myself!
I've had a look at the site and found some inspiration for you.
Fresh lemons for your G&T? How about a lemon tree:
Serenata Flowers have kindly offered one lucky Baby Baby reader the chance to win £40 (plus p&p) to spend on their site.
How to enter:
Leave a comment on this post. That's it. Make sure you include some way to contact you should you win, your Twitter ID or an email address would be great.
Terms and Conditions:
UK delivery only
One entry per person
Closes Thursday 15th December 2011 at 8am
I will then choose the winner, using Random.org
I will contact you asking for your details and pass them on to the PR who will arrange your prize
If I can not get hold of you I will redraw after 3 days
This competition is now closed The winner, selected by random.org, is number 60. Congratulations to Dawn!
Sponsored post
Earlier this year I attended a round table event, hosted by Capital One, where we discussed their Credit Made Clearer campaign and YouTube Channel:
Now Capital One would like to know what you know about Cashback.
As an incentive to complete this quick survey of just three questions, Capital One are offering a £100 John Lewis voucher to one lucky participant.
To enter the prize draw, by completing the survey, please click the link below:
(the survey opens in a pop-up window)
If you would like to add any further information, please leave a comment below.
Capital One supplied me with the following useful information on cashback:
For most of us, using a credit card is mostly associated with special or larger purchases. One off items like holidays, presents, gig tickets and festivals and such: credit card. Every day essentials like groceries and takeaways: cash / debit cards. It’s easier for those of us who are particularly budget conscious to keep an eye on what’s coming in and (most importantly) going out of our accounts.
However, did you know that many credit cards offer cashback on products that you purchase? This isn’t like getting cashback on your debit card – it’s normally a small percentage of your purchases credited to your account on a regular basis. Obviously though, it’s not a good idea to put lots more purchases on your credit card – if you don’t pay off the full amount each month, the money you are getting back is going to be instantly wasted on interest payments!
That said, for spending that you’ve already got planned, it’s a good way to put your credit card to good use. You need make doubly sure that you pay off your balance every month. You can do this via Direct Debit, but keep an eye on your bills and map out these purchases carefully to ensure you’re not overspending.
Quickfire Facts
· Cashback credit cards have become increasingly popular as they offer potentially a better way of generating a return from spending than debit cards
· Capital One believes that cashback cards potentially offer a better way of earning a return on spending than many current accounts
· Savvy consumers who actively manage their finances can generate fantastic rewards each year from cashback credit cards. Consumers who pay their credit card balance in full each month currently holding a card offering other benefits, such as zero percent on new purchases, could be better served by switching to a card offering tangible cash rewards
· However, not all cashback cards are created equal – customers should choose cards that work hard for them
· Around 2.9 million (35%) of cashback card holders use their cards for less than 40% of their monthly spending while 1.8 million (22%) pay for 80% or more of their monthly outgoings with this type of card*
· With 55% of current accounts now paying 0% interest and another 28% paying 0.1% per annum or less, according to Moneyfacts, cashback cards offer a potentially better way of earning a return while spending than debit cards**
*1ICM research surveyed 2,013 British Adults via online omnibus from 6th-8th October 12th – 14th May 2010. The results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria. Calculations regarding cash back rewards have been made using the omnibus research and applying this to the latest ONS Family spending Index data. Calculations based on standard industry cashback rate of 0.5%.
The winner, selected using Random.org, is comment number 1.
Congratulations to Kat from Housewife Confidential!
I will contact you to arrange delivery of your prizes.
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Would you like to win an HTC Wildfire S Smartphone on T-Mobile worth £239?
Would you also like to win a cute Playskool Lullaby Gloworm worth £11?
Of course you would! That's £250 worth of prizes to one Baby Baby reader.
I feel like Ant and Dec on Saturday Night Takeaway. Do you remember when you could win the ads?
That's what we're doing here. The HTC Wildfire and the Gloworm are both featured in the Littlewoods Christmas advert:
How to enter:
Leave a comment telling me what you would buy me for Christmas from Littlewoods.com. Please include your Twitter ID or email address so that I can contact you should you win.
For an additional bonus entry, send the following tweet and leave a second comment to say that you have done so:
"#WIN HTC Wildfire S Smartphone with @sandycalico & @littlewoods http://sandycalico.blogspot.com/2011/11/win-htc-wildfire-s-smartphone.html"
Terms and Conditions:
UK only
One entry plus one possible bonus entry per reader
Competition closes at 6pm on Friday 9th December 2011
Winner will be selected, using Random.org at 8pm on Friday 9th December 2011
I will then notify the winner via Twitter or email, asking for your address
If the winner does not supply their address within 7 days, the prize will be re-drawn
Littlewoods.com will send out your prizes, all being well, in time for Christmas
We are proud to be LEGO Duplo Experts in the Calico household.
Presley and Cash play with Duplo every day. We were lucky enough to be sent a selection from the Cars 2 range and it has been a massive hit.
As well as getting the vehicles (Lightning McQueen, Mater, Finn McMissile, Carla, Luigi and Guido) you get plenty of basic bricks and specialised pieces too.
Of course once you have built the sets a few times you can add the Cars 2 Duplo to the rest of your stash as it all fits together. It even fits together with LEGO, so it can be used for years.
Duplo is so well made. There are never any rough edges and it doesn't break when you tread on it - and we all know how much it hurts to tread on it!
You can see from the photographs that my boys are playing together happily and there is plenty of imaginative play.
The only thing I didn't like was this:
Call me old-fashioned, but I don't want the boys to know what missiles are just yet. Fortunately they don't know what it is or what it does in real life. In fact, from the photograph you may imagine that it's a pepper shaker... or something else!
Now onto details of an lovely special offer and the fabulous competition.
At Toys R Us now there is a special offer. Spend £30 on LEGO Duplo and you get this cute bear (worth £10) free:
There are some amazing prizes up for grabs in a new competition:
It was my two year 'blogoversary' last month. I didn't get round to even writing a post about it, but Matalan were kind enough to send me a £50 voucher. So, belatedly, I'm giving it away to one of my lovely readers.
I've been having a browse and Matalan have got some gorgeous kidswear:
To enter, please visit Matalan and then leave a comment on this post telling me what you would buy if you won the £50 voucher. Please leave your Twitter id or email address so that I can contact you if you win.
For an additional entry, send the following tweet and let me know in the comments that you have done so:
My friends at Kellogg's sent me a mystery package for Easter. It contains just about everything you need to make Rice Krispies cakes, including a chef's hat (essential, obviously), aprons, recipes, Rice Krispies, marshmallows and even a quarter of Dolly Mixtures. Thank you, Kellogg's, we cried with laughter at the picture of 'my mum's face' on one of the recipe cards. Genius.
If you would like to win one of these packages just leave a comment on this post. Remember to include your Twitter ID or email address so I can contact you if you win.
I will pick one winner at random at 8pm on Tuesday 26th April 2011.
All you have to do is leave a 'pick me' comment on this post, along with your email address or Twitter ID so that I can contact you if you win.
This competition is for UK residents only (sorry, international readers).
The closing date is midnight on Sunday 19th December 2010.
I will make the draw using Random.org on Monday and contact the winner to ask for their address. Hopefully you will receive your prize before Christmas (weather permitting)!
Please email your choice of a pink or a blue video camera and your address to sandycalico (at) ymail (dot) com
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I'm running a new competition over at my reviews blog, Sandy Calico Reviews. The prize is £50 of Mothercare vouchers and a month's supply of Fairy. This competition closes at midnight on Wednesday 1st December.
Would you like to win one of these Vtech Kidizoom Video Cameras?
The giveaway winner can choose which colour they prefer as the camera comes in pink or blue.
The Vtech Kidizoom video camera has a RRP of £59.99.
It is a child's first video camera featuring tough design and easy operation. You can record and edit video and take photographs. It has a 1.8" colour screen, 256MB internal memory, 4x digital zoom and 2.0 megapixel resolution and includes RV and PC connections.
Would a child you know like this for Christmas?
This prize has kindly been provided by Argos, who provide a wide range of toys, such as Lego and Barbie dolls.
For one entry simply leave a 'pick me' comment on this post. Please leave your Twitter id or email address so that I can contact you if you are lucky enough to win.
For an additional entry follow this blog on Google Friend Connect and tell me in the comments that you have done so.
For another additional entry follow my other blog, Sandy Calico Reviews, on Google Friend Connect and tell me in the comments that you have done so.
For yet another entry sent the following tweet "I've entered the #competition on http://sandycalico.blogspot.com/ to #win a Vtech Kidizoom Video Camera" and tell me in the comments that you have done so.
That gives a maximum of four entries per person.
The rules
Open to UK residents only (sorry to my international readers).
The closing date is midnight on Wednesday 24 November 2010.
The winner will be picked using Random.org and notified on Thursday 25 November 2010.
The prize will be sent to the winner by Argos. Please allow 28 days for delivery.
Next (in association with Prima Baby) have just launched a nationwide search for a ‘superbabymodel’. Well, two ‘super baby models’, actually. They’re looking for one newborn baby aged from birth to 18 months and one slightly older baby (19 months to 36 months max). Each has to have the cute grin or adorable smile that cameras love.
The competition is all happening on Facebook. Entrants will have their pictures posted in an online gallery and a public vote will determine the top 24 babies (12 from each age category) – all of whom will be invited to the photo shoot finale. Both winners will receive a £500 spending spree at Next and our winning models will participate in photo shoots for Next and Prima Baby magazine, plus win a year’s contract with top junior model agency, Urban Angels. Not bad at all!
Good luck if you're entering the competition!
Edited 25/10/10 I have been advised by Next that each entry has to be approved by their team of moderators. This is taking approximately 48 hours. If your entry has not been approved after this time, please contact Next via the Facebook page. I have passed all of your email and comment queries onto Next.
Stupid question! Of course you would, you're only human.
Once, years ago, I worked for a company who had season tickets for West Ham. Every other Saturday the directors entertained clients at the football. One Saturday not all of them could make it, so they asked me to join them. We met our clients at the Swallow Hotel at Loughton. I was at the bar when Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United team filed past me to get on their coach. I was inches away from a young blond David Beckham. I played it cool, when I really wanted to squeal
'YOU'RE LOVELY, DAVID'.
The lovely Mr Beckham is supporting the Young's GO3 Superheroes Challenge to get us off our sofas and get fit together as a family. It's all about taking taking small steps and having fun.
As part of the Superheroes Challenge there is a competition to win a five star, all expenses paid trip to meet David Beckham where ever he is in the world.
Yes, the winning family (four people) will be flown to meet Becks. Wow!
For another chance to win, check out the special packs of Young's GO3 products.
The lovely people at Plum Baby sent us some products to review. I have to admit that both boys were weaned on Plum porridge and muesli so I already knew that Plum products would be high quality and organic with no nasty ingredients.
My chief testers, Presley, 2 and Cash,1 were over the minky moon to try these delicious biscuits. Minky Moons are organic spelt biscuits flavoured with camomile and vanilla.
These were my favourites, organic baked Oat Rounds, flavoured with orange oil and ginger. Well, I take my reviewing seriously so I had to try them myself, three of them, with a cup of tea. The boys ate the rest.
We were also sent some meals. Both boys are both a bit old for mashed up meals. Presley wouldn't even try them, he has always refused prepared 'baby food', so I wasn't surprised.
Cash on the other hand really likes my thick soups with chunks of bread and he enjoyed this Sweet Cape Curry with Beef and Green Lentils.
He also liked the Giant Cous Cous with Chicken, Squash and Red Pepper.
The folks over at Plum Baby have given me one month’s supply of baby food, nibbles and treats to give to one lucky reader.
Plum Baby is all about real food for babies and not just baby food and all the products are made with the highest quality organic ingredients. They offer babies a taste of what’s to come and are full of nutrients and nothing artificial.
The prize includes: breakfast cereals and mueslis, savoury pots, sweet pouches, yummy spelt biscuits and sauces – worth £75.00 and the winner will receive the pack most appropriate for their babies age.
When I was asked if I would like to write about Molly Brown London girls jewellery my initial reaction was a sad 'but I've got boys'. Then I remembered our four nieces and my three God-daughters and had a look at this childrens jewellery site.
I've always loved jewellery. I remember fondly every piece of jewellery I was given as a girl. I had three amethysts (my birth stone) in silver ball cages on silver chains. I'm not sure why I had three of them, perhaps they were on special offer at Argos. I had silver crosses given to me the two times I was a bridesmaid. One of my most treasured possessions was a gold-plated heart necklace that my parents bought me on a day trip to Great Yarmouth. With hindsight it was quite a medallion, but I loved it. I still have it and am rather embarrassed about the 'engraving' on the back. "I love John Taylor IDST" would date the necklace to 1981. *whispers* it's still true!
I was always obsessed with charm bracelets, but never had one. I guess it's never too late to start one...
Molly Brown designer girls jewellery is perfect if you are looking for a special gift for a little girl (or even a big girl). I've got my eye on this three jelly bean necklace. You can even choose your combination of jelly beans:
I also love these new arrivals, Tinkerbelle necklaces and charms. Perfect as a Christening or Bridesmaid gift:
And finally, to satisfy the child in me, here is a Molly Brown charm bracelet:
Isn't it gorgeous? Here are a few more charms to go on it:
Molly Brown London are running a competition, in conjunction with the Good Web Guide, with a fantastic prize of a £250 to spend at Molly Brown London.
To enter click here. The closing date is 15th April. Good luck!
The MADs 2010 are blogging awards, celebrating the UK's best mummy and daddy blogs. MAD stands for Mummy And Daddy (in case you were wondering)! Since their launch last week there have been over 1,000 nominations! Wow.
There are awards for the following:
MAD Blogger of the Year
Most Innovative MAD Blog
Best MAD Family Fun Blog
Funniest MAD Blog
Best-Looking MAD Blog
Best MAD Baby Blogger
Best New MAD Blog
Most Inspirational MAD Blog
Best MAD Blog Photography
Best MAD Blog Writer
The five blogs with the most nominations in each category will go forward to the public vote. The MAD Blogger of the Year will be decided by a panel of judges.
When I first heard about the awards, and the prizes on offer, I thought 'that's great'. There are awards in all areas, why not blogging?
On the launch day, however, I felt uneasy. What if Baby Baby wasn't nominated? This was short-lived. Thankfully a couple of friends let me know that they had nominated me. Phew!
I haven't nominated yet as there are a few categories where I can not decide which blog to vote for. You can only nominate one blog in each category.
I've been delighted to see loads of my favourite bloggers being nominated, including many new blogs. The current list of nominees can be found on Who's The Mummy?.
Through Twitter and Facebook I have seen how happy people are to see their blogs nominated - I know I am. I've also been pleased to see congratulations flying about.
There are some bloggers who have openly criticised the awards, saying that they don't like competition. I can understand this. I know how I felt before I found out that I had been nominated. There can only be a few winners, this makes the rest of us losers. Or does it?
Competition is part of life. Competition is apparently being removed from the curriculum in schools. When my boys are at school maybe I'll agree with this, but right now I can't see how it prepares them for real life. Surely children need to understand that they can't win at everything. They should be encouraged to excel where they can or improve where they can't - and to know the difference between the two.
I write a public blog. I am excited when I see that I have a new reader or when someone leaves a comment. I am honestly happy that some people like Baby Baby enough to nominate it/me. I'd love to win an award. There I've said it. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? I don't expect to make it to the public vote, but that's okay. Really. I am happy to be taking part. I certainly haven't got it in me to launch a Vote Baby Baby campaign. Imagine begging for nominations and not getting them. Oh the shame!
I was delighted to be asked to contribute a guest post for the new Cuddledry blog (remember them from Dragons Den?). Funnily enough the post I wrote is about child development NOT being a competition - a pet subject of mine. The editor of the blog, Jo, who also writes the excellent Slummy Single Mummy blog, gave my post the title 'Being a Parent - Some Words of Wisdom'. It amused me to be called wise!
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Finally... I've finally added a new song to my Myspace. It's called 'I Want More' and it's a rock number! It's about people with no talent who think they deserve to be famous - another example of the anti-competitive trend? I hope you like it.
