My Christmas Wish List!

Dear Santa, Reindeer's and Elf helpers, 

It's not long left until Christmas; only 11 days! Which means my little boy will be 2 in 9 days (where has my little baby gone!) I have been very good this year and have recently returned back to work. I have made a list of a few things I would like!

First up are a few games I would love to have to keep myself entertained in the evenings when Jack has gone to bed.

Just Dance 2

Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition

DJ Hero 2

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)

Maybe you could get me a Dodo Pad? It would help me remember what appointments I have, so I never forget one and it would stop me from running late!

2011 Dodo Pad (spiral bound desk diary)

Next up, I would love some more of my skin care products. After buying and trying out the Clinique Anti-Blemish range I can see a real difference in my skin and several people have commented how flawless my skin looks! It takes less than 3 minutes and I can honestly say I have a skin routine which I stick to now!

Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Foam

Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion

Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturizer

Last of all, I would love to have some more make-up from the Clinique range. I wear foundation everyday to even out my skin tone - but Clinique have a Anti-Blemish foundation and concealer which works as your wearing it! Personally I would recommend this to anyone with oily skin and who has a problem with spots; it worked for me! You have your colour matched up and the advisers will work out what foundation would be best for your skin.

Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup

Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Concealer

If none of the above are in stock, then please can I have.......a man like the one below!

All my love,
Louise xx

Open Planet Ideas

Challenge Brief

Share your imagination. Sony and WWF want to hear your smart ideas about using technology to make the most of our planet's resources. And to get you started, we’ve pulled together a showcase of technologies that are ripe for re-purposing. Now it’s up to you to put them together in radical new ways… and shape a cleaner, more sustainable future for our planet.

How can we make better use of our scarce natural resources? How can we actively change people’s behaviour and encourage more sustainable lifestyles?

These are the environmental challenges that clearly matter most to you.

Our panel of experts from WWF and Sony has already sifted through an incredible 335 of your inspiring ideas. And we’ve pulled them together into six themes to form our challenge.

So now it’s back over to you. Take a look at our technology showcase and start thinking about how you could re-use, combine or mash-up these and any other technologies - to address the challenge. Everyone in our community’s invited to get involved. You can applaud other people’s concepts or refine them further: best of all, why not contribute a concept of your own?

Our expert panel will select, along with the community, the concepts that most excite them. Once the winning concept is chosen, its contributors will work together with these experts to make the final concept real.

Have a look at the video explaining the Open Planet idea challenge! Also, Join the challenge!!

After looking on the concepts section of the web-site I saw one which I have often thought about; A single bottle design which was submitted by Robert-John Evans. You can read my added concept here. The concept is designing and coming up with a universal bottle which can be refilled in shops and supermarkets; which would save money on the price of the product and the manufacturing, not to mention cutting the waste of plastic and glass. If a single bottle was designed the refilling would be far easier. If the design was made nationwide or even on a global scale then the bottles could come in a variety of sizes which would make the easy to refill from specially designed machines in shops.

I added my comment "I really like this idea. I think it would solve disposal issues and also allow people to re-use a bottle in an effective way. I think if there was an incentive for people to do this then I think it could happen. I agree with part of Arjan Tupan's comment; by charging someone a small amount for a re-usable bottle and once they re-use it they get points towards rewards; a bit like some superstores re-usable bags."


Open Planet Ideas

Find Out More About Open Planet Ideas


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Winners announced!

So the competition to win a Grip'n'Sip cup has come to an end!
I have used random.org to select the 3 winners (screen-shots below)
The 3 winners are:
Comment number 19 - Michelle U
Comment number 4 - @zanacel
Comment number 24 - Laura Copley
Well done!
If the winners could please contact me with their name and address I can send the cups out and hopefully they will get to you before Christmas!

The Co-operative Membership Fund

The Co-operative Community Fund is a grant scheme, which helps local communities throughout the UK. Thousands of clubs, community groups and local charities have benefited.
The scheme is funded by generous members of The Co-operative donating some of their share of profits, which is then given away in the form of small grants. This year The Co-operative Members have donated £1.2 million to local community groups across the country. To qualify for a grant projects must address a community issue, provide long term benefit to the community, support co-operative values and principles & be innovative
The Co-operative has real values and true commitments, not just empty corporate mission statements. When we claim something, it's true. When we commit to change, we make it happen.
There are some great stories happening in local communities and The Co-operative supports those stories and helps them to happen.

What is The Co-operative Community Fund?
The fund is made up of donations from our members who have chosen to give a percentage of their twice-yearly share of the profits. This year The Co-operative Members have donated £1.2 million to local community groups across the country
The Community Fund is a registered charity and is governed by The Co-operative Community Investment Fund (CCIF). This board of trustees are responsible for ensuring funds to projects are given in line with the Charities Commission guidelines.
The Co-operative Community Fund operates on a truly local level.  The money each region has to give is the money that members have donated in their area. Projects are allocated by postcode..
Grants vary from a minimum of £100 to a maximum of £2,000.
Groups have to apply for the funding and the application form is available on their website.

To be successful a group must:

• Carry out positive work in the community (it does not have to have charitable status to apply)

        And the project must:

• Address a community issue
• Provide a long-term benefit to the community
• Support co-operative values and principles
• Ideally be innovative in its approach

I thought maybe this project could help a number of places in my area. There is an art centre which could do with being refurbished. If the centre was refurbished there would be more space to display photographs and paintings from local artists or photographers. There is also a theatre which many groups hold performances.  


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The stress I have encountered after returning to work!

Hi everyone.
I just wanted to share my recent experiences with you. As you may know I recently decided to start work (you can find out more here!)
As a single parent I knew there would be a lot to sort out benefit wise; signing off income support, housing benefit and sorting out working tax credits. As I have no clue how to do any of this, I made an appointment with the lone parent advisor at my local job centre. I thought that she would sort everything out there and then for me..... this was not the case. She gave me a contact number and told me to ring the in work team. I did this and the man I spoke to didn't know what team I was asking for!

I then rang the income support office and explained I had started work and I needed to end my claim for income support. I thought once I had done this everything would fall into place..... this was not the case!
After signing off income support I rang up the working tax credit office and answered their questions and they updated my file. From friends I thought the tax credits would take FOREVER! But within a week I had received  my payment and award letter. Along with this I had received a letter from my local council saying I was no longer entitled to housing benefit because my job wasn't expected to last more than 5 weeks..... this was not the case! I was confused and didn't know what to do. I started to stress!
I knew my job was permanent and would last well over 5 weeks! After a number of telephone calls the problem was discovered. When I signed off income support they didn't ask where I was working or how long my employment was going to last. They presumed it would last no more than 5 weeks!
I went back into my local job centre yesterday and *fingers crossed* have hopefully sorted it out. Only time will tell and I will only know once I receive my award letter!
From this experience I can totally see why people who have been on benefits do not return to work. The job centre say they give you the support you need when you need it; but this was not the case!


Has anyone had any stressful situations when they were trying to return back to work?

Aside this problem, I am settling into my new role well and Jack is gradually accepting mummy is going to work and settling into nursery. He has picked up a number of colds and coughs (the joys of nursery's!) and brought mummy home lots of lovely paintings. The nursery tell me he is forming friendships there now as he is going more regularly. I am confident the tears I see when I leave him are only crocodile ones!

I became famous; why don't you?!

Ever fancied knowing what it's like to be famous and being in the public eye?

Well now you can! I uploaded a photograph of myself from my computer and the site did the rest! It's that easy! You can even connect it to your Facebook.

There is no excuse not to become famous! Simply head over to the HP website and become a star today!

You can find HPUK on Facebook where they run some fantastic competitions.

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My time as a SAHM is drawing to an end!

Hi everyone!
Today I got the call I had been waiting for! A few weeks back I applied to become an assistant manager at The British Heart Foundation. I went for a 'work trial' and really enjoyed myself. The manager was really friendly and the work place had such a relaxed atmosphere. I know it's not going to always be calm and relaxed but I am ready for the challenge. Just think of all the bargains I can get my hands on!!
I decided to apply to work  for The British Heart Foundation as about 6 months ago, my granddad was told he had to have a quadruple heart bypass. He was assigned a British Heart Foundation nurse for when he was discharged. She was amazing, she allowed him to recover in the comfort of his own home. She helped him keep the house tidy, cooked and also changed the dressings.
I wanted to give back something to the charity and I feel working for them I will have more of an insight to what the British Heart Foundation does and how it helps people.
I am excited to be starting a job, but I know it's going to be tough. Jack doesn't like going to nursery for one morning a week but I am sure if he goes regularly (3 days) he will start to enjoy it!

What should I do? I need some ideas!

Hi everyone! As you may know Christmas is only 46 days away, which means it's 44 days until my little boy Jack turns two! It's gone so quick. It seems like only yesterday he was a newborn baby. Before I know it he will be starting first school! Last year for Jack's first birthday I had a small party at a Wacky Warehouse. Not many people came with it being so close to Christmas. This year I am not sure what to do. Would it be over the top if I hired a church hall and a DJ for a second birthday? I don't want to let him down if you know what I mean; but at the same time I don't want to waste money! I am not sure if he is at the age where he would appreciate a disco; I know he loves music and dancing. On the other hand I was thinking of just going to a local farm with my Jack and my mum and having a small get together with some music. Would it be wrong not to invite any of his friends if I was to have a little family party? I don't want my friends to think I don't want to include their children but at the same time I don't want to arrange something and have only 4 or 5 people turn up!

Help me out with some ideas please! What do you think I should do? How have/would you celebrate a second birthday?

How great would it be to win a year's salary?

What would you do if you won £40,000?

Just imagine of all the things you could do with a year's salary! Maybe you would invest it or spend it all? Book a holiday for the family? I know there would be a number of things I would do.

First I would put £20,000 aside because I know I can spend money quickly!
Next, I would pay my rent for a year. Always nice to know the rents paid!
I would book a holiday for me and Jack to go see Santa in Lapland.
Maybe, if I had any left after buying lots of new clothes.... a new car?

For a chance to win a year's salary all you need to do is buy anything using PayPal, and  the more times you buy, the more chances you get!
There are a number of sites you could buy from Toys R Us, Halfords, Woolworths.co.uk, Nike, Napster and Dell.

Here are some ideas of what you could buy for a chance to win £40,000!
Treat your little one to a bike for Christmas from Toys R Us or even Halfords!
Why not get a new Sat Nav from Halfords?
Check out Woolworths.co.uk for fantastic 3 for 2 offers!
Maybe treat yourself to some lovely trainers from Nike?
You could even buy music from Napster!

Go and have a browse on the websites above and you could get all your Christmas shopping done and enter yourself  for a chance to Win £40,000!

Find out more
Enter now for your chance to win
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Nûby Grip'n'Sip cup review

Jack was sent another cup from Nûby to review. This one is called Grip'n'Sip. It holds 10 oz or 300 ml. It's suitable to use from 6 months. Jack is nearly 2 and loves drinking from this cup. The handles allow him to hold onto the cup easily and the soft silicone spout allows him to drink easily. It is a very light weight cup even with 10 oz of liquid in.


The teat is Vari-Flo which means it allows the child to control the flow of their fluid by using their own sucking strength. So, the stronger the childs sucking action the wider the teat opens. The teat is removable and can be replaced if it becomes danmaged. You can buy the replacement teats from their website for only £1.99.

I put the cup through a tough test! I hung it upside down for about 5 minutes to see if it was really spill proof. For the first few seconds a little fluid did come out of the air valve hole, but soon stopped. There was no major spills or leaks while it was hung! Overall I think this is another fantastic cup from Nûby.

I have three of these cups to give away (two pink and one green). To enter all you need to do is comment on this post and I will use random.org to select three winners. This give away will end on 30th November at 10am. 


Click Here and 'Like' NUBY UK on Facebook! Be sure to tell them that I (Single Mummy; One In A Million) sent you!
Twitter fans can follow Nuby UK @nubyuk on Twitter! Remember to tell them that I (Single Mummy; One In A Million) told you to follow!

How to celebrate Bonfire night safely

I have been thinking about taking Jack to a firework display for Bonfire night, but in the back of my mind I have been thinking he may not enjoy all the loud bangs and the massive crowds of people.
I have thought of a few ways we could celebrate it at home together.
We could make lots of lovely chalk and crayon firework pictures or even a bonfire collage.

For the chalk and crayon firework pictures all you will need is:

• Black paper
• Coloured chalks or crayons
• Glitter
• Glue stick

Using the coloured chalks or crayons draw firework patterns onto the black paper. Add glitter for sparkle!

For the bonfire collage you will need:

• Large sheet of gold card
• Glue stick
• Yellow, red and orange tissue paper
• Brown paper or card
• Twigs
• Sticky tape

Cut a bonfire shape from the card. Cut flames from the tissue paper and glue them onto the card. Try not to glue them flat but bend them and only stick bits down, this adds texture and makes the flames look real. Using the brown paper cut some rectangular log shapes and glue these onto the bottom of the fire. Finish off by taping on some real twigs to bring the collage to life and add even more texture!

After looking on babyworld; I found some interesting advise if you do want to take your little one to a firework display. I thought I would share these with you.

• Noise: A small baby or timid older child may not relish a noisy firework display, putting a thick, cosy hat on little heads is a must.
• Cold: If you're planning to be outdoors for a while on a nippy autumn evening, you'll have to make sure your baby keeps warm - the best option is probably a forward facing babysling. Toddlers will need several layers, especially on little feet which get very cold in wellies.
• Walking: You often need to park some distance from a public firework event, as these are always popular, so if you've got a toddler remember you  may need to take a buggy or - even better - a backpack carrier.
• Fear of the dark: Some small children don't react well to being outside in the dark - remember it's an unusual experience for them and you may need to be ready to retreat home quickly if all goes pear-shaped.

Happy Halloween!

Hi everyone!
Me and Jack just wanted to wish you a Happy Halloween!
We hope you had lots of fun playing spooky party games and ate lots of yummy sweets!
If you carved a pumpkin we would love to see them. Post a comment with a link and we will have a look!

Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy pumpkins!

So it's Hallo's Eve and I have been busy carving pumpkins today!
I used Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy from my In The Night Garden Pumpkin Stencils to create both these pumpkins. You may also be interested in looking at my Makka Pakka and Haahoo pumpkin results.
Jack also joined in and created a super sparkly pumpkin using glitter and stars!

I hope you have a fantastic Halloween!

Jack decorating his little pumpkin.

Upsy Daisy Pumpkin.

Iggle Piggle Pumpkin!

Pink Lining Pumpkin!

So, I had an idea in mind for a competition Pink Lining are currently running on Facebook.
I wanted to carve a different pumpkin using the Pink Lining logo and use it with my Yummy Mummy bag in some creative way!
I went and purchased a few pumpkins earlier today with a little help from Jack to keep me busy for the few days leading upto Halloween! (Keep an eye out for more Pumpkins!)
I was keen to get to work and couldn't wait until tomorrow so I printed out the Pink Lining logo and set to work at 9.30pm this evening and finished at about 10.30pm (didn't take much time considering the letters have lots of curves!)

Nûby No-Spill Convert-a-cup Review

The lovely people at Nûby kindly sent me a Convert-a-cup for Jack to review. It claims to be spill proof; this was something I was eager to test! The video below shows just how easy it is to assemble the cup into the beaker with handles; there are also pictures showing each stage the cup converts too.

I am amazed that a single cup can convert into four different cups which cover each stage of  a child's transition from a bottle to a open top cup. Which means you only ever need to buy one cup! Each stage a different piece is removed or attached. It can convert from a beaker with handles to a beaker without handles; a cup with handles to a cup. The cup itself is BPA free and is very light weight even with liquid in. It can hold 240ml. The handles allow smaller hands to grip it easily and should only be used with children over 6 months.

The cup encourages natural drinking action and oral development. The teat has Touch Flo technology which means as soon as your child puts the spout into their mouths and starts drinking; only then is the liquid released. The teat and top of the cup are all one piece and made out of silicone. A fully flexible lid is something I have not seen before and was quite surprised by it!

Convert-a-cup teat and lid

I was a little worried the lid may fall off or even leak as it doesn't screw into place; but the lid just snaps over the cup and forms a tight vacuum seal around the top of the cup. There was no liquid coming out of the teat or the edges when I shook it!

I even shook the cup and still no drips!

Jack loved drinking from this cup and even shared it with Iggle Piggle! This Nûby cup will help Jack to learn how to drink sensibly from an open top cup. There is no need for me to worry about him dropping a glass onto the floor! A perfect cup and I would definitely recommend this to anyone parent trying to encourage their toddler to drink from a "big boys cup"!

Jack sharing his juice!

Happy 23rd Birthday!

Well today it's my birthday!
I have had a lovely day and got everything I could have wanted! My family are taking me out for a meal to a lovely restaurant.
Check back tomorrow for Jack's review on Nuby's no-spill convert-a-cup!

Devil Jack!

Stuck for ideas for your little ones Halloween costume?
Why not take a look at the range Clothing@Tesco have. They have a costume for everyone; kids, men and women! They also currently have a huge 50% off each costume! There is no excuse not to dress up for Halloween!
I have included some pictures of Jack modelling the Devil Costume.
It's an all in one costume which has 3 Velcro fastening at the back (easy in and out!). It comes with a gorgeous hat which has a Velcro fastening to keep it on! There is a cute devil tail at the back of the costume to give added Devil effect! The wings are attached to the costume so they don't fall off. Jack wore this costume over his clothes and there was enough room to still move about as you can see in the video! (sorry the video is 'skinny' I was holding the camera the wrong way)

Jack in his Devil costume!

The cute little tail!

Our trip to see In The Night Garden Live! (Part 2)

Last week you may have read my post about going to see In The Night Garden Live!
Well, we went again on Wednesday 20th October to see the Pinky Ponk show.
Thankfully my alarm went off at 6.30am (it's still dark at that time!) which allowed me to make myself look half human and get Jack ready without rushing around. I had packed the bag the night before just encase the alarm didn't go off! We were all set ready to go by 7.30am.
After a slow and careful drive (it was icy on the roads) we arrived at Cannon Hill Park for about 8.45am. We were one of the first people there! (Take about being keen!) Although we had to stand outside in the FREEZING cold for 30 minutes it was well worth it; we had amazing seats and Jack enjoyed it so much more!
He started to cry as we were waiting to go in. I am guessing he remembered what was inside the huge dome!
As with the Ninky Nonk show, I felt the show was well structured and all the night garden characters appeared. You may be asking yourself why I went twice? Well, there were two different stories. The Pinky Ponk show was about Makka Pakka washing each of the characters faces and in the Ninky Nonk show Iggle Piggle lost his blanket.
I have some pictures which I will post below. I really hope they do another live show next year as I think Jack would enjoy seeing it again.

At the start!

Makka Pakka washing Iggle Piggles face!

The tiny tiny Pontipines having their faces washed!

The Titifers which were projected onto the dome walls.

Now it's the Tombliboos turn to have their faces washed.

Makka Pakka washing Upsy Daisys face.

Goodbye everyone!

Make your own Halloween costume!

Here are some ideas for some inexpensive home-made costumes.

Bat costume

• Black hooded top
• Black Umbrella
• Black Felt
• Safety pins or needle and thread
• Scissors

Start by removing the handle from the umbrella and then cutting the umbrella in half. This will make the bat wings. You may need to use some tools or even a saw to disassemble the umbrella.

Sew or use safety pins to attach the cut edge of the umbrella to the back of the arms of the hooded top. Make sure there are no sharp edges on the wings.

Cut ears out of black felt and use a needle and thread to sew them onto the hood of the top.

If you don't have an umbrella you can cut mini wings out of felt and pin them in place.

Ghost costume

• White cloth fabric (about 3 yards)
• White top with hood
• White and black make-up
• White glitter body spray

Make a poncho out of the white cloth fabric by cutting a hole in the middle of the material (make sure it is large enough to slip over head).

Put on the white top and poncho. Paint face with white make-up and spray hair with the glitter body spray. Rub a little black make-up safely under eyes. 

Your ghost costume is complete!

Mummy costume

• White top
• Large white sheet
• A helper
• White and black make-up
• Baby powder

Put on the white top and tear strips from the large sheet. Ask someone to tie all the strips around you. Paint face with the white make-up, adding darker circles around eyes. For a more realistic effect, sprinkle baby powder in your hair and add a little on your sheet strips!

History of Halloween and it's traditions

The festival of Halloween in the UK is over 2000 years old, dating back to the time of the Celts (600 BC-50 AD). The Celts celebrated the end of summer and the gathering in of the harvest with a festival called 'Samhain', which took place on the night of 31 October. Even then, this date had links with ghosts and the spirit world, as on this night the Celts believed that the boundaries between our world and the next would weaken, allowing the souls of dead to cross over and communicate with the living.

A large part of the celebration involved the building of huge bonfires, which were thought to welcome friendly spirits and ancestors, but ward off those considered dangerous. People would dress up in animal heads and skins, and burn sacrifices and gifts in thanks for the harvest. Samhain was also a time for divination and the telling of fortunes. Apples feature widely in these divination techniques. For example, when bobbing for apples, a tradition that still survives until today, the first person to take a bite out of an apple would be the first to marry that year. In addition, when peeling an apple, the longer the unbroken length of peel, the longer you would be destined to live.


Following the invasion of the Romans in 43 AD, two Roman festivals came to be celebrated at the same time as Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day when the Romans commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day in which they honoured Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit trees who was symbolized by the apple. The Romans were very open to the cultures of people they invaded, and they sought to merge their beliefs with those of the indigenous Celts. It is perhaps easy to see why these two festivals became linked closely with Samhain.

Christianity had spread into Celtic lands by the 800s and the Christian church appears to have practiced its usual policy of adopting pagan celebrations by converting Halloween into a Christian observance. By moving the old Christian festival of All Saints Day to 1 November, however, they maintained the link with remembering the dead. On All Saints Day, a mass was held to honour the saints and martyrs, and this was preceded on the day before (All Hallow's Eve or Eve of All Saints - in Old English, hallow meant holy) by an overnight vigil. According to the early Christian church, this day also marked the release from purgatory of all souls for 2 days. All Souls Day, which commemorated the faithful departed, followed on 2 November. Together, the three festivals - the Eve of All Saints, All Saints Day and All Souls Day - became known as Hallowmass.

The custom of 'trick-or-treating', today a large part of Halloween celebrations, could possibly have part of its roots in the tradition of the baking of soul cakes. This was an important feature of All Souls' Day (similar to the way we associate hot cross buns with Good Friday today), when beggars would wander from house to house, receiving gifts of food and money. In return for a soul cake, these 'soulers' would be expected to say prayers for those who had recently died, to speed up their passage through purgatory and into heaven. The 'trick' part of the custom appears to have arisen in the USA in the 1930s, where Halloween became to be associated with the playing of pranks and jokes.


Although the Church was successful in establishing Hallowmass as a Christian festival, many of the populace continued to practice the ancient customs and traditions linked with Samhain. With the reformation of the Church in the 16th century, celebrations of this sort were discouraged even more. However, following the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 many traditional Halloween practices, especially the building of bonfires, were transposed to 5 November (now known as Bonfire or Guy Fawkes Night). Although in England the celebration of Halloween gradually fell out of fashion in favour of Bonfire Night, the tradition was maintained for longer in both Ireland and Scotland, because of the strong Celtic links in these countries.

The resurgence in the celebration of Halloween that we have seen over the past 20 years or so, with its emphasis on dressing up as ghosts and witches, has largely been imported from the USA. Halloween and its more pagan traditions were first brought to the USA in the mid-1800s, when huge numbers of Irish immigrants fled to the USA following the Irish Potato Famine. Over time, the festival and its traditions evolved and crossed back over the Atlantic - giving us the celebration that we know and love (or hate!) today. The celebration that we today know as Halloween dates back to an ancient festival of the Celts - Samhain. Despite the passing of 2000 years, it is still possible to trace some of the traditions we associate with Halloween - bonfires, and the link with ghosts and the spirit world - back to this early celebration of the end of summer and the gathering in of the harvest.