easter budget gift ideas ( non chocolate )

with Easter only a few short weeks away i am starting to think about if i should be buying four year old Bodhi an egg this year, he gets so many from friends and family ( i think this is due to eggs now being that much more affordable ) i do worry that he will just get over loaded with chocolate after reading blog post by friend blogger becky ( link ) i started to think about small budget easter theme non chocolate gift ides and this is what i have come up with i have based this on items id be happy to give or receive this Easter photo below is from Easter 2013 when Bodhi would have been 14 months old! look at all those eggs!!!

1 at only £1 a kit these are great value for money and really good quality you get everything you need for the project and they had a range of other kits from £1-£2

2 Hop is a family DVD based around the story of the easter bunny ( i picked this up last year for body as part of his easter basket ) its for sale at only £3 in sainsburys perfect way to spend an afternoon of the easter school holidays

3 easter colouring books £2 each from the works they have a wide range of easter theme sticker/craft and colouring books some are also in the offer for 8 for £10 again a great way to spend some time together with your child without that sugar high

4 now this one (might) be a mum want item but at only £3.50 from john lewis i had to add it to the list, who would love some cute and colourful easter bunny bunting to be hanging up over the easter holidays?

5 we love playmobil in our house and theses plastic eggs come in a range of colours with different themed playlets in side these might seem a little over priced at £6.99 but if you are a playbill fan you will know that this a pretty fair price i found at this price also at john lewis but might have offers and lowers prices if you shop around

6 this beautiful jellycat bashful blossom honey bunny is only £11 from the jellycat.com website i think this could well give the easter bunny a run for his money

7 and lastly lego! now this ( i think ) at £4 is overpriced its just a little lego man figure dressed as a chicken comes in a small box shaped like a hen house but if your child is really into lego ( lets face it they have a 'few' fans ) then this could be a great option rather then a chocolate egg

these could also work for children who have allergies or don't do well with large amounts of sugar and E numbers , when i was a child i was allergic to coco powered used to make chocolate so i would miss out on the big hype of eggs ( plus back then they were really over priced and my parents didn't agree with the mass market push of boxed eggs )

i do hope this has been a little helpful to you guys? i am planing a small easter egg hunt for bodhi so he will get getting some sweet treats from us, but i have also got lots of arts and crafts planed to keep us busy and a easter event at a local farm to us

mothers day , what do we really want?

with mothers day less then a week away i was talking with some mum friends on the school run this morning about what is it mums really WANT for mothers day, the main comment was 'lay in' 'hot cup of tea' and an 'early night' but not like that ! so this got me thinking what is it i'd really like to be given as a gift for mothers day ( even tho i know that i won't get any of these ) as 1 my husband doesn't do mothers day for me from bodhi as I'm not HIS mum 2 he doesn't read my blog ( shocking no? ) and 3 I'm at work on the sunday so will be leaving the house well before the boys are even awake so not eve a chance of a cuppa in bed! but if i was to be playing mothers day this is my little list of five things that would make me feel special

1) a big metal J light to go on my desk, this one i found at a bargain £9.16 ( i may just have to order it at that price ) i also love the light boxes that you can change the wording in but i found this was a little more me. found at www.stuff4crafts.com 

2) the unmumsy mum book , now i hinted at a copy of this for my birthday and didn't get it so i thought id add it back into my mothers day list. its stocked at my local sainsburys for a bargain £6.49 so again i might just treat myself!

3) now these are a real lush want item , i don't need a new toaster or kettle and in fact no point in buying lovely new ones until we have replaced our old kitchen but these by morph richards are real kitchen porn, in the sage green on sale for £79.99 in currys.com

4) raspberry pannacotta serector chocolate from hotel chocolate only £3.85 if you haven't tried these you haven't lived i am a big lover of fruits in my chocolate and these are lush! only a small bag mind but i think thats for the best www.hotelchocolate.com

5) now this one i am really hoping will come true as ill be working until 5 so last thing i want to be doing once i get home is start cooking, we have a harvester not far from us and just feels less naughty then getting a take away. 

so thats what i would like in a nut shell what ill get? the gift from the secret shop at school that i gave body the £2 for ( and I'm guessing its going to be a Terrys chocolate orange ) as it was last fathers day and christmas when we did the secret shop at school. 

happy days!