What was in our Free Toucan Craft Box

A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to get a code from a friend to enable us to receive a free petite craft box from Toucan Box! Toucan box send out the required materials for a craft project to do with your child to save you the time of finding and getting the materials yourself and having to come up with idea's.
They are suitable for ages 3-8, have age appropriate projects and follow different themes. The boxes come in three sizes, petite, grande and Super.
Your free box will be a petite box which usually cost £3.95 (plus approx 82p postage) but you can upgrade to Grande for an extra £6. Grande are £9.95 a box (not inc postage) and you can add extra materials for a sibling for £4.95. Super are £16.95 (not inc postage) and again you can add materials for a sibling which is £9.95 for this box.

We received our box towards the end of October so appropriately it was Halloween themed and the project was a Halloween Lantern. The box was addressed to G personally which was a nice touch.

Here is what was inside our box:

• sheet of orange tissue paper
• sheet of green card
• sheet of orange card
• square of black craft foam
• a small glue stick
• a green pipe cleaner
• a purple glow stick
• a lolly
• a Sticker for a chart*

G was especially pleased with the lolly and intrigued by the glow stick!

The Lantern was straight forward to make but obviously with G only being 3 I had to assist her. She loves a bit of gluing and sticking so she had no problem with those parts and she did some of the cutting and then mummy took over.
She also decided what shapes to have for the face so our face was our own original design by G.

Here is the finished lantern below:

We enjoyed our Toucan box project and had some left over materials but put in G's craft supplies. It was something exciting to get in the post and I think these boxes are great for busy parents who might not have the time to sort out a craft project but would still love to do one with their child and for those with older children they could let them get on with it themselves. We will be getting a second box due to a discount and I would consider keeping on with the petite boxes once on a better income. It is great they have different options to suit different budgets. 

If you would like to try a Toucan Box for free you can type in my name (Adele Baxter) at the check out or follow this link. If you sign up you can then refer your own friends to receive 50% off your next Toucan box.

Let me know if any of you do and what project you receive!

Voluntary work and more bumps in the road.

Life is rarely easy for me. I'm sure many people feel that way. When you watch (if you get the time) those soaps where certain characters go through continuous hardship, seemingly one thing after another and people say (myself sometimes included) 'oh give them a break, that wouldn't happen in real life, that's not realistic', but then you stop and think about your own life and realise actually it is.
There often seems to be a massive foot there to crush me back down in the ground or maybe a smaller one to trip me over when just trying to take smaller steps. I'm so grateful when good things do happen and also often experience the feeling of surprise because I've been facing so many difficulties for so long.
Getting my life back on track seems like such a massive mountain to climb but I've been taking those small steps and have come across yet more bumps in the road. (Literally there are so many journey metaphors that fit my life right now! I'm not purposely trying to use them all but I'm sure ' the light at the end of the tunnel' might feature in my next work post if I can sort out my latest problem).



After awful personal circumstances two years ago I had to leave my job and move away from where I had been living. The past two years have been far from easy but having almost managed a year, touch wood, without being an inpatient (still enough day and out patient visits mind), not receiving abuse or feeling scared to be in my own home and not crumbling apart mentally as soon as I wake up, I have started to try to put my life back together again. To put me back together again. The main reason for starting to blog again was to give myself some me time that I've never had since becoming a single mum, to be me again just for a little while.

The only way I got through the past couple of years, particularly the first was by just living for my child.
Now I am trying to revive the other parts of my life and not just be one dimensional anymore. Being a mother is the most amazing job in the world. I am so grateful for my daughter and all that she brings but I need more than that. We all do, for our sanity and one day she is going to be grown up and if I don't get the rest of me back I'll be left with nothing.



I've been desperate to get back into work for a while. Even when I was so ill I couldn't manage a 10 minute walk up the street I was still trying to apply for jobs. Then I ended up in Hospital. At Christmas.
I am so lucky to have had all this time with my child and I don't want to lose it but at the same time we struggle terribly with money. I can't cope like this and need to provide for myself and my child. Not only that I want a career (not that I could probably call my old job that), to be using my brain, to be achieving, to be learning (and not just as a mummy) and not forgetting the social side of work.

Health - my biggest stumbling block

For the past couple of months I have been trying to sort out some voluntary work in the appropriate area to help me get back into paid work, as although they say they don't discriminate, people don't like to hire you when you have been off unwell for a while.
The two areas I was looking at were helping at a local Animal Sanctuary to gain experience with a charity, fundraising and administration (and as I have helped there before) and the NHS where I have worked before and where I could see a career progressing if I can get the funds for the appropriate training and ever get into a situation where I could do night shifts again.

My local animal sanctuary is in Wilmslow and run by the Humane Education Society. What I hadn't realised about this option is how much it would cost me to travel there. I have never been able to afford to drive and from where I am the sanctuary is awkward to get to. I released after getting my hopes up about working there that it would cost me £7 or more to get there once a week whilst G is in nursery for an afternoon. I can't afford that right now and being a charity funded by donations I'm pretty sure they can't subsidise travel. Also it would be very hectic and a close cut thing getting back in time to pick up G.
 On the day where I was attempting just to go in for an induction (a Sunday) the bus for one third of the journey did not even run.

money - the other main contender

My second option had been proving to be more successful. I was given an interview and took in my documents for a CRB check, or what I belive is now called a DBS check. The interview was brief and straight forward but then  it turned out my passport for my check had just gone out of date only 2 months before.
The lady in charge of the voluntary section has told me I can't use it however I don't have any of the other options. No driving licence, no marriage licence and my mother lost my birth certificate one of the many times we moved about when younger.
It just seemed like a joke. Only two months out of date. Such bad timing and I have no way of getting £75 to get a new one. Another obstacle in my way to try and stop me from getting anywhere!

The lady informed me a copy of my birth certificate may or may not work - she wasn't sure. I don't have a spare £20 at all let alone to throw away on a copy that might not work so I contacted DBS via email. They replied ten days later and did not answer of my questions! They did however say that when none of the section A ID documents can be provided finger printing could be used. That seems extreme but I'm willing to have it done if the ID problem can not be solved any other way. I have also decided to apply for a small budgeting loan which could help me replace my passport or get a provisional drivers licence. If that is successful then it will take a few weeks (waiting for reply for loan, getting copy of birth certificate and then replacing my passport) but finally I will have the required ID for the check and be able to commence my voluntary work on one of the wards at my local hospital.
I'm not sure it will happen before Christmas now and I desperately wanted to be back in the work place before New Year but cross your fingers for me that it will get sorted a.s.a.p.

I will need this ID for the DBS check for when I do actually get back into a paid position, so it is a massive stumbling block not to have it. If I can get past it I just need to pass my occupational health check which is in a couple of weeks. I am meant to have a choice as to where I'm assigned but that did not come up in the interview so that is something else I need to discuss. Ideally I would like to be placed in a children's or a maternity ward so the specific experience will help when I do apply for a paid position. However I will have to see what they have available. They subsidise travel thankfully so that's one problem solved!



Hopefully things will work out for once and in a few weeks time I will be posting to say I have started and how my first day went. For now it's some more phone calls, more filling in forms and then a case of wait and see.

Hobbycraft Advent Calender Project - Wishlist

via Hobbycraft website

I love Hobbycraft. I could live in there! It's the way I used to feel about Toys R Us when I was younger.
When looking round a couple of weeks ago for some small Halloween bits and bobs I spotted their Christmas section and their advent project ideas.
I felt my eyes go wide and was filled with excitement and wonder at the thought of the lovely advent tree I could create myself, fill of lovely (but cheap) things for my little girl and then keep for the years to come.

This probably sounds a bit sad to some but I do love crafts and when you are too ill to go out for dancing and drinks, tree climbing or just struggling to be social at all, being creative can be a great distraction. I turned to scrapbooking when I first became unwell but generally have always had a love of arts and crafts.


Sadly however I don't have the spare money to get myself the things I'd need for the project - hence it being a 'wishlist' post, but here's what I'd be getting if I did.






I would have chosen the lovely wooden tree out of the advent calenders. The selection in the Stockport store I spotted them in also included the house and truck pictured above and a reindeer. They are (or should i say were, as they are already now sold out in my local store) £15 each and then the choice is yours as to how you decorate them.





There's so many lovely choices; paints, papers, glitters, embellishments.....





I love the designs Hobbycraft have already done but if I was to do a different style I might use a gold or a light blue paint as a base or maybe go traditional and opt for this pine needle green shade which HC have used on the house advent calender.

If sticking with blues, golds, creams or white's I'd go for the lovely blue snowflake glitter as well or maybe the gold. If going with the traditional green I'd use this lovely bright red glitter glue at £1.50.

I love using buttons for embellishment and particularly like these. I also like these metallic red stars to add a simple festive touch. It would be hard to choose which to get.
They have a lovely range of Christmas toppers, many of which would look great on one of the wooden calenders. I love these poly hearts, the nutcracker set and the reindeer. They currently range from just 25p to £3.

They have some lovely choices for the numbers. I particularly like these wooden toppers which have been reduced to £2.  They have these lovely wooden numbers but I'm not sure if i might prefer the felt.
With all this choice it's lucky it's 3 for 2 on all the range. It will help stop the costs of this Christmas project adding up as much!

I love the 2 papers on the right.

I'd quite like to use some of these lovely festive papers on my wooden tree. I love a bit of Decopatch so this nordic paper might be nice. I also love these Christmas Brights Papers but if sticking to a themes I quite like these gold and duck egg blue deco papers and I love winter woodland set above and the red & green paper set pictured to the left.




The paper packs tend to range from £4 to £5 and then £7 to £9 for the more pricey Christmas papers.
If using the decopatch or lovely christmas tissue paper sets I imagine this decopatch glitter glue would give a lovely finish.



To help cut the costs and for many more benefits you can join the Hobbycraft Club. They will send you an introductory 15% voucher code via email or print you out one on a receipt in store.

Have you spotted any possible Christmas craft projects whilst out browsing?






*All pictures from Hobbycraft website



I've added this post to the weekend blog hop at Claire Justines Blog.

Young Children's Book Recommendation of the Fortnight - Delicious

This week I've picked another Helen Cooper book without realising. Delicious - A Pumpkin Soup Story.

A charming book with lovely illustrations and great use of alteration.

A fed up squirrel and cat have to get round the problem of having no pumpkins when they're little duck friend, rather like a fussy toddler (I'd say much worse actually) won't try anything else. They get there in the end!

There is a little side story going on at the same time with some bugs trying to save the soup that is being wasted.

Little Monster Did It also by Helen Cooper is currently on my list of wanted books for G.

Do you have any favourite children's authors?

My house before children.....

When you have a child your whole world is turned upside down. Everything changes.

Many changes are welcome, some you have to adapt to and some frankly you just want to change back.

There are things I miss about my life before entering the world of motherhood. A clean and tidy flat/house is one of them!



Before I had somewhere to put everything.
Now toys seem to be spilling out of every room , we only have cheap storage so it doesn't hide them away.

If I won the lottery (I guess it would help if I played it in the first place) a playroom would be great! It would be a lovely playroom, a wonderful exciting place for G and I'd get some control back over the rest of the house. Happy child, happy mummy.

Ok I should be fair, not all the problems with my house are down to my child! Yes before I could arrange things nicely and had a lot less house work but In fact the battle for a clean, tidy house began when I moved in with her father.
Then a lot happened and the house that my daughter and I now live in has a long list of problems!
 Lack of storage is one and that's not just down to a little person who's needs are continuously changing.
That on it's own of course is something to deal with - from Moses baskets, playmats and bouncers to bigger clothes, space taking toys to rival even baby activity stations (a trampoline) and even first pets. But along side that we have no laundry cupboard, no bathroom cabinet, I have no chest of drawers, our shoe cupboard gets damp & mouldy in bad weather and so on.

 A good chest of drawers in my bedroom would totally transform the room as would proper toy storage in the lounge. Clutter is something that really gets to me, some days it makes me crazy! I am sure proper storage would help with that. I have a small glimmer of hope in that I may be getting a small proper storage unit from Ikea for Christmas. Having at least one room in the house (ok besides my bedroom) that's not dominated by toys/toddler items is becoming a real possibility.
I am obviously happy to have signs of my little girl everywhere, I'd be distressed if not, but I'd also like some signs that I live here too.


Before it wasn't a huge battle to keep it clean and tidy.
Now as I'm getting one thing tidied/cleaned or organised it seems like G is making another mess or undoing something I've done.

Now this is something most, if not all parents of young children have to deal with at one point or another.
It is untrue the volume of mess one tiny human being can make in such a short time. However, toys wise - there would be no point having them if they weren't being played with!

G will usually help tidy up now when asked and also cleanliness wise she's better than she was about a year ago. She'd always wipe her hands all over the carpets, walls, furniture.... such a battle against her smearing muck (not actual muck I am lucky I missed that joy of parenthood some poor people face) or toothpaste everywhere! Now it's usually just wiped on her clothes. Easier to manage!


Before I didn't need to worry about redecorating....
Now there are scribbles, marks, hand prints on the walls, furniture....


...along with the mold in this damn house I try cleaning these marks off too. However if they are on the walls the paint wipes straight off too! Cue awful looking walls either way. I have to say when I was younger I also never imagined that now I'd be scrubbing wee out of a carpet on a daily basis. I hired a rug doctor a few months ago when I had a very small loan out and I felt so much happier after cleaning the carpets! I'm one of those who would love a steam cleaner as a present - welcome to the boring world of being a grown up. That doesn't mean I wouldn't love a huge bottle of baileys or a mad night out still (I imagine I would anyway but I'd probably be asleep a couple of hours in).



Before my house was empty*
Now my house is a home.


As I said many of the issues I have aren't down to having a child but extreme difficulties I've had in the past few years meaning that I currently struggle a lot financially.
On dealing with the mess making machines that are children - It may be a massive challenge, some might say soul destroying, trying to keep the house clean & tidy but knowing the reason why, I wouldn't change it for the world.

Except if I won the lottery.

Then I'd get a maid.

*Her father didn't count

Throwback Thursdays - Halloween

I think these photo's are from 8 years ago which terrifies me! A Halloween night out at University. I love a bit of fancy dress.

It was at one of our favourite haunts in Concert Square Liverpool. I really miss these days.



Happy Halloween everyone! 

Wicked Wednesdays - Halloween

I've not managed to get on the blog much with it being half term but I thought I'd pop on to do a Halloween Wicked Wednesdays.



Here is my daughter 3 years ago on her first Halloween.

So scary she scared herself!

Ok maybe not. She just wasn't in a very happy mood that night.  A novelty singing Halloween dog did the trick of cheering her up though.
This photo makes me come across as a cruel mummy forcing my baby into a costume she was not happy with, complete with mess in the background. Bloody awful. Definitely a Wicked Wednesdays contender.

If you'd like to join in just click on the pic above and it will send you on over to the lovely Brummymummyof2.