MUMMY TO THE MAX

This holiday I have been looking around for some promotions that Maxwell and I can use to keep him entertained over the holidays. I have come up with 5 money saving deals that will help you keep your children entertained however keeping your children entertained will not break the bank balance.

This summer why not order your child a free Toucan Box. Inside the box you are able to find fun craft ideas. The box is ideal to keep your child entertained on a wet, windy day. To order your box simply sign up to Toucan here. You need to add the code "jmc2" and your address and add payment details. Once you receive your first box you need to ensure you cancel your subscription to the service or you will be made to pay for the box subscription.

This half term you are able to get a 'free' cinema ticket on Sundays at participating cinemas when you buy promotional chocolate pouches before 14th October 2015. The bags include M&M's, Maltesers, Minstrels, Galaxy Counters and Revels. In order to get your "free" ticket you need to buy four small pouches or two large pouches. Our local cinema is a Cineworld cinema. At the moment some of the pouches are on promotion at the supermarket meaning a Sunday ticket will cost you around £4 once you have bought 4 small pouches. We have asked friends and family who may not want to take part in the promotion to save us there pouches. This summer you are able to get 2 tickets per person. If you buy chocolate in your household, this deal is fab for you!

One of the best deals that I have seen with Tesco Clubcard this summer is their fantastic deal where you are able to get a pizza, pasta or salad from Pizza Express for just £2 with their Clubcard deals. You are able to get 3 meals per visit which is fantastic when you are a smaller family like us. The offer is only avaliable on a Tuesday or a Wednesday however seeing as a pizza is normally £10+, 3 meals will cost you less than 1 meal at Pizza  Express regular price. All vouchers that are bought for this deal must be redeemed by Wednesday 16th September 2015

If you are on O2, download O2 priority. Luckily for us, Ben and I are both on O2 priority which means every Monday we benefit from their £1 lunch. Recently we have been going to Boots on a Monday and picking up a £1 lunch deal. We try and buy the packs of sandwiches where you get 3 sandwiches in. This in turn allows us to give Maxwell 2 sandwiches which means we can all eat for £2 and enjoy a little picnic at our local beach. You can also benefit from getting the £1 Dominos deal where you are able to get a personalised size pizza with one topping as well as the £1 WHSMITH deal.
This year the NHS is offering you and your child a fun Disney shake up pack to enjoy. You are able to choose from a Toy Story pack, A Frozen pack, A Monsters Inc pack or a Big Hero 6 pack. The pack includes a A 10 Minute Shake Up team wristband with timer, a Disney team poster and stickers, some 10 Minute Shake Up activity cards and wild cards and a very special team move to practice your shake up. This is a fun freebie which will keep the children entertained this summer.

It is now only a week until we go away on holiday. We are quite prepared and have managed to think about what we will need to take however one of my worries at the present moment is how are we going to keep Maxwell entertained as it is a long journey to our holiday destination (Wales). In the car it will take us around 4 hours, Ben and I have planned out some toilet stops however we know this will not keep Maxwell entertained in the car. Over the past week I have managed to buy Maxwell some items suitable for his bag, here is what Maxwell has got:

Ben, Maxwell and I are so excited as we are going on holiday in June. We are going to Bluestone in Wales so it will be a long journey for us as we live in the New Forest in Hampshire. I think it very important to plan what we will need for the journey and what to take with us as we all want to enjoy ourselves.


I must admit I have bought lots of new clothes for Maxwell ... and a few for myself. As we will be going swimming I will include swimming nappies, arm bands, a float, sun hats, a UV sun protection suit and high factor sun protection (just in case the weather is very kind to us). I have also included a special Huggies Swimming Mat which means that Maxwell will not have to lay/stand on any cold, wet floors in the changing rooms. We will take the pushchair and parasol for Maxwell although he much prefers to walk, just incase he gets too tired when we are out and about. I will pack Maxwell a back pack with his favourite toys but also will include some small books, a colouring book and some crayons. I think it important to include a small first aid kit and anti-bacterial hand wash also just incase any accidents happen whilst we are out and about or just incase we sit down to eat. We do not want to be picking up any nasty germs.


We are planning to make several stops during our journey so that Maxwell can stretch his legs. We will take some story/song CDs to keep Maxwell entertained I will take my tablet also so Maxwell is able to play some games which I plan on downloading. He may take a nap so a light blanket will be included. We will also take a bag of snacks and drinks just in case we get caught in traffic, however we can also stop off at the service station for food if needs be.

Maxwell is normally a great sleeper at home, so I think we may take his travel cot with us. I will also take his bedding, a small night light and his favourite toy to take to bed.The company do not provide baths with their rooms, so I am trying to make Maxwell use a shower at home so he gets used to them. If Maxwell dislikes showers, we may have to find a special little travel bath for him to use.


We will take our camera with us so we can take lots of photos to record our first holiday with a toddler and I may take my laptop as there is free Wifi there so I can blog about our first toddler holiday experience as well as Instagram it whilst it is actually happening.

It is all so exciting ... Have you any suggestions of what we should include? Have you been to Bluestone and if so what activities would you reccomend?

This is what it is thought Madeleine looks like now. If you see a girl like this or have any information please use the contact information below:

Contact information to report any sightings or information:
Your local police force immediately, AND
Operation Grange
0207 321 9251 (in the UK)
+44 207 321 9251 (non-UK)
Or Operation.Grange@met.pnn.police.uk
OR Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org

If you see anything please pick up the phone. Imagine if it was your own child that had gone missing.