MUMMY TO THE MAX

Did you know it is only 155 days until Christmas? Since January I have been busy buying presents and I have to admit that I have nearly completed my Christmas shopping for Maxwell. Maxwell will be 3 years old this Christmas and will be celebrating his 3rd birthday 13 days before Christmas. Last year Ben and I managed to buy Maxwell so much, he still has 2 toy boxfuls of new toys to use. This year we will not be going so mad and we will be spending more money on bigger presents instead of lots of smaller things. This month I have bought plenty of bargains to fill Maxwell's stocking up.


I hope you have enjoyed looking at what I have bought Maxwell so far for Christmas. At the present moment I am looking for a main present for him.  I have had ideas of a wooden kitchen, scooter or perhaps a doll house. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet and what will your children be getting this Christmas?

Christmas 2013 was the 3rd Christmas Maxwell had got to celebrate. Unfortunately Maxwell and I were both ill, I was at the end of the cold which had bugged me for over a week and Maxwell was at the start of his cold however we both did not allow this to ruin our Christmas.

Ben worked all over Christmas which meant we missed having a lot of family time together. On Christmas eve Maxwell was given his Christmas Eve box which he really enjoyed. He loved the chocolate which he got to nibble on as he watched his Christmas films and he loved having a nice hot bubble bath at the end of the day with his new towel and his "special" bubble bath. He loved getting in to his new PJ's and snuggling down under the cover whilst I read him his Christmas book. Overall we had a fantastic Christmas Eve and once tucked into bed Santa came with lots of treats!


Christmas morning was a lazy one. We did not get up until 9am and once up we let Maxwell enjoy opening his presents.  I was surprised to see this year that Maxwell actually knew how to unwrap his presents and he loved attacking the paper whilst he excitedly unwrapped. Maxwell loved unwrapping his sesame street toys and he screamed in delight when he saw he had a new wooden puzzle train.

After breakfast we got ready to go and celebrate Christmas with our families. Each year we split our day so that we spend time with both our families. First we visited Ben's family and we also had our Christmas lunch there. We had a nice time there and then we rushed off to spend the remainder of the day with my family. Everyone was very generous with their gifts and Maxwell especially loved the Noahs ark my sister gifted him and a Vtech robot my parents gifted him.

On boxing day we spent the day as a family of 3 and we went shopping.  Our day was sadly shortened as Ben had work however we managed to get a few bargains and we enjoyed spending out day together. When we arrived home, Maxwell managed to spend some well deserved time playing with his Noah's ark and his new Megablok truck.


The following day we spent at my sisters, we had a lovely dinner there and Maxwell and I managed to catch some more of our family which we had not got round to seeing at Christmas. We had a brilliant day and Maxwell enjoyed opening more presents.

Overall we had a lovely Christmas. I just wish Ben had a little more time off so we could have got to enjoy the run up and the few days after however I am sure this will change next year. We are looking forward to Christmas 2014 and I have already started present preparing!

On my Birthday this year, we thought it would be nice to take Maxwell somewhere that little bit magical. For weeks and weeks I had been planning on a nice trip and finally I came up with the idea of taking him to our local farm to meet Father Christmas.

The local farm is not that far away from us. It is around a 10 minute drive and is situated in Ashurst which is in the New Forest. The farm is called Longdown Dairy Farm. I had heard nothing but good reviews from other parents so I was excited to go and see what all the fuss was about.

Upon arrival we parked in a large car-park. The car-park was large and allowed many visitors to park in it. There were no set bays which enabled us plenty of space for Maxwell to get in and out of the car which I find is always important. From the car park the farm is a short walk across the road.

Once arriving at the farm we were shown into a marquee where activities were set out for children to have fun with. There were a long row of benches for people to sit down on and small table which let people buy refreshments. Maxwell loved the activities which were set out for him. One being a huge wooden standing cow with wooden boards that he lifted up and was able to see pictures of animals as well as facts about the farm.


After Maxwell had enjoyed the activities we were shown into the Christmas barn. First of all we were able to sit down and enjoy holding chicks. Unfortunately  Maxwell was not keen on them and we ended up putting the chick back however it was a wonderful experience and perhaps when Maxwell is a little older he will enjoy chicks more.


We then had the opportunity to meet a few other animals which included sheep, a donkey, goats and a turkey. Maxwell adored the donkey and spent a while touching him and stroking him. Maxwell was sad to leave the animals as he was called to go into Santa's Grotto by a giant elf.

Once in the Grotto we were able to sit next to Santa and we were given a small gift by the elf. Santa tried to talk to Maxwell however Maxwell seemed a little scared by him and was reduced to tears meaning we eventually had to leave Santa in his grotto however Maxwell was impressed with his present which was a lovely board book which will help him learn colours as he grows.

Overall we had a lovely time at the farm. There were a lot of things to see and do for children including colouring and dressing up and I would definitely reccomend it to families. We paid around £10 to get in which included 3 adults and 1 child which I found was quite reasonable.

I am hoping to take Maxwell again next year, hopefully he will no longer be scared of Santa!

I always like to prepare for special occasions and this year  was not an exception. I started Christmas shopping in January and I even went as far as buying a Christmas tree, decorations and wrapping paper as it was cheap in the sale but there was something missing which we did not manage to get Maxwell. That missing thing was a Christmas sack!

Recently My 1st years kindly offered to send Maxwell a special Christmas sack which he could use to store his presents in when Father Christmas came to visit. The sack we were sent was a Blue Hessian Gift Sack. The sack came with a blue star on the front, the sack also had your child’s name printed on the star, you were able to change the colour of the name on the star however we went for a white colour. The clever thing about having your child's name on the sack is that your little one will always know which sack of presents under the tree is theirs.


The sack is large enough to fit plenty of presents inside. There is a special feature about this sack however and this feature is that it features a draw string which means it is easy to hang up at Christmas but after Christmas the sack can then be used to store toys in a playroom or be used as a laundry bag.

Recently I was tagged in this meme by Emma over on The Cycling Mummy blog.
I love answering questions about myself and my family and would love to get involved in more meme so please feel free to tag me in some more.
This meme is answering questions about Christmas!

What is your favourite thing about Xmas?

Christmas is a time I get to spend with my family. My Mum and Dad now live in the Isle Of Wight and I rarely get to see my Sister as she is a school teacher, she is always working hard, its also great to see my Uncle and Nan and Grandad.
I love the food we get to eat at Christmas. My Mum's Christmas dinner she makes is one of a kind and I love the deserts my Sister and her partner make.
To unwind after a busy day, I enjoy playing games with my family. On the wii, with board games or on the Xbox or ps3 we always manage to have a great time!

Whats your favourite make up look for the season?

I love the dark Smokey eyed look, and peachy cheeks. I like to wear nude coloured foundation and love to add some bronzer. I am not a huge fan of wearing anything on my lips so just add a light coat of lip-gloss.

Real or Fake tree?

As we have moved into our own place, we have had second hand decorations this year from my mum as she recently moved out of her home. We were given a small fake Christmas tree but I'm hoping to buy a larger one in the January sales.
I prefer a real Christmas tree if I'm honest as when I was growing up this is all we ever had. However with a fake tree I do not miss getting rid of the tree after Christmas and cleaning and watering the tree leading up to Christmas.

Giving or receiving presents?

I love giving presents. Especially to my parents. They are the people who have supported me all my life and looking back I was really spoilt. Anything I wished or desired I had so its great to give them something they deserve back.
I also love to give them to Ben and Maxwell as I love to watch there faces as they open presents on Christmas morning.
I like receiving presents but would much prefer someone giving stuff to Maxwell rather than myself.

What is your favourite Xmas film?

I love Matilda, Its not really a Christmas film but its always on at Christmas and I always watched it when I was growing up. Ben has actually brought it as a stocking filler for me this Christmas. I hope Maxwell grows up to enjoy it as I have myself.

What’s your favourite Xmas food?

My favourite Christmas food has to be sprouts! I love the things! Not many people do like them and I have no clue why. I am a huge fan of Roast potatoes and carrots but I get to eat them throughout the year.

Thank you for reading my meme

I have tagged:

Lindy - lindylovesblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Laura - http://maxandmummy.blogspot.co.uk/

Mel - http://thediaryofajewellerylover.blogspot.co.uk/