We are giving up chocolate for lent so finding alternative Easter gifts has become a little bit of a quest. We are therefore more than a little bit excited to be able to share the chance for you to win your own Cuddledry Snuggle Bunny Towel worth £32.99.  This super soft and fluffy hooded towel from Cuddledry is the perfect alternative to chocolate this Easter time.

For parents it is a practical yet adorable gift but for toddlers and young children, the floppy bunny ears are irresistible, and they will love to snuggle in the warm, soft fabric.  Cuddledry tell us that it’s made with clever microfibre technology so it’s as soft as a feather and so absorbent it will dry them in moments.  The only problem will be catching them to take it off and get them dressed, as your little rabbit hops away happily, cosy and warm.

So if you want something different to chocolate this Easter, all you need to do is enter below to be in with a chance of winning .... What are you waiting for?

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & Conditions

The Prize: Cuddledry Snuggle Bunny - RRP £32.99
The winners will be chosen at random by the random winner generator on Rafflecopter and notified within 7 working days by email
Cuddledry will make every effort to provide a choice of colour but this cannot be guaranteed
By entering this competition, you understand that your details may be retained for future mailings. You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.
There is no monetary equivalent.
Little Lilypad Co take no /responsibility for loss or damage in the despatch of prizes
If the prize is unclaimed within 7 days we reserve the right to redraw the winner.
UK Entrants Only
End Date 04/01/2017 at 12am

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I mentioned last week that I have been enjoying the Five Fabulously Frugal Things posts from Emma and 3 and I have become a little more conscious of our spending habits, even more so as this week has been half term. Keeping two girls of two different ages occupied and happy is no mean feat, especially when I am sure they simply believe that the money is delivered from the hole in the wall.

1. Saved on Cinema Tickets by using my Taste Card. As part of my bank account, I get a Taste Card and it gives you money off meals but if you upgrade to the Taste Card Plus for just £7.99 you can make HUGE savings on days out, like 40% off Cinema or Warwick Castle tickets.

2. Kids Eat for £1 at Harvester. Yes £1! So after our discounted cinema visit, we went and had lunch and for every adult meal we bought, we got a childs meal for £1. This was a half term offer but it is definitely worth checking out websites for venues prior to arriving.

3. It is no secret that I LOVE shopping and I do 90% of it online but before I check anything out and pay for it, I always google discount codes for that website. This week I have managed to find 20% off codes for some of my daughters clothes which was a great saving.

4. I bought uniform for next year! I know this sounds ridiculous but it appears that John Lewis are not longer stocking our school uniform so they are selling off all their stock at less than half price, I therefore "may" have purchased enough school logo cardigans and jumpers to last for the next school year, or so. 

5. Theatre visit for FREE! Now I have to admit that this wasn't something I found but we were lucky enough to be offered tickets by some friends to go and see a traditional pantomine and it was amazing. (Oh no it wasn't ..... oh yes it WAS!)

There are lots of things we want to save for this year and being a little more conscious week by week, will hopefully help us get those things a little sooner. 

Have you done anything to save money this half term?

I’m linking up with Cass, Emma and Becky  in this week’s ‘Five Fabulously Frugal things I’ve done this week linky.

I was watching one of the those daytime TV programmes the other day (whilst taking a well deserved break from the laptop of course) and the subject of what happens to your children when you are gone was being debated. Although death is a part and parcel of life, it's not often talked about around the coffee table. As inevitable as getting out of bed in the morning, the question remains as to why we’re always planning what we’re having for dinner tonight instead of planning for what’s happening to the things we care about the most once we’re gone.

Taking the time to write a will, clearly defining your wishes is one of the most important things you can do, especially for your children. Wills aren’t just there as written expressions of how you want the family home, or assets divided up, but they also clearly define your intentions for who will look after your children in the event of your death. Writing a will is a decision that many of us find difficult but a will provides clarity for whom you are leaving responsible for your children’s well being, defining the person, or people, who will be guiding them into the future in your absence. 

A lack of planning now can result in even more distress and anxiety for your loved ones at a time when you’ll be unable to help. So make the time to write your will today, safeguarding and protecting your children for tomorrow. 

Katie Price was a panelist on the daytime TV show I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post and much like her, I need to sort my will out to safeguard my girls futures ..... although I suspect my will may be a little less complex than hers!

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Somehow is it half term again and last year we talked about Education Quizzes and how they can help your children keep their brains active over the holidays but what about us parents too?

My mum keeps her brain active by doing countless word searches and sudoko puzzles but they are no contest for a child with a Year 7 maths problem. If I were to ask you what is the answer to 3 + 4 x 2 = ? If you do it on a calculator, the answer is 14 which may seem correct but is actually wrong! The correct answer is 11. Why? Because of BODMAS. BODMAS is just one of the things now taught in schools today that as parents, we might not be familiar with. (I wasn't and I got excellent GCSE maths grades too!)

So as parents we always try and ensure that we are keeping up with our child's educational needs (although please don't ask me about algebra), so this is why Education Quizzes came up with the Parents 999 idea. The title comes from the fact that each article has 999 words and is also meant to be an emergency resource for parents who suddenly find that they have a problem to solve in relation to their school-age children!  

So how does it help?

1. It is a quick and easy way to brush up on your own educational skills

2. It has an easy to use menu listing, so you can jump straight to the section you want.

3. All the quizzes are free to play, so you can go over them as often as you like.

4. There are a range of subjects to choose from, including cyber safety and bullying which can help parents to deal with new situations

5. Children generally think they know it all ...... this helps us as parents to stay one step ahead, or at least try!!

We have spent some time on the site and Education Quizzes asked for our honest opinions as to whether it really is a useful resource for parents. All of the statements noted above are true and for me personally the Parent Power sections relating to bullying and online safety were as important as the Subject Knowledge elements. I think it will be good for Education Quizzes to expand on these areas especially as some parents genuinely don't understand all the dangers that come with access to the internet. 

I like the fact that the articles are no more than 999 words as many parents are short on time but I did find myself reading the article and not always taking the quiz afterwards. There is a "tally" of your score and you can go back and improve it next time. This part didn't really appeal to me but I can see how those of a competitive nature might want to review their own scores.

At the moment there isn't a massive library of articles / quizzes in this section but Education Quizzes have said that they are adding a new one each week, so there will be regular new content available.

The Education Quizzes website is a fantastic resource for children and with the parenting section now, it is a great support for parents too. Despite many parenting books claiming otherwise, being a parent doesn't come with a handbook but having free online resources like this one, helps make the educational parenting journey just a little bit easier.

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