Back to School with wilko [ad]

 


This year has been super strange for all children, but the time has come where schools are re-opening for all their pupils. This September is a bit of a nerve-wrecking one with all three of my children moving to a new school, in a new location. This also meant having to buy a whole new uniform and school stationary bits to help them. 

Wilko has always been a store I visit in-store or online to search for new stationary for the kids. Each year, and throughout the whole year they always have a good range of back-to-school products. I have always found their products great quality and very reasonably priced. Wilko currently have a great offers in store and online, from half price offers and 3 for 2 on their stationary. Their products are great value and low priced.

They have the most beautiful and unique collections to choose from. From colourful notepads and organisers, they are a great range to add to your childs back to school packs. The most exciting bit was the kids choosing their own pencil cases, there's a good range of clear pencil cases, hard case and patterned ones. With a great range to choose from, we spent a good while trying to choose which one. 

Talking pencil cases, the kids then were excited to choose their stationary bits to go inside, they went all out for different kinds of pens. Just like me, they love owning a million and one pens. Wilko have a fantastic range of different branded pens to choose from such as Brillo, Papermate and more. 

Not only back to school stationary, but wilko also have a range for arts and crafts that are perfect for activities on rainy days over the weekends. Doing some activities with the kids, passes on the time in the day, keeps them entertained while still learning new things and most importantly keeping that bond between your child and yourself. 

Back to School products

Wilko have a fantastic range of back to school products, as said above. From pencil cases, lunch boxes, to pens and notebooks. We mostly went for pens and notebooks, as they currently have a lot of lunch boxes already, but all of these products that we chose will be a great addtion to their back to school packs. 

The two pencil cases the girls chose were a Pizza Barrel pencil case and Mermaid pencil case, both costing only £3 each, which is very addorable for decent sized pencil cases. There's such a gorgeous range of different pencil cases to choose from. 





To add into their pencil cases they went to choose different pens and pencils. Mia went for a Harry Potter stationary pouch that was only £2. All other products being different such as: 

30 pack of colouring pencils for £1.75

Bic Ballpoint pens for £0.75

Papermate blue pen for £0.50

Berol Handwriting Pens for £1.00

Zebra Rose Gold Pens for £0.75

Papermate Jiffy Gel Pen for £0.50

Wilko Pencils with Grips for £1.00

Wilko Newstalgia Pens for £1.00



Activity products

These are the products we went for to keep busy over the weekends on a rainy day, and a few for after school activities too. There were so much to choose from, but I decided to choose things we could all do together and keep for the long run. 

365 Journal £3.00

This journal book I thought would be great to fill in each day after school or on the weekends. The kids could write what they got up to during their day at school and we could also write and draw other things that we got up to over the weekend. Seeing as schools won't be back to normal, I thought it was the perfect time to write how their school days will be. 


Storage Box £3.00

I instantly fell in love with the design of this storage box, it's super colourful and nothing beats a storage box. For the price of £3 it was a bargain, it's fantastic quality and our plans are to store any school work or art pieces the kids make into the box. 


Crayloa Super Washable Felt Tips £1.25

Nothing beats finding washable felt tips that actually wash off. For a great price of £1.25 it was a must have. Felt tips are great for arts and crafts and perfect for the journal that we are going to keep. 


Spiderman 500 Sticker Book £2.00

This activity book will sure keep my youngest super busy over rainy days. Kids absolutely stickers. With their being over 500 stickers, we had planned to use these stickers to make scenes on some white A4 cards that were also purchased from wilko online, that only cost £1.25 for a pack of 15.


Notebooks

As said above, wilko have a great range of different collections for their notebooks and stationary. Wilko has always been my go-to for some gorgeous pieces of notebooks and my girls also love their notebooks. They chose a few different ones for themselves; 

Chunky Tranquil Notebook for £3

A5 Premium Nostalgia Notebook for £4

Wilko small jotter for £1

Wilko Project Book for £2.50



These are all the bits we chose and purchased from wilko online. As always, the quality is fantastic and the prices are very affordable. 




* Thank you so much to wilko for working with us on this campaign. 




Making & Keeping Memories In Baby’s First Year

The first year of your little one's life can be such a wonderful time. It can also be unbelievably hectic and

exhausting, so much so in fact that it can feel as if it goes by in a whirl. That's why it is so essential to make

and keep special memories and mementos of this time. The good news is there are several easy and enjoyable

ways that you can do this. Keep reading to find out what they are. 


Newborn photoshoot 

A fantastic option for making memories in Baby's first year is to get a professional Newborn Photographer to do

a shoot. The great thing about this option is that you don't have to worry about taking the photos and so can

attend to your little one. While at the same time, being safe in the knowledge that an expert will be getting the

best shots. 


In particular, if you are looking for an enjoyable and productive experience, be sure to pick a photographer with

plenty of experience with kids (and even has their own). Then you will know that even if Baby isn't on top form,

they will give you space and the time to settle them. Something that means you will get some beautiful images

that will last you a lifetime, and that can be given to proud grandparents as well.


Baby box 

Another popular option to consider is a baby box? These can be cardboard or wooden boxes, and you can get

some really nice ones that are personalized with your child's name. Alternately, you can get a plain box and

decorate them yourself with decoupage paper and scrapbooking supplies.


The idea of a baby box is to keep all the bits and pieces from the baby's first year together. These include the

outfit you bought them home from the hospital in their medical bracelet and printed out photos. 


In fact, the baby box idea is very much like the baby book that you will find below. However, it does let you store

larger items like cute pairs of shoes that seem so tiny when you look back on them. It also requires less effort

because you can just add items into the box and then go back and curate them later. Something that can be a

big booking for a busy new mamma. 


Baby book 

A baby book is slightly different from a baby box in that the more bulky items can't be stored in it. However, Baby

books are still a wonderful idea because they are perfect for keeping photos safe. You can also use them to store

details and information about baby's firsts. 


You can find some beautiful pre-printed baby books that have sections to add when they first smile, laugh, and

sleep through the night. Some even have a month-by-month plan to track Baby's progress and keep all those

special memories to hand. 


Alternatively, you can go for a smash book idea where you buy a blank book and some glue and decorate it yourself. The latter option can be fun because you can decide whether to follow a timeline or add things to wherever you'd like. The latter being something that can be a lot of fun to review once Baby is older.

Five Reasons To Start An Emergency Fund

 How often do emergencies happen? Hopefully, not too often in your life; no one likes to consider bad scenarios happening to them. If emergencies happen and you haven't prepared yourself for it, you’re going to be left in the lurch - and you don't want that to be the case. People don't often prepare for the worst, because no one wants to think about the worst happening. 


However, emergencies do happen and they happen when you least expect it. The best thing that you can do is be financially ready - in any scenario. If there's a house fire, you want to be able to afford the repairs and rent elsewhere. If there is a flood, you need to know you can replace the electrics in your house when they’re affected by it. The fallout of not being prepared for an emergency is much worse than you could imagine, which is why you need to start setting aside some emergency savings. So, with that in mind, here are five reasons you should consider starting your pot today.


U.s. Dollar Banknote Lot

Image Source: Pexels

  1. The Boiler Breaks. Wherever you are in the world, if you have a boiler, you need it to work. Hot water is a must for washing you, your clothes and your dishes, and you need to have adequate heating to keep you and the kids warm, too. If the boiler breaks, you can compare Boxt boiler prices to get the right one, but if your emergency fund pot is empty, what can you do? You need to be able to replace a boiler at short notice, so it’s our number one reason to have emergency funds.

  2. You’ve Lost Your Job. While it’s nice to rely on your income, you can always be caught unawares if you lose your job because of redundancy. The world is in turmoil, and without your job, you’re going to struggle to keep your roof over your head and your bills paid. You need an emergency backup.

  3. You’ve Been In Hospital. It’s rare for anyone to plan to be in hospital. If you have had to have an operation and you need medical care, you need to pay for it in some places in the world. If you are lucky enough not to pay for medical care, but you lose a tooth and you need dental care? Well, you need an emergency fund for that.

  4. You’re Self-Employed. It’s a dream to work for yourself, but if you don't get enough contracts you could find yourself falling short. Your emergency fund could cover you in those cases. Self-employment is something everyone aspires to do, but if you don't cover your expenses with a six-month back up, you’re going to lose a lot more than just a job.

  5. You Need to Move - Now. Usually, a move is planned for months in advance. If you ensure that you have expenses to cover you, you can move to a new home if you are put in a position to - like a fire or flood that requires you to recover all of your things. The post-move cleanup can be expensive!