Posted on November 14th, 2016 - Fiona
With my own daughter approaching the teen years I feel a little out of touch with toys for young girls, yet even I have heard of the Baby Annabell Range. You know a product has a following when the accessories and siblings come along. Mia So Soft is the new kid on the blog launched as Baby Annabell’s little sister.
About Mia So Soft
As the name suggests, Mia So Soft is perfect to cuddle. Just like her sister’s, her body is made from a soft cuddly filling. With big blue eyes that stare at you through luscious dark lashes, it is hard to resist her cute little rosy race which pleads cuddle me. Mia comes wearing a pretty rose coloured romper suit with a cute lamb design in a velvety soft fabric together with matching baby bonnet. However the real treat for little ones is the interchangeable dummy and feeding bottle that fit perfectly into her delicate lips.
What we thought of Baby Annabell: Mia so soft
My own daughter may be too old, but I knew the little girls on holiday with us would give me an honest reaction to Mia.
It is fair to say there was no prompting needed from these little ones. Mia was cuddled, fed, winded and taken out to play. From shopping trips to soft play Mia certainly had a busy day here on the farm and was never once left feeling lonely. I think there may be some Mia So Soft requests going onto Christmas lists now!
Our Baby Mia is being kept for the new playroom in Polzeath holiday lodge now in building. Look out for her and give her a good week if you are staying in Polzeath on holiday with us.
Mia So Soft: Need to know facts
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Pack contents |
Doll with soft body romper suit and hat Dummy Bottle |
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RRP |
£24.99 – £28.99 |
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Stockists | ToysRUs, Smyths, Amazon |
Suitable for | Age 2 – 5 |
Learning Opportunities | Creative Play Roll Play Develops early responsibility and empathy |
Win your Mia So Soft from Baby Annabell with Coombe Mill
If you have a little one that would love to open a Baby Mia this Christmas why not enter to win with us here. Simply follow the instructions below.
Good luck to all taking part and do check out all the lovely products in the Baby Annabel range
Baby Annabell – Mia So Soft
Disclosure
We were sent our Baby Annabell Mia So Soft for the purpose of this review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own based on watching the children here interact with Mia.
Posted on November 12th, 2016 - Fiona
Watch out Jack Frost is about! After the excitement here of our Halloween Fun Day and then taking our own children to the Lewes Bonfire Night Celebrations last weekend it was with sheer delight that I woke to a frosty morning on Monday. Coming home from the school run I headed straight for my camera and some frosty morning photos.
Our holiday cottages and lodges are almost empty this week, with just a couple of regular fishermen come to take advantage of our lakes and river. I feel it is such a shame more people can’t get away at this time of year; with heating and wood burners, indoors can be toasty with outdoors refreshingly cold and simply stunning. The winter sun takes it’s time to reach our sheltered valley and melt away the frost, giving me plenty of time for a good walk round. However this morning frost will surely be the death of the last hydrangea on the farm.
A frosty morning gives a bluish tinge to the grass and make spiders webs glow. My fingers tingle as I walk and I hear my feet crunch through the leaves and crispy blades of grass. Steam rises from the river making it appear deceptively warm. Sunlight creeps down the valley, eventually reaching the bottom turning the blue hues to gold and reflecting on the river.
The golden shades of autumn are still clinging to some of the trees, while the fallen leaves pile up on the road bridge and behind dams in the river made by the children back in the summer.
My fingers begin to fail without gloves and I head back for a steaming cuppa refreshed and ready to begin my days work. The animals now need hay as the grass is no longer growing and low rainfall means all the water feeders need checking. The longer the rain holds off the better, I wonder if this might even be the year we see snow? My triplets at age 12 can barely remember what snow feels like; it must be 6 years since we had any here in Cornwall.
Have you enjoyed a frosty morning yet this season?
Adding this last photo from a run yesterday evening. By the time you read this post I will most likely be accompanying my scouts for parade. Fingers crossed it is dry and not too cold if you are at an outdoor service too.
Posted on November 11th, 2016 - Fiona
Welcome to Country Kids from Coombe Mill
Country Kids is the original outdoor family fun linky designed to:
“Encourage family fun outdoors, in an age where technology and screens are such a draw to a sedentary indoor life”
Welcome back if you are a regular to Country Kids and if you are new please join in. You will find plenty of inspiration for enjoying outdoor space and please do share your own adventures. We support the National Trust 100 things to do before you are 11¾ along with all other ideas for family fun outside.
Autumn is beginning to fall from the trees to the ground this week on the farm. The fairy gardens look quite magical with their autumn dusting of leaves. Add a few bubbles and you may spot a fairy! While our guests have been enjoying autumn on the farm, Nick and I took the triplets for a quick night away to experience the Lewes Bonfire Party. More of that in my post this week, for now I do need to apologise for the disruption I caused to the link up in going away. I promise normal service resumes today!
Guidelines for Joining in:
- Post must be predominantly outdoors such as in the garden, the park, the woods or the beach with crafting, learning, exploring or playing.
- Despite the title, both countryside and urban outdoor adventures are welcome.
- Large unheated covered areas like a barn or tent count as outdoors.
- Please comment on my host post and a minimum of 3 others of your choice.
- If you use #CountryKids when commenting the post owner will know where your found them and hopefully come back to visit your post.
- Please take my badge, without it you won’t be considered for winning the lovely Rockfish Wellies.
- Linked posts should be written and made live within the last 2 months.
- I understand sometimes you need to do catch up posts and write about something from a couple of months ago but the publish date should be within 2 months.
- By joining in with Country Kids you’re giving me permission to email you weekly as a reminder.
- There is no restriction on the number of posts that can be linked up, however please be sensible, if you have more than 3 consider linking over a few weeks.
As I failed to do comments last week being away I am catching up with 2 weeks worth this week. I promised all those commenters would count so here goes:
My top commenters from 5th November
1st Heidi from Him Me and Three with 27 comments
2nd Louise from Little Hearts Big Love with 15 comments
3rd Michelle from Mummy from the Heart 12 comments
Link dump and run culprets: 3 (boo to you)
and Wow to My top commenters from 29th October:
1st: Jenny from Odd Socks and Lollipops with 37 comments
2nd: Samantha from Chocolate and Wine and I’ll be fine with 36 comments
3rd: Sanna from Wave to Mummy with 33 comments
Thanks you to you all, that is really going the extra mile and so appreciated.
There were 2 link dump and run culprits but thank you to Joanne from Kiddie Holidays who commented on 6 posts without even linking up herself.
Rockfish kindly sponsor Country Kids
Win a pair of wellies from Rockfish Monthly
I am delighted to have Rockfish as the sponsor for Country Kids. Rockfish are a local Cornish company specializing in stylish quality wellingtons for all the family. We have been offering their country wellies in our borrow room here on the farm for over a year and they are always popular for their style, comfort and durability.
Each week my favourite #CountryKids posts, which include my badge or a link back here, will be considered for a free pair of Rockfish Wellies at the end of the month; the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors whatever the weather throws your way.
For more more information on the Rockfish Wellies on offer with us and terms and conditions to win see here.
Posts from last week in with a chance of winning the November Rockfish Wellies:
Top Commenters from the last 2 weeks: Jenny from Odd Socks and Lollipops and Heidi from Him Me Three
Sherry from Life at Cooks Cabin had a colourful Halloween and a magical first fireworks night out
Mary from Over 40 Mum to One enjoyed a different sort of Halloween fun on the Watercress line
Country Kids Communities
I’d love you to join me:
Pin on the Pinterest Board Just ask for an invite to pin and include Country Kids on your pins for me to stop by on your boards too.
Follow Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays’s board Country Kids from Coombe Mill on Pinterest.
Join the Country Kids Instagram Community with #CountryKidsFun.
I'll like and comment on all and share my favourites from the week with a tag on a Friday on Instagram and Twitter.
Thank you to those joining in last week again, please keep the tags coming, I love to see them all and we now have over 500 photos in there in just 6 weeks!
My favourites last week were @susankmann @twotinyhands @thishappenedtometoday and @hollowayfamilynorth Do pop over and follow them on Instagram.
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Posted on November 11th, 2016 - Fiona
So today I was supposed to share a long overdue kite flying session from September; however we took a spur of the minute decision in the week leading up to Guy Fawkes night to treat the kids to the famous Lewes Bonfire Night celebrations. This is right over in East Sussex and we haven’t been since pre kids. Farmer Nick grew up here and has many happy memories of the Lewes bonfire night. In the past we have held our own Coombe Mill celebrations with friends and guests, however our own children and their friends have now outgrown these. We only had a couple of guests leaving and arriving on the Saturday so we decided to take the triplets, leaving the older kids in charge of the animals and the guests. As fireworks night is a bit of an ‘of the moment’ occasion I decided to bump kite flying forward another week and share our adventure.
A 5th of November to Remember
A Coombe Mill Bonfire night certainly did not prepare our triplets for Lewes. We tried to explain to them what it would be like, but the scale of the operation was just beyond their comprehension. The town was diverted of all traffic from midday and on street parking suspended. Shops across the high street were being boarded up in preparation and excitement building. With Nick’s Mum living in the town we were sorted for parking and wandered through the beautiful Tudor lanes and Grange Park in the afternoon on foot to see the town being transformed.
I’m afraid I only thought to take photos of the pretty parts and not the boarded up high street!
It was bitterly cold in the evening as we headed down into town for the procession. This goes on for hours with each bonfire society parading. I remember struggling to see anything through the crowds in the past, but somehow the triplets wriggled through to the front in their eagerness to see what was going on. Bands marched and effigies were raised high supporting giant signs. We were looking out for friends of ours in the Southover society parade, but somehow missed them.
The huge fire torches made quite an impression on the triplets and they kept trying to grab the burned out ones dropped in the street.
Feeling cold and hungry we headed home for dinner, it really is a long night and we were told it would be at least 10.30pm before the fireworks would begin. With our outdoor clobber back on, a hip flask in hand and tummies full we headed back out for the fireworks.
At this point we had to decide which Bonfire society party to join as different groups split off around the town. As Southover was our nearest and our friends were there we naturally veered off following their loud music and tipsy crowd pullers. This really isn’t one for very young children and I was glad I had waited before taking our triplets, not least because if they became separated from us in the crowd they knew their way home.
Even heading back out at the programmed time there was precious little by way of action for the first hour. Finally the processors turned up at the field; the Teresa May and Boris Johnston effigies took their place on top of the Bonfire and the Pope stood up on his platform.
Nick and I knew just what would happen next but the triplets couldn’t believe their eyes. The pope was pelted with hand fireworks while the fire popped and cracked burning our Government with bangers constantly thundering round. I’d like to say it sounds scarier than it really is, but every time I go to a Lewes Bonfire night event I worry for the poor person playing the Pope.
The fireworks themselves lasted for ages making anything else I’ve ever seen look tiny. I’m sharing just a small clip from my phone, but honestly, against the biting cold evening sky they were incredible.
It was a very long way to travel for one night, but it is a 5th of November my children will always remember. Even the New York Times thought it worthy of a video
Lewes Bonfire Night 2016, you rocked!
Posted on November 7th, 2016 - Fiona
Sometimes buying a present for someone you care for can feel impossible. You know the one: it needs to be thoughtful, unique and shout the person is wonderful to you, yet still be subtle, practical and tasteful. It can leave you wandering the high street in vain or searching through pages of Google thinking maybe chocolates will be fine after all! Fear not, help is at hand with Cley Designs.
Cley Designs have the answer
Nestled away down off the South Downs a little jewellery business has the answer. Cley Designs of Lewes specialise in making bespoke gifts for that special someone in your life. Whether it’s a boyfriend or girlfriend, a present from a child to a parent or even an anniversary or new baby present, Cley Designs have it covered.
Stirling Silver for quality and durability
Choose from necklaces, key rings or cuff links and make each your own with personalised prints and names or messages of your choice. Each piece of jewellery is crafted from Stirling silver, including the chains on the necklaces. Ordering online is simple, you will be sent an easy to use no mess kit in the post if impressions are needed for chosen item e.g. a finger print or foot print.
Value for Money
With prices starting at just £24 there is something for every budget. Here are a just a few of the items that caught my eye, but do look on the website for yourself. Delivery is free to the UK mainland and they even offer gift vouchers if you’d rather let someone make their own choice.
- Secret Message Ring. Have your own message inscribed for just £59
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- I am totally taken with this fingerprint heart necklace. I would’ve loved wearing one of these when I returned to work after my son was born.
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- These silver or copper bars with messages engraved make the most stylish key rings at just £24.99
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- How about these hand and foot engraved cuff links; a great way for Daddy to keep little ones close even when out at the office.
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Win £70 Gift Voucher to Spend with Clay Designs
If Cley Designs could be the answer to your present conundrum why not enter to win a gift voucher from them in time for Christmas.
Just follow the instructions below. Good luck to all taking part.
£70 voucher to spend at Cley Designs
Disclosure
I have not been compensated for writing this post or received a product myself; however I love the look of the products on line and am happy to partner up with Cley Designs who will provide the winning prize for this Christmas giveaway.
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