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Win Christmas 2015 at Coombe Mill

Published by Oana

I have known of Coombe Mill for years, probably ever since I started blogging.

I have always dreamt of spending a holiday in the heart of Cornwall and felt even more drawn to the farm when I realised that Farmer Nick is actually Farmer Nico, Greek descendant and that Alex and him would probably get on quite well, since they share the same country of origin and love for good food and Greek feasts :-).

When Georgie was born, I imagined a holiday as a complete family at Coombe Mill but it was never meant to be, Georgie never made it to Christmas and what should have been a magical holiday last year transformed into a dreary and endless season of mourning.

I dread the thought of another Christmas at home now.

I would love us to be able to win a Christmas stay at Coombe Mill and stay in their cozy Trevarno Scandinavian lodge this year.

I imagine ourselves arriving to a fairyland of lights and snow. (Yes, they had snow last year and I dare dream of a repeat this year also!)

I imagine walking into a well heated lodge, a log fire, a grocery box full of goodies from the farm nearby and feeling immediately at ease.

I imagine wintery activities for Emma and magical preparations for the Big Man’s arrival, feeding reindeer and decorating the lodge with fragrant conifers and Christmas tree branches.

I imagine waking up on Christmas morning to presents and cheer and noise, loads of happy noises and children enjoying their presents from Santa!

I imagine Farmer Nick babbling away with Alex over mulled wine and mince pies. Or the Greek version of things :-).

I imagine us taking long strolls in the forest, picking mistletoe and working up an appetite for an all organic, farm reared lunch.

I imagine feeling less lonely and less sad than last year’s Christmas. I imagine the memory of a little boy not hanging over us heavily but being with us cheerfully, in the smiles of the children running around, in the heat of the log fire and in the vibrant green of the Christmas tree.

I can easily imagine us there this Christmas!

This is our entry to the Win Christmas 2015 at Coombe Mill. I truly hope we win!

Building Blocks with House of Fraser- A Review

Published by Oana

This is the third time I work with House of Fraser as a blogger and, as I have said it before, I absolutely love the prompt delivery and the clear and fast communication on their side, which make them the ideal merchant, time and time again, in my eyes!

This time, we were asked to choose and review some items from the building blocks and construction toy range. I jumped at the opportunity as I had seen a couple of girly Mega Blocks sets that were hugely discounted (The Barbie Build ‘N Style Beach House is still down to £14.99 from £39.99!) and I knew Emma would love them as part of her ever growing collection of construction toys.

I must admit, I hadn’t realised that Mega Blocks has a whole range of construction toys for older children too. I was thrilled to see that Emma would be able to not only have a new Barbie playhouse that she could put together herself but that, she would also own her first Smurfette abode, all due to the great prices House of Fraser had both sets at!

As expected, as soon as the toys arrived, Emma got down to putting the sets together and playing with them. It took some serious coaxing to get her out of her uniform, she was all to eager to just get stuck into it all!

I supervised from afar and I noticed that, compared to a similar Lego set, Emma found it a bit easier to follow the instructions and put the Barbie set together so if you are debating on getting either a Lego or a Mega Block set for your little one and independence is very much an issue in your household, as it is in ours at the moment, then I would recommend the Mega Blocks.

Emma got her two sets up and running within an hour, with very little help from me and they have been her main source of entertainment when I cook dinner and she wants to be close by. Although I am not a big fan of Barbie myself, the Mega Block set has been useful in helping Emma develop those all too important fine motor skills, much needed now for writing in school.

The Smurfette house, a bit smaller but as equally useful for imaginative play, has been the backdrop and set for numerous imaginary games already. Again, the set is still on sale at the moment, from £19.99 to £9.99 and it is, in our view, quite the sturdy but easy to store away construction toy to have around.

What are the go to toys your children use time and time again?

Disclaimer: we were sent the two sets for review. The opinions expressed are entirely our own.

#SaveSyriasChildren

Published by Oana

I am unashamedly posting, a third time this week, about the Syrian crisis.

The death of a sweet little boy, named Aylan Kurdi, about which I wrote here yesterday, has, as I had predicted, moved many to action.

The UK parliament will find itself under enormous pressure from the public come Monday, following the online petition that has received more than 200,000 signatures in less than 48 hours.

As a community of bloggers(parents, most of us), we have been moved to tears and to action as well.

We have gathered together, an army of UK parent bloggers, and agreed to publicly raise our voices in order to protect Syrian children, like Aylan, from a tragic end.

We refuse to stand by and watch any other Syrian children die, as we are well aware, the crisis they are facing could have well been ours. It could have been us, caught up in a cruel war of religion, idiocy and bigotry. It could have been our children, suffering from the horrors of displacement, famine, peril and lack of safety we see dying on TV.

As a group, we agreed to raise emergency relief funds in aid of Save the Children, who have actively been involved in Syria, from when the war started.

If, like us, you have been moved by the recent news and want to help in any way you can, please:

TEXT 70008 and the word SYRIA to donate £5

or,

to make a web donation, follow this link:

http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/about-us/emergencies/syria-appeal

For your reference, please click this link for Save The Children’s terms and conditions.

On behalf on all the Syrian boys and girls to whom your donations prove that evil can always be conquered by good, we, as a blogging community, thank you.

From the bottom of our hearts.

Dear Sweet Boy…

Published by Oana

Dear sweet boy who broke our hearts, with your tiny lifeless frame resting on the sand.

I am so very sorry.

I am so very sorry you had to die in order for the world to fully understand the cruelty of this war you were trying to escape with your mummy and daddy and big brother.

I have been thinking of you all day today.

I have been thinking at how meaningless this world and all its cruelties must have seemed to you.

I have been thinking at how you should have been playing on a warm beach right now, chasing the waves and splashing in delight.

You have made a big difference into this world, you know?

Your tragic, oh so tragic death, has shown us that there is no limit to evil and that even the most beautiful little boys can die in the most senseless and cruel of ways.

Your tragic death has shown us that, in the 11th hour, and after having had watched so many other mummies and daddies and little boys like you struggle to escape oppression, it is high time we did something, as humanity.

But dear sweet boy, I am so sorry this comes too late for you.

I am so very sorry we failed you.

I hope that from up there you will forgive us all.

Send us the courage we need to stand up and speak and clamour on behalf of so many other little boys and girls who are still crossing the sea of oppression and danger and racism, in search of freedom and happiness.

As for you and your mummy and big brother, do me a favour, will you?

Do search for my Georgie and take him into your family.

Only until I come too.

And then, I will be able to enjoy the sight of you all, little handsome boys, splashing away in warm, safe seas and running freely in fields of candyfloss and irises.

Farewell , dear sweet boy, farewell…

The Syrian humanitarian crisis and how you can help

Published by Oana

Image source and credit, USNews.com.

This summer, we followed with increasing concern what I believe is going to go down in modern history as the biggest humanitarian crisis and consequently migration within Europe.

The Syrian crisis is unprecedented in modern history on account of a number of factors. The sheer number of people who have been displaced by ISIS. The enormity of cultural and humanitarian destruction caused by an extremist group, in a proximity to “civilised” Europe that is just too close for comfort. The extreme violence used by a relatively small extremist group that has caused a whole nation to shift and the complete silence, on the other hand, and lack of political, economical and military measures from the European and worldwide “powers” in response to this crisis.

Yes, “The Iron Frau” has opened the German borders from last night and has become overnight “mama Merkel” but the severity of the issue at grass-root level remains.

There are still thousands of families travelling for weeks on foot, crossing precariously the sea in flimsy dinghies, only to arrive on Greek islands where there is basically no local government provision for them due to the deep financial crisis the country is in already. They bravely continue to walk, or if they are “lucky”, get to use trains, boats, traffickers’ cars, vans, lorries and other means of transportation(there were 71 poor souls whose life journeys cruelly and tragically ended on a side road in Austria this week) , all in the hope of a peaceful existence, away from oppression.

Adam and Liz Gough, dear friends of ours who have been working as relief workers in Greece for the past three years, have started two weeks ago travelling back and forth to the border of Greece with the Republic of Macedonia, to the small town of Gevgelija.

Image source and credit, Liz Gough.

Many Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis aim for the small town of Gevgelija as the first step on their train journey towards Europe. They all hope to be able to board a train for Belgrade, Bulgaria and then head further on to Austria and Germany. They arrive in overwhelming numbers, after days of travelling through the heat and with very little left, in terms of food and financial resources.

Their needs are basic, according to Liz’s update last week: “food, water, clothes and hygiene products (especially feminine hygiene and baby wipes) were the main things.”

Again, quoting Liz’s Facebook update, in order to cover these very basic needs, it takes only £2.50 to buy a woman’s hygiene pack (1 large pack of wet-wipes, a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, elastoplasts, miniature deodorant and sanitary pads) and £2 to buy a food pack (1/3 loaf of bread, a tin of meat, cheese, a large tomato, a cereal bar, a chocolate croissant, fruit and juice carton).

I am writing this post in the hope that we can raise enough money to send Adam and Liz for at least 100 hygiene packs. As a family, we are able to cover about 25% of the costs. Following yesterday’s post prompt,a number of friends messaged, offering to contribute too. Would you like to join in too?

Please click here for details on Encounter Compassion, Adam and Liz’s giving page. They use PayPal and donating is only a couple of clicks worth of bother. Or, if you are not a techy person but you still want to help, please do get in touch and we will figure a way to make it happen.

Being able to offer a hand to these people, in their greatest hour of need, is the utmost privilege. It is with the greatest humility (and understanding that it could have been us in their shoes) that I beseech you to contribute.

Thank you all for reading and for your kindness and generosity.