Welcome to the Christmas Edition of 'Princess Picks'!

A small but perfectly formed selection of 6 of our very own favourite Christmas finds!

All tried, tested, used and perused by us here at The Kingdom.....they each come with our regal seal of approval!

Inspirational Baking - The Pink Whisk

The fabulous and inspiring Ruth Clemens has been sharing amazing bakes and treats with us since 2010, when she came 2nd in The Great British Bake Off competition. As well as being a busy, busy Mum, she is also super talented in the kitchen and she is The Kingdom's officially appointed Princess of Baking!
Ruth really is a hard working, dedicated Princess and we love individuals who are passionate about what they do and who inspire others to follow their dreams.

Follow The Pink Whisk for unbeatable inspirational bakes all year round....you will one day wonder how you ever baked without Ruth in your life! We particularly love Ruth's 12 Bakes of Christmas - daily festive baking suggestions that will make you want to whip out your whisk too!
Thankfully the Princess of Baking has also opened an online store for all your baking needs so there's absolutely no excuse for putting off getting started!
www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk
www.rucraft.co.uk

Giving Hope - The Prince's Trust

We love how The Prince's Trust works hard to empower young people, tirelessly working to give them a hopeful and bright future.
We were particularly inspired and impressed by Prince's Trust Ambassador Philip Schofield's Christmas message. Christmas can be a time of joy but it can also be a time of isolation, refection and hopelessness for many people.
Philip reminds us that, in these difficult times, it is so vitally important to give young people the confidence to really believe in their own potential and to give them positivity and optimism for the future.
We feel that this is such an important message, worth remembering all year long not just at Christmas, young people are our future after all.

http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/support_us/donate/phillip_schofield_christmas.aspx

Christmas spirit on your iPhone - Christmas Song Machine App by Genera Kids

We love Christmas and we are big fans of apps so it made our day to find this super cute Christmas song app for children. The animation and graphics are so sweet and the Christmas sing-a-long jingles are truly wonderful. There is a free 'Lite' version but the full version is currently being offered at a reasonable price of £1.99, about the same price as a packet of mince pies but with less calories!
Its definitely worth downloading, the Princesses think it is great!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/christmas-song-machine-hd/id478296002?mt=8

Chocolate & 'Princessy' in one place! - Hotel Chocolat

We have always been huge fans of Hotel Chocolat, their website is a chocoholics dream! And the quality of their chocolate selection is, without exaggeration, sublime!
Well, you can imagine our sheer delight to discover 'Princessy' and 'Chocolate' combined in to one amazing product - the sweetly named 'Twinkle Toes Manor'

A beautifully decorated house fit for a Princess bursting with Fairy Princess themed chocolates!
We'll definitely be asking Santa for one of these!
http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/girls-chocolate-P300207/

THE best place in the world to visit Santa! - Montreaux, Switzerland

At this time of year many people flock to Lapland for a top up of 'Christmassy', but there is a secret gem in Switzerland that's far less expensive to get to and that is just as magical!

Once one of Freddie Mercury's favourite places to call home, Montreux in Switzerland is also the starting point for a fantastic train journey in to the Rochers-de-Naye Alpine peak to visit Mr Clause in person.
Start the day at the fantastic Montreux Christmas market that lines the picturesque shores of Lake Geneva. Here you can sip mulled wine around an open fire pit in a log cabin, do some cheese tasting, or stroll around the many beautiful craft stalls.
Then travel by cog-wheel train to The House of Santa Claus (La Maison du Père Noël aux Rochers de Naye) at the top of Rochers-de-Naye.
http://www.montreuxnoel.ch/en-5-house-of-santa-claus.html

En route, the train passes through tunnels and crosses bridges with amazing mountain and lake views.
During the ascent, the train climbs around 1,600 m (5,250 ft) from Lake Geneva to the top of the Alps.
Snow at the top at Christmas time is pretty much guaranteed!
Reservations for the train can be made through any Swiss train station or through Golden Pass Services.
Once you have made the trip to visit Santa's pad, you can then finish off your festive excursion with a sleepover 'Alpine style' at the top of the mountain in one of seven cozy Mongolian yurts.
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/mongol-yurts.html

This is a truly magical 'must do' Santa trip and if its not on your bucket list then it should be!
Flights to Geneva are readily available from most major UK airports via Easyjet:
http://www.easyjet.com/EN
Journey time from Geneva airport to Montreux is approximately 1 hour.

Santa really can make a difference to Children's lives - NSPCC

 

It goes without saying that the NSPCC do amazing work and we are big supporters of the work they do.
Supporting their worthwhile efforts is so easy for everyone to do, they have a great online page for ordering personalised letters from Santa in exchange for a donation.
We love it because its so simple to use, so perfect for children, and its a great way to contribute to a worthy cause. You can order your Santa letter by following this link:
http://christmas.nspcc.org.uk/santa?utm_source=nspcc&utm_medium=homepage-banner&utm_content=image&utm_campaign=125421-nspcc&ac=125421

We really hope you have enjoyed our alternative Christmas picks!

Everyone here at The Kingdom wishes you all a joyful and peaceful Christmas!

Kisses from The Kingdom!
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A tale of bunny rabbits, friendships & losing something special.

My 5 year old little Princess broke my heart tonight. Not intentionally of course, but she certainly did, and rather unexpectedly with her tale of sadness regarding a lost friendship.
She has lots of little friends at school that she talks about but until tonight she had never mentioned a little girl named Angelina. Yet it appears that Angelina was a magical little friend to my Olivia, and possibly one of her most important friendships so far. Perhaps sometimes when you are so caught up in loving something you don't really feel the need or the inclination to necessarily shout about it. Maybe when something is so magical to you, you don't want to 'lift the lid' on it for fear of making it less special or losing it to someone else. There is the strong possibility of course that it is because she is 5, and 5 yr olds aren't known for describing their life to you in any great detail. Whatever the reason, Angelina was news to me until tonight, but I wish that wasn't so because maybe I could have saved Olivia's magical friendship for her. That makes me sad in itself, I missed the chance to save something important to her.
'I miss her, I just miss her, I really miss her' Olivia sobbed as I cradled her into me like she was 8 months old again. I heard all about the cute games they played and how wonderful and truly loved Angelina was, I heard how they played baby rabbits and one of them would play 'Mummy Rabbit' and one would be 'Baby Rabbit'. All of these little tales blurted out through tears and sniffles. Without me even knowing, fun and games 'Angelina style' was the main event for Olivia as far as going to school was concerned.
She didn't know where Angelina had gone, she was simply not around anymore when school term resumed. Olivia didn't know if she'd moved schools or moved house, but she had gone, she was certain of that. I think that my distraught little girl had waited in vain since September for Angelina to return but now it was December and many 'sleeps' had passed, she was finally facing the reality of her lost playmate treasure. 'I miss her and think about her everyday Mummy' sobbed Olivia. What can you do as a parent but simply hold them tightly and tell them it'll be ok.
'You know Mummy' sniffed Olivia 'I stand in the corner of the fence near the slide'. A little bit puzzled I asked her why she did such a thing....'Its where we played baby rabbits together Mummy' she replied 'Its where I remember her. I stand in the corner where we played and I think of her'
In her little corner of a school yard, the venue for little bunny games, Olivia had discovered how to remember someone, to relive the pleasure of knowing them, to feel the sadness and the joy of their aura, and the energy of their happy times together. She found a little place to feel the magic of her lost friendship.
I think we all do this, I think we all have a little 'corner of the fence' somewhere. Losing anything you love and hold dear is so painful, more so when you don't have a clue how to get it back or maybe its just not possible to ever get it back.
I'd like to think that Angelina is somewhere missing Olivia too, perhaps their paths will cross again. For now, at least my little girl has created a special 'corner' of memories to visit whenever she wants to remember her beloved bunny rabbit buddy.

...or How to Wear Your Halo Under Your Bobble Hat

We had a bit of an angel themed Thursday in The Kingdom today.......we completely sold out of our gorgeous Angel Wings (don't worry we are getting some more!) and then we welcomed the 'My Little Angel' costume in to our Christmas Collection.
http://www.myprincesskingdom.com/products/my-little-angel
So naturally it got me thinking about 'Angels', how beautiful they are, and how reassuring it can be to sometimes believe we have a guardian angel protecting and guiding us. This is a nice thought, makes us feel cozy, and there's nothing like blaming your guardian angel for one of your own stupid decisions! I like this reassurance, but really I like to believe that you don't need to rely on wishful thinking, that perhaps having angelic guidance means that a living, breathing variety of angel 'has your back'!
We all know one, the type without wings, the type that's more of a denim wearer than a silk robe enthusiast, the type that's more 'bobble hat' than 'halo'.......the neighbour, the spouse, the friend, the parent, the teacher, the person that reaches out to you when everyone else turns away. Random acts of kindness, gestures of warmth, a caring word or a sympathetic ear. Caring without reason, helping without payback.
If this is what it means to have a guardian angel then hopefully we have all met one, but more importantly it means that we all have the capability to be an angel of some sort to someone. You don't need wings to cause a flutter!
If a real life, breathing, wing-less, jean wearing angel has brought a glow to your halo I'd love to hear about it!
Leave a comment and pay homage to your angel!
Kisses from The Kingdom
S

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A Tale Of Finding The ‘Sparkly’ In The ‘Ordinary’

I found it interesting to read Kate on Thin Ice's blog ‘We Will Rock You’ today and learn more about her ‘Groovy Mums’ initiative.
In it she inspires Mums everywhere to be positive and find achievements big and small in their daily lives. It got me thinking.
So sometimes its a serious business being a Mummy, there’s a lot of jobs to do in the day and it can feel an endless stream of preparing snacks, wiping bums, intervening in lego conflict, you name it. Sometimes I feel like the hybrid child of Nigella Lawson & Kofi Annan. When you are in this whirlwind of endless tasks and Mummy targets for the day it can be a challenge to find the joy, break a smile, and giggle about something silly.
Whilst tidying up today, I came across one of this summer's most hideous purchases. In my attempt to be a be somewhere on the 'cool scale'.....somewhere between the Grand Canyon that exists between Cheryl Cole and the ever so fabulous Miranda Hart....I lost my fashion sense and exchanged some hard earned gold coins for 'THE' sunglasses of the season. I knew it was a mistake as soon as I left the shop and glanced at myself in the rear view mirror of the car. Immediately I knew, ‘cool’ effect achieved was more Gail Tyldesley than Gisele, but there you go, I tried. Serious accessory malfunction, but I tried at least. Needless to say, my love for 'THE' glasses was very short-lived and they were firmly placed in the 'don't care if they end up in the toy box' in-box!
So having rescued my ‘Gail Tyldsleys’ from underneath the Barbie & Ken Loveshack today, I was en-route to the bin for a hasty disposal when Princess Olivia spied my tacky treasure. ‘Wow Mummy, I love your glasses!’ she squealed, like I was simply THE coolest Mum. My first thought was that perhaps I had passed on the ‘bad fashion sense’ gene, my second thought was of sincere satisfaction that I had a child who could be so thrilled by the sight of a set of sunglasses. Thanks Olivia for being so joyful about the little things in life. I love you.
The sunglasses had their last minute reprieve, they were rescued by a small child with an eye for seeing the ‘sparkly’ in the ‘ordinary’. They never made it as far as the bin but instead made it into Olivia’s world. She looked a lot better in them than me anyway, and she certainly didn’t look like Gail Tyldesley. ‘So’ I said to Olivia ‘You have them and, if you like, you know what, wear them to school’. The sun was out but that isn’t why I made the suggestion. She looked fun and she got great delight in the posing and, ultimately, she and I loved the silliness of it all.
Princess Olivia wore my fashion faux pas with pride and she looked ‘too cool for school’! ‘
In response to ‘Kate on Thin Ice’ and her call to find an achievement in your day, for me this was my achievement. In my busy, crazy, ‘serious’ day, me and Olivia found some silliness. A chance to smile at something unusual, an opportunity to find the ‘sparkly’ in the ‘ordinary’. Sometimes as a parent this can be hard to find, in all the racing and chasing and 'herding of cats' that goes on in our day ‘joy’ can be as lost in the ‘toy box in-box’ as my Gail Tyldesleys. But ultimately I found some ‘joy’ thanks to a cheap plastic accessory and a little girl who sees the beauty in the most unusual places. Where will you find yours?
Kisses from The Kingdom
Sandra
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You can join in with Kate On Thin Ice’s Groovy Mums blog by following this link:
http://kateonthinice.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/will-you-let-us-rock-you/

 

A tale of girl versus boy...and all the Mum angst in between.

The Princesses are an active bunch and when I took them to their weekly gymnastics class this week I got chatting with two of the other Mums who were also patiently waiting for their bendy & stretchy little darlings!

The great thing about having twins is that many people are fairly fascinated by two little people who look the same, so the 'twin fascination' is always an excellent conversation starter.

Whilst the Princesses were busy clinging to a 5ft high bar and flailing madly like a crazy team of baby gibbons, my conversation with the 'Mums' went from 'twin tales' to the subject of having girls. These Mums had two little male 'swinging monkeys' each so we started to compare 'zoo keeper' notes! They were very intrigued by my trio of long haired lovelies and were asking a lot of questions about being a Mum to girls like 'what is it like to have girls?' and 'do you do lots of girly things?'. It transpired that they were clearly making a mental note of our perceived parenting differences, calculating how 'life with girls' was compared with 'life with boys'. They very quickly revealed that they really believed that they had pulled the short straw when it came to gender and that, in their own words, 'girls are easier to manage'. They had no qualms in telling me that I had an 'easier life' raising 3 children who happened to be girls as opposed to the struggle they have raising 2 children who happen to be boys. 'Why?' I asked 'Why do you think it is more difficult to raise boys'. Their answers were full of tales about outdoor pursuits and of 'tiring' out their active little angels, of days spent playing sports and trying to tame their wrestling games. I heard all about the 'mischief' and the 'fighting' and the challenges of keeping their bursting whirlwinds of energy under control.

Now, admittedly, I don't have anything to compare this notion with, no point of reference. I have never had a little boy, I am immersed in a world full of sparkly things, pink'ness, frilly things, hair bobbles and adoration of anything furry and cute. I love it this way, I have never had a 'craving' for any other world...this is My Princess Kingdom after all! The Princesses are joyful and girly and sweet to have around, all the things you would expect from having 3 girls. But they most definitely also love to run, climb, wrestle and create mischief.

These other Mums told me that they imagined my life to be peaceful and calm, Princesses sitting quietly reading or doing some activity much more 'demure' than little boys. I thought to myself, don't we forget very quickly as 'grown-up' Princesses all the passion and vitality we had for life when we were young. All the energy, all the chasing, all the climbing, all the hide & seek, all the mischief, all the rough and tumble. Do we really imagine on reflection that we were quiet, little, sedate, mice...throw us a piece of cheese and a colouring-in book and we were happy. Perhaps the odd *squeeeek* is all you would hear from us.

Sure, I've no doubt the 'Mum's' little boys loved all the rough and tumble of life that seemed to be 'expected' of them, but so do my girls. I really believe that it is possible to be a Princess, inside and out, but still be free to enjoy and explore all the other sides of your character. The 'Mums' experienced a *sharp intake of breath* when I told them with pride that my 5 year old little Princess loves nothing more than hitching a lift on the scariest, most death defying rollercoaster she can find. This alone most certainly did not match their expectations of what life with a little Princess is all about.

Sadly, one of the 'Mums' admitted that she felt an empty space within her heart not having a girl. She mentioned that her 'girl-less' Mother-In-Law had grown more and more jaded with her feeling of having nothing in common with her own boys the older they got..this 'Mum' was so scared of this potential feeling that she wanted another baby just so that she could have a little girl in her life. I have never had this feeling in reverse, for a boy, and I don't really understand it but I would never judge it because everyone has something in their heart that is important to them. I can sort of see why we all want a 'mini me' and a bundle of 'girlie-ness' for us to share and do all the things with that we wished we'd done when we little ourselves. However, I do know that if I had 3 boys I would be happy with my 3 boys and find the special qualities in life that this would bring to me...A Prince's Kingdom perhaps! It simply makes me feel very lucky...both for my girls and also for not feeling the 'torment' of the boy/girl thing.

Overall, what did strike me more than anything in our conversation was the utter belief from these other 'Mums' that boys are so energetic, sporty & brimming with excitement for life whereas girls are emotional, gentle & reserved. Surely ALL children are ALL of these things in one way, shape or form? Sure, my world is pink & fluffy and I often get used as the 'Hairdresser's Model' (with varying results!) but if I had a pound for every time I said 'stop climbing up that and get down!' I'd probably be able to...well, perhaps purchase an extra turret for the castle!

My point is two fold...you can be a Princess AND be sporty, active, tomboyish...a baby gibbon even! You can play in mud, you can climb trees, you can be what you want to be in life, you can wear boots under your Princess dress if you want to. For those 'Mums' at the gymnastics I really want them to understand that being a Princess is so much more than just wearing pink, and I know that my girls prove that. Secondly, instead of worrying about whether girls are easier to manage than boys or if boys are more active than girls etc etc and competing against ourselves in the 'Who Has Got The Toughest Parenting Job' competition...why don't we just let children of all sexes explore who they really want to be and accept that parenting is a BIG challenge whether you have all boys, all girls, mix of both, or whatever.

I do feel for parents that are tormented by gender, but my dearest wish for them is that they see all the similarities in our children instead of the differences and lose the notion that 'connection' with your child is all about being the same as you. At the end of the day, we are all blessed. To have a child is such an achievement of the heart and the mind, I sincerely curtsey in the presence of all parents across all lands! Find the pleasure and the beauty in your child whether they are boys or girls and don't feel empty in the misguided belief that the grass in greener on the other side of the moat!

We should let our children feel comfortable asserting their core personality irrespective of gender, but at the same time give them the confidence to have interests of all kinds. Presently, when they are not thinking about rollercoasters, getting a bike from Santa & searching for interesting bugs in the garden, my Princesses are all too happy to enjoy all the pleasures and products that The Kingdom can bestow upon them. They are also quite happy to wear muddy boots under their Princess dresses...and long may it continue!

Kisses from The Kingdom!

S

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