With the snow already laid on the ground and more forecasted for the early part of New Year, some kids are all excited as they play outside with their brothers, sisters and friends, all having fun with snowball fights, sledging and building snowmen. However there is one member of the family that will be sitting at the window watching in awe as all the activity takes place outside.

As we all know as the temperatures plummet, younger members of your family will be looking out the living room window and in most cases crying (or screaming) to get outside to join in all the fun.

Why not give them something to occupy their minds, something soft and bright in colour and easy to grip. Anne-Claire Petit Products are just the thing to keep your little ones occupied in the warmth of your home while the others play outside.

With most of the country being covered by snow recently many kids were getting very excited as they stood at their front or back windows thinking about being pulled down the street in a wooden or plastic sledge or being helped to build the biggest snowman in the street.

In reality it’s minus two outside and far too cold to let the kids venture into the garden and, even if they manage to get outside they are wrapped in that many clothes that it makes it impossible for them to move. However, there is a way round this the Ulan Charcoal Fleece from Molo Kids is the perfect clothing accessory to keep all your children nice and warm through the winter days.

As the thermometer struggles to rise above zero, for many of us this will mean making the decision to stay in the house till the weather begins to heat up – which is never very healthy for the kids nor my sanity, having them cooped up indoors.

It’s fine telling the kids to “go out and play” when the weather is lousy outside, but we want them to stay nice and snug at the same time. Fully padded jackets, wellington boots and warm trousers are what’s needed. However, there is an area that some people forget to cover up – the neck and head.

Kids running around will be losing a lot of their body heat through their head so why not invest in a good quality hat and scarf which will ensure that your children will be playing outdoors, no matter how cold it gets.

After all the Christmas festivities, normally as a family we like to go out for a nice walk. It lets the kids have a chance to play on their new bikes or scooters and it also gives a break from all the chocolate and cheese crackers. However, there is nothing worse than being out with the kids in a cold winter’s day and them bemoaning it’s too cold to stay outside, this can make everyone miserable.

This winter keep your kids nice and warm whilst they play out with their new toys. There are many anoraks on the market that claim to keep your kids insulated and one of the best is the Red Anorak by Mini Rodini. This Deep shiny red Teflon protected polyester anorak will ensure that your kids play outside happily safe from the winter chills.

Not long now till ‘Old Father Christmas’ will be come calling with our presents, well that is if we have not forgotten to pass them on to him. Many people already have their main present bought and wrapped, for some it may already be laid under their tree.

There is one thing that people seem to forget : stocking fillers, those little presents that are passed around when family and friends come round. We at mashNgravy realise this and offer a great selection for this purpose, great stocking fillers just right for those winter days out ‘puddle jumping’.

You don’t have to be genius to know that if you head out inappropriately dressed during the winter months then your going to get cold and wet. Throw in the threat of catching a cold, flu or even worse and you begin to wonder is it worth taking the risk with your precious (I’m refusing to call them precious today, after giving me the night from hell last night) little ones?

As the weather turns colder and colder there is only one thing to do when venturing outside – wrap your children in a fleece jacket, that will keep them ‘snug as a bug’ as the weather heads towards the lower end of the thermometer.

As fleece jackets go the Ulan Charcoal Fleece from MoLo is one of the best ways to keep your loved ones toasty warm. This thick warm fleece not only does ‘what it says on the box’ but also looks great with its signature bear paw appliqué and bright yellow trim.

When we mention Christmas we automatically think about presents, parties and turkey, well we at mashNgravy HQ can’t do anything about the turkey but the other two we are specialists at. Traditionally, at Christmas most of the run up is spent visiting family and friends, having a few drinks and reminiscing about the year(s) gone by.

Every girl, young and old, likes to look their best when it comes to getting dressed up; they like to be wrapped up nice and warm yet looking stylish and chic. For your daughter there is nothing better than the KoKo Red Flower Dress from BOdeBO, this festive coloured dress will ensure that your child will be the bell of the ball at all the Christmas parties.

As the seasons go, this has to be the hat, scarf, gloves and winter jacket season, it’s simply freezing outside. We can all sit in our homes with the central heating turned up watching the world pass you by, but to be honest, who really wants to be sat in a stuffy house all day with the kids? They need to get some fresh air into their lungs, and as the fresh air surrounds them it seems to gives them a healthy glow.

When you and your children decide to take a stroll in the local park you want to be as warm as possible, and there is no better way than wrapping your child in a Wigga Jacket from MINI A TURE. This modern constructed anorak will be sure to keep your kids warm and dry as you enjoy your winter walk.

Don’t forget you can get 30% OFF all MINI A TURE new season stock plus we’re currently running FREE Shipping worldwide.

We all know that kids love to snuggle and there are few things more snuggly than a soft toy from the Anne-Claire Petit range. MashNgravy are due to launch our new for Christmas 09 soft toys and the Dutch designer will feature heavily.

If you haven’t already earmarked these beautiful hand-crafted toys as a christmas present then you should seriously check them out.

Below are some of the soft toys from our current Anne-Claire Petit range :

In an ideal world meal times should be a time for the family to come together to share their day and reconnect away from other elements of busy lives.

However, the vast majority of us do not live on Walton’s Mountain – ‘pass the sweet peas John Boy’ – and mealtimes can be anything but pleasurable with little ones who cannot sit still or flatly refuse to eat. Often the tense vibe can add to the pressure on your little one and make the situation fraught for all.

Here at Mash n Gravy we may just have found something which might help…

Hello Hanna Placemats are available in three themes and are made from heavy stock paper. Each pack consists of eight mats, two each of four designs and eight sets of stickers. A little pop up figure on each allows your little one to be creative with the stickers and decorate the little figure to their hearts content. There is also an activity area on the back for a little freestyle colouring.

We’re not advocating that this product will make a non vegetable eater voraciously devour carrots and broccoli, but having tested the mats in our own home they can go some way to diffusing a little meal time tension as a form of subtle bribery. They are also good for keeping little ones amused when there is an unexpected hold up in the kitchen.

Even children of limited stickering ability can benefit, even though their placemat might not be an accomplished masterpiece by the end of the meal.