Parents Unite, Let’s Rise Up Together and Not Tear Each Other Apart!

Parents Unite, Let’s Rise Up Together and Not Tear Each Other Apart!

Calling all parents who use Facebook as a way of escape from daily chores, a way to have contact with another adult human and hold a grown up conversations.  To block out your child calling you 50 times “Mummy” at their top of their lungs to ask you to move their cup slightly to the left as it isn’t in the right place or if live in a house like mine I climb to the fourth floor only to be shouted at ” picky my sock up that is laying right next to them on the basement floor 6 flights of stairs away! Who thought Facebook was for adult pleasure? without the need of batteries or hiding a rampant rabbit from little hands who think it is hilarious to question you about what it is! You finish scrolling Facebook for the 50th time in an hour to discover what you actually thought was enjoyment, is actually causing you to feel so much more deflated and rubbish than you did before you started! What happened to positivity and supporting each other? if you didn’t think you suck as a parent already you certainly will very soon. You have read the news all about what you should and shouldn’t be doing while trying to hold it all together for the little ones that rely on you most. …. I will find an example wait there ……

Mum sends six ‘stinky’ kids to school because skipping a bath ‘won’t kill them’

Single parent Constance Hall, an Australian blogger, reveals the shortcuts she takes to save time – including letting her kids eat their meals from one plate with their hands

We all know how busy parents can be but for one single mum she has come up with an unusual way to save time – letting her kids wash just three times a week.

Constance Hall said it’s fine for her brood to go to school being “stinky” as “it won’t kill them”.

The mum-of-six, who is an Australian blogger, said she’s had to cut a few corners because of her large family.

She also saves time on the washing-up by letting her kids “feast with the hands”.

Revealing her short cuts on Mama Mia , she admitted her children don’t wash every day.

She said: “They don’t have to bath or shower every day.

 

This particular post a lot of people were actually quite supportive of this lady skipping bathing her children as it is better for their skin, but these are the kind of posts I am referring to, many of these kinds of posts drag up all the Facebook police who love to jump on a post with how their opinions are the only right ones! So if you already feel like a failure in life, my advice would be just keep scrolling and do not waste your time with such negativity.

I read literally a few comments left from others on these kind of posts and I can feel my blood is starting to boil! We are all in the same boat with at least most of us having the same end goal to help our little people feel safe, secure, happy and content, yet we can be so judgemental and nasty, not even aware that one tired Mummy may read your comments and push them over the edge. Who is with me on this one? I despise these kinds of posts when scrolling through Facebook.

I pretty much count myself and my children lucky if we arrive at the end of the day, living, breathing, clean, fed and happy ( most of the time)

If you are to take one thing from this quick parent blog today please be kind, do not judge and accept we are all very individual. Keep doing what you are doing as you are doing an amazing job, just keep going!

A surviving Mother of four wonderful kids.

 

Kids Dream – Online children’s gift store.

29/04/2019 / Leave a comment

MEET BECKI

Becki Smith lives in Margate, Kent with her husband and their 4 children Licia, Amari, Denni and Thalia. Becki has an extensive experience of entrepreneurship and her past work included working within beauty therapy and cosmetics industry. With the expansion of Becki’s own family, she decided to turn her attention to helping the parents alike bring joy to their children. In May 2016, Becki launched Kids Dream – an award winning online service that concerns with all things soft, cuddly and creative helping families cherish those precious moments with their little ones.

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THE SHOP

At Kids Dream we store a wide range of carefully selected toys and products that you will not find on your local high street. All of those are meticulously sourced and rigorously tested, often by Becki’s own little helpers, before being added to our shop. Becki is determined to only market those products that she would be happy to buy for her own family. As a result, by browsing through our website, you will be able to find a range of unique, competitively priced products that are guaranteed to bring more fun and joy to families.

   

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THE INSPIRATION

Becki gets a lot of her ideas for marketable products through her work and interaction with families in her local and wider communities. Becki frequently runs her pop up shop at various events while her pop up baby shower service is growing in demand. As well as promoting the business, these give Becki a valuable opportunity to interact with a variety of audiences and families that can offer a first hand advice and feedback on the products that we have on offer.

WHY SHOP WITH US

We pride ourselves on our attention to detail and commitment to providing best quality customer service to support your online shopping experience with us. The process of choosing a suitable item and placing an order on our website is easy and straight forward with free delivery service offered across the UK and EU. Gift wrapping also comes as standard on a majority of the items that we offer – a perfect combination if you are looking for a gift or a present for your little ones. Most of the items are despatched to you on the day of the purchase and we aim to ensure that your items arrive within 2-3 working days. For more information please see our reviews on Trustpilot Testimonials page and our Facebook page Kids Dream

Our complimentary gift wrapping service available for most of our items
 

RECOGNITION

Since its opening, Kids Dream has been highly rated and recommended by its many customers; however, the formal recognition came in summer 2017 when Kids Dream was nominated for and successfully claimed the Small Business Sundays award hosted by Theo Paphitis. Becki was more than exhilarated to be invited to meet Theo in person at Birmingham’s NEC arena where she was presented with her award.

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FAQ

Becki is always humbled by people’s interest in her work and ideas so she compiled a list of answers to the most frequently asked questions that will help you learn more about her.

How did you come up with the name for your business? 

I had this idea that children would have dreams about cute, fluffy and cuddly characters and also enjoy this type of item in real life, our website is aimed at young children from birth – 7 and felt that it was important we emphasise “Kids” and then added dream, I always had this idea in mind to have a cute, sweet but quality looking business which I hope we get this point across to our customers and also having my own business has always been a bit of a dream for me too. Put all of this together and we come up with the name “Kids Dream”  simple business name selection but I feel it has been quite successful with great comments about the cuteness of the name and I feel it fits with our website design and product selection too. If you type Kids Dream in to Goggle, we are one of the first websites you will see displayed, something that we are proud of and the competition isn’t too high with our name selection so finding something fairly unique was very important to us.

How did you build a following for your website?

I have worked very hard to grow our organic traffic through offering the best customer service I can, gaining a following on Social media has been crucial, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I am a very friendly person, enjoy meeting new people and my partner will tell you.. I love to talk.  I really enjoy engaging with customers, respond to queries in a timely manner and offer as much support as possible to help assist. Over the nearly three years of Kids Dream existence I have worked very hard on all areas of our business, to gain trust, receive wonderful feedback from our customers which means so much to us as each and every one of you are so important to the growth of Kids Dream and we couldn’t do it without you.

On what platform do you host your website?

We chose EKM power shop at the time I knew less was about their company comparing to the likes of Shopify but following a successful trial I was very happy. They started in 2002 by a Man called Anthony Chesworth, who started this now multi-million pound business from his bedroom in the UK. He is an amazing inspiration to all business owners and has a hugely successful presence on the internet with his blogs and videos. He really cares about all his customers and will even respond to any queries directly. I cannot sing EKM praises enough. His company and all of his wonderful staff have been amazing with their support with Kids Dream.

Who takes the pictures of your products?

We have a photography company who have taken a few shots to help market our pop up baby shop service but other than that it is something I am very interested in and take most of our own photos, I feel I have learnt a lot about photography as time has progressed and I would hope that our customers can see the improvement from the journey from Kids Dream starting in 2016 until present.

May I use your photographs on my site?

Kids Dream images are covered by copyright so we ask people to not use images or text from our website unless we have discussed this prior to you using anything at Kids Dream. We work very hard to create our own unique content and images, having something taken from our webpage or social media is not allowed without permission.

I want to start an online business, any tips? 

My suggestion to any one who would like to start their own business, which I know can be a very scary process, starting something from scratch and working, often very long hours and the feeling of being on a roller coaster, as you will have your good days and bad days, I wouldn’t change anything about running my business which started from home around my four young children. Have the confidence and drive to succeed as any online businesses do struggle in the first few years as it is such a competitive market, such as retail but the rewards of your hard work will begin to pay off and that feeling of creating something wonderful will over rule everything else.

I want to work with your business, are you open to that?

Yes I am always open to business discussions regarding collaboration, contact me any time if you would be interested, I love to talk business as it is something I am very passionate about. Even if it is support you would like, any questions  you would like me to answer, or simply support!  I am happy to hear from you all.

How do you manage to combine a busy family life with running a business?

This is something that has always been a challenge, often feeling guilty when I have to respond to customers queries when I am cooking dinner or later of an evening when it is bed time. All business owners with a young family I am sure they will agree, family has to come first but also I work nearly 24 hours a day so when my 4th child was a new born I was up all night on and off, so responding to customers queries in the middle of the night was normal. Now she has grown up a little bit (turning 3 in June) I normally respond to customers queries until 12am as I have become a bit of a night owl of late. This is how important our customers are to us, we pride ourselves offering a great service and this includes everything from answering to queries in a timely manner, dispatching items within 1-2 days, making sure we respond to our customers who takes the time to review our business and offering a complimentary gift wrapping service. This is all something I am hugely proud of and managing a young family too, sometimes I feel like I need an extra few pair of hands but I manage. Our children love Kids Dream, especially when they get to test our new toys before they are added to the website. I feel it is great for the children to see how hard Mummy works and that it is also for their future and financial stability.

What is the ideal day out for you and your family?

In the summer the children love the beach and now we have a property in the Midlands, which enables us to grow Kids Dream in a different part of the country, we all love visiting new towns and attractions so the children never get bored! I feel having this time is very important as I do not work a 9-5 job but what is has made possible is being at home most of the time and being able to work around our young family.

Do you have any hobbies?

I would say I love keeping fit but that has gone a little out of the window since my fourth child was born, I am just too busy to enjoy the things I once loved, now I would say drinking coffee and eating lots of chocolate to get through the day. Seriously I have learnt a lot about myself since starting Kids Dream, there are things I enjoy now that I perhaps would never have realised. I have a particular interest and passion with photography.

What’s your favourite food?

Without a doubt I am a self confessed chocoholic but also I do love sausage, mash and peas but not forgetting roast chicken and vegetables yummy!

What is your favourite movie? 

I can’t say I am a huge fan of movies to be honest but I do love a film based on a true story, our latest movie my partner and I enjoyed was Bohemian Rhapsody, probably the first film I have watched in over two years so if any one asks me a question about films I am useless, but if the ask me about SEO or website design, I may know a thing or two. 

 

Everything you need to know about gender reveal parties

20/04/2018 / Leave a comment

Gender reveal parties in Kent have become more and more popular in the last five years or so. The emergence of the gender reveal phenomenon is closely tied to the popularity of social media. It’s all about sharing the special moments of your life with your loved ones. There is nothing as special as finding out that you are having a baby!

Expectant Mums and Dads started sharing their exciting news online and this evolved into sharing ultra sound scan pictures and the sex of the unborn child. Some simple analysis of Google trends shows that prior to 2010, gender reveal parties had a search interest of zero but has been climbing steadily ever since. Here’s how you throw your own gender reveal parties in Kent!

Throwing your own gender reveal parties in Kent

The only limit is your imagination. They are usually held fairly early on in the pregnancy but after the gender has been established at the 20 week scan.

It could be an intimate gathering for close relatives only or it could be a large party for all your friends. You can hold it in your home or hire a hall or other venue which you can decorate to match your theme.

 

Some lovely ideas for your gender reveal party 

Why not give your guests a chance to buy an early gift for your little one? Why not have our web page open at your gender reveal party gives your guests a chance to choose a gift from a range of super cute gift ideas. It could be some useful baby items, blankets or toys for girls, boys or gender-neutral!

Themes work very well at gender reveal parties. You could go for the obvious pink and blue theme with decorations, banners and plates in both colours. Another popular variation is the señor or señorita theme and you can use a gender reveal piñata as your centre piece.

The “What will it bee?” theme is gaining popularity. With this theme you provide bee-themed sweets and you can even make a black and yellow table cloth using crepe paper.

 

For the glamorous Mums and Dads-to-be, there is the moustaches and lipsticks theme! You can have a load of fun with this one! Put some fake moustaches and bright pink lipstick in bowls and your guests can guess the gender by picking one. You can do the same with bows or bowties.

The gender reveal moment!

The highlight of the party! Here’s how you can do it:

  • An opaque black balloon filled with either pink or blue confetti. When you pop it, the confetti reveals the gender.
  • A handful of blue or pink helium balloons packed into a giant box. When you open the lid, out pop the balloons.
  • A piñata filled with blue or pink ribbons and glitter. This one gets the guests involved as they take turns to break it. You can buy one or make one yourself.
  • Pass the parcel with a blue or pink baby outfit at the centre.
  • A gender reveal cake with a blue or pink centre. A variation of this is cupcakes which reveal the gender with the first bite!

 

Have a wonderful gender reveal party! Call us today on 0330 122 5619 for more information on our pop up shops.

Step by step guide to throwing the perfect baby shower

04/04/2018 / Leave a comment

Baby showers in Kent are an imported tradition from the US that have grown in popularity and have evolved to take on a uniquely British style. Baby showers in the UK are a combination of ‘showering’ the Mum-to-be with gorgeous gifts for her baby whilst creating a solid network of friends and family who will be there for her during the gruelling early months with a newborn.

It’s all about showing an expectant Mum that you are her tribe and that you will be there for her. The perfect baby shower is all about gifts, giggles and great advice! If you have been charged with organising a baby shower, here is step by step guide to help you out.

Lilliputiens Albert Mirror

Decide on the time and the place for your baby shower in Kent

Most people agree that around about the seventh month of pregnancy is the best time. The pregnancy is well established and most Mums-to-be are feeling great at this point. Leaving it later can be risky because baby may put in an appearance during the event!

Baby showers work well in a private home. As the organiser, you may want to host it in your own home so that you have complete control over how it is run. Some are held in the Mum-to-be’s own home but at other times an alternative venue is needed. A church-hall, a local tea-room or even the park could be a good option but is very weather-dependant. Think about who is coming, how they will get there and how you can make them all comfortable and relaxed. You may also want to think about who is going to do the clearing up!

Choose a theme (or not)

The only essential ingredients are food, drink, gifts and good company. The rest is optional.

If you do opt for a theme, it can add to the fun and create a talking point to break the ice. When the gender of the baby is already known, a pink or blue theme can work well. Alternatively, you could choose a stars, hearts or floral theme. Base the invitations, decorations, garlands and cups and plates on this theme. You can go mad and add in a sash for the Mum-to-be to tie around her bump, confetti, pom-poms and balloons. The only limit is your imagination and your budget.

Let the shower of gifts begin!

Gifts are an essential part of the baby shower but in Britain, we can be incredibly shy about saying what we want. The good news is that there is a clever way to get around the awkwardness of no one knowing what to buy and of duplicate gifts. Arrange for www.kidsdream.co.uk to be open and then the Mum-to-be can choose her own gifts from a range of super cute baby items and nursery essentials. There can be a range of items to suit all budgets and there will be no duplications and zero disappointment!

All you have to do is sit back and watch the lucky Mum-to-be choose her favourite gorgeous items for her little one. Call us today on 0330 122 5619 for more information  for your baby shower.

 

 

How did you feel after your Christmas party?

14/12/2017 / Leave a comment

                                                                               

 These eight friends went out for their Teddy Bear party this year and this is how they felt the next day …….. HANGING!!!!!!!!

How did you feel after your Christmas party? did you use this phrase and can you sympathise with exactly how they were feeling? Let’s just hope no one ended upside down on a washing line! I am sure some of you will have some very interesting stories to share if you can remember your night? may be some of you will have distant memories you will wish to forget! I miss these kind of nights working for myself at Kids Dream. I would love to be part of a team, making great memories together. I am excited to see what 2018 will bring, hoping it a great year for us all.

Firstly let’s all enjoy Christmas with our loved ones hoping you will all be brought together to celebrate the festive period, but also think of those that unable to join us, who live too far away or have had to leave this earth and start on another journey above. These precious soles that have become angels who will be looking over us. Remember our loved ones never really leave, they will be with us in spirit forever. Also let’s not forget the less fortunate who spend Christmas alone, without family and even a roof over their heads at the coldest time of year.

I supervise at our local homeless shelter and I see for some people what a lonely time of year Christmas can be for individuals that really have hit rock bottom, who do not have a supportive family to turn to or a home to enjoy. Sometimes we take the simplest things in life for granted, if you have good health, running water this Christmas, some sort of heating to keep you warm, family and friends around you… there really isn’t anything to complain about and we should consider ourselves very lucky indeed. This time of year should not be about who has the most amount of presents, the most money spend on them or their children. We should be taught to appreciate the small things that we have, if we have a warm home, food on the table and we are loved, that this really is enough.  

Happy Christmas to you all and let’s all look forward to 2018! Lots of Love and Positively to you all.

Becki Kids Dream 

 

https://www.kidsdream.co.uk

https://www.kidsdream.co.uk/talls-n-smalls-by-mary-meyer-245-p.asp

 

Kids Dream first ever story about a little girl and her best friend

23/11/2017 / Leave a comment

Hello

Something I really enjoy doing is writing stories, for as long as I can remember I have liked using my imagination and creating. Some time ago now I created a little story for one of our special customers at Kids Dream, It is about a little girl called Phoebe- Lillie and her pink elephant which she adores. Have a little read here:

https://www.canva.com/design/DACRKqsfOLw/view

Demonstration from a little Zookiez fan

06/04/2017 / Leave a comment

A demonstration of Zookiez… From their biggest Fan! She says “I love Zookiez”

 

https://www.facebook.com/KidsDreamUK/videos/1788897291428169/

Mary Meyer Blog

07/02/2017 / 1 Comment on Mary Meyer Blog

ALL ABOUT MARY MEYER

For Over 80 years Mary Meyer Have Been Creating Beautiful Collections Of Teddies, Comfort Toys And Their Signature Taggies Range For More Than 10 Years. They Are A Very Well Established Company With Lots Of Experience In Producing High Quality Plush Toys That Every Child Loves.

It All Started In 1933 With A Young Woman Who Followed Her Passion For Creating And Sewing Fabric Toys Which Started In New York.. After A Decade In The Business They Moved To Vermont Which Has Been The Home To Mary Meyer Toys Ever Since.

They Are A Family Business Who Design And Create High Quality Items Which Exceed Toy Safety requirements. Mary Meyer Have Also Brought Us Soft And Soothing Taggies Toys For Over 10 Years.

Read More About Mary Meyer Here https//www.marymeyer.com

We Are One Of Only A Few Companies In The UK To Stock The Mary Meyer American Range Which Is Not Available From Mary Meyer UK https://www.kidsdream.co.uk

We Have The Beautiful Mary Meyer Whimsy Doodle Bears With Dye Sublimated Tummy Designs By Flora Waycott Available In Four Designs And Talls N’ Smalls Which Come in Pairs. Both Of These Teddies Are Just Adorable!! You Have To See Them To Believe It… Perfect And Rare Gift Idea That Your Children Will Not Be Able To Keep Their Hands Off! https://www.kidsdream.co.uk

 

 

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF TEDDY BEARS

07/02/2017 / 17 Comments on THE IMPORTANCE OF TEDDY BEARS

 

 

 

 

 

TEDDY BEARS ARE IMPORTANT!

What Child does not like Teddy Bears??

Does any parent think their child has too many?? Fed up of your child carrying around that old, scruffy and dirty looking teddy?? Ready To Throw Them Out? Or Not Wanting To Buy Your Child Any More To Litter The House Or Collect Dust In Their Room Because You Think They Are A Waste Of Space And Not An Important Part Of Children’s Development??

I am sure At Some Point Us Parents Have Thought Like This!!!

STOP THERE…. TEDDY BEARS (YES EACH AND EVERY ONE EVEN IF YOU HAVE COUNTED 2O IN YOUR CHILDS COLLECTION) ARE A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR CHILDS LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT!

Why Are Hugs So Important?

  • Hugging Is A Powerful Way Of Healing Sickness, Loneliness, Depression, Anxiety and Stress.
  • Hugging Boosts Oxytocin Levels Which Heals The Feeling Of Loneliness, Anger And Isolation.
  • Hugging Helps Self-esteem Because Touching Shows Us We Are Loved And Special.
  • Hugging Teaches Us To Give And Receive. How To Be Receptive To Warm And Love But Also How To Reciprocate ( Love Flows Two Ways)
  • Hugging For A Long Period Of Time Lifts Serotonin Levels Which Improves Moods And Creates The Feeling Of Happiness.

SO IT IS ALL ABOUT HUGS, HUGGING AND MORE HUGS!! BUT ALSO THERE ARE A LOT MORE BENEFITS

  • Nurturing Skills – They Learn To Love Others And Look After Them
  • Hugs, Cuddles And Affection – Very Important For Children To Build Trust And A Sense Of Safety Which Leads To…
  • Communication – Helps With Open And Honest Communication Also To Build Relationships With Others.
  • Imagination – (Kids Dream Favourite Listening To Little Children Playing With Their Teddies) But Research Shows That Children Using Their Imagination And Imaginary Play Is An Important Part Of Children’s Cognitive Development.
  • Comfort Against Fear And Separation – A Lot Of Children Have Their Favourite Comfort Toy That They Reach For At The Time Of Distress! And How Many Of Us Have Spent Hours Tracing Our Steps When You Are Out And About And They Lose Their Favourite Teddy?

The Moral Of The Story Is TEDDY BEARS ARE THE BEST!!

Keep In Mind This Information When Looking At Kids Dream Website One More Teddy To Add To The Collection Will Not Hurt.. In Fact Think Of Your Childs Development And How Important They Are. We Are Working Hard To Bring Some Unique Gift Ideas That Little Hands Can Treasure For Many Years To Come! xx

https://www.kidsdream.co.uk

 

Move Over Elf On The Shelf… Mary Meyer Talls N’ Smalls Have Arrived From The USA

31/01/2017 / 10 Comments on Move Over Elf On The Shelf… Mary Meyer Talls N’ Smalls Have Arrived From The USA

MOVE OVER ELF ON THE SHELF.. HERE IS KIDS DREAM “ANIMAL FRIENDS” ADVENTURES!!

Over The Last Five Days Kids Dream “Mary Meyer Talls N’ Smalls Animal Friends” Have Ventured Outside To See What Mischief They Can Get Up To…. We Have Caught Them In The Act!!

If You Would Like To See What Fun And Adventures You Can Have Grab Yours Today Only From www.kidsdream.co.uk

unicorn edited

 

 

 

  • DAY ONE.. WE CAUGHT THESE CUTIES MONKEYING AROUND IN THE TREES!
  • DAY TWO.. WE CAUGHT THESE CUTIES USING THEIR MAGICAL POWERS TO ESCAPE!
  • DAY THREE.. WE CAUGHT THESE CUTIES POSING IN THE MUD!
  • DAY FOUR.. WE CAUGHT THESE CUTIES DOING WHAT KITTIES DO BEST.. CLIMBING!
  • DAY FIVE.. WE CAUGHT THESE CUTIES BEING GREEDY IN THE GRASS!

These adorable luxury plush teddies really are the cutest gift you will ever buy.. once you feel the real softness and quality your little kiddies will not be able to put them down!

As they come in pairs they are really great for role play. Just sit back, relax and watch your little ones enjoy them for hours.. playing, cuddling and making cute voices as they interact with each other. To see the little smiles on their faces will be worth every penny. Kids Dream are in love with these little cuties (we know you will be too)

https://www.facebook.com/KidsDreamUK/posts/1752119551772

https://www.facebook.com/KidsDreamUK/videos/1729531474031418/

https://www.kidsdream.co.uk

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