LivingwithKids

I haven't got £1,000 to spare at the moment *sigh* but inspired by Josie at Sleep is for the Weak I've decided to share my fantasy shopping spree. And because it's my fantasy shopping spree I'm afraid I'm not going to be remotely worthy - it's all going to be for me, me me.

First of I'd like a new handbag. A gorgeous, desirable, buttery-smooth leather handbag. This would not be a handbag for screwed up receipts, old lozenges and lidless lipsticks. This would be a brand new bag, full of promise, to hold my life together. A bag like this DKNY Distressed Leather tote from House of Fraser, for £240.

Then I need a dress. Not a school run dress but an utterly beautiful dress, like this one from Coast, £85.

Of course I would have a brand new coat. Not a coat of many colours, rather a mac that will see me through this awful endless rain and into spring. A mac like this stone cotton trench  from Jigsaw (£185).

I would need shoes, too. These Dune Kross Platform Peeptoe Satin Ivory Shoes , in fact, from John Lewis (£95). And earrings - these Amethyst ones (£115), plus a Marc Jacobs wrap bracelet (£60) from Liberty.

And because all that dreamy shopping would make me tired, I'd like a bath in my favourite lavender foaming bath (£17.75) from L'Occitane while sipping on a glass of Laurent-Perrier from Majestic Wine (£45) and nibbling on caviar from Fortnum and Mason (£130). And I might even have a box of chocolates from Hotel Chocolat. Well, I did say it was my fantasy.

*What would you spend your fantasy £1000 on?

Yesterday I was in a hair salon when I found myself sitting next to a Footballer's Wife. (I happened to glance over at the exact moment I spotted her picture in a glossy magazine - embarrassing). Anyway, what struck me instantly was her face. She had the beginnings of a trout pout, and it was clear something had also been done to her cheeks. The effect was not so plastic fantastic, more fish out of water.

Over the years I've joked with my mum friends about having a mummy tummy tuck but the reality is I think I'd be too scared to go under the knife and I don't really like the idea of having anything injected into my face - especially if it leaves me looking like that. Would you ever have anything done?

I don't know about you but my complexion has really been struggling against the elements this Winter. But personally the last thing I want to do is spend ages on a complicated skincare routine - I just want a quick beauty fix that does what it says on the bottle (or jar).

Which is why I was so excited to hear that one of my absolutely favourite brands, Clinique, have issued an introductory set for their brilliant 3-step skin care system,  which should see you through the cold snap.

If you haven’t used it before, the system only takes three minutes, twice a day, and it comes in four different skin types (no 4 is perfect for dry skin). Basically you wash your face with the soap (I promise you it doesn’t dry your complexion), then you exfoliate with the Clarifying Lotion to get rid of any dulling flakes (I know, sounds a bit gross, but essential!) and finally you moisturise with the Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion.

The set is £20, available from House of Fraser and Boots.

Now of course I treasure every homemade calendar, wood and pottery present I've ever been given by my offspring for Christmas. And if Tinkerbell and her friends are reading, I'd really like some fairies to come in and clean my house from top to bottom (yes, even the skirting boards) sometime before the 25th. But if someone is planning to buy me something, bearing in mind budgets are tight this year, I'd like it to be something I really, really want. So here's my pick of some of the best Mum Gifts around this season:

Michael Kors' Very Hollywood Eau de Parfum. Everything about this fragrance screams glamour - from the pink box to the beautiful bottle, which will look stunning in your bathroom or on your dressing table. And of course it smells heavenly - with delicious notes of mandarin, iced bergamot, jasmine, ylang ylang, raspberry and gardenia. Simply fabulous. From £33.28, available at House of Fraser .

A pair of Cath Kidston pyjamas. OK, so maybe they're not the sexiest things in the world (although they are very pretty) but they look incredibly snuggly and sometimes that's A Good Thing (£40, available from John Lewis). Also available at John Lewis is this adorable Jan Constantine 'Love' make-up bag, (£29).

A spa voucher from SpaFinder . One of my favourite presents ever has to be the spa visit the Man of the House gave me one year - a whole day of pampering and nothing to think about except myself and which room my next treatment was in, amazing. I don't know any woman who wouldn't be thrilled to be given one/some of these for Christmas.

A CD to do some mummy dancing to. I don't really want to find Susan Boyle under my tree this Christmas, good though Wild Horses is. I want to find Cheryl Cole's fab album 3 Words (£8.95, available from Play.)

M&S's lovely Signature candle. It's only £7, but it's stylish and elegant and smells of delicious grapefruit and ginger - perfect for lighting while you take a relaxing pampering bath with....

Goodworks amazing Good To Unwind gift set (£20, available from Boots). Simply everything you need for some serious Mum TLC, in one brilliant package and at a bargain price.

And finally, a good read. I've chosen two with a slightly spooky theme. Marian Keyes just keeps getting better and better, and her latest, The Brightest Star in the Sky, is an absolute genius of a book. And newcomer Cally Taylor's novel, Heaven Can Wait, is beautifully written, a real page turner - can't wait for more from her. Both available from Waterstones.

P.S: don't foget to tell your nearest and dearest that if they shop through KidStart for any of the above, they'll get money back for your kids. What's on your Christmas wish list?

How selfish are you? I bet, like me, you always put everyone else first. But if you're in need of some serious pampering right now, here's the chance to win a lovely collection of goodies from Radox to celebrate their 'Be-Selfish' campaign!

Recent research conducted by Radox found that the average British women spends 21 years of her life looking after other people, and only three on herself. This has resulted in 63% of women admitting to ‘boiling over’ on a regular basis, a condition labelled Vesuvius Syndrome. 

Radox hopes their ‘Be-Selfish’ campaign will galvanise women to take time, and have a Selfish hour. To help them do this, they asked best-selling author Kathy Lette (LOVE her) to write a book for them. Not only is 'All Steamed Up' a fab read, but it has a waterproof cover and it's available totally free at www.be-selfish.co.uk.

'I hope the book will give women the green light to take some selfish time,' Kathy says. 'It’s ‘superwoman’ tough to manage working, babies, running a house, bringing up children, making fairy costumes and whipping up gourmet spectaculars while also remaining svelte, sensuous and hot to trot. The only way to avoid boiling over is to take a selfish break every day.'

To celebrate the campaign, we've teamed up with Radox to offer you the chance to win one of three prizes in our exclusive competition. The first prize contains lots of Radox goodies, a copy of the book, candles, towel and bath products. Two other winners will win a Radox hessian bag with a copy of the book, 3 Radox products, candle and towel.

All you have to do to enter is send an email from your KidStart registered email address to competitions@kidstart.co.uk by the closing date Wednesday 14 October. If you're not a KidStart member, simply click here to join. (Please note that entries from non KidStart members will be disqualified).

Good luck!

All us devoted mums (and dads) need a treat now and again. I don't mean airy-fairy stuff like a lie-in or breakfast in bed (although if any kids are reading this, it would be nice). But I mean something lovely and that we may choose to buy for ourselves (or drop heavy hints for our halves to buy for us). It doesn't have to cost the earth, just something that looks/sounds/smells/tastes gorgeous.

I have what I call Mum's Wish/Want List. Most of the time it's in my head, except when it gets close to birthdays and Christmas... and then I start dropping heavy hints (pages ripped from magazines, emailed instructions, that kind of thing).

So I just thought I'd share with you a couple of things I bought recently from my own wishlist - I'd love to hear yours.

1. DKNY Be Delicious fragrance (£29.39, available from Debenhams). It's not just the crisp appley scent - although it is delicious and perfect for summer.  But this Limited Edition Pop Art-inspired bottle is so stunning, I couldn't wait for it to transform my dressing table into something super stylish.

2. Clinique Vitamin C Lip Smoothie (£13.50), Debenhams). This is sleek and stylish and I love the way it not only gives me great colour, but it does my lips good, as well.

Go on, treat yourself. You know you're worth it.

I'm delighted to introduce you to the LivingwithKids' experts. Whether you want advice on your children's health, emotional issues, teenagers, safety, holidays, getting fit, hair or animal care, one of our experts will try to help.

To see more info on the panel, and contact them with your questions, simply click here.

Whenever I'm shopping for the groceries online I try to make a conscious effort to choose the Fairtrade options wherever possible. I like the fact that the people who are growing and harvesting the tea/coffee etc are sharing in the profit.

So I'm loving Boots  gorgeous new range of organic, sustainably sourced and community traded pampering products, Extracts. The ingredients include Organic Cocoa Butter from a co-operative in the Dominican Republic, and Shea Butter from a women's co-operative in Ghana. My personal favourites include the Cocoa Butter Bath Cream (£3.91), Bergamot Body Wash (£3.91) and Mango Sugar Scrub (£7.34) - they'll make your skin super soft and they smell delicious.

'You smell like chocolate,' my son told me after my bath last night. Now that's got to be a good thing.

Getting your hair done can seem like a bit of a luxury at the moment (I'm saying this as someone who was walking around with four inch roots until last week). But celebrity hairdresser Daniel Galvin Junior believes that taking care of your hair is vital when you're a mum. 'It's the key to your wellbeing,' he says. 'If you know you look good, you'll feel better and you'll have more energy for chasing round after your kids, too.'

If you're thinking about having your hair coloured, Daniel predicts that toffee and caramel will be big for brunettes this summer. For blondes he recommends 'butterfly lights' - subtle highlights at the tips of your hair, to give a natural, sun-kissed look. 'Don't worry about your hair too much if you're on holiday,' he adds. 'Just spritz it with some conditioning spray and then forget about it.'

Daniel's range of organic hair products for adults and children, available from Ocado are the perfect way to pamper your whole family, and LivingwithKids is offering you the chance to win one of three sets for you and your children in our exclusive competition!

Each set comprises one DGJ King of Colour Shampoo and Conditioner in the colour of your choice, one DGJ Organic Hair Juice Chamomile Baby Shampoo, and one DGJ Organic Baby Bath and Body Wash Lavender.

To enter, simply answer the question below and then send your answer with your name, address, daytime telephone number and hair colour to competitions@kidstart.co.uk. The closing date is July 15.

Question: Which herb is used in the DGJ Organic Baby Bath and Body Wash?