Holiday Gift Guide for a Glamorous Grandma

When Rookwood Commons and Pavilion asked if I could help pick out holiday gifts for “Grandma” I said sure, as long as she can be a Glamorous Grandma. If you know my mom, you know what I’m talking about. So I put on my mask and headed to Rookwood, on the east side of Cincinnati to go holiday gift shopping. I was a little trepidatious about shopping in the current climate, but I didn’t need to worry: there are social distance markers and reminders, as well as sanitizers, throughout the shopping center and I never felt crowded or unsafe. Many stores are also offering curb-side pick up if you prefer to stay out of stores. So, you know you can shop for holiday gifts, but what should you buy for Glamorous Grandma?

Here are ten ideas for the cool Grandma (she’s not a regular Grandma) in your life:

*Sur La Table: My mom loves to cook and this Le Creuset Dutch Oven the perfect size for making her homemade Matzo Ball soup or maybe a Roast Chicken recipe from her favorite, Ina Garten. They are also offering virtual cooking classes you can take at home starting at just $29!

*Maverick Chocolate Truffles: I’ve yet to meet a Grandma that doesn’t like chocolate and you can mix and match a box of truffles at Maverick Chocolate to make sure she gets all her favorite flavors

*Joseph-Beth Booksellers: My Mom is a voracious reader and she’s been dying to read President Obama’s new book. If you don’t have a specific book in mind, the staff at Joseph-Beth are always super helpful with finding the perfect one for you.

*Athleta: Only in 2020 would I be suggesting face masks as a gift, but these are by far my favorite. Their Made of Move Masks are breathable, have a filter pocket and metal down the nose to make sure it fits snugly, but comfortably.

*Talbots: We have an ongoing joke about “tops” from Talbots in our family as it’s always what my Grandma wanted for Chanukah. That said, this chunky purple sweater is nothing to joke about. My mom really suits jewel tones, so I’d love it on her. Talbots also has petite sizes for those, like my mom, who are vertically challenged.

*Whole Foods: Did you know Whole Foods has an extensive wine selection? They happen to carry my mom’s favorite, Rombauer Chardonnay. An easy holiday gift you know she’ll love.

*Nordstrom Rack: Before moving back to Ohio, my mom lived in California so winter attire wasn’t really in her wardrobe. These super cute, but super functional, Ugg gloves will be a must for Ohio winter and at a fraction of the retail price!

*Ulta: Every Glamorous Grandma knows the secret to being mistaken for your daughter’s sister is in taking care of your skin. This Sunday Riley gift set will help her glow from within and keep people asking how she could possibly be a Grandma.

*Redlands Grill: Somewhere between fast-casual and upscale dining lies Redlands Grill. My son always chooses to have his birthday dinner there and they are now offering online, take-out orders, too. A gift card from Redlands will not go unused!

*Mitchell’s Salon and Day Spa: Last but not least, who couldn’t use some pampering right now? I know my mom would love a facial, manicure and pedicure to help her recharge. Right now you can get a $100 gift card for $80 or $50 for $40!

I’ve clearly shopped with my mom in mind, but there’s something for every Grandma, glamorous or not, at Rookwood Commons! Keep an eye out for the full gift guide from @ShopRookwood and @CincinnatiBloggers!

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Glasgow Loves Christmas

If you've been in the city centre of Glasgow recently you've probably noticed the transformation of George Square into a winter wonderland, complete with christmas lights, a ferris wheel, the Winter Lodge bar and of course the ice rink around the statue of Sir Walter Scott.

Blondie Boy has been quite a regular visitor to an indoor ice rink this year so he was incredibly excited to try skating outdoors on George Square. The day we visited was a fairly typical Glaswegian December day, with plenty of rain, but this didn't dampen our spirits at all. The sessions at Glasgow on Ice are half an hour long, so be sure to be there in plenty of time for your session starting to maximise your time on the ice. Since Blondie Boy is only five we chose an Under 8s session, which meant that the ice rink runs at reduced capacity, for only younger kids and accompanying adults so that little skaters can enjoy their time on the ice. There are also skating aids available for little ones who need a little help.

 Remember that you are skating outdoors in a Glaswegian winter! Warm/ waterproof clothes aa must. Before visiting check the Glasgow Loves Christmas website in case the weather isn't suitable, in which case the box office can rearrange your tickets.

The weather wasn't great when we visited, so there was some water sitting on the rink and we did end up a little wet but we still had a great time on the ice. After our skate we went upstairs to the Winter Lodge for a warm drink to dry off. There is a full bar for adults and there are craft and storytelling sessions for kids. When we visited Blondie Boy took advantage of a storytelling session, which he loved.

After our skate round the square we took a wander round to Princes Square for some lunch. As usual the decorations inside are exquisite: well worth wander round just for a wee look at them!

We rounded off our afternoon with a wander round the Christmas market at St Enoch Square. There's the usual mix of craft stalls, if you're looking for a present for that someone who has everything, and stalls with all kinds of delicious and unusual food and drinks.

With six weeks of events running right up until December 31st it's easy to see that Glasgow really does love Christmas! Even if iceskating isn't your thing, there's bound to be something that's more up your street, whether that's shopping in one of the many participating malls to the Style Mile  or a night out at one of the many restaurants running Christmas dining offers. The hardest part is finding time between now and the end of December to squeeze it all in!


Let's be friends! Find me here: Transatlantic Blonde were invited to experience Glasgow Love Christmas free or charge but all warm, Christmasy sentiments, and bruises from falling skating, are our own.

Santa at Hamleys, St Enoch Centre

In case you hadn't noticed, it's that time of the year again! Christmas songs are playing in supermarkets and every ad on TV seems to be for the latest toy craze. I'd like to say the streets are blanketed in a covering of crisp white snow but we all know it's been grey and rainy for weeks but hey, isn't that  the true Christmas weather of the West of Scotland?

Like most families with small kids one of the important dates in the festive calendar is the visit to Santa. This year we visited the big guy at Hamleys in the St Enoch Centre in Glasgow. With the weather as miserable as it could possibly be the first real benefit was the attached car park. It's so much easier shepherding a five year old and a one year old in a pushchair from an indoor car park than trying to organise them in the street and march them through the rain. We even left our heavy jackets at home so we looked our best for Mr Claus.

'I met Father Christmas at Hamleys!' is an hour long experience, which begins when two of Santa's elves pick up the children and take them to Santa's living room. Blondie Boy was so impressed that he not only got to meet the real Santa but also got to meet real elves too! The children sang songs with the elves and then had some dinner together.

After dinner the children finally met the main man! Santa read them the poem 'Twas the night before Christmas', they played a game of 'Musical Snowmen' and then the elves helped them prepare the all important lists.

Santa met them all individually, talked through their lists and posed for pictures.

Each child received a goodie bag as a gift from Santa, the contents of which got played with immediately!

After meeting Santa the elves took the children out into the St Enoch Centre, where they used their magic to make it snow indoors!

The whole evening at Hamlets in the St Enoch Centre was magical and the children loved it. The 'I met Father Christmas at Hamleys' experience costs £25 a child, includes everything listed above and must be booked in advance. You can find more information about festive events at the St Enoch centre here.


Let's be friends! Find me here:   Transatlantic Blonde was invited to visit with Santa free of charge but all magical experiences are our own.

What I Wore Wednesday: Christmas Onesie

So last week was my work Christmas party, this week it is the turn of the Scottish Blogger Christmas party! My fellow lassie Steph and I headed off the the newly relaunched October on the top of Princes Square for some festive fun organized by Paula and Scott.

The theme of the evening was festive family fun so instead of going for Christmas sweaters Stephie and I decided that we need to go big--and big we went with Christmas onesies. 

Christmas Onesie-Primark

Sheepskin Boots- Uggs

Jingle Bell Antlers- Poundland

I've never worn a onesie in my life (okay maybe as a baby) and never in public! We got a lot of double takes walking down Buchanan Street but it was so much fun. I will say that onesies are not exactly flattering and because we are both on the shorter side we had the massive pouch of fupa fabric leftover that was umm not very attractive!

The night was so much fun with goodie bags filled to the brim with treats from the likes of Blanx, Lush, Metcalfe Skinny and more!

Image by Pretty Polly's Blog.

There were lots of cocktails (ours had glowsticks in them!), a charity raffle, secret santa and just a great time catching up with bloggy friends. It is always great to meet people you chat with on twitter and put a face to the avatar!

I think I'll be retiring my onesie for now though; what do you think about onesies? Fashion favourite or fashion faux-pas?


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LeapPad Ultra: The Perfect Christmas Gift

Blondie Boy has been a fan of Leapfrog toys since he was a tiny wee thing at 6 months old so when we got the chance to check out the LeapPad Ultra we jumped (or hopped!) at the chance. BB is a big fan of playing on our iPad so I was curious to see how he would like the LeapPad Ultra.

My first impressions on taking the LeapPad Ultra out were how bright and sturdy it is. It's taken a few drops already- inevitable in the hands of a four year old-  and it's looking none the worse. When it's turned on the screen is bright and really clear.

The set up was really easy, five minutes of setting up an account and connecting to wifi and it was ready to be handed over to BB. The pre-loaded software is great. There is a drawing program, and the built in stylus seems like it will really help his pencil control. He's already having fun recording his voice as well as taking selfies with the front and rear cameras. He also has a pet avatar (currently a purple drangon called Super Monster) which he can play games with and use to play against other friends who have LeapPad Ultra. We haven't tried this feature yet.

We had a look on the app store pretty much straight away and naturally BB noticed the Cars 2 game straight away! The apps vary in price from about £20 for newer ones featuring Disney characters down to £3 for smaller apps. Once set up is complete BB got to pick a free app and he chose Scaredy Cat in the Spooky Woods. This is one of the simpler games but he's probably played it as much as the more expensive ones. In it he has to plan a route home for a cartoon cat, once again the stylus use will hopefully help with his pencil skills. We did cave and let him get some others, the Cars 2 interactive storybook is quite impressive. BB can read along with the story, or if he's feeling particularly lazy, have it read to him while playing fun games at various points. There are over five hundred apps and they are all are educator approved, so while they're fun and entertaining for him they're also helping his development. You can buy and download online from the app store or buy cartridges in shops featuring the same games.

We've been considering getting BB a tablet for a while but there are obviously some issues around having full internet and YouTube access at four years old. LeapPad Ultra solves this issue with Zui, the kid friendly web browser. BB can still look at videos but there's no possibility of him finding something inappropriate.

The parental tools in general are great. To get into the parent's area requires a four digit code: and although smarty pants might figure that out shortly (he has on our iPhones!) there is a password required for him to spend any money on the app store. In fact, we can access an account on the laptop that would let us send apps straight to his LeapPad, should we see one we think he'd like, whether his LeapPad is in the room or not.

We have tried a couple of other kids tablets and haven't been impressed, in fact we've had to return one because it flat out didn't work. At £119 RRP the LeapPad Ultra is not one of the cheaper options but it does seem to be a case of you get what you pay for. It's streets ahead of the others we tried in reliability (in that it actually works!), it feels sturdier and better built and the screen is brighter and better defined. There are fewer apps available than on a tablet which connects to Google Play but we know that the apps available are age appropriate and educational, which can't be said for everything on those with an "open" app store.

BB has loved the LeapPad so far, the games are well made and fun and he loves drawing and taking pictures with it. However the big advantage for me so far is the peace of mind it offers me as a parent. I know that everything on there is age appropriate and that he isn't looking at anything I wouldn't want him exposed to. I also know that while he's having fun playing the games, he's also learning and improving skills, so really the LeapPad Ultra is a hit for both of us. It really would make the perfect gift for a pre-schooler. Don't just take my word for it though here is Blondie Boy's review!



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We were provided the LeapPad Ultra for review but all opinions are my own.  Do you really think I could make a 4 year old lie?