April Showers and Spring Sunshine

This weekend I got the perfect opportunity to put my new Lighthouse rain coat to the test.  Lighthouse Clothing is a brand new name in nautical-inspired clothing designed for allowing you to enjoy the beach and the great outdoors, without sacrificing style.  With the weird April weather of showers and sunshine, a light waterproof raincoat such as this green Fayda waterproof parka.

Over the past few days I've been trying to talk lunchtime walks during my lunch break so that I can explore the rivers and canals in Newbury and really get a chance to enjoy the first signs of spring; I absolutely love this time of year with the bright yellows and greens against the gorgeous blue sky.

As it has been a bit nippy, and the heavens have opened in between periods of sunshine, I've been greatful for the windproof and waterproof features of my Lighthouse raincoat.  It's incredibly lightweight (it came as a bit of a shock after having lugged around my traditional winter parka for months!) and feels like I'm wearing another layer of my outfit rather than hiding away inside a coat.

As a tall lady I could do with a bit more length on the arms of the jacket but because this Fayda coat is designed with fashionable cuff turn-ups, I can get away with a 3/4 length sleeve look. This jacket is, for me, best paired with a pair of jeans and some waterproof boots... not necessarily wellies I might add!

When I browsed the Lighthouse clothing website, there were very few items in their range that I wouldn't love to wear!  Their range for men, women and children, features waterproofs that would look just as fitting for a clifftop-walk as they would a stroll to the supermarket - just a a little dash of something modern and fun mixed with the practical.

Disclosure, I was sent a jacket to review but all views are my own.

Design your own Elfie Selfie t-shirt with the Selfie Clothing Company

**  Get a 20% discount if you use the code mellow20 at the checkout **

The Selfie Clothing Co. print personalised clothing featuring your selfie photos and they've got a very fun selection of festive selfie clothing this winter.  My own little elf, Holly is now sporting a very awesome long-sleeved t-shirt with a selfie she took herself earlier this week - an elfie selfie.

The concept of the elfie selfie is very simple.  Upload a photo of your small person into the Selfie Clothing website, choose one of their range of festive designs and within a matter of days, your personalised clothing arrives in a gorgeous presentation box.  There are a number of fun Polaroid-esque designs to choose from including a couple of different elves, Santa, a snowman and some reindeer.  Each one comes with a smattering of fun festive designs around the photo (and on the sleeves) as well as a fun pair of ears or antlers on either side of your selfie.

I absolutely love this top.  It is a natural off-white colour and made from a thin, high-quality jersey cotton.  It looks so comfy and Holly was over the moon when she saw it.  She simply can't wait to show her friends at nursery a picture of her being one of Santa's helpers.

These unisex tops are available for ages 2-8 years old and cost from £15 but Mellow Mummy readers can get a 20% discount if you use the code mellow20 at the checkout.

You can see more of the fabulous Selfie Clothing designs on their facebook page.

Squeaky Jumpers Review

Holly is growing faster than I care to acknowledge.  Within the space of the last two months, Holly has magically transformed from a boisterous toddler to a talkative, tall young girl.  Holly is such a fun, smiley young girl with a cheeky streak and this beautiful brightly coloured sweatshirt from Squeaky Jumpers is a perfect match for her - it has its own cheeky little surprise as well.

Inside Holly's children's sweatshirt, one of the frogs is backed by a squeaker!  Sealed safely inside the fabric of the jumper, the squeaker has already provided so much fun - it certainly takes strangers by surprise!

Squeaky Jumpers are fun, novelty sweatshirts designed and made in the UK - the best thing is that they aren't just for kids!  Squeaky Jumpers make squeaky animal sweatshirts for men and women too.  Each jumper features a bold animal print such as frogs, dogs and pigs; on each design one of the prints is backed by the squeaker.

Holly thinks that this jumper is the business.  She loves it, and, as you can see, she's a bit of a poser in it.  This makes me ecstatic because, in recent times, Holly has actively refused a jumper or cardigan of any sort.  I think that the fleecy inside of the jumper helps because it means that its soft and comfortable to wear.

I'm extremely pleased with the quality of the jumper, especially around the neck and cuffs - the print is great too (nice and thick).  You can certainly tell that the quality of the product has been put high on the list of Squeaky Jumpers priorities.

Squeaky Jumpers are available for children ages 2-12 from around £24.99 and for adults from around £39.95.

A Beautiful Day In the Sunshine

Today we took a wonderful day trip to The Vyne estate in Hampshire which is a National Trust property that is very family friendly.  We took the opportunity to try out the girls' brand new outfits from the Mamas & Papas kidswear range.

I have owned a few very gorgeous items of  babywear from Mamas & Papas before but I hadn't realised that Mamas & Papas made children's clothing right up to 6 years old.  When I first discovered the range of Mamas & Papas girls clothes I didn't know where to start... it's all perfect for Lara and Holly.  Casual, fun, bright.

Right now, Mamas & Papas have a Mix and Match offer with 3 for 2 on certain items from the range.  I chose the girls these similar long-sleeved jersey dresses in spots and stars, the normally cost £16 each.  Holly had great fun filling her pockets up with fir cones.  The dresses have three big buttons at the back to fasten them.  They really were the perfect item of clothing for a sunny spring day because it was still a bit chilly in the shade and it meant that they didn't need to wear a coat or cardigan.

For my third mix and match item I chose Holly a set of two pairs of stretchy leggings which were available in similar colours; even when they are not in the 3 for 2 offer they cost just £14 for the two pairs.  These leggings work perfectly with the long sleeved dress.

Popbands and Poplaces Review

Lara is very much like me and has inherited a dislike or (or should that be an acknowledgement of our own total inability of) putting her hair up because it 'hurts'.  Lara can be particuarly troublesome when it comes to swimming lessons when she really does need her hair tied back but will bawl her eyes out when I remove her hairband after the lesson because it has tangled in her hair.  So, when I was contacted to try out Popbands soft elasticated hair bands with a promise that they are kinder to your hair... I jumped at the chance.

Popbands are a very simple stretchy hair band made from a soft, highly-elasticated fabric (they also make head bands too).  They are designed to prevent damage to the hair (there are no joins or sticky outy bits!) and prevent denting of the hair where they are worn.  I found them to have the level of control that I would expect from a thinner, more wirey hairband but with the softness and flexibility I had been promised.  They have worked extremely well for swimming and they MUST be more comfortable because yesterday, for the first time ever, Lara left her ponytail in all afternoon.

Popbands come in a range of colours - brights, pastels and prints.  Many of the designs can also come with beads on which add a little sparkle.  Lara enjoyed choosing a colour to match her outfit but also likes to wear one on her wrist as a bracelet - they have some very cute valentine's designs on thepopband.com right now.  Popbands are suitable for kids and grown-ups alike.  A set of coloured Popbands costs around £6 with novelty beaded Popbands costing around £5 each.

Also from the same clever people, these are Poplaces which are suuuuuuper stretchy shoelaces.  Lara's white shoelaces bring a feminine touch to her trainers but these aren't just for show.  Right now, Lara really wants to wear her trainers to school (it's a non-uniform school) but if she has to take her shoes off during the day then she struggles to tie the laces back up - she hasn't quite grasped the skill yet.  So to have a pair of shoelaces that need never be undone and which will stretch as you put the shoes on, before returning to their original tightness, is perfect for Lara right now.  Poplaces would also work well for me as I much prefer to slip my shoes on in a rush than faff about with tying laces every time!  Poplaces come in black, white and neon colours and cost £6.

Kids Outdoor Clothing - Get Out and About

You may remember that my new year's resolution was to get out and about with the girls at least once a week come rain or shine and outdoor clothing and equipment specialists, Blacks are thinking along the same lines; they're trying to get children out and about to attempt to address the 'nature deficit' we face in the UK.

I think Lara is EXTREMELY lucky to have just started at an amazing school that values outdoor learning as much as classroom learning.  In a few short weeks Lara has come home raving about the activities that they have done - from picking plums for plum pie and plum jam that they have made in the classroom to gathering sunflower seeds from the plants they sowed during their taster days back in July and crushing the seeds to make sunflower oil. Lara has always helped me out in the garden with our own vegetables and herbs so I think she has a good grasp of the fundamentals of the natural world but I do often worry that because both myself and Mr. B. work full-time that the girls don't get as many opportunities to go out and explore the wild world at the weekends as I would wish.

 

As part of our new year's activities we promised to make the most of a National Trust membership we had been given and I think we have certainly got good value from this.  Lara has managed to cross off lots of the NT's list of 50 things to do before you're 11 and 3/4 on weekend trips and holiday visits.

 

Blacks stock loads of kit for outdoor activities, not least their range of outdoors clothing for children.  I often think of 'outdoor activity clothing' in terms of camping, hiking and sailing wear and I almost always dismiss these as adult activities when in fact there is nothing at all that stops them from being family activities - hence the need for kids clothing.  But outdoor clothing isn't limited to specialist clothing - simply going for a long autumnal walk requires a little bit of planning for the family if you want to stay warm and dry.

 

Blacks sent Lara these AWESOME Peter Storm zip-off trousers to review.  I say awesome and I mean it.  They are not only practical but also very fashionable.  The Peter Storm kids trousers have a strong elasticated waist to suit a growing school child (Lara has a thing about button-up and zip-up trousers you see!) and the lower part of the legs zips off to turn them into a pair of long shorts.  This is particularly awesome if you are squelching through mud and don't want the trousers to dangle in cowpats.  I love the soft fabric - it is a cotton canvas that offers protection from the wind and is also water resistant and which can withstand a hot wash if you need to shift mud off them!

 

I also blimming LOVE the colour which is about as perfect as you can get for Lara.  Paired with her raincoat, Lara really does look the business when we are out for our weekend walks.  These trousers come in age 3-10 years and are available in purple or a more traditional beige combat colour.  They cost £20 which I think is a bargain as they are a genuinely great quality item.

 

We have some wonderful weekends planned for the next month or so and I'm hoping Lara will enjoy getting out and about in her trousers from Blacks.  Wild walks through the woods at Marwell, chestnut collecting at Virginia Water and more sloe gathering on autumn Sunday afternoons.

Jeans for Genes with Debenhams

Today is Jeans for Genes day and families up and down the country have been sporting their favourite jeans instead of their normal uniform or work attire in order to raise money for children with genetic disorders.

On Jeans for Genes Day, schools and workplaces encourage people, young and old, to wear jeans and donate a small amount of money to charity for the privilege. 1 in 25 children in the UK has a genetic disorder of some kind that makes their life difficult to manage. Not only can genetic disorders lead to pain, suffering and bullying but health problems that genetic disorders can cause in the early years of life mean that genetic disorders are one of the UK's biggest causes of children under 14 years.

Debenhams sent Lara and I each a pair of jeans so that we can get involved too (I've donated the value of our jeans to Jeans for Genes Day).

I'm loving Debenhams kids jeans at present - Blue Zoo is my current favourite brand of kids clothes because they are just soooooo practical. The chunky, yet soft and colourful elasticated waists on the Blue Zoo jeans are perfect for toddlers right through to primary school children and these jeans also feature a cute pink and pastel coloured cat design on the pockets. Since Lara started school last week she has worn a simple uniform every day but today she wore a much more casual affair - and why not?

Finding jeans that fit me is always very tricky. Long legs = very few pairs of jeans that actually fit! Usually I only get to choose from a boring selection of clothes specifically designed for tall people which is why I was genuinely surprised to find these Mantarray boot cut jeans at Debenhams with a long leg in my size.  Woop!

Today is going to be a great Jeans for Genes day but that doesn't mean you can't get involved. Fundraising for Genetic Disorders UK takes place all year round - why not arrange your own jeans day at your workplace or school?

Hunter Kids Wellies Review

I had no idea that Hunter Wellies were available for children in such a wide range of colours. Before we tried out these original kid's Hunter Wellies I had known about the brand but didn't really know what all the fuss was about.

Simply Hike sent Lara a pair of shocking fuschia pink Hunter Wellies to try out and now I understand what all the fuss was about! These original Hunter Wellies for kids are available in gloss and matt colours, some bright, some dark but all fab! They come in children's size 7 through to adult's size 5.

The boots have a shaped sole so they aren't totally flat across the bottom. There is a proper raised heel which makes them really smart and really comfy. These are the welly of choice for royalty, after all!

I really like the buckle on the outside of each boot. I don't think they offer any adjustability on the kids boots but they do help Lara to know which boot is for which foot! There are two reflective patches on the back of each boot which makes them perfect for this time of year as they add that little bit of safety when out and about in the dark.

The Hunter kids boots are a nice high boot to stop puddles and leaves getting in and they are gorgeously tailored. The inside of the rubber boot is a nylon kit which stays nice and dry.

The hefty price tag (£35) for a pair of Hunter wellies is certainly worth it once your child's feet start slowing down their growth as these are a really great quality pair of boots that look fabulous. As you can see, they are a bit of a fashion statement as well as being totally practical.

Clothes for Christmas! I've shopped

It has become a little bit of a tradition in our house, ever since Lara was born, to splash out on a few special outfits as a Christmas present.  Of course, this year we have two girls to buy clothes for and that makes it all the more exciting.

Last week I put in a mahoosive order at Vertbaudet who have recently become my clothes supplier of choice for both of the girls.  I love their grown up yet dainty designs and muted colours which make them both look so feminine.  We are all really in to purples and greys in this house right now.

The best thing about buying the girls clothes for Christmas is that it is the only time of the year that Mr. B. actually gets involved in clothes shopping.  For some reason he actually quite enjoys choosing clothes at this time of year and no other so I embrace it and let him get really involved in the decision.  

This year Mr. B. and I set ourselves a budget of £100 for Christmas presents for each of the girls and I'll admit that we used over half of that budget for Lara on clothes and a third of it for Holly.  We think me might get away with that for Lara this year but next year when she is 4 and has started school, we suspect we may have to buy the things she asks for rather than things we thing she would like!

Interestingly, after a particularly "fun" trip to the shoe shop recently, Lara put a foot measurer on her Christmas list.  Vertbaudet actually sell foot measurers and I was going to have bought one but Mr. B. stepped in and told me that it was such a rubbish present that I wasn't allowed to buy it!

I thought I would give you a sneak preview of the clothes we have bought for Holly and Lara for Christmas. They aren't really matching but their outfits do have a similar feel about them, don't they?

Leggings are a staple in our house and right now we can't have enough long sleeved tops for either of the girls!  I also really liked this lavender grey coloured outfit for Holly.

Disclosure: I was asked to write this blog post but I bought the items myself before being asked to write the post.  This doesn't stop the blog being honest and fun to read.

Holly's Naming Day

This weekend we celebrated Holly's Naming Day. We had a similar event for Lara at about the same age - it's nothing formal, just a good excuse to get as many of our family and friends in the same place at the same time as we possibly can. Towards the end of the afternoon I said a few words of thanks to everyone and we drank a toast to Holly.

 

We invited all of Holly's cousins (there are quite a few now!) and in the end we cooked a buffet lunch (no chance of a BBQ) for 21 people. I used the event as another excuse to hone my new-found cake-decorating skills. I know the cake decoration is a bit literal in its interpretation of the Holly Button theme but I think the pink (or indeed blue) buttons could work for any new baby cake, don't you?

 

Holly's naming day was also a good excuse to get the two girls dressed up again. Boots mini club sent us two not-too-formal dresses and I knew they would be perfect for the occasion. Lara's dress is a really light cotton and features a butterfly design in very grown up colours of coral and blue. Holly's dress is a slightly puffed-out blue spotty dress with a white collar - I even finished it off with our own Boots mini club bib!

 

Holly was a very lucky girl and received some wonderful presents, many of which will last her a lifetime. She also received a gorgeous denim baby jumpsuit from... you guessed it... Boots mini club!

Of Gift Boxes and Party Dresses

If you saw last week's birthday cake then you will probably have gathered that it was Lara's 3rd birthday. Lara had a small party with a few special friends and just before her guests arrived I took some photos of Lara and Holly in their party dresses of which I am enormously proud.

Both of these outfits were sent to us by Boots Mini Club and many of our guests were astonished to find out that Boots sell clothing. Mini Club clothes are quite mind-blowingly good value for money. They are good quality, there is a wide range of styles for both girls and boys (from summer casuals right up to this collectable lace-style dress). Mini Club clothes can be found in larger Boots stores and online. Holly has received a new baby gift of Boots Mini Club clothing from friends recently and the quality and innovative designs and bright colours really made me smile.

Lara was totally and utterly spoiled for her birthday (as befits a new Big Sister) - one of her gifts was a mysterious box that was sent to her from The Cocoon Collection, an online gift store who feature a really interesting range of children's gifts all a little different than anything I've seen on gift websites before.

Once Lara had opened her beautifully packaged Doodle Doo gift box she found a whole host of exciting things - a cuddly meerkat, chocolate mice, jumping beans and lots and lots of craft materials which, over the past week have given her hours and hours of entertainment already (although she did try and pester me to make her plaster-of-paris mirror at about 10pm one weekday evening).

The Doodle Doo box from the Cocoon Collection costs £17.99 and I think it is a great idea for a child's gift, perhaps for someone you don't know so well or when you are in a hurry. It is nice for a child of Lara's age to receive a mix of toys and sweets AND crafty things to inspire them and in a box like this you know that something will hit the spot.

Lara had a very busy and happy week with presents from friends and family as well as one or two nice surprises such as these from friends of Mellow Mummy. I think the lace dress was the biggest hit though because it makes her look totally stunning and so grown up that she is barely recognisable! When she wore it last weekend and started twirling around and around like a ballerina I couldn't keep my eyes off her - how can someone so beautiful, blonde and (dare-I-say-it, dainty?) be related to me? My great big beautiful ball of sunshine.

Mash Junior - Kids Summer Clothing Review

Lara is so much better dressed than me! The spring and summer collection from MASH Junior is out and Lara was sent a couple of pieces of really summery clothing to try out.

One of the things I like about the MASH junior clothing ranges is that all of the pieces are totally individual and stand alone but when you see the complete range put together you really get what they are trying to achieve - a very grown up set of clothes for young people.

Lara's T-shirt is girly yet bright. It has little ruffled sleeves which keep her really cool and a printed design of a young woman in black, blue and pink.  The t-shirt oozes quality and has a wonderful stretch to it.  Lara has worn the t-shirt to preschool a number of times and it has survived (which is more than many of her clothes!)  There are a number of other similar-styled t-shirts in the summer range from Mash Junior, none of them have the same imagery, just the same sort of feel about the graphics and shape.

Lara also received a pair of shorts from the italian design house, MASH.  Do you know, that until these shorts arrived I had never considered dressing Lara in shorts!?  I was so impressed by how well they suited her and how practical they are for a 3 year old running around the garden that I rushed out the very next day to buy more shorts!

The Mash Junior shorts are a really thick jersey and they look very comfy.  I could really do with a pair of these myself for pootling around the garden in too!  I love the fact that the legs are slightly tapered, it gives the shorts a little bit of shape.

Mash Junior and the more casual MASH Kiss clothing ranges can be found online at yoox.com

HippyChick All Weather Clothing Review

I will never ceased to be amazed by how relevant the products that Hippychick sell are to our life; I think this is the first time that we've used one of their own-brand products and I haven't been disappointed.

Hippychick have quite an extensive range of all weather clothing on offer from waterproof jackets to all-in-one suits. We tried a pair of waterproof dungarees which Lara now refers to as her 'gardening trousers'.

These are a set of really light-weight waterproof dungarees that Lara can wear over the top of her normal clothes to keep them dry, clean and warm. They are made with Teflon so they are really hard-wearing and are windproof to help with the warmth but ensuring that the fabric is still breathable so she doesn't get all hot and sweaty.

At the base of each leg is an adjustable strap so that you can tighten it around the ankles to prevent water or cold getting in. We also found it really easy to adjust the straps around the chest to get the right fit for Lara. Matched with a waterproof jacket, Lara is going to be well equipped for whatever autumn will throw at her!

I'm really pleased with how practical the Hippychick waterproof dungarees are; I've already had to wipe them clean of garden mud and this was dead easy... but if I really needed to I could wash them on a low temperature. They cost £23 and are available in blue or plum in sizes from 12 months to 5 years.

The Sunday Review - Vertbaudet Girlswear

Lara was asked to try out some of the current range of girls clothing from Vertbaudet and she quite happily obliged! If you've been following Mellow Mummy for some time, you will know that both myself and Mr. B. struggle to get inspired to go shopping for ourselves and our same fashion laziness tends to rub off on Lara (most mornings I currently plump for a pair of jogging bottoms and a long-sleeved top for Lara).

I love receiving the Vertbaudet catalogue through my door and their emails in my inbox. Their girls clothes ranges often make me want to buy the entire catalogue full of clothes and, unlike most children's catalogues, they prompt Mr. B. to poke his nose over my shoulder and show genuine interest in buying clothes for Lara.



In this picture, Lara is posing (yes, actually posing for the camera) in a Vertbaudet Tunic Dress (£23) .The dress is a bright orangey pink paisely pattern with a light grey lining. The dress comes as part of a set with a pair of leggings but we paired it with some tights and a cardi to make Lara look really feminine.

I did try and make her look even more girly with the addition of some hair clips, but this is what she thought of that idea!



I found this tunic dress to be the perfect length for Lara to wear with leggings or tights and the great thing is that during the summer, she will be able to wear it on its own. Matched with a pair of brightly coloured sandals, this dress will make Lara look really summery.

Our current favourite dress for wearing to swimming lessons is this knitted jacquard dress (£21). It is so easy to pull over a toddler's head so it makes the perfect outfit for when we are in a rush. The dress is warm for the winter, but given the short sleeves, I expect to get usage out of it right into the summer.



And finally, we were asked to try this Faux Fur Gillet. It's not really my cup of tea but Lara seems to really like it and actively rushes to put it on in the mornings. I admit, she does look very fashionable in it, I just wouldn't have thought of buying it myself. It is astonishingly soft, pretty damn realistic (it reminds me of wild rabbit) and looks very grown up with a pair of jeans and a plain white top. This gillet has a small button at the top and is fully machine washable. It is currently reduced and costs £18.75 on the Vertbaudet website.

The Christmas Party Outfit Revealed!

As promised, here is a picture of me in the Christmas Party Outfit I described to you for the Tesco Clothing competition I ran a little while back - my outfit for under £50!.

I matched the outfit with the Laura Ashley pearl set that I won from MumsLikeYou and a pair of tights from lingerieplease.co.uk.

For reasons I can't quite put my finger on, I have a mild fear of tights which is silly because they always make my long legs look pretty damn good! I so rarely wear tights that it is hard for me to choose them so I welcomed some help from lingerieplease. I'm sporting a pair of 30 denier semi-opaque tights by Charnos. They are JUST about long enough for me at 6ft. I was pleasantly surprised that the Charnos tights kept my legs warm (usually I worry about chilly legs when I'm not wearing jeans!). I found them to be very strong, and not delicate (delicate tights and long fingernails don't mix well).

Charnos are a great brand for hosiery - it is the brand I chose for my wedding outfit. LingeriePlease have a wide range of hosiery for all tastes and occasions, including bridal wear and party wear. They charge a flat rate of £2.95 for delivery in the UK which can work out really good value for money if you are ordering several items.