Muddy Puddles

Oh to be a child again, to run into a water park head first (quite literally) and splash to your heart's content, not worrying about the fact your Mum forgot to pack spare clothes for one of you, or that the water is coming up over the top of your wellies and creating puddles inside them.  The boys were in their element at the splash zone in Peppa Pig world and thankfully the wonderful staff let us dry some of their clothes on the radiators as they literally sat in the puddles at one point.

Not all children are as lucky and carefree as mine though, and we were at Peppa Pig world for an important reason, to learn more about the work of Save the Children, and their new fundraising campaign, the Muddy Puddle Walk.  

Nurserys, schools, playgroups and individuals can pledge to take part in a Muddy Puddle Walk between 8th and 14th of May to help raise money for the most vulnerable children.  You don't need a big space, you don't even need real puddles, you can interpret it as you like.  

You may want to do a sponsored walk, you may want to do a jumping challenge in the garden, you may want to make your own paper puddles and jump around inside the classroom.  Archie's nursery are doing a walk along the beach (and I will definitely be taking spare clothes along this time!).  Just grab some friends and apply for your free fundraising pack here.

By taking part, you will help support the charity's work to give every child the right to play, learn and grow up healthy and happy.  Millions of children miss out on this, just because of where they are born.

We had a wonderful day splashing and exploring Paulton's Park and Peppa Pig world and we are looking forward to our muddy puddle walk in May!

Sign up here for your free fundraising pack

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The Week in the Middle

Christmas day has come and gone, the new year has yet to begin and we are stuck in a strange place, not quite here or there.  We have no concept of which day of the week it is, mornings and bedtimes are later than usual and biscuits are an acceptable meal.  I love this week, the one with no routine, no schedule or deadlines or school runs, the one where we make our own rules.  We eat when we are hungry which isn't always at the traditional mealtimes and we go out when we get bored indoors.  

The Christmas break is so short, not even two weeks for Dylan and in the midst of the mayhem this week feels unusually calm.  I love waking up in the morning with no real plans for the day, playing it by ear, enjoying lazy mornings in my dressing gown and watching the children play with their new toys, their imaginations taking them to new lands each day.  

The Christmas tree is still up, the sun sets so early, the weather is getting colder and no resolutions have yet been made.  The kitchen side is piled high with goodies and we are drinking more cups of tea than ever with the excuse that we really should get through those biscuits soon.  

Today we have had a lazy morning, a late lunch, a long play and a glow stick disco in the living room with just the twinkly tree lights and our flourescent sticks stopping us bumping in to each other.  The children got to stay up just a little longer and we are eating leftover pizza for dinner.

I took a few photos of the boys at the beach in their new Muddy Puddles coats, they loved the sand all piled up and we were surprised at how busy it was for a December afternoon.  The beach is our go-to place to waste an hour or two and it doesn't matter what season it is, they never get bored of it.

School and Preschool restart on Wednesday so we only have a few days of this limbo left to enjoy.  This week in the middle is definitely one of my favourites.

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What the Boys Wore - Muddy Puddles

At 2 years and 11 months old, the little things are often the biggest and the smallest pleasures are usually the most fun.  Everything is an adventure, anything can be climbed and the world is full of endless possibilities.

No puddle is too deep or too muddy and there is nothing you can't scoot through if you are in the right gear.  My little adventurer has energy that appears from nowhere when he spots water on the floor and we have found the perfect puddle spot in our local park - it is always the first to fill up and drains so slowly that we can almost guarantee some splashy fun most of the year.  Our favourite puddle (because I am sure everyone has a favourite puddle?) is about 5 metres long on a good day, not too deep that the water comes over your boots, but deep enough to make kicking, jumping and splashing pretty fun.

Muddy puddles sent Archie an amazing splash suit that is in two parts.  The waterproof outer layer that you can see which has an awesome pixie hood, and the fleece inner part that can be unpoppered and removed in spring and autumn (and worn seperately) or worn underneath in winter to make a full body coat.  His boots were also from Muddy Puddles and satisfy my love of all things clouds as well as looking bright and brilliant when covered in mud.

We popped to the park last week and had fun in our puddle, squelching through the mud and of course flinging our feet high in the swings.  Archie was lovely and warm with only basic clothing underneath and he stayed dry and cosy.  The lined hood doubled as a hat when the wind got going and I love the pointy top!

The suit is waterproof, windproof and machine washable at 30 degrees.  The fleece layer works perfectly as a onesie indoors or out and the versatility means this is something that will last all year round.  The bigger sizes have stirrups under the feet to stop them riding up and the smaller sizes have turnover hands and feet to really bundle the baby up - I will be looking for one next winter as it will be ideal for the new baby in the sling as she watches her brothers running round the park in the winter.

I am really impressed with the quality, durability and flexibility and the print is unisex, weather related and bright.  The 3 in one scamp suit is currently £59.99 and the wellies are £20.  

Are we the only ones with a favourite puddle?  Please tell me this is normal!

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What the Boys Wore - Muddy Puddles Ski Wear

We have recently returned from an amazing week in France with Snowbizz and Dylan learnt to ski for the very first time.  Muddy Puddles kindly sent him some snow gear and it was absolutely perfect for our trip.  Not only did he look great, but he stayed warm, dry and protected even though the temperatures were well below zero even in the middle of the day.

Dylan was sent a jacket, salopettes and snow boots and all three were worn every day.  His jacket had everything you need for a ski coat with it being windproof, waterproof and snowproof.  It had poppers to form a barrier at the bottom, plenty of pockets including one in the arm for a lift pass and a cosy hood.  Dylan wore it every day and now that we are back in a rather snow-less country it has become his winter coat, perfect for the school playground.

The salopettes were simple and blue but protected him from falls and kept him warm and dry even when we were making snow angels.  We did find the waistband was a little tight on these but Dylan didn't find it uncomfortable at all.

The boots were chunky and warm with great grip for the snow and they were easy for him to do himself with one main zip and then velcro panels over the top.  We had taken other shoes for when he wasn't in the snow as much but he was happy to just live in his comfy boots.

I was really impressed with the quality of everything we were sent, especially considering it is all in the sale and the jacket is down to only £23!  I am rather tempted to buy the next size for next year as it is an amazing coat.  I love the brightness of the jacket and the print really suited Dylan, was easy to spot in the snow and goes well with his everyday clothes for when we are at home.  I would say that the clothing is very true to size as are the boots, we chose his normal sizes and it had space for layers underneath and should fit over the whole winter.

I am struggling to fault any of the pieces we were sent and having tried a few ski brands on the children I will definitely be going back to Muddy Puddles for both the quality and price.

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