Autumn Style with Angel's Face

Advertisement

In the lead up to giving birth, I wanted to spend some quality time with Cora, reminding her that she is special and loved and that even though she won't always be the baby of the family, she will always be my baby and she will stay as the only girl.  In many respects she is one of the boys, she answers to the collective of 'boys', if they are doing something, she is more than capable of it too and she is part of their pack.  In other ways she is very much different to them and she loves to embrace her more feminine side too with some girls activewear.

These photos are from our last trip out together before her youngest brother arrived wearing some gorgeous new girls designer clothing- in fact he was born about 4 hours after some of these were taken.  I think I must have subconsciously known that something was about to happen as it felt like a good day to get out with just her for a walk along the seafront and a hot chocolate and she was desperate to wear her new cosy clothing from Angel's Face.  I used to love dressing her but now she is very much self-styled and led by comfort so the moment she pulled this velour set out of the box she wanted it on.  The hooded top  from the girls designer jumper section has a beautiful pattern on the arms and the joggers are warm and soft.  I used the sizing info on the website when deciding what size she needs and it fits perfectly (she is nearly 5.5 years but 104cm tall so wearing age 4-5). 

We walked through the town and along the seafront and she collected special things like colourful leaves to put in her bunny bag.  The bunny bag is ridiculously soft and you can leave the padding inside and remove the strap to snuggle up with it as a cuddly toy (I need to get a photo of him snuggled up in her bed) or take the padding out and wear it as a bag. 

Cora knew exactly where she wanted to go for hot chocolate and as it was just the two of us, it was easy to follow her lead.  We spotted a big letter A along the seafront though and she wanted a photo with her new girls designer jacket from Angel's Face.  Not only is it comfy and long enough to keep her legs warm too, it is the perfect Elsa coat for any Frozen fans and I just love her in this shade of blue.  The wind really picks up along the coast so warm and cosy is a priority and we both love how incredibly soft the hood lining is.  Cora has been wearing this coat for a couple of weeks now, including to school and I can also report that it still looks immaculate despite her love for playing with mud and in the sand.

Spending time with my children one on one will always be important to me, although there will be a break for a while as we adjust to life with a newborn and how much he needs to be with me. I know Cora will be warm and snuggly all Winter in her new clothes though!

Visit the Angel’s Face website to see the full collection.

Read more ⇨

What the kids Wore // Nununu

Ad // Gifted Clothing

It feels like we skipped Spring this year.  Before half term the children were still taking their winter coats into school, after half term we are in shorts and polos with not even a jumper. We have swapped our hot chocolates for ice creams and I am loving the sunshine on my skin each day.

The children were sent some clothing from one of our favourite brands, Nununu and the first thing they commented on as they came out the box, is how soft it all is.  The boys all have thin cotton summer joggers which are perfect for keeping covered up and cool and come in a selection of colours. I love how it can match their personalities, my rainbow boy looking as bright as ever and Archie sticking to his trademark black.  Cora has red leggings and a stripy tee which again are lightweight and incredibly soft.  Nununu is an edgy brand, making clothes for cool kids that still want to be comfortable.

The children have been wearing Nununu for years, we have some items that are on the third child and I am always so impressed with the quality.  Each collection goes well with the past ones (Cora has a romper that matches Finn's trousers perfectly) and it is definitely Archie's favourite brand.  I love the photo below as I can see how much of a gang these little people of mine now look like.  It seems crazy to think they were once all aged 4 and under!

Read more ⇨

Staying outdoors with Reima

Features clothing sent to us a PR Products

At the moment our area is considered 'medium risk' but I have seen how quickly things can change and so I feel more comfortable preparing for a stricter lockdown and closures over the next season. For me the prospect of a winter spent inside is a scary thing so we have been making sure we have everything we need to get outdoors whatever the weather.  I am going to be working with one of my favourite outdoor brands, Reima this winter and they sent the children waterproof trousers and jackets each. Of course Finn and Cora see the term waterproof as a challenge so we took them to our favourite puddle (surely everyone has a favourite puddle?).  My plan is that we continue to get out come rain or shine and make the most of the nature around us.  

We are lucky to be surrounded by beaches and parks and have woodland a short drive away.  We will be getting out as much as possible and so it is important to have the right gear.  We will get some thermals for the coldest days and waterproof boots and warm outer layers so there are fewer barriers to our outdoor adventures.  These Reima jackets are not only perfectly designed for having fun outside all winter, but they are also sustainably made of mono material which means they are easy to recycle when they finally give up too! We have had Reima products for years and they are all still going strong so I don't think we will be testing that for a while.  (Some are on the third child and still look almost new)

My plans for the winter don't involve soft play passes and cinema tickets but instead thermos flasks and hand warmers.  I am hoping that our options stay open, but if not we are making sure we are prepared for a winter using our energy elsewhere.  My children bounce off the walls if we stay in all weekend but they can't if we take away the walls!  Time outdoors is good for their physical and mental health  The children are wearing Kulkija jackets and Sild trousers and despite the mud Finn covered his in, it looked perfectly clean again before we got home!  The trousers are waterproof and warm however if you sit in a puddle (as Finn did of course) the water could go in over the waistband.  As you can see from the pictures, my children don't hold back when it comes to mud and puddles so I think these are going to be vital this winter!

Read more ⇨

Finn and Cora at 4 and 5

As babies, Finn and Cora were so close.  Their bond was special from the beginning and once she learned to walk, they were more like twins, her desperate to be as big and capable as Finn, he lazy enough to let her keep up.  They potty trained together, they came out of a cot and into a bed at the same time, they started hitting milestones at the same time and they looked after each other, communicating in their own way.  Of course they squabbled too, but their bond was special and sweet.  

Finn started school last year and immediately things changed.  Not only were they suddenly apart for the majority of the time, he was learning and growing without her, making new friends and carving out a new side of his personality, one that was different and separate to us.  Suddenly we didn't know everything in his life anymore and the age gap between them stretched back out again, him growing so fast, her left behind.

This year Cora started school, one year behind Finn and desperate to be there with her big brother.  He was so excited to show her his school, to teach her how lunchtime works, to help her find her way in the playgrounds and I wondered whether it would change their ever evolving relationship again but of course Covid had other ideas and they are not allowed to mix at all at school as they are in separate bubbles.  

I have no doubt that Cora will start catching up with Finn and as they get older the age gap will seem smaller again.  I hope their friendship and bond stays though.  It is constantly changing as they grow and I find Finn can fight with her, but the moment someone else gets involved he is so protective of his sister.  He is so much taller than her, that the 16 months can look much bigger from the outside.  They are busy at the moment, developing their individual selves at school, making their own friends and their own decisions after sharing the same friendship group for so long and I hope that having the continuity and consistency they get from each other at home gives them confidence in new situations.

I never intended to have these two so close together but I am so glad I did.  It felt like I had two babies for a while as Finn wasn't walking yet when she was born but now they have similar interests and needs and they have a best friend at home.

Finn and Cora are both wearing Frugi clothing here which was sent to us as press samples

Read more ⇨

What the Kids are Wearing - Reima Sneakers

(Ad- Press Samples)

All 4 children ended up going back to their schools for some time at the end of term.  Dylan had 4 weeks of full time, Finn 3 weeks of part time, Archie got 4 days and Cora had 6 hours a week for a few weeks.  It has been difficult but they were all desperate to go back and it did them good.  Today is the last day of term though and the summer holidays is officially beginning for us.

After a strange few months, I think this summer is going to be quite different for us too as many of the things we usually do, like festivals are unable to open this year and we don't have many travel plans but we are looking forward to spending lots of time outdoors and getting as much 'normality' as we can whilst the sun is shining.  Some things have changed temporarily over this lockdown period and some things permanently. I hope that we continue to make the most of the beautiful area we live in and explore it further.

Reima let the children all pick some new trainers and it was no surprise to me when two of them went for pink.  For these mini explorers shoes need to be above all else practical, suitable for climbing and running and they don't want anything 'boring'.  I love the fact the same style crosses sizes so they all have matchy shoes, but the boys all have elastic laces and Cora has velcro.  The velcro sizes go from a  UK 6 to a UK 11 and the elastic sizes from a UK 11 to a UK 6.  As Dylan's feet grow at an astonishing rate it is nice to have easy shoes that fit him whilst most shops have moved on to a grown up style and real laces.  We also love that they are all machine washable!

I took a few photos of the children playing in their favourite place the other day, we met a friend there and the little ones loved borrowing her dog and taking him for walks.  (It is still a firm no to having our own though).  If you want to check out the Reima Sneakers then click through here

Now to look forward to an extra six weeks with these special little people of mine!

Read more ⇨

An Evening at the Beach

The sun has been shining and our little corner of the world is surrounded by beaches so we are usually able to find a quiet one.  We decided to head there on the afternoon of the Summer Solstice and celebrated the longest day of the year with a BBQ on the beach and a swim in the sea.  The children all chose some new sun wear  which was gifted from Reima and it was one of the best evenings we have had in a long time.

It was 9pm before I could peel them away from the water.  The beach had lost its appeal a bit in the past but I think the lockdown and the closing of a lot of places has made us all appreciate the nature around us a bit more.  I have seen people get more involved in their local forests, discover new fields and footpaths and get to know their areas more.  For us we have tried different beaches to normal to avoid any crowds and the children have rediscovered the love of the sand and the sea.  They have been much more confident in the water than before and I love watching their imaginations as they play in the sand.

Archie managed to find a dead fish which provided a lot of entertainment and discussion (basically a science lesson?) and they were all fascinated to prod and poke it and ask about how it had washed up here.  Finn and Cora loved climbing all over the rocks and Dylan wanted to be in the water all day and refused to take his shoes off.

The Reima swimwear is all UPF 50+ protected and I like the long sleeves option to know the boys are more protected.  All 4 children chose their own and Finn was so excited to see his pink top when it arrived.  Dylan is easy to spot in his bright orange and I love how you can see their personalities through their choices!

For my family, this is what this section of lockdown is all about.  Spending time together, enjoying each other, staying outdoors and in our own space but having the freedom to be here.  I have got into better habits of bringing all our own drinks and snacks after everything shut and it means we are spending less and have more freedom on where we go (the main sands have ice cream huts and chips etc but this beach doesn't have any food or drink ammenities).  I hope that when the children and I look back on this time, these are the memories that last.

Reima swimwear is available on their website and the sizing is best to base on their heights rather than ages.  (All the children are wearing the correct sizes for their height bracket but only two are in the correct age)

Read more ⇨