Brighton Haul - Boys Addition

Morning all,

As you will know from yesterdays post , it was a struggle to get the boys to do much trying on , so honestly we did not get as much as I was hoping. In fact most of Finley's items are guess work - although this is due to the fact the changing rooms are NOT on the kids floor in Primark! What is that about? 

I hope the websites are going to kinder to me in today's post though at least!

We started in Zara ...

Bermuda Shorts - Brads are in mint , although there are other colours available too. I might go back for more myself as now I know what size he is ( both my boys seem to have no waist which makes me very jealous indeed!)

Leaf Print Bermuda Trunks - Lime Green , also come in Turquoise. 

This I think is gorgeous. Finley wouldn't try it on though so I just grabbed a 4-5 & hope that it fits! Mao Collar Shirt.

I had to take Finley to the baby boy section for his shorts. I think the colour of these Twill Bermuda Shorts ( apple green) is gorgeous. They do have other colours on the website but I couldn't see any in store. I think I for see a huge Zara online haul coming up don't you?

Then after a quick McDonalds ( I know , dire but it kept the smalls happy after having to try clothes on,) we headed to Next.

Vest Pyjamas 2 pack - These were a huge hit with Bard purely for the Basketball theme going on! 

Both pairs of jean are the pull on kind. I cannot find the top pair but here is the 2nd pair , which comes in a dark wash too.

It started to go downhill in H&M so...

...we just came away with these. I want to call them Chinos but actually the website is saying Twill Trousers. Relaxed Fit!

Last stop, for Fin only where it was mainly guess work ,l although we did get him to at least try on a pair of the chinos & the jeans ( in the middle of the shop because we could not be bothered to go down in the lift with an armful of clothes to find an actual fitting room!) Of course , as most will probably know the Primark site is rubbish so I will just pop the prices under the photos for you instead. I am nice like that! Everything is the Rebel label apart from the Minion Shirt.

Chinos £5. 

Cuff Leg Jeans - £6

Minion Tee £4

Chimp tee & the Pirate tee both £3 each

Check shorts- £6

Denim Shorts - £6

There was so many lovely things but the boys just were not in the mood & this put me off thinking about photographing anything else!! Like I say , I will have a trip on my own soon.

Thank you so much for reading

See you soon
 

Brighton Haul

 Hi all,

On Saturday we went on a family expedition to Brighton - Bank Holiday Weekend, not really sure why I thought it a good idea! Brad at 11 hates going anywhere far from his laptop & most of all hates shopping. Asking him to try anything is like you have asked him the worst thing ever. He walked round pretty much permanently with his pre-teen sulk face on , whilst 3 year old Fin was also in a stinker of a mood & pretty much refused to try anything on at all. To say I came home completely frazzled is an understatement to be honest. 

Both boys were appeased when we went for a quick walk a long the seafront ( Finley by fairground type rides & ice cream & Brad by the ice cream he hadn't actually wanted but soon changed his mind when he saw Fin's.)

I was quite pleased to get Fin to bed & then get the foot bath out for a much need sore feet restoration session. 

Anyway , as is the norm I go way off topic so let us begin ...

Let's start with Zara because that is were our journey started anyway. I saw lots of lovely things although I did forget to go look at a pair of shoes I had been interested in. My problem was that it was a case of in & try thing on as quick as poss before the 3 year old kicks off.

Zara Basics. These trousers are so lovely but I am failing to find then on the website. Very light pink in colour ( which is terrifying with a small child AND a dog! ) but such a change from black or blue. They have a lovely pattern on them which I really should have taken a photo of to show you too. Priced at £29.99. 

I tried these & they would have been lovely a size up but they did not have them in stock.  They have a cargo look about them but in skinny form. I am hating Zara website today. I must be tired as I cannot find anything. I think these were £29.99 again though. If I could find them I would order them in a size up as I adored these. Gutted I had to put them back. They did have other colours but I liked the green very much.

I did try a nice blue shirt on that had little anchors dotted all over it too. No pic as now Blogger is being a pain & won't let me upload It and SURPRISE I can't find it on the website. I loved it though but it was a medium & whilst it fitted OK I was not 100% sure I would be happy with it so I left it. If I ever find it again I will be sure to share the link. Times like this I wish I could drink wine!

Next stop was at Pull & Bear. Another location I could have added everything to my basket. Sadly though I came out with just 1 item.

I loved this cropped denim t-shirt but as with Zara they did not seem to have this on my size either :-(. I am not complaining too much mind because it was struggling to do up over my bust so this pleased me much :-)! The Printed Bedouin Trousers I love too & brought home with me. I have so many tops that I can pair this with - although I may have to look into getting this top in my size too if I can as I think they do go well together.

This was nice but again too small & I had got bored by then of trying things on so couldn't be bothered to go & find my size. I love the different shape of this compared to others like it. The rounding off looks amazing. Annoyingly I can't find this for you on the website though :-(.I think it was around £23 though but that is a guess only.I might take a trip back to Brighton soon, on my own & have another look in store. 

As with any shopping trip I went into H&M too. It is a big favourite of mine. I usually know my size very well & I came away with everything I tried on.

Playsuit - these companies do not like me. Another item I cannot find for you online. This blog post is a disaster. I am so sorry. This play suit was £12.99

Lace Dress - whilst the thought of wearing white fills me with all kinds of horror, I could not resist trying this on. I had to size up from 14 to 16 but for such a pretty dress I don't mind.

Jeans - £14.99. I struggle to find jeans. Always have done. I am so short ( a mere 5" 1 ) so very hard even in today's climate of the petite ranges. Today though I seemed to have much more success. These from H&M are so-o soft! I loved them as soon I stepped into them. As is the norm though they are a bit long but a quick turn up soon sorts that out nicely.

Next stop "Gap" & again I hit jackpot with Jeans! This really is unheard of & will probably not happen again. Oh & to make things feel even better everything was 30% off! 

Sexy Boyfriend Jeans.The photo does not do them justice. Despite having a fantastic sized changing room compared to anywhere else that day I did not take advantage of this & thus I look even shorter than I actually am. I did not think I would ever find a pair of Boyfriend jeans to suit me so yay me!

Basic tee - Nothing special about it but I love basic items like this in my wardrobe.

Last 2 stops took me to Primark & then Boots.

5 of their basic vest tops in various colours/ patterns. At £2.50 each they are a bargain. Used by usually as a layer underneath other items but great on their own too when the weather allows. I may go back for more as these will be perfect for our Spanish holiday. 

Estee Lauder "Bronze Goddess" perfume is my most favourite scent ever! Limited edition so whilst I am meant to be on a ban, this had to be bought for fear of selling out before I could get it again ( it is already sold out on Estee Lauder website & I could not find it online at Boots.)It really is the most amazing scent I have ever owned. I have never before bought the same perfume twice as I usually like to try lots of new ones. This I cannot resist. I got complimented on it in Gap & when I told the sales girl what it was she said she had tried that the day before & thought she recognised the scent. It was lovely to be complimented on it.

Blurb from the website as I can't do the notes of a perfume ever - *A sensuous, sun-drenched blend of Bergamot, warm Amber, Tiare Flower and Vanilla combined with delicious creamy Coconut.*

Thank you for reading

What I Wore This Week || Up to 03/05/14

Morning all,

I am feeling a tad fed up. I don't really know why . A constant headache over last weekend did not help especially as we are in the process of trying to get 3 year old Fin back to sleeping through. i thought maybe having the goal of getting dressed & doing some OOTD would be quite nice. Something else to think about & a chance to wear things not yet worn as well as things i have not worn in ages. I then decided to do a weeks worth in one post.

Sundays outfit for a chilled out day  ( which still involved housework...Hmmm!)

Jeans/Jeggings - H&M (last years but similar?)
Jersey Top - H&M
Shirt - Zara ( I think this was in the sale but this looks lovely too!)
Shoes - Converse
Hair Clip ( bow ) - New Look ( mine ones no longer on website but try this one.)

My outfit for Monday was for the pre-school coffee morn for which I baked a ( very popular I might say) Lemon Drizzle Cake.

Dress - Zara ( sale item / no longer on website.)
Vest - Primark basic range
Leggings - Very (Savoir)
Cardigan - H&M
Boots - Clark ( old but these & these look fab .)

Tuesdays offering was met with " you're still in your pjs Mummy!" from the say it like it is Fin! Coffee( well tea due to headache) with friends on the agenda for this morning. ) Mind you , I also had to clean out the fridge ( it's all rock n roll ladies) so not sure it was the outfit for doing that.

Trousers - New Look ( These are a good 2 years old though so cannot find these ones. You could try these & what about these too?)
T-Shirt - Store 21. ( these were 2 for £4 I think. Not the best quality but do the job none the less. There were lots of other colours too. Gap though have a nice basic range too.
Cardigan - M&S ( Again this is around 2 years old  so not on the website. You can't go wrong with H&M though. I have several including this red one. If you wanted to stick with M&S though there is a nice Hot Pink one that I have my eye on too.
Footwear - Skechers ( I can't find this particular pair. They do these which are very similar & hopefully as comfy as I find mine. They do Natural as well as black too. )
Bag - Radley ( Again no sign on their website but they have other cross-body type bags on there. There is an array of other colours in this one.
My hair clip from New Look as before.

The pattern on my trousers. 

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I couldn't get Wednesdays pic right at all to the point I nearly gave up. Hubby took a load for me but all were blurred & no chance to re-take before he went to work. My mirror it was then & actually after a few takes this worked better than I thought & the plus side was you did not have to look at my messy hair & make-up free face.
It was Mummy uniform today as other than school run & chores , there was not much excitement to be had unless you call cleaning out the freezer excitement - still living that dream eh Ladies? I do have a cake to bake too, chocolate at Brads request. Oh I have noticed an unintended H&M theme today.

Jeans ( slim fit) - Zara ( new but not on the website.)
Jersey Vest - H&M
Top - H&M ( this top is actually a few years old .Nothing similar at H&M right now but tops with a little grey stripe going on are here , here ( a sweater but still love it) & here
Cardigan - H&M ( I can't find my exact one but the Fine-Knit Cardi is nice too.
Shoes - Converse Hi Tops
Bag - New Look ( ancient but a perfect just nipping out to school run & throwing my phone & keys into. Strap is a bit long though but this I can deal with. Had a look for something that could do the job too here & I love this one too!

Thursdays offering is very uninspired. Another day of chores/ running round for school/ basketball practice etc blah! The weather is abs terrible & NOW to help matters worse this photo does not want to stay where I am trying to put it in order of the days. I may just cry, but 1st I will get the child to pre-school & have a cheeky coffee on my return. maybe by then the frustration will have gone?

Anyway jeans are from H&M ( same ones I wore on Sunday. So still no sign on the website as they were last year buy but you can find an alternative by going to Sunday & following the link.
My vest is my new one by Brave Soul from the Very website. I love this, giving a small pop of colour in a very drab day.
My cardigan of choice is an oldie from Next. To be honest I am so warm & as I will be going round to pre-school in the car I have no need for a rain coat ( thankful for small things as I would melt) & so this will suffice. I quite like this though as an alternative.
Shoes are Skechers ( see Tuesday) & I am using the same bag from Thursday but I forgot to include that. Yes its that kind of day!

Nearly the weekend ladies & gents. Another day of errands ahead - the joys of being a stay at home Mummy! Today we have the kids passports to get sent off as well as a ton of shopping & later on today , much to 11 year old Brads dismay, a haircut. Right now he resembles Captain Caveman ( who remembers him or I am just really old?)
Today's ensemble seems to be brought to you today almost entirely from Next!

Top - Next - I've actually had this for a couple of months but only just plucked up the courage to wear it. I am terrified of white or cream clothes so never wear them. Today I think I have only braved it as it is layered under my...
Jumper - also Next. This was actually bought when the huge store 1st opened in Shoreham a couple of years ago so no longer on the website. This one from AX Paris looks quite a close match though.
Skirt - H&M
Leggings - Next
 Bag - Accessorize
Scarf -  Next 

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Boots - Joe Browns . Grab them quick because they are currently in the clearance section!

Saturday! A day of shopping in Brighton with all 3 boys. Was I mad? Yes I think I was tbh! 11 year old Brad HATES shopping & always has done so walked round with his pre-teen face on all day. Finley at 3 is also in his own Tweenager state & refused to try much on at all. Frazzled I most definitely was by the end of the day. Hauls coming in the next couple of days of what we bought but here is what I wore for our trip.

Top - New Look (SS14) I thought I would starte embracing a bit more white into my wardrobe. Quite frankly I am terrified!
Blazer - New Look (SS14.) I usually struggle with Blazers as I find them too hot & actually struggle to find anything that fits well. This ticked both those boxes. The fit was ideal AND it is quite thin & so was perfect for keeping me warm 1st thing in Brighton but not too hot for inside the shops.
Trousers - New Look ( see Tuesdays photo.)
Shoes - Skechers ( worn this week several times. So comfy & perfect for the shopping trip because of that!)
Bag - Radley ( see Tuesday again.)
Sunnies - Ralph Lauren
Hair Clip & Necklace - New Look. Sorry neither seem to be found on the website. This necklace almost looks the same though.

Banana Republic Haul || Did I Keep Or Return?

Good Morning My Lovelies!

So, there I was on Monday , totally minding my own business, when an advert popped up on a blog I was reading from Banana Republic. My eye was caught by one of the tops on the advert & so over I went to the Banana Republic website for a quick nosy! Well we know that window shopping is really not my strength & I found myself receiving a package from them on Thursday morning containing 3 new tops :-/. Can I just add though, it was all sale items. This makes me feel a tad less naughty! I may have to go out & push over a granny or something to appease this guilt ( I did not do this btw! What kind of person do you think I am??!)

I have not actually ever really bought anything from Banana Republic before so was not quite sure whether my sizing's would be a little off & I would have to return it all anyway. So, a quick try on session about 20 mins before I was due to head out & pick up Fin from pre-school ensued. Here are the resulting items/photos.

Windowpane Peplum Top. I paid £16.99. Its usual price is £49.50 but right this minute it is actually £14.99!
This was the top that caught my eye in the ad. I love the peplum style tops , although actually sadly they don't seem to have the same love for me. I adore this pattern. Not something I would maybe veer towards usually. Reminds me a little of Rupert Bears trousers ,although that is not look I am aiming for. It has a zip at the back that goes down as far as the peplum , which I really like too. For once I find the peplum style suiting me just fine. I love the fit of this. I went for a 16 as I do find the peplum does come up a little smaller on me. Its a perfect fit.
If you wanted to be adventurous ( which I am not ) then you could buy the matching ankle pants. Reduced to £29.99 from £59.50.

Bold Stripe Sleeveless Blouse. £24.99. Usually £49.50. Mine is in Riviera Blue. There is also a Wild Orchid version. They do only have size 6s left though.  I got this in a 14 & it fits just right on me. Not much else to say but yes I love it. 

Linen Button Shoulder Tee. £19.99. Usually £29.50. This is in Green Heather , although just looks grey to me. This is sold out online although do have a medium left in the Striped Linen version. They only had this one in medium too so was taking a bit of a gamble. I do think if a large had been for the taking then I would have gone that way but actually this fits just fine anyway.

So, basically then I am keeping it all! Hurrah! I am so pleased with all of it.
Thanks for reading. See you again soon

Brand Focus || Joe Browns

I have been a long time fan of the Joe Browns range. Down to the colourful array of their clothing & accessories that can brighten up the bleakest of weather. Also I generally downsize what I buy as I find they can come up a little big. I don't own much atm from the range apart from a pair of black ankle boots & a couple of cami vests that have long been relegated to bedtime wear only.

But love them I do so when this....

Popped though my door on Wednesday I could not help but have a peek. I decided to share with you some of my favourites from the catalogue.

Before I forget if you quote code CB1404GX then there is free delivery & returns until the 28th May. 

On with my selection then.

Beautiful Blossom Sun Dress £34.95. Code LD881a. Currently in a buy 2 dresses get £10 off deal. 

Fabulous Floral Wedge £22.95. Code LF362a.

Gorgeous Garden Party Dress £34.95. Code LD580a. Also in the 2 dresses get £10 off. This is my favourite of what I have seen today by far.

Basilica Dress £44.95. Code LD532a.

Make A Statement Daisy Necklace £22.95. Code BJ575a.

Funky T Bar Wedge £29.95. Code LF364a.

Floral Weekender £39.95. Code AD399a.

Carefully Crocheted Sweater £34.95. Code LK333a. I do like this but actually think it would make me hot whenever I wore it though.

Lastly a shout out to a few of the items on the Womens Outlet on their website. Of course by the time you read this some things may be out of stock etc so bear that in mind.

Coconut Grove Shirt £14.95 (Was £29.95.)

Singing Owl Dress £19.95 ( Was £29.95.) I love Owls so if this does not go into my basket it will be because they don't have my size!

Essential Studded Boots £15.95 (was £39.95.) 

Luscious Linen Jacket £19.95 ( was £39.95.) Love this but they don't have my size! Boo!!

Alpine Cardigan £16.95 ( was £34.95.) This is really cute AND they have my size still!

So, well done if you made it through the whole post. I hope you found this a little bit of interest. Let me know if there are any more brands you would like me to focus on. Seriously , I love sitting here sifting through things on websites so I am happy to do it!

See you again soon

Ps. Yes some damage was done to my credit card. Want to see the haul when it comes?