Zulily Review And Competition

When I was asked to review zulily the online store that brings you daily designer deals for kids at discount prices, I jumped at the chance.

With the sun blazing it was time to get the toddler a trendy new outfit to struct his stuff in.

Here’s what he wore while attending a summer barbecue and chilling with his little buddies all courtesy of Zulily.

I love Harley in yellow and this Funky Monkey tee did him a treat. He loves the cool motorbike image that is printed on both the front and the back. The shorts are also very cool! My younger brother (now in his late twenties) was a huge Batman fan and he would have love these back in the day! That’s why I’m calling these Harley’s new retro shorts.

As for the hoody, its incredibly smart and fashionable but as you may have guessed, a little to on the warm side to be wearing it just yet. I’m sure this will get loads of wear during the colder english months to come.

Sadly I was unable to get some great images of the front of his outfit as he was far to busy engaged in his play session with he’s cousins… Yes, it’s hard work trying to photograph a lively 3 year old boy when he has a sand pit and push along car in front of him.

So now for some exciting news! Zulily’s have kindly offered one of my readers the chance to bag themselves a £20 voucher to send on a deal of there choice over on the Zulily site.

But firstly here’s a bit more about Zulily and how it all works…

Zulily was founded by two dads when they couldn’t find unique clothes for their children at affordable prices… You can read the Zulily story here!
They are a members only site that generally has 30-90% of the retail prices on today’s children’s fashion.
They run around 8-10 events a day
and work with smaller, boutique brands as well as bigger brands so there is literally something for everyone’s taste.

What’s more as a member (which is free) You can earn zulily credit through referring your friends – £10 per friend referred once their first order ships. Now that’s what I call an Incentive!

Zulily also have a monthly Cuties Instagram competition, which is featured on there blog. I regularly enter this one as they have some fabulous prizes up for grabs and some fun monthly themes.

They also have an iPhone app that you can find HERE

So… Lets get this competition started! Fancy winning a Zulily voucher for the value of £20? Of course you do!!

To be in with a chance of winning answer the compulsory question below…

… Just tell me what fashion means to you and your little ones! Are you an anything goes kinda mum? Maybe you only do designer or maybe you just don’t care as long as they are clean and comfortable your happy! Just tell me by commenting in the comments section below.

For extra chances to win just do any or all of the following.

Tweet… “I want to win a £20 Zulily Voucher with @Clairelouise82 and @Zulily adding the URL to this competition.

Pin the competition on Pinterest

Use any of the share buttons below excluding email and like it buttons.

Follow @Clairelouise82 on twitter

Follow @Zulily on twitter.

Important… Please leave a separate comment for each action you carry out and one extra entry for each action will be added into the final draw.

It’s as simple as that… Good luck everyone.

Terms & Conditions

Competition open to UK residents only. Closes on the 4th September 2013 at 11.59pm. Email or twitter handle must be left with all comments to ensure I can contact you in the event that you win. Prize will be sent by Zulilys so your address will need to be passed to them via myself. Winner has a total of 72 hours to claim their prize from the time of winning notification being given.

Back to school with Matalan

I love Matalan, it was where I brought the children’s school uniform last year and having been so pleased with it, it’s where I brought them again this year.

Considering I brought the uniform so late in month, I was actually surprised to be able to get one at all.

With two weeks to go, I headed to Matalan to get Alice her uniform. Admittedly they had every single size of school dress but one… Alice’s of course! Nonetheless they did still have plenty of school skirts in stock and at £6 and £5 each these we a bargain.

A round up of what I brought

1x Grey pleated skirt size 10-11 £5
1x Grey skirt 10-11 with small flower £6
2x White girls 10-11 polo shirts in sets of 2 set £6 each set (£12)
1x Girls black 5 pack of tights £4

The white polo shirts come in sets of 2. They feature the same flower detail as the shirt which is very discreet yet still gives it that feminine touch.I found that At £6 per set of 2 was a really good value. For just £12 I had 4 really good quality polo shirts.

The skirts are really pretty, they are both well cut and a good length. Alice-Sara loves the grey skirt with flower pattern where’s I’m more into the pleated look.

Alice-Sara started back at school just yesterday and wore the grey pleated skirt.Once she was home and changed I washed both the white polo shirt and following this her grey skirt. Both washed well. There was no bobbling on either garment and nothing shrunk. Again very good value for money.

Everything I brought listed above, came to a grand total of £27.

I’ll be returning to Matalan next week in the hope of grabbing a couple of their pinafore dresses. These were really very pretty but sadly very popular too as they didn’t have any stock in Alice-Sara’s size.

Matalan did have plenty of designs and colours to choose from in both the girls and boys department. They stocked a good selection of school shoes, as well as other everyday school essentials such as, Lunch boxes, PE kits, Backpacks, and more.

You can check out the Matalan back to school range online or at your local Matalan store.

Do It Right… Be A Knight

Checkout the little handsome chap below…

That’s my son you know…

Adorable, wouldn’t you agree?

Such a big boy now… Drinking from his big boy cup!

And guess what? His also a brave young hero… Just like Mike the Knight

Mike the Knight was first brought to our screens last November by CBeebies and is already proving to be a raving success. Mike now has a great fan base which includes my two-year old “Harley” as you can see from his impressive tee.

Harley’s very cute t-shirt is exclusive to Tescos for the great price of a fiver.

It features the hero himself Mike the knight as well as one of his dragon companions ‘Squirt’ and the funky little quote “Be a knight do it right”

As you can see from the pictures the t-shirt arrived at the perfect time what with the beautiful weather we’ve been experiencing lately. Of course this also meant there was lots of outdoor action. Seriously the garden can become a very messy place to play, especially when melting ice lollies and blue ice cream (seriously blue…) are thrown in the mix!

I’m not the type of mother who freaks out if the toddler gets a bit messy… It’s what kids do. I do however feel disappointed if their clothing fails to meet the standards expected when they come out the washer. Thankfully the use of good detergent removed any traces of garden and the t-shirt really washes well… No bubbles, peeling or shrinking… Perfect (nothing worse than your child screaming to wear something that has half it’s transfer missing)!

The above for me indicates that lots of wear will be had from the toddlers new tee and that for me confirms it to be great value for money.

Whats more the toddler loves it! His been dashing round the garden all afternoon singing the words of the very catchy Mike the Knight theme tune.

Plus he looks dapper (I can’t believe I just said dapper)!

So be sure to… “Do it right be a knight” when dressing your little Mike the Knight fans this summer… and get yourselves of to Tescos.

For full details of the exclusive new range visit Tescos online

Plus I’ve also heard that Mike the Knight himself will be visiting selected Tesco stores for meet and greets in celebration of the new range of toys and clothing. To find out if his coming to a store near you, visit Mike the Knight on Twitter or the Mike the Knight Facebook page

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and I have not been paid to write this review. The toddler did receive a T-shirt free of charge so that I could share my honest opinions with my readers

The SKEANIE shoe review and competition

As a mother to a growing toddler I know the importance of obtaining a good fitting shoe for my little monsters developing feet

So, when the guys at SKEANIE shoes contacted me asking if I’d like to review a pair of their beautiful shoes and run a competition (which I’ll come to in a bit) I was very willing to uptake the offer and put these much talked about shoes to the test.

SKEANIE shoes & boots are beautifully hand-crafted in the softest of leather (eco-leather). They have been specially designed to nurture and protect your little ones feet

SKEANIE shoes understand how delicate and soft our little ones feet are and how this therefore makes them more prone to damage from abnormal pressure caused by ill-fitting shoes

I read some really interesting information and facts on the SKEANIE’s website as well as discovering some really beautifully crafted shoes and boots, such as these trendy little loafers that I had to have for my 2 year old toddler, ‘Harley’

Yes, these are the business and very affordable at £34.99. Plus having used the printable sizing chart that SKEANIE’s provide on its website, these fit him perfectly.

Here’s what SKEANIE’s state…

“As well as providing room for natural growth, SKEANIE’s soft soled shoes allow sensory feedback from the ground, which is especially important for little ones learning to walk and getting to know their surroundings. Research shows that young ones who wear flat, soft soled shoes have improved proprioception, balance and foot and ankle strength”

I can honestly say that these shoes are incredibly soft and I’ve not heard a complaint from the toddler while wearing these (no rubbing or friction whatsoever)!

The quality of the shoe is fabulous, plus they are incredibly trendy too. Since Harley has been wearing these beautiful shoes I’ve received such lovely comments from others stating how lovely and smart they look.

Excuse the mop of hair lol

One of my favourite features is how the back of the shoe is elasticated which allows them to expand throughout the day. This is a fantastic feature because as many of you will already know our feet expand as the day wears on.

I just wished I knew about SKEANIE shoes years ago. My son with Aspergers who is now 11 years old used to has a real issue with shoes and socks for sensory reasons! Given the choice my son would rather walk bare foot up the street if given the chance, either this or for support he ties his laces so tight they almost cut of the blood supply. He was also a tip toe walker for a while during his toddler days, which hasn’t done his toes any favours! I think SKEANIE shoes would have been perfect for his needs.

So, there you have it! It seems that SKEANIE shoes have thought of everything when it comes to designing the perfect shoe for the littlest feet!

I think they are truly awesome and would recommend them highly.

Fancy giving SKEANIE shoes a try? Then your in luck as SKEANIE are offering “A boy with Aspergers” readers the chance to WIN a pair of their choice.

How to enter!

Compulsory actions: Like the SKEANIE Facebook page.

Visit the SKEANIE online store & Leave a blog comment telling me that you liked the facebook page and which pair of shoes you would like to win.

NOTE: SKEANIE Infant range is designed for babies from birth up to three years, while the junior range can be worn by children from six months and older (up to a size 28) Refer to the SKEANIE Sizing Chart for exact measurements.

Extra entries: Remember to leave a separate comment for each action taken.

Tweet: “I want to win a pair of SKEANIE shoes with @clairelouise82”

Use any of the share buttons below

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Give clairelouise82 a klout in blogging

Please leave an email or twitter handle so I can contact you in the event that you win.

Competition will be open for just one week so I suggest u all hurry 🙂

Closing date: 31st May 2012 (midnight)

T&C: UK only, all rules must be abided for entry to be valid. Contact must be left when entering and winner must respond within one week to claim there prize. For more info on terms and conditions please refer to the “PR and Disclaimer” section of this blog.

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write the review but did receive a sample pair of shoes as to provide my honest opinion. All views are that of my own.

Be Stylish, Be-Scene

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned on here before, how we live in an accident hotspot! Seriously, we live on a main road and on this main road there has been a very large number of road traffic accidents whether car on car collisions or accidents involving pedestrians being hit when crossing.

Sadly many of these accidents have involved children and even worse have been fatal! I’ve seen a number of lives lost right outside my door.

Yes, we have traffic lights, unfortunately these are not always used and not so long ago a school child lost their life at a green light.

Of course this scares me, I’m a mother, its my job to worry! Thankfully my eldest gets transport to school and my daughter has no reason to use the main road as the route to school doesn’t require her to use it. Nonetheless, she still crosses two small roads on route to school!

 Kids One Stop Shop (which I’ll explain a little more about in a bit) introduced me to an awesome brand with an amazing idea. The brand called, “B-Scene” is a unique company that has designed a range of children’s wear with a difference! This is a company that puts safety into fashion.

B-Scene is a revolutionary new clothing brand to the childrens-wear market which has been developed with a built-in safety aspect to help prevent horrific road accidents and potentially save children’s lives.

 We were sent an B-Scene duffel coat for my daughter that has this built-in safety feature! Basically the coats pink and brown check design has a hidden feature that can only be seen in the dark when a light is shone in its direction… i.e., car head lights.

The coat has reflective stripes woven into it, that reflect the light, kind of like the jackets and vest you find the police, dustman, lollypop man or workmen wearing. This is a great feature especially during the winter months when the days are shorter and children are at higher risk when walking or commuting home from school.

What’s great about the duffle coat that the “Kids One Stop Shop” Sent my daughter to try out, is the fact it’s really stylish and you can’t see the reflective stripes in the daylight (well, not unless you look super hard). It’s a lovely pink and brown check, it’s quilted throughout making it extremely warm (so, I’ve been told) plus it has a super soft fluffy fur hood. The Coat fits Alice-Sara really well and will last another winter for sure. It also has an inside pocket for her MP3 player. Note, my daughter understands that she shouldn’t be listening to her MP3 player when crossing the road!

I was super impressed with the quality of this beautiful coat, as-well as the clever innovative idea behind it! Would I buy this type of thing? Yes, without a doubt! These garments are high visibility to drivers but children can still be trendy and not stand out from the crowd, I honestly think it’s a genius idea

Here’s what the company behind the idea have to say about their B-Scene collection.

B-Scene views the increasing problem of road traffic accidents across the UK involving children so seriously that we are working in close conjunction with Brake charity, the government road safety organisation and local councils to help raise awareness and look at methods of prevention for the future.

Now, here’s some need to know information!

The B-Scene Girl’s duffle Coat is available in sizes 3-4 through to sizes 9-10 its priced at £44.99 and a version for boys is also available (see picture above)! 

However if you buy this same coat via The Kids One Stop Shop you can obtain a code that gets you the lovely B-Scene duffle coat at a remarkable £22.50 Thats a massive 50% discount!

If you’re a parent it’s totally worth checking out Kids One Stop Shop! Founded by Wendy Mother to 3 year old daughter Lilly, she has created a place that suits all parents, whether you want to sell or buy pre loved items from kidswear, ladies wear, DVDs, toys, baby equipment and more, there’s bound to be something to catch your eye! Plus you can check out the many brands using the site, and therefore find some top discounts on items like that of the B-Scene duffle coat. If that’s not great in itself, there’s also event listings for your area, plus a news section and somewhere to gain parental advice. It really is a fantastic website, catering for all them parenting needs. If it wasn’t for Kids One Stop Shop I probably wouldn’t have discovered B-Scene and their great range of kids safety wear!

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out “Kids One Stop Shop” HERE and you can visit the B-Scene website by clicking HERE  To obtain the reduction code for the coat In particular (which is also available for boys) just click HERE!

A BabyBlooms Bouquet Review

The 22nd February was a day full of celebrations, when my sister gave birth to a beautiful 7lbs 7oz baby boy, one week before her due date of the 29th February 2012.

I had been contemplating for a while on what to get her, I wanted it to be a special gift, something for both her and the baby, a gift she would always remember.

A few weeks before the birth I discovered BabyBlooms a great UK brand who offered a selection of beautiful bouquets with a difference.

These are not just any beautiful put together bouquet, made up of flowers that despite their beauty, will eventually wilt and die, Babyblooms, can be treasured forever!

Each one of BabyBlooms Bouquets have been made up of both stunning silk flowers and a selection of baby garments that have been placed in the bouquet as to resemble delicate roses. These really do look fantastic and on visiting the website for the first time, I actually didn’t notice that some of the flowers within the Bouquets were in fact baby garments carefully rolled into rose buds.

I was lucky enough to be asked to review the “Small Blue Bouquet” and couldn’t wait for its arrival so that I could surprise my sister in the hope of cheering her up a little (no mother to be likes them drawn out, last few days, waiting around for a baby to make its appearance)!

I, however didn’t have to wait long at all! BabyBlooms provided a swift delivery of a very well presented bouquet.

Unable to wait them last few weeks for this little bubba to make his appearance, I presented my sister with her surprise that same afternoon. The small blue bouquet was beautifully concealed in a pretty presentation box with personalised card and the lovely addition of a big blue ribbon.

To say she loved it would be an understatement, in fact everybody loved it, including me! The bouquet itself had been so beautifully put together with silk foliage, velvet leaves, freesias and stunning delicate silk roses, all held together with pretty organza and a silk cream ribbon. It was so pretty my sister and myself felt a little wrong in removing the clothing garments that were so well presented to resemble roses. On unravelling the items we were presented with a cute baby reversible hat and matching mittens, plus five pairs of tiny blue socks.

This is a truly a lovely gift to give to someone special to celebrate the birth of a new baby. The bouquet was all it had promised to be, yet so much more! The images on the Babybloom’s website really do look great, however, these are so much more stunning in real life. I’d defiantly use them again as I’d have the comfort of knowing I was giving someone I care about a really beautiful gift.

The small blue bouquet can be brought for £26 but prices do vary depending on the size and contents of the bouquet (these can even be made up of babygrows) designs also come in a selection of colours for both boy and girl (natural colours are also availably in case those expecting the baby have not discovered the babies sex)!

Another gift I have planed, is one with a very personal touch, a hand decorated and filled, ‘Mother & Baby’ basket, finished in beautiful satin blue check ribbon. I’m hoping to have it finished later on today, and I’ll be sure to pin a picture on Pinterest of my creation (given it comes out as expected that is)!

Lastly, how can I not finish with a picture of my beautiful nephew ‘Riley’ at not even a full day old! Just looking at him made me want to suggest babies to the other half, though thinking back to my last pregnancy, a totally horrid one, plus remembering how quick they grow up, I quickly snap out of it and return to a non broody state of well-being. (Below my daughter giving new bubba a longed for hug)!

WOW, isn’t he just adorable! Congratulations to my beautiful baby sister ‘Charlotte’ and her partner ‘Aaron’… you did good!

Check out the BabyBlooms website Here or visit them over on Facebook Here

Related articles

• Yes, Every Bride Can Create a DIY Wedding Bouquet (proflowers.com)

I Judged The Argos Find The Face Competition

As some of you may already know, I was recently asked to join the judging panel for the ‘Find the face of the new Argos kidswear’ competition that was taking place at the ideal home shows christmas spectacular at Earls Court London a few Saturdays ago.

 I had been sent all the images of the chosen 40 finalist (20 girls and 20 boys between the ages of 4-10) in preparation for the big day. I have to admit that the standard of competition was pretty high up there, I was defiantly going to need to meet these Little people in the flesh before coming to any kind of decision, which understandable would prove to be extremely difficult.

The 40 fabulous finalist 

 As mentioned in my last post on the subject, the winners (one boy and one girl) would not only become the face of the new Argos Kidwear range but would also bag themselves a years modelling contract with the fabulous modelling and talent agency ‘Alphabet Kidz’ along with a whole other host of awesome treats. 

 Considering the above, I would think that, “Yes, this would be a big deal for some of these children and their families.” It felt totally weird knowing I was going to play some part in this huge decision that could possibly be a life changing experience for these kids.

 I’ve worked with a number of brands, I’ve attended some great events from festivals with the children to dinners and conferences with other bloggers. I’ve done a number of in-depth product reviews and run some pretty fabulous competitions! However, I’ve never quite done anything on this scale before! This was so totally new to me. Nonetheless, I was overly excited and as always love the challenge of something new.

 I think its great that Argos called in a judge who is completely independent to the company or that of the modelling agency, a judge who would be completely impartial when making a decision. Honestly this decision wasn’t an easy one, it was such a tough job and I  think we all wanted to pick them all (well, I certainly did)!

 I arrived at the Ideal Home Show Christmas Event with my 8 years old daughter Alice-Sara and my good friend Donna around 2.30pm.

 Unfortunately we had got off the tube a stop to early then walked the wrong way, and despite making it within plenty of time, I had endured Alice-Sara’s constant whining and struggled to cope with the horrid pain caused by the monster heels that graced my throbbing feet!

 The front of the exhibition centre had been transformed into something of a winter wonderland! Giant white christmas trees with twinkling lights lit the entrance, Christmas music played, and on entering the exhibition centre I was covered in a layer of glittering white snow (well, not real snow of course but pretty close)! It was all so magical and made it that bit easier to fall into the Christmas way of things. 

My daughter Alice-Sara checking out the Christmas Tree at the Ideal Home Show 

 Inside I was taken aback by the sheer size of the place, despite living in London, I really haven’t had the pleasure of visiting the exhibition centre before. 

 Despite the size of the place, it was extremely busy on our arrival so we quickly headed for the catwalk where the final would play out. Everyone was incredible friendly, Alice Sara loved it, she especially liked her Argos badge that she even took to school on the Monday (god knows what she did with it once she got it there). The badge allowed her to come backstage with mum and say hi to all the lovely finalist. It was here I meet my fellow judges, a buyer from the Argos kids range and 2 representatives from Alphabet Kidz. I was given a press pack and after a few minutes I took my place at the end of the catwalk with my fellow judges.

 Seriously this was one hell of a tough task and I couldn’t do it everyday(hats of to Alphabet kidz)! I can honestly say that all the children were totally and utterly amazing! The children walked the catwalk in pairs before engaging in a short interview with the presenter, who is used to the cameras given she’s one of the presenters from the Argos TV channel, the same channel that the two winners will also get the privilege to feature on once they become the adorable faces of the new Argos kidswear range. 

Me (middle) & my fellow judges. Check out them shoes.

 As mentioned the children came out and did their thing in pairs, First the girls and lastly the boys. They weren’t on stage all that long but it was defiantly long enough to get a taster of their personalities. I was quite surprised as a couple who I had ashamed would be quite confident, were more shy and reserved (shows never judge a book by its cover) nonetheless this was in no means a bad thing, I just think it proves that an image alone can’t always give you the full picture. The decision was a hard one and a couple of the kids gave me a big smile when they reached the end of the catwalk and were stood right before me. Every time it happen I found the decision-making process that bit more overwhelming.

Above some of the awesome finalist take to the catwalk like a duck to water

 Lucky for me, the fellow judges and I were on an even par as we had all chosen at least half of our top 6 girls and top 6 boys to be the same which made whittling it down to the 2 winners a little easier.

What a beautiful photo, how proud must their parents be!

 The remaining ten were then announced as the runners-up, all receiving an awesome goody bag.

Above: Some of the final ten and the Argos TV presenter 

And our winning two? 

 These were…

Girl: Lilly-Rose Aslandogdu

Boy: Ellis Duke Mccullagh

Above Ellis and Lilly-Rose the New faces of the Argos Kids wear range.

There were both fabulous as were all the finalist!

It was such a lovely moment seeing their names announced and there reactions to the news. 

 I had the privilege of giving the children their awards and it must have been the mother in me as I could honestly feel myself welling up! God only knows how their proud parents held it together.

 It was such a touching moments when Ellis was announced as our boy winner, he was totally overjoyed to have won and surprisingly a tad surprised (though I don’t know why as his just lovely).

 I also have to add how much I adore Lilly-Rose’s haircut, what a proper little fashion icon I can see her becoming! She has the hair cut I want and has actually inspired this 29-year-old woman to have the same do. 

Above: Lilly-Rose, the hair cut that inspires me 

Just as we thought it was all over there was another surprise! The lovely team at Argos presented me with the loveliest bunch of beautiful pink flowers that smelt and looked divine. 

Above: My stunning pink flowers presented to me on stage

 Thank you Argos

 I really can’t wait to see little Lilly-Rose and Ellis on our TV screens and modelling for the Argos kidswear. I guess I’ll feel a tad proud knowing I had a part in getting them there!

Oh… For those of you who didn’t know, Emma Burton (former spice girl and presenter of at Heart 106.2 fm) is helping design a new range of the fabulous kidswear at Argos, So… watch this space!

 So… as you can see, I had an excellent day and so did my friend and daughter who came a long for the ride.

 After the show was all wrapped up we checked out the rest of the exhibition that was totally fabulous despite the fact I spent all my weeks pennies! 

 Oh and before I wrap this up, let me tell you! 

 Deciding to wear my gorgeous Dune shoes was possible the worst decision of my life! Yes, I did come armed with a bag of flats but unfortunately left the bag in the car which was back in the station car park five minutes from my home back in South London! Given I had got off the tube a stop too soon, got lost and walked a mile to get to the show, my feet were already paying the price before the Argos catwalk had even began. I had no choice but to walk around the exhibition centre shoeless. My god, did I learn a valuable lesson! Heels were defiantly not to be worn at the Ideal home show.

Check out the awesome kids wear range by Clicking HERE

Recent review of the current kidswear range can be found over on this blog

The search for two new faces for the ‘Argos Kidswear Range’ is on, and I’m a judge!

As many of you may have seen, I’ve been doing some work with Argos lately as part of the ‘Santa’s Little Helpers feature’. How excited was I when I received an email on Tuesday, inviting me to the Ideal Home show (Christmas Event) this Saturday 19th November! Yes, I have been asked to join the Argos judging panel who will be selecting one boy and one girl (aged between 4-10) out of the 40 finalist who entered to become the face of the ‘New Argos Kidswear range’.

The competition has been running a while, thousands of proud parents uploaded a picture of their little angels to the Argos Facebook page and the judges had the hard task of narrowing it down to just 40 finalist.

The two lucky winners will model in a photoshoot for the Argos Kidswear page on the website, feature on Argos TV home shopping channel, win the entire clothing collection in their favourite character as well as being given a modelling contract with Alphabet Kidz! How awesome a prize is this!

Ten runners-up will each receive a Argos Kidswear goodie bag.

All 40 finalist will be walking the catwalk and undergoing a short interview at the final. In preparation for the day, I was today sent the picture of the fab 40 and WOW… What an amazing 40 they are! This is gonna be one hard decision, I just know it.The 40 finalist in the Argos competition to find the new faces of it’s Kidswear range

I felt very privileged to be asked, I’ve never been a judge before and wasn’t really aware of the competition in-till recently, but goodness am I excited! As a mother to three beautiful children I can really relate to how excited yet nervous all the parents of the final 40 must be feeling. I’m also guessing that all are pretty proud right now, and rightly so, I would be too!

When I told Little man that Mummy was gonna be a judge in the competition, he asked if I was now like Cheryl Cole, I had to laugh, “I only wished son!”

Honestly, I really cannot wait till the big day, not only will I get to check out the fabulous exhibition, (I’m sure the ideal home show Christmas, will be spectacular event) but I also get to experience something a Little different and try something new. It feels strange knowing I’m going to help make some Little boy and girls dream come true but it’s also very rewarding and I’m totally up for.

As for the new Argos kidswear, my youngest would love the George pig and Thomas the tank engine range, and I’m sure my daughter would also be pretty keen to get her mitts on some of the gorgeous outfits. I’m already an avid Argos shopper, especially at Christmas, the clothing addition fits really well and I can see myself adding items to the christmas shopping list this year. You really can’t go wrong with kids character wear, kids just love it!
If you fancy checking out the range for yourselves, then just click here.

Current models showcasing the Argos Kidswear range

For those of you who maybe interested in popping along to the event itself, the children will take to the catwalk on Saturday 19th November at 3.30 pm at the awesome ‘Ideal home show Christmas’ at Earls Court London.

If you’re coming along then do say hello, I love to meet those that read the blog as It’s always lovely to put a face to a comment & say thank you.

Lastly… Good luck to all 40 awesome children lucky enough to get to the final (you should all be very proud) and I can’t wait to see you all this Saturday.

Just remember one important thing! Have fun!

Note: I’ll be running a fabulous competition next week, offering you the chance to win a £100 worth of Argos shopping vouchers to spend this Christmas! So keep your eyes peeled.

Related articles

• The KRE-O Bumblebee construction set from Argos (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)
• Review of the New Baby Annabell (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)

Children’s fashion by Vertbaudet

Being a blogger,  you get some awesome opportunities come your way.

 This was one off them, I was frilled when asked to review something from the Vertbaudetchildren’s range.

 I find it hard to find clothing for Little man as he wears nothing but tracksuits as he is defensive to most materials due to his problems with his sensory processing.

 I was going to try out a tracksuit for the purpose of this review but unfortunately the stock was all sold out when I choose the one I liked. With this I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to showcase some children’s wear that would be suitable for the upcoming party season.

 I couldn’t resist the girls clothing, they have some truly beautiful pieces. I spent what seemed like hours scoring over the girls dresses and came across some stunning pieces. I narrowed it down to a top and a skirt, (sold individually) together the cost of the outfit was a total of £31 which I thought was pretty reasonable given the excellent quality of both the items.

 Check out the gorgeous items we chose.

 Girls top

 This pretty long-sleeved 100% pure cotton jersey, is great for the child who has sensitive delicate skin. It features a print motif with embroidery and sequins (embroidery only in sizes 2-3 for health and safety reasons). It has back button fastening as-well as small gathers.

Available in a choice of 3 colours from ages 2yrs to 13/14 years Priced between £9-£13

Girls Frilled Skirt

 A stunning dot print tulle with adjustable waistband with inner elastic and buttons. There is a side zip and a pretty velvet ribbon and bow on the waistband. The skirt is machine washable and 100% cotton satin lining with 100% polyester outer to give it that tulle frilled effect.

Available in five colours and from ages 2yrs all the way up to age 13/14yrs

priced between £14-£18

 WHY I LOVE THESE ITEMS

Although these items are great worn together as a party outfit  (perfect for the approaching party season this Christmas) they are also great worn separately. The top can be worn with almost anything as we chose the colour white. The top looks causal but pretty worn with a nice pair of bootcut jeans (Alice has worn this with a pair of leggings, however it’s getting a tad cold for that).

 Although the skirt is quite dressy it still looks funky dressed down in a pair of winter tights and boots (the website shows a perfect example of this when worn by one of their models).

 I just loved the fact it had an adjustable waistband, great for the child with no waist or one who is slightly larger. The skirt is a great length coming just over the knee and this combined with the adjustable waistband means your child with get some good wear out of it and your pennies will have gone that bit further.

 These are real girlie pieces and Alice-Sara loves them worn both together and individually.

 The quality is super impressive meaning you don’t mind spending that little bit more as you know it will last that bit longer.

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Vertbaudet price they’re clothing based on the dress size ordered, example, the skirt in a 2-3 will cost you £14 where it’s £18 for a 9-10 year old, which seems fair enough given the extra material needed to make the clothes, plus this seems to be the way most mail order companies now operate .

 Level of service and delivery 

 I was super impressed with both items, the delivery process and speed, plus the level of customer service was fantastic.

Current online promotions 

When browsing the Vertbaudet online store I discovered that they have currently got some “Not to be miss” promotions running, so thought I would share a few!

up to 30% off selected lines in the Autumn range and 20% off full priced items with the addition of a free gift of a £12 ‘baking kit’ by entering the promotion code 8074 at the checkout (Limited time only)

 Mid-Season Sale with 100s of items currently 50% off

 Half-Term back to school 10% offer

 New costumer offer £15 plus free delivery on first order

 Free delivery on orders over £60

 Visit Vertbaudet where you can also request a free catalogue by clicking HERE

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Get your monsters looking spooky fabulous this Halloween

 So, this year it’s going to be a spook-taculer Halloween in our household.

 Its all kicking off this Friday when the children will be going to a Halloween come Birthday party. Of course it’s gonna be fancy dress and the children are well and truly kitted out. 

 The lovely guys over at ‘Fancy Dress Outfitters ’ have sent my little monsters some awesome costumes to get dressed up in.

 We have Alice in her long and puffy black and deep purple dress accessorised with funky headgear. Alice-Sara is normally known as my little princess but for Halloween only, I will refer to her as my Little vampiress.

 Then there is Harley who quite honestly looks more adorable than frightening in his black hooded spider top that has an all most 3D effect to it.

 While Little man is doing his thing in a less than scary number. Yep, Little man don’t do scary so he is a Ninja and is calling himself the “Ginger Ninja”.

It’s hard to find an outfit when it comes to little man, what with his sensitivity to certain materials we have to aim to get it just right. Unfortunately when choosing to get his outfit online we don’t have that benefit of seeing the chosen product, so it’s therefore a case of wait and see! For many families with children on the spectrum online shopping is the only way to do it! The prospect of shopping with the child on the spectrum can sometimes be too much to bear what with the chances of a meltdown, which are sadly quite common, especially when it comes to shopping! Fortunately for us the Ninja costume was perfect in terms of the way it felt for him, in a tactile sense. Its not the type of material I would normally get him, however the fact it had little seams and it clang to his skin almost like a wet-suit actually suited him to a tee! The Ninja all-in-one cuts of above the ankle which was even better as he would have only rolled up the legs otherwise! The fact that the delivery of all the items we chose were here pretty much within a 24hr period meant that given the outfit wasn’t suitable, we could have return it and grabbed and tried something else in its place. 

 Normally we can’t really find a Halloween costume that ticks all the boxes for Little man and most years he ends up taking pieces of bit by bit. The mask that came with his outfit is just like a bandanna and his find with that. If he had a rubber, plastic or even woolly mask, things would have been different, there is absolutely no way he would have even contemplated wearing such a thing. 

 Alice’s outfit gives off that old-time Victorian look. She wanted a Cat at first then a devil but finally went for this one. I love the detailing around the seams and on the lower skirt, glittery bats give it that dead spooky edge.

 The tiniest toot out the bunch, ‘Harley’ loved his spider dress-up so much he wouldn’t take the thing off. I will admit that when I first chose it, I assumed it was an all-in-one rather than just a top! Well, I can only blame myself, for not reading the description and doing what I tell the children not to do, Just making assumptions based on the images displayed! So, yep that’s pretty much my own fault! Though It doesn’t matter as he still looks very cute and we just put some black bottoms on with it.

 

 So now my kids are all blinged out, I really can’t wait till the party. Little man doesn’t really get invited to parties and when he got invited to his first one last year we were both made up! This time it’s the party of a family friend, therefore all should be OK and given the fact I’m going to I’m guessing we will have no problems (though I’m pretty sure he will mingle amongst the grownups as
opposed to the children). 

 Other spooky stuff we have plan this weekend is a trip to LEGOLAND Windsor. We were given the tickets by Merlins in the summer but haven’t yet had the chance to go! Merlin’s Magical wand give tickets to families of children with disabilities once a year (you can apply by clicking here) I’m hoping there will be some Halloween activities on for the children. I plan to take my Newish Cannon camera (yes, I’m getting fond of photography lately and it’s my official choice of hobby at the moment). So Look out for a spooky Silent Sunday this week.

As for Monday, will we be trick or treating?

I don’t mind it, as long as we visit only friends, neighbours and family, what’s the harm? There are houses the children visit every year and this makes the process go by quite quickly. However it’s not what it used to be! We’re located in Southeast London and it’s no Emmadale farm here. Little man suffers from anxiety and was extremely frighten one year when some of the older children basically hammered on the door like the SAS were on the other side of it! When we failed to give them the requested £1 each (Yes, £1 x 6 cheeky buggers) they decided to throw eggs at the window (all I could think was thank heavens it wasn’t a brick)! Little guy therefore prefers to be out among the eggers instead of in doors feeling afraid.

We are also, all set to do some Halloween baking so please look out for this post coming up over the weekend. Remember I’ve got a Little Jamie Oliver in the making on my hands. 

So, as an extra Little special treat, in order to spread some Halloween Love the fantastic ‘Fancy Dress Outfitters’ have agreed to a competition of one of their awesome costumes (another fab competition to add to the list) I was able to go on and chose something and my god it was hard as they have so many awesome costumes. 

I decided to pick two, One boys and One girls costume, however the winner must choose out of the two. I just wanted to make sure I had covered both angles here, as knowing my like if I had chosen a boys costume some mother of all girls would have won! 

The costumes you get to choose from are as followed. 

 
Bat man for the Boys in sizes 4-6 up to 10-12 or…

 This adorable Minnie mouse costume in sizes 3-4 up to 7-8 for all the little ladies

How to win

 There are a number of ways you can win, however you must do the compulsory actions before engaging in any additional entries. 

 Compulsory

Like the Fancy dress outfitters on facebook and tell them “A boy with Aspergers sent you” stating what costume you want to win! “Batman” “Minnie” then comment to let me know you have done it.

 Additional entries 

Submit this blog on Digg or Stumble it, then comment to let me know you have done so!

 Follow me on twitter, comment telling me you have done so

 Follow the fancy dress outfitters on twitter then comment to let me know you have done so.

 Subscribe to my blog via email then comment to let me know you have done so

 Share on facebook via the share button in this post (tagging A boy with Asperger’s facebook page). Comment to let me know you have done it.

 Tweet using the tweet button in this post then comment to let me know you have done it. 

Competition open to UK residents only and will close on the 15th November 2011. Winner will be drawn at random and then notified asap. Winner has 48hrs to respond otherwise the winner maybe redrawn. 

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