Clothing – Mediocre Mum

Win two Halloween Outfits from the Nutmeg Collection and a £10 Voucher

Here Comes Halloween!

Like most other kids, my 6 year old has always loved getting dressed up. She will wear fancy dress to parties that aren’t even fancy dress. I distinctly remember last year her turning up to a party in fancy dress, on more than one occasion, and the other parents couldn’t help but laugh and knew exactly who it was right away. I do love the confidence and not in a rush for her to grow out of it.

Last Christmas she asked for a Donkey Fancy dress outfit and I obliged, this is after I worked her down from getting a real donkey. For Halloween last year she went as a rather scary werewolf and managed to frighten the life out of a friend of mine and two dogs went for her until she took the mask off! Last week when I went to the shops her dad and her got into the Halloween costumes in the loft, hence the Cruella De Vil outfit.

I’m not sure what she wants to go as for Halloween but I did hear the Grim Reaper muted. Not sure how appropriate that is and whether they have one in a 6. At least, she isn’t into going as a Disney Princess as Halloween, to me, is about all thinks spooky!

Win an adorable Halloween Outfit from the Nutmeg Collection

To celebrate Halloween Morrison’s is offering my readers a chance to win two items of their choice from their Nutmeg Halloween collection along with a £10 Voucher. Here are a few examples of the range. Aren’t the clothes adorable?

Simply enter using the Rafflecopter form below. The full Terms and Conditions are at the bottom of the form but in short it’s open to UK residents 18 years of age and older and closes on the 24th Oct 2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and Happy Halloween

This competition is listed on Loquax, Prize Finder and Competition Hunter.

Preparing the kids for the new school year

The Back to School Routine

In association with SuperSavvyMe

With summer nearing its end, it’s time to start thinking about the new school year. The back to school transition can be a daunting one at times, and whether you are dreading the little ones going back or can’t wait for them to leave, there’s a lot to be done.

It’s important to remember that it’s going to take a little time for both you and the children to get used to a more regimented way of life. Instead of rising as and when desired, the kids must now be dressed and out the door before nine!

This often means you are to rise at least an hour earlier than them – packed lunches won’t prepare themselves, gym kits won’t magically jump from the fresh laundry pile and into a bag and unfortunately, shirts don’t seem to come crease-free.

Children that are moving from junior into senior school and also those that intend to begin the New Year at an entirely different school are the ones that will have the biggest adjustments to contend with. It’s important to take a few parenting tips on board at this point and ease them into transition the best way you can.

Making sure that they are fully prepared for the new school year is one important tip to follow. If the uniform is slightly different to that of last year’s, it’s wise to buy into a new school ensemble in advance.

On this note, if the uniform is the same, it’s a good idea to check that it still fits your child before the end of the summer. Kids grow surprisingly fast and trousers which are too short, tight skirts and close-fitting shirts are not a good look for anyone.

Once you have the school uniform in order, it’s time to move onto the gym kit. Many schools will ask you to adhere to a certain style or colour when it comes to sports clothes.

Some schools will offer their own brand of kit which will often feature the school’s own logo. Others will ask that you stick to blue, black or maroon shorts and a white t-shirt. Regardless of how much your little ones love their super snazzy trainers, wearing vivid-hued gym shoes to school is not acceptable.

Stationery is another important factor to consider. The likes of a new school planner, pens, pencils, maths equipment and exercise books are all necessary tools to have. It may be wise to create an area in the study at home dedicated solely to your child. This will allow them to organise projects into completed work and work yet to complete so that it is easier for them to manage.

It’s that time of year again! School Uniform Review

Where is the best place to buy school uniforms?

Last year an experienced mum said

‘Don’t wait until the end of August to buy school uniforms’

I’m so glad I listened or my daughter wouldn’t have had any uniforms to start school as most places would have sold out. We had some left over M&S vouchers so kitted her out with winter uniforms. They may have been a bit more expensive but they did last the entire school year.

However, during the year we have managed to accrue quite a few summer uniforms, some were hand-me downs and others were sent for review purposes. We have uniforms from Aldi, Asda and BHS. When I asked my 5-year old which ones were her favourite, the Girl’s Classic Gingham Dress (£4) from BHS have come out on top!

She loves the ones with the two pockets, the bow at the back and hair tie. As a mum, I love the fact that they are knee length as I find a lot of the summer uniforms are far too short. They’ve also stood up to numerous washing and if I hang them up straight away there is no need to iron them. However, I do find the buttons a little fiddly and would prefer the zipper from the Asda one, however that one is a bit short for my liking.

This year there seems to be a price war between the big supermarkets with some offering uniforms for as little as £4. I’m a little dubious about the ethics behind some of them as I don’t know how they can ethically source them for that price. There is an interesting article ‘Why I would NEVER buy into cut-price supermarket school uniform deals on Parent Dish.

This year I’m hoping to get away with using her summer uniforms for September and buying winter ones later. I do hope this isn’t a bad idea. Do let me know otherwise.

Win a £50 Online Voucher from Polarn O. Pyret

I was out the other day with some friends and someone asked ‘is that a Polarn O. Pyret?’ when referring to my daughter’s tunic. Coincidentally it wasn’t but I replied ‘No, but I do love their stuff!’

Polarn O. Pyret, even though I can’t pronounce it, has to be one of my all time favourite brands for kids and I’ve written about them on several occasions. I just love the simplicity, quality, style and cleverness of the products.

Fancy a chance at winning a £50 Voucher from Polarn O Pyret

To enter simply use the rafflecopter form below. Full terms and conditions can be found at the bottom of the form. Competition closes on the Thurs 16th May 2013 and all times quoted are in EST. Entrants must be UK residents aged 18+

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This competition is listed on Loquax, Prize Finder and Competition Hunter.

I wasn’t allowed to wear white as a child and now I can see why?

What mother in her right mind would let her daughter dress in white on Easter Sunday? Hmmm….let’s think about that; a day where kids can eat chocolate from the time they get up to the time they go to bed, coupled with chocolaty fingers and a very bad habit of using her clothes instead of a serviette.

To make matters worse we went on to the Annual Cadbury Easter Hunt at Ashridge Forest, we always have a great time, you get a map and clues to solve with an Easter Egg at the end but unfortunately, it was a mud bath this year. It’s a flipping miracle the clothes weren’t ruined!

Outfit by

The Blue and White striped sweatshirt is Joules from Elfin Clothing (£27.95) and the white leggings (£12.50) are from Polarn O Pyret an all time favourite.

Luckily, they will live to see another day!

Disclosure: both the top and trousers were complimentary