Virtual Reality Life

From my first ever follower on twitter a couple of years ago, some people in my "real world" have scoffed and exclaimed that they "don't get" twitter or facebook and why would I spend my time typing conversations to strangers. 

I have always responded with comments about how interesting the people I talk to are, they are usually like minded, with similar interests or lifestyles, although not always and this adds to the interest for me.  I have come across such a range of people with all sorts of stories to tell, people I would otherwise never have met.

 "Ah yes, but you can't be real friends with them can you?".   I beg to differ, I went to my first Mumpreneur Conference with the lovely Harriet who I met via twitter.  We got on from the moment I climbed into her car at the services in Somerset, we chatted all the way to Birmingham with no feelings of self consciousness or awkward pauses.  Several of us from the West Country got together and created the Devon Coup, we meet up and go for lunch, attend parties and events and generally have a great time.  We are all different ages, backgrounds, both male and female and we all get on really well together. 

I've gone on to meet lots of the people I regularly chat to at both the Cybermummy conferences, at PR events and days out.  The majority of the people I have met were as lovely in the flesh as they were online and our friendships have flourished.

One friendship  I took to the next level was with the wonderful, inspiring Jen from Mum_TheMadHouse and her family, who came to Devon this weekend and spent three days with us.     Our families met at events in the past and her two boys are similar age to the twins.  Despite the awful weather we had a lovely time taking them to local attractions, we all mucked in together, there was no being on best behaviour and with similar attitudes towards life, husbands and children I can honestly say we had a lovely time.

 
All four boys working on becoming the next generation of Virtual Reality Real Lifers !

Not a great picture.  I may have had a glass or two of wine, hence the camera shudder effect.  They all ate my roast dinner though.

Never let it be said that spending time on twitter is wasting your life, I have had more fun, more laughs, some tears, lots of support and encouragement and best of all made the most amazing friends, had the best opportunities and am even starting to make a living.  All thanks to Twitter, blogging and Facebook.

Today the house is strangely quiet.  Role on December when we all meet up again at the Tots100 Christmas weekend at Butlins.

Boys' Autumn/Winter clothing Trends & John Lewis Giveaway

Many thanks to all who entered.  The winner picked at random by a spooktastic No1 son last night is :

DONNA @littlelillypadco

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED .  More giveaways coming soon ......



Boys’ autumn/winter clothing trends

Dressing your lads in the latest trends doesn’t have to mean spending a packet, using up the money they’d rather you spend on toys, or kitting them out in impractical outfits. Here, guest blogger Jo-ann Fortune highlights three affordable looks that will work with any little boy’s wardrobe.  

I am also really pleased to be able to offer you the chance to win a £50 gift voucher courtesy of John Lewis.   You can spend it online, in store at any John Lewis or Waitrose store !  Fantastic prize just in time for Christmas.

 To be in with a chance of winning please follow this blog and leave a comment in the comments at the bottom of the page telling me what you would spend the voucher on if you won.

Arctic explorer

Fur trims, ski wear and Alpine knits were championed on the catwalks as key design details for boys this winter. Parkas, worn over chunky knit jumpers and cardigans are season staples, and look great paired with checked lumberjack shirts and durable cords. Accessorise with fur-trimmed footwear – Ugg boots are still huge – trapper hats and mittens or cosy woollen toggle hats and scarves, but as with all kids’ accessories, don’t spend a fortune as they’re likely to be the first thing to get left behind on a day out…

Protective padding

Padding or ‘quilting’ is central to two of the biggest boys’ trends this season: heritage and urban. With the fashion focus on the English gentry look filtering down from the men’s clothing catwalks, smart country wear is a big hitter in kids’ clothing ranges: Barbour-style riding jackets adding statement style to any outfit. In the city, padding is just as cool, with bold bomber jackets and colour block quilted gilets clashed with stripes and prints for a fun yet functional look.

Urban layering

Many of the big name kids’ clothing designers have used checked shirts as a base for urban layering this season, creating a wide variety of easily achievable looks. Build up an outfit with a classic denim jacket and jeans, hoodie and Shemagh-style scarf for a cool street vibe, pair a chunky cardigan with knee-patch trousers and over-sized specs for a bit of geek chic or keep him warm with a waistcoat, long scarf, trapper hat and chunky boots for a look that works just as well in the country as it does the city.

What key pieces have you invested in to keep the little ones looking cool while wrapped up warm this season?

All images courtesy of MPDClick.com

This is a sponsored post - I received clothes for my children and the voucher to offer in a giveaway.  

Competition closes on  Monday 31st October at 8pm.  Winner  selected at random.  Open to UK entrants only.

Family Football Festival

We were recently invited by Netmums to go along to see Bristol City play at their home ground of Ashton Gate. This is part of the Family Football Festival taking place during the months of October, November and December.  Follow the link to their facebook page and go see what its all about.  It's a great initiative designed to combine the excitement of a football match with activities and events which would appeal to children and families.

This was the twins first ever football match and only my second !  Daddy is a seasoned Birmingham City supporter, but we won't hold that against him.  We set off early to make sure we arrived in Bristol in plenty of time and even managed to find a craft fair to have a mooch around beforehand along with some amazing wall art !

Painted on the side of the Tobacco factory Theatre, amazing and just a little bit freaky.

Arriving at the ground we were on the list for on site parking, feeling just like VIP's we drove into our allotted space.    As we were a little early we decided to have a hot dog and a walk around the ground.  Jarvis, who is fast becoming football obsessed found a souvenir in a bin !

Then onto the Festival part of the day.  Designed to encourage more families to attend matches, a large hanger was filled with local family friendly companies :including  Bristol Zoo, Noah's Ark Zoo farm, Heart Radio, Frankie & Bennies, Bristol Aquarium and more.   Each had informative stands with live animals or interactive activities for the children to get involved with and all offering discount vouchers to their attractions. 

There was also face painting, bouncy castle and beat the goalie.

The twins meeting a real live dragon ! 

The Boa didn't feel like they expected it to ! 

Lots of experiments for Milo the "Geek" boy "my favourite part of the day mummy"

FACE PAINTING From Heart Radio

Scrumpy the Bristol Mascot

Tickets !

Daddy said the BCFC Stood for Birmingham City Football Club, erm nooooo daddy don't say that too loudly whilst sat amongst all this red and white of the Bristol City supporters.

One for the girls *cough*  David James - goalkeeper !

and finally some football .......

We had a great day out at Bristol City, I must admit I wasn't too thrilled initially at the thought of going to watch a football match but I can honestly say with all the activities, the wonderful atmosphere in the stadium, all the half time entertainment from local schools, teams, dancers, competition winners etc it really did make for an enjoyable family day out.  We were seated in the family area which was really friendly, everybody had seats (and stayed in them for the most part, except of course when a goal was scored).  The twins loved it and it was lovely to go as a family and see so many people involved in sport.  We will certainly be taking the twins to see our local team play from now on.

Many thanks to Netmums & Bristol City for offering us this opportunity.

I was paid and  received family entry to the event.  All content, views expressed and photographs are my own.

Freaky or Fabulous ?

I took this photograph yesterday, it was painted on the side of the tabacco factory theatre in Bristol.   I am still not sure if I am freaked out by it or if I love it, just had to share.  What do you think ?

Halloween in style

Looking for something different for your little ones this Halloween, don't have the time to make an amazing outfit ?  Not inspired by the cheap mass produced items on offer by the supermarkets ?  Take a peak at these lovelies all available from independent retailers.

Fab baby/toddler girl Skull & crossbones appliqued onesie, red or black pettiskirt, stripy leggings all available from All About The Boys (no longer available in online store, leave comment for details)

Sooooo Cute !  baby bumble bee hat available from Saidonia  UK Seller on Etsy

What little boys doesn't want to be a dinosaur !  ROAR!  Available from MaukyJo

Stunning Moishe Monster costume from Where the Wild Things are !  Probably out of the price range for most of us, but a totally wonderful example of the work and creativity of Independent business owners.  Available from ElleIndustries