Lberty London launches Debut Childrenswear Collection

AUTUMN WINTER 13 - LIBERTY LONDON LAUNCHES DEBUT CHILDRENSWEAR COLLECTION

Popping prints, contrasting trims and a touch of 70’s Bohemia - Liberty London launches its inaugural childrenswear collection - an eclectic celebration of Liberty’s rich print, design and colour heritage.

The Liberty design studio has been creating exceptional printed textiles since the late 1870’s. Autumn Winter 2013 sees a collection of Liberty classic and exciting new prints exploding with colour and vivid pattern inspired by the archive re-coloured and transformed into wonderful pieces in the world’s finest textiles for young Liberty fans.

Modern, simple shapes allow vibrant print and bold colour to play together unexpectedly - creating a delightful, carefree yet classic collection of exceptional childrenswear in quintessential English style.   

Boys look effortlessly cool in printed skinny fit jeans, placement t-shirts and collared shirts complemented by a range of textured knitwear with contrasting Liberty print trims, styled with a hooded wool coat perfect for the winter winds. 

An exclusive collection of printed baby jersey in soft pastels [from newborn to 18 months] is complemented by exquisite pieces knitted in the finest Scottish cashmere yarn to welcome the very youngest Liberty fan.

Collection Highlights:

Boys

Super cool Elizabeth Anne Liberty print skinny fit jeans with the bright Orizaba print classic shirt.

Liberty Coram Fields placement print t-shirt teamed with raspberry red skinny fit jeans and topped off with a hooded wool coat popped with Marco Liberty print trim.

Baby Boy

Hip Criss Cross Liberty print shirt with Marco print reversible trousers and textured raglan jumper with Orizaba print trim. 

information provided via press release from Liberty London no payment received.

           

What's in a Name ?

 I know my husband will be horrified that I have committed my thoughts to paper (or more accurately cyberspace)  but it is something that has bothered me for several years now.

I think we made a mistake with one of our children's names and I wish I could change it !

 There I said it for all the World to see.

I read with interest this article in the   Guardian

I do feel your name dictates how people view you and although it seemed like a good idea at the time to name one of our boys after a very cool rock star.   I really, really do wish now we had gone for the famous rugby player name instead.

I had no problems with my eldest son's name.  I always, always wanted him to be called Jacob.  A strong biblical name, I read the story that he was his mother's favourite son.  As (at the time) I had no intention of having more children it appealed to me even more.

The name suits him, People call him by it and rarely shorten it to Jake.  He refers to himself as Jacob, which is always a good sign and I think the name holds him in good stead for adulthood.

When we found out we were expecting twin boys we spent a lot of time discussing names.  Should they both begin with the same initial ?  Should they be similar ?  We decided as twins they would have enough to deal with being collectively called "The Twins" and so decided on completely different initials and sounding names.

I do think like my taste in clothes, music and other areas of my life, my choice in names has changed over time.  There are of course names I would never dream of giving my children, none starters from the off, like Wayne or Kevin.  Is it snobbish ?  Is it where we live ? The family and friends who surround and influence us ?  Our aspirations for our children ? 

All that said, maybe there is some kind of devine intervention at play. My gorgeous twin already appears to be living up to the name we chose for him.  It's looking like he is not destined to be a great academic but he might, just might be a world class footballer, which suits his name just fine!

Maybe it was the right choice after all .....

Puddle jumping

As the saying goes, if you can't beat em, join em!

 Its been hell on earth for most parents this half term.  With all the excitement and most likely over indulgence in sugar from the Jubilee celebrations, combined with the appalling weather most of us have had to endure.  For many of us it will be a big sigh of relief come Monday morning. 

Yesterday, after one fight too many I decided to do something I had been promising the twins FOREVER !  Lets go puddle jumping !

So we did.

tentative paddling outside the house to start off, will mummy really let us jump in puddles ?

oh yes I will !

I had actually forgotten how much fun you can have doing the simple things in life, the free things, the things little boys just LOVE to do.

People actually slowed down their cars driving past us in the park.  Have we really become so indoctrinated in our "stay indoors" mentality when it rains ?   Some smiled, some frowned, some laughed .

WE had a wonderful time, got absolutely soaking wet and filthy

Might actually be just a little sad when the rain goes away.  (well, maybe not)  Role on the sunshine and time to climb those trees.........

Pixie Dixie joins All About The Boys

I am thrilled to introduce you to the second great British brand to join the All About The Boys website.  Pixie Dixie sell high quality childrens pajamas and sleepwear.

All items from rompers to bath robes feature iconic British images including a Grenadier Guard, Black Taxi, Policeman, Mini Cooper and red London Bus.

From newborn to 8 years all items are made in 100% jersey cotton for comfort and durability.

Please pop over and take a look, I would love to know what you think.

www.allabouttheboys.co.uk 

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

The Art of Roughhousing

When I was contacted and asked if I would like to review The Art of Roughhousing, I was really keen to see if it would be a common sense approach to actual physical play with boys (and girls) or just some new fad  that would result in me flinging the book across the room.

Described as a good old fashioned horseplay and why every kid needs it I was encouraged.  To my mind "old fashioned" is good when it comes to lots of things children; education, manners, play, I could go on. 

The book is written by two fathers Dr Anthony DeBenedet and psychologist Lawrence Cohen.  Anthony in his Preface tells of always interacting in a physical way  with his father whilst growing up.  Larry on the otherhand did not.  It is really interesting to read how these two different styles of parenting moulded the views of these men as they grew up.

Within the first few pages I was hooked on the philosophy of this book. In The State of the Art paragraph on page 12 this sentence sums up for me what life has become for many of our children today :

"What was once a motto of Safety First has evolved into a fretful new motto of Safety Only "

Children are over protected within an inch of their lives, are frowned upon if they play "rough" at school.  We had an example of this at the last school parents evening for our twins where we were told on the form that they give you,  both our boys are "too touchy" and their aims for next term ?  Not to improve reading or writing etc but to "learn to keep their hands to themselves " and by this the teacher meant hugging and touching in any form not "hitting".  My husband and I were horrified by this, it immediately made us feel as though our children were "thugs"  when the reality is that they are tactile and intelligent children who use touch as a communication tool.  Don't most six years olds ?  When language skills are still being developed, isn't it a common form of communication ?

I was a single mum with No 1 son for six years and spent great chunks of our "playtime" flinging him down the stairs in sleeping bags or quilts, dragging him down the hallway by his feet, rolling, "fighting" bucking and play "scaring" the wits out of him to screams of laughter and "more mummy more" !  In the days before we spent vast amounts of time playing on computers we made our own entertainment in ways I felt were suitable for a boy.

When friends or family visited they would often comment that I "was being too rough" or "it will end in tears" it rarely did.  I knew then as I know now how much is too much and more importantly to read the signs of when my children have had enough and are getting overstimulated by all the rough and tumble.  Even today No1 son  now (nearly 16 years old and a good six inches taller than me, will grab me for a playfight on the sofa !  I have to be wary of these ninja attacks especially when the twins join in the fun ! I'm not as young as I once was!

We all rough and tumble around the house together, running around hiding and jumping out on each other.  I had the living daylights scared out of me when I opened my linen basket last week and out jumped one of the twins. We hugged and rolled on the floor laughing so much I had tears rolling down my face.  They and I love it.

The book tells of the importance of rowdy, physical interactive play and how it was first observed in young rhesus monkeys during the 50's and 60's, it even makes the bold claim that physical play makes children smart, emotionally intelligent, lovable and likeable, ethical, physically fit and joyful " !  and gives you the facts both scientific  and otherwise to back up the claims.

By page 17  I could be heard muttering "yes! yes! yes!"  "this is so right" "OMG Nigel you HAVE to read this"   "listen to this " and "this"   to the amusement of the people sat around us at Bicton Park .

By Chapter two I was in total agrement with this book and would encourage anybody who has ever enjoyed rolling around with their children to buy a copy.  A lot of the content is common sense and something we already do in the course of bringing up our children.  But to some parents these days it may not be and maybe a helping hand is needed.    There are paragraphs on how to get started with accompanying picture diagrams !  Recommendations for suitability for ages, difficulty level and essential skills !

The book is jam packed with facts, stories, evidence and is written in an interesting no nonesense way.  If you have ever felt that trying to keep up with all the crafting, cooking activities, swimming, football, dance, cubs clubs etc  was exhausting not just for you but your children too.  Then this book might just be for you.  Our children don't have their lives all "clubbed" out but we do play with them an awful lot and I am glad to find that actually, in this modern over stimulated world we can feel that we are actually doing something right !

Due for release on the 17th May - its available on Amazon and many other good book sellers : )

Celebrate the wedding in Red, White & Blue

I know we all say it about our own children, but really, how GORGEOUS does my eldest son look wearing one of the Ralph Lauren Tees just in ! 

Available in Patriotic Red, White and Blue, they will be on the website in time to celebrate the Royal Wedding.

Meccano Space Chaos & Turbo

We were recently thrilled to receive some Meccano Space Chaos and Turbo Models for the twins from Meccano.  The boys loved the sets, although they needed a little help from daddy to put them together.  They combine the traditional view of Meccano (metal pieces with holes in them ) with some plastic components and futuristic design.

The space Chaos ships come in two ranges Silver Force set (on the left above and the good guys) and the Dark Pirates (on the right and the bad guys).  Both ranges transform into two ships.   Also included is a trading card  .  As is often the case in our house  Jarvis chose to be a bad guy and Milo the goody, I can confirm the good versus bad battle was rigorously fought, with lots of bashing and crashing, sound effect and flying around the house !  The ships survived to fight another day !

 Children  can go online on the professional and easy to use website to read about the quest, download card games, secret codes and videos.

The third set was from the Turbo range a selection of racing cars.  One clever feature is part of the storage case is used to form part of the car.    Suitable for 7 yrs and over they boys had no trouble putting this one together.  Its sturdy and well made and again combines the traditional look of Meccano with uptodate features.

If you are looking for an alternative to expensive chocolate Eggs this Easter, these toys priced at around £12 represent good value for money. 

This is not a sponsored post, we received no money for our review.

Educating boys

I have three sons.  The eldest has been educated at a wonderful private school since he was three years old. It is a traditional school with old fashioned values and an equal mix of male/female teachers.  When he first started there in the kindergarten I was a single mum, spending most days running myself ragged working in Marketing and  driving several times a month to Swindon and back for meetings, trying to earn a good living and provide the best I could for him.   

One day whilst motoring down the M5 after a meeting that had over run, trying to get back to school to pick him up, I was stopped for speeding.  I finally arrived at school distressed and teary about an hour late.  As I ran down a corridor the headmaster walked out of one of the classrooms.  "Miss DuBois, you are always rushing about, and why are you late again to collect your son?"  I explained to him what had happened.  "you need to get a job that puts your child first, come and work for me, I need a secretary" 

At first I was afronted ! Does this man not know what I do ! I'm not a secretary !  but that night when I gave it some though, it actually seemed like a really good solution.  I could work in an office, not having to drive all around the country to dealerships and also be in the same place as my son was being educated.  I could see him, at work and at play everyday.

I accepted the headmaster's offer and received a heafty discount off No1 Son's fees and a modest salary.  I worked for him for eight years. It was worth the change in lifestyle.  No 1 son has had a first class education and is in the process of taking his G.C.S.E's this year (twelve of them), he will stay on for A levels.

After meeting and marrying my OH the twins came along and life changed dramatically for us.  When they were 3 they started at the kindergarten of No1 son's school  but it soon became clear to us that we would not be able to afford to pay for three boys to stay there.  When they reached reception age we transferred them to the local state school.  We did our research and believed the school to be the best in the area.  I was concerned about the fact that there was only one male teacher but had my concerns airily dismissed by the headmistress. 

Always someone who relies heavily on my instincts I became increasingly worried that they wouldn't get a rounded education because of the lack of male teachers.  Seven hours a day five days a week, in the company of only female teachers is not ideal for little boys.

I have read several articles on the subject, and all seem to agree on one thing, that boys need positive male role models when at primary school in order to develop fully.  If you have boys please take a moment to read these articles  The Telegraph   Guardian   The Independent

The twins have had their fair share of "incidents" since starting school, initially described as "settling into school routine" and now rolling over into Year one.  My husband and I are really concerned that it is becoming a pattern of their daily school life, that if not checked will " label" them for all their school life.  Desperate not to overreact, but also tired of the almost daily "Mrs Jones, can I have a chat please"  with the teachers, we are now asking ourselves whether we need to look elsewhere to educate our sons.