Avidly gazing at spring/summer looks, while Wisely purchasing caghouls......

[notyummy]

Hi all!

Sorry about the rain/hairdo situation Hopefully.

I am eating G and Bs Mint dark choc as I write Verity.

Bloody cold here. And wet.

Well done on the article Suburban. You look great.

I get nice children's clothes but when they are on sale.

I just got around £200 for about £60 from Elias & Grace. Also ds2 wears a lot of ds1's old ones.

Well done suburban. I am stunned at the DM comments. Wow- what a lot of very very opinionated folk. I love reading blogs/magazines/shopping and looking at how to put things together. What is wrong with putting on clothes that look good rather than just any old tat. Takes no more time to dress but then i spend the day feeling more me! Still stunned......

Overcome by curiosity, they're hilarious especially the lady ranting about my plastic shoes, she has obviously never heard of patent leather . But then I don't really take the whole blogging thing too seriously, will happily take it or leave it and certainly don't consider it a career. Never imagined anybody would want to read it so anything extra is a plus.

I am so bored of this weather (broken record). I have noticed SeventhEverything it is often sunny when we get up at the crack of dawn giving me a false hope and then it clouds over/starts raining around the time when we would like to go out and do something.

I think it's a great article Surburban and a gorgeous picture - well done and well done on your blog too, very much like todays outfit. I was contemplating wearing my raspberry skinnies today but ended up in really old, ripped, faded 7s... not so stylish but in the end perfect for scrambling over pirate ships in the playground and getting caught in the rain on the way home (...so over this weather)

Had a nice day yesterday though - a friend came over and we did a 9km run - am both and that I ran so far and enjoyed it! We then (after changing of course out of sweaty betty's finest) went out for a nice lunch and couple of glasses of wine

Love the sound of your party outfit blue. It's nice when you feel like you have dressed exactly right for the occasion.
red sorry about your DD, that would terrify me but glad that she has bounced back so quickly.
Decameron have you looked at Vertbaudet for DC? I buy quite a lot for DS on there and they always have good codes / discounts.

£100 a month definitely doable for two. Thinking about it, my £100 may actually be an over estimate and it has also increased a lot in the past couple of years with school uniforms, extra shoes (DD2 (3) has one pair a season plus wellies, DD1 has about 6 pairs at a time) plus decent clothes much harder to find for the older age group (girls much more so than boys). It is a hard balance with a girl of say 8-13yrs between looking stylish/ up to date and looking horribly cheap.
I totally agree with everything that if you can be bothered to shop around, you can find good clothes cheaply, at least for younger ones.
Thanks for the M&S link. They look similar to the WC so will give them a try!

red- sorry to hear about your DD's nasty bump.

amber- from memory, you lost your baby weight really quickly!

suburban- don't read the comments. DM readers really are a horrible bunch in general. I can't understand this supposed link between mothers making themselves look attractive/ presentable and being stupid/ self obsessed/ not spending time with their children either. There is so much 'judginess' on all sides nowadays!

Right, must go and do something useful instead of faffing on here as DH has taken the DC for a quick supermarket trip!

Decameron - a shop that is easy to forget about but has great clothes for DCs is Benetton. I am enamoured of their coats, which are much better cut than anyone else's for the price, and I recently had to kit DD out for a school trip with all sorts of things she rarely wears (hoodies, t-shirts etc) and got some lovely stuff for not much money in Benetton. The cuts were much nicer than H&M or Zara or Gap, the fabric quality was better and there were no logos or pictures or anything of that nature.

I find that judicious mixing of Gap (for shorts, jeans etc) and Benetton (coats, sweaters) with more expensive pieces from Bonpoint, Bonton (especially Liberty print dresses and blouses) and Cordelia de Castellane works well for DD.

Suburban - just took a look at your pic and, yes, you look great!

DCs do prefer it when their mothers take care of themselves, IMO. It's not just for us!

I refuse to buy from Vertbaudet as my last three orders didn't turn up, I've just emailed them to tell them what I think. I forgot about Benetton and did get some nice things there for them at Christmas, thanks, Bonsoir.

Hope everyone is having a great bank holiday despite the weather or MIL visits

Have finished painting the wall in our bedroom and I'm in love with the colour. The whole room looks and feel different!

feels

Portia, thanks for the Masterchef party lowdown, may keep that one up my sleeve for a later date.

Fritzi, what colour did you decide on again?

Suburban, the two of you look lovely in that article - thought you came over really well (shiny hair and a lovely smile).

Ollie, are you going to try the stick on booby thing?

Red, hope you catch up on some sleep today, poor DD.

Those of you that are keen cyclists (or have DHs that are), have you ever used a FollowMe to attach a kids bike to an adults?

pickled Teresa's Green.

Suburban, I liked the article too, never mind the nasty commenters. My current slight obsession with fashion has been of my ways of coping with mild post-DD 2 burnout and depression.

Bonsoir, bon soir, I'm another fan of Benetton (and I've often felt I'm the only one). Better quality than Zara and H&M in general for kid's stuff. And I found a pair of dirt cheap sky-blue fake ostrich ballerinas there for myself.

Sorry, lots of typos (blame it on iPad)

I actually want a cagoule atm so if anyone has seen one that is even reasonably stylish please post it Thanks

What noddy said.

suburban lovely photo and I love your blog. Especially that you give a lot of thought to creating great looks for less and being creative with what you already have. I am learning a lot!

I like benetton too not just for children - they have some lovely colours there and I've always been a fan of their bags.

portia sounds like a great party idea

had a bad car journey this morning driving to see my parents - kerbed a wheel, got zapped by a mobile police speedo (not sure if I got caught, wasn't massively over the limit...and if I did, it's a fair cop) then DD2 did a houdini and got her arms out of her car seat straps, then had a tantrum. had to stop in the pouring rain to sort. I LOVE driving and dream of journeys on my own listening to CDs of my own choice in an open top sports car going to a glam rendezvous where a handsome man awaits with champagne on ice .. you get my drift.....I think the years of reading DH's "Autocar" and "Classic & Sports" have rubbed off!

emo my DS does that every time. Just today I was clambering into the back to sort it while doing 70 (DH driving I hasten to add). Happy days.

suburban have done lots of red arrowing on your behalf!