A for Avid, B for buying, C for Chatting... W for Wise!

[OllieWollieWoo]

Credit to Everything for the lovely new title!

OK - Style perusal and I like this.

Tracey - just a second ago I spotted that and thought the very same thing! Though I hope we are nearing summer and perhaps it won't' get much use.

The sandals arrived yesterday and they are very nice - much better fit than the Hasbeens. But they're going back because they're so clumpy and hard to walk in. Felt very big and noisy and ungainly in them. I want to glide elegantly and waft around, not stomp.

Frances, MIH jeans have some good colours.

Thanks Plum and Blossoming, I like both those dresses.

Good luck with the in-laws, Blossoming!

Hi all

Hope everybody's dodging the showers! Like you OWW I tried to be wise and avid in London this weekend, and got a few bit not nothing like as much as I'd hoped. And got two badly bruised fingers from the fitting room door in Toast to boot

But did manage to buy anthracite churidars and raspberry double layer tee and while I don't look quite like the lady in the picture, it's a good look I think. Only criticism is that the churidars have no stretch and I'm hoping to wear them on the plane to the US in the summer, but will have to see how comfy they are.

In Uniqlo bought cropped olive skinny jeans which again have no stretch but look very useful, and some dark gery denim leggings that I can't see on the site.

Rigy and Peller at Westfield was a disaster - very little choice and felt that the fitter wasn't interested in helping, despite the shop being deserted. But Selfridges was fantastic and bought one new bra and have ordered another. Also bought this Seafolly bikini but shopping for that was truly depressing. Tried on this maxi which was beautiful and I may return to.

Everywhere else was barren - I got lots of fun bits in Zara last year, but this I tried on armfulls but it was all disappointing. And in Uniqlo last year they had great sun dresses, but again, nothing this time.

This was supposed to have been my get-kitted-out-for-summer shopping trip, but I now need a new strategy...

Oh, and the Jigsaw dress tracey linked to, also with belt!

Yes, hope the inlaws visit is going OK.

Good luck with the interview bunjies.

Hope you are feeling better ltec.

Well, no shopping today - but quite relaxing. DD was invited to 'Adventureland' by a little friend, so she went off for the day with her, her Mum and Grandma.DH at work - just me!! She left at 1030 and got back at 5 30 grinning from ear to ear, having obviously had a fab time.

I did an 8 mile run (don't usually get the time to do more than 5) and had a nice lunch and spent the afternoon reading the papers. Bonus!

Will have to return the favour though - friends Mum is 6 months pregnant and spent the day running round after a 3 year old (mine) and a 4 year old (hers) so that definitely deserves payback!

Hope you all had good days.

allbuggiedout - most disappointing to hear of your experience in Rigby and Pellar - thought they were supposed to be the bees knees in fitting?? The churidars look nice - but I am thinking possibly not flattering on a pear shape like moi?

Lovely maxi as well.

Allbuggiedout - its funny isn't it because I found Zara lacking last week and yet the time before that there was loads of stuff.

What belt did you get to wear with dress - I'm using an old brown hipstery belt. Are you doing on the waist or hips??

Notyummy - sounds a lovely day!

Bunjies - good luck with interview and hope you managed to squeeze some shopping in.

Everything - hope you've had a good day today with the family.

LTEC - hope you're having a fun weekend.

Jigsaw tried to sell me this belt, which was lovely but, I thought, pricey. So went for this which sits on the waist. Looks fab with denim jacket and ballet flats. Perfect for (dare I say it...) the school run

Am also somewhat hippy, notyummy but the churidars work with something long. Couldn't do a shorter top, and wouldn't want to anyway as pretty see-through!

Am impressed with the 8-mile run - inspired by the marathon, maybe?! Will be sitting on my exercise bike in front of the TV later

allbuggied - spot on! I saw these women finishing the marathon in 2 hrs 22 minutes and thought - I must get out there! I am sure some of these people just have completely different bodies and lungs to the rest of the human race. They can maintain my very top sprinting speed for 26 miles FGS! That said, all the stories of the 'ordinary folks' doing it for charidee and the wheelchair racers zooming round are v inspiring.

I'm back (thank God!). Checking in and will be back for a read later.

I was just looking back through your posts tracey to find the jigsaw dress link and noticed your DD and my DD have the same name

Re magazines - costs a lot to buy them over here (7/8euros I think for Glamour) so I usually get one from anyone who is visiting. Quite like Easy Living & Red.

Love the Oasis ditsy print maxi.

No great new suggestions re fake tan - I usually end up with a Dove - there is one which leaves a nice sheen on the skin.

Speaking of which - went to buy some sunlotion for the boys. Has anyone tried the Boots Soltan Once (for kids) - does it work and is it one of those types which just stains all their clothes brown - which then doesnt wash off'?? Brought some and also some of the usual stuff in a squirty bottle to be on the safe side. BTW would only use the Once stuff on the beach and then would re-apply etc etc but less often then a normal one.

Has LTEC been on facebook recently? Hope she has switched off from the world to re-charge herself - rather than being proper poorly?

Oooo Roman - details please!!!! Intriged re your "thank God"!

Evening all,
was disneyland that bad Roman?!

Have had rough 24 hours with DD - went for a bbq at inlaws (wore denim skirt, navy leggings, and breton top + pewter pumps ) and she started being very cuddly and sleepy (not like her) by the time we got home she had a really high temperature so we spent the night trying to comfort her without getting her even hotter, alternating calpol & nurofen and freezing with all the windows open whilst she sizzled away in just her babygro - it finally went down a bit by about 5am and we got 3 lovely hours sleep. Doctors this morning & they think it's some sort of virus connected to her eye being manky.

She seems more herself now but still dosed up to the eyeballs All good fun this parenting business

Hope LTEC is better & back soon.

Oh poor baby Juan! I hate it when they get a high temperature as DH tends to flap where as I am possibly too laidback.

Roman - will be interested to hear your report . Must confess can't ever see me doing disney. Bad mother emoticon.

Get well soon baby juan roma - I recovered from the Disneyland Paris thing in a couple of days. You will be back to normal before you know it!

I'm free of ILs!!
Phew. Not that bad but better now they're gone and dh being properly attentive saying I look fabulous and praising my afternoon tea. I made triangle sandwiches, scones and blueberry muffins.

Sorry to hear about your dc mrsj. I get paranoid if one of mine so much as coughs these days.

So come on romana, bring it on!
Did your luggage go missing and you had to buy all new Disney themed clothes? Have you put on 7lbs after eating all the junk? Tell us!

Come back soon ltec.

Eew, anyone seen that awful pink jumper on page 33 of style? £180.00! Ridiculous.

Glad visit went well Blossoming and lol at Romana in mickey mouse ears.

Golly my DH can be very annoying sometimes. He does work incredibly hard etc etc and I do make massive allowances, eg, he had 2 lie-ins this weekend, a nap this pm - I do all cooking/house/child stuff and still he moans tonight about rubbish weekend.

To be fair he was working very late on friday and saturday night but honestly it is irritating. And then when I was a bit grumpy about cleaning the kitchen floor for the millionth time - he just gets annoyed. Its like I'm never allowed to get irritated by the relentlessness of my life.

Sorry - moan over.

Red - do you have 2dd's or one of each? I do love the name Beatrice .

Don't go! As soon as I got there I was so embarrassed that I had taken my children to worship at the altar of marketing of plastic tat. The rides and the shows are very well done, sometimes really spectacular, but just one of them would be memorable for the kids, so spending so much money on 2 days of one after the other is just, well, unnecessary.

And as you walk off, for example, the Star Wars ride there's a massive amount of star wars stuff to buy right in front of the kids; you walk off the Buzz Lightyear ride into a giant Buzz Lightyear shop etc. The food was OK in that there were quite a lot of restaurants that had salad of some kind on the menu, but we spent about 100 euros on every meal.

Anyway, we went to stay with some friends in Paris afterwards and the kids were equally as happy playing with lego all afternoon at home.

So I really can't recommend it, not because we didn't have a nice time - we did all have a nice time - but because the whole concept is so repulsive. It's like the last stage of materialistic depravity before we have to decamp to another planet like in Wall-E!!

No! No mickey ears here, but there were an astonishing number of adults in Mickey ears, and 50% of the little girls were in Princess dresses (yup - another 50 euros I suppose!!)

Oh and there are these 'autograph books' with pens for sale everywhere and they encourage you to collect your favourite characters' autographs. Many adults were also doing this

The marketing is very clever - there's a clever way of screwing you for some cash dressed up as a 'wonderful memory' or 'moving experience' at every turn.

It's pretty well organised though. DS3 had an ear infection, and they had the dr round to the hotel in 1/2 hour - all very easy. Of course that meant I had to spend 16 euros on pushchair rental too, because he was tired. They must rake it in.

For those who choose to ignore my wise advice and go anyway: 'Moteur action' is brilliant, and so is 'Stitch Live' and many of the shows are in general better than the rides, because you don't have to stand in a queue for ages.

Of the rides, mine (boys) loved Star Tour, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, and Peter Pan's Flight best. DS3 (4yo) found most quite scary, but adored Buzz. If you have magic hours use them to the full - you can walk straight on to the rides. Know that there are 9 attractions for which you can get Fast Passes for free so you don't have to queue. Go round and collect them early because they run out.

And wait until your children are about 5yo. 2 days is plenty.

romanarama I will be worshipping at the plastic tat altar in August - pleasure and pain methinks but yes, just 2 days then a week in the Dordogne to recover Did you stay in a Disney hotel onsite?

tracey i've got one of each, Beatrice and Charlie.

blossoming i thought that jumper was yuk too! I do rather like the red wedges on the same page though. The Manhattan makeover woman is funny - she looks good but def not a dead ringer for sienna miller

Completely agree romana. we stayed in Paris and went for the day to Disney. Ask dc1 what the highlight of the trip was and he will say the park in jardin du Luxembourg where he spent 3 hours playing with his parisian friend. And in Disney itself he wanted to spend longest in the park by the pirate ship.