JuicyTots

We have moved and we'd love you to join us!

2012-01-19T17:26:00.002Z

We have moved our blog , so if you'd like to keep reading come over and find us, we'd love to see you there

Bob & Blossom Number T-shirts: The perfect Birthday gift

2012-01-11T17:02:00.000Z

These Bob & Blossom T-shirts with numbers on them are always a very poplar gift for Children's birthdays or as a gift for a proud new big brother or sister. Young children, unlike us adults, are always proud to tell anyone who will listen about how old they are so these Bob & Blossom Number T-shirts really hit the spot. There is a vast array of colour combinations to choose from, sure to suit all tastes, available in Ages 1 to 4. Check out the full Bob & Blossom range on our website.

Molo Spring Summer '12: Campervan Collection

2012-01-10T13:12:00.004Z

Next up in our series showcasing the wonderful new prints from Molo is the Camper range. Inspired by Campervans and all things outdoors the collection is mixed with the big star sky print, featuring the signature Molo star pattern in tones of blue, white and highlights of orange.

This is just a taster as we are expecting more lines in our next delivery, due in mid february. Why not join our mailing list or follow us on Facebook so you can keep track of new lines arriving?

Molo Spring Summer '12 : Cats Collection

2012-01-09T13:36:00.004Z

Our first delivery of Molo Spring Summer '12 has just hit out virtual shelves and I have to say our Danish favourites Molo-kids have surpassed themselves this season with some amazing prints for boys and girls.

Shown here are some of the Cats collection for older girls which is already selling really well. It is easy to mix and match and great for layering while the weather is still cool. There are some great pieces that will take you right into summer. A personal favourite is the Regina smock style T-shirt with big button detail and pink trims. This is ideal to layer over a skinny fit long sleeve top and leggings but looks just as good worn with a simple pair of shorts and sandals.

Check out the full Molo Cats range on our website.

Gruffalo's Child Facebook Fan Giveaway

2011-12-10T12:22:00.001Z

We're having a giveaway to celebrate The Gruffalo's Child which has been turned into an animation and will air on Christmas Day. You could be in with a chance of winning one of our special Gruffalo's Child Stationery Gift Boxes from our Gruffalo Gift Collection.

To enter you'll need to hop over to our Facebook Page, click like (if you haven't already) and then you should find revealed a scene from The Gruffalo's Child on the welcome tab. If you don't see it you can manually select the tab from the menu on the left. Follow the instructions below the picture to enter the giveaway.

Terms and Conditions:

1. Competition open to UK entrants only (prize must be sent to a UK address).
2. By entering this competition you agree for your email address to be added to the JuicyTots mailing list for exclusive news and discounts.
3. The giveaway is open until 9am on Friday 16th December at which point a winner will be chosen at random and notified by email.
4. The winner must respond with their postal address by 10am on 19th December or another name may be drawn.
5. The prize is for one Gruffalo's Child Stationery Gift Box worth £12.99 there is no cash alternative to this prize.
6. We reserve the right to change the requirements of entry at any time.

Christmas Posting Dates

2011-12-04T09:27:00.003Z

Here are the recommended last posting dates for Christmas 2011

Mon 5th December

South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia and New Zealand (orders must be received by us before 14.00GMT)

Fri 9th December

Eastern Europe, USA and Canada (orders must be received by us before 14.00GMT)

Monday 12th December (orders must be received by us before 14.00GMT)

Western Europe

Monday 19th December

Standard Delivery (orders must be received by us before 14.00GMT)

Thursday 22nd December

Express Delivery (orders must be received by us before 14.00GMT) please select and pay for Express Delivery at checkout. We use Royal Mail Special Delivery which is guaranteed Next Day.

If you need any help or advice then please get in touch

Bob & Blossom Tutu Pettiskirts now in stock at Juicytots

2011-10-08T16:00:00.004+01:00

We are so excited to have just taken delivery of some gorgeous tutu pettiskirts from one of our favorite suppliers, Bob & Blossom. These would make a fabulous gift and are ideal for parties, dressing up or just to hang about in looking gorgeous!

The Bob & Blossom pettiskirts come in various colours. We have taken pale, vintage and bright pink as well as black and our favourite silver grey. The skirts have an elasticated waist with a big ribbon bow at the front. They are made from nylon chiffon and there is plenty of material for full on twirling action. The skirts come with a Bob & Blossom printed cotton shopper bag which is ideal to store your pettiskirt in.

Snap these up, as from past experience they sell out quickly and sometime demand exceeds supply so we can't guarantee more deliveries before Christmas. Enjoy!

Hatley Pyjamas available now from Juicytots!

2011-10-07T13:26:00.000+01:00

We are delighted to be stocking Canadian brand Hatley this season. This brand has long been on our list for Juicytots as our own children were gifted some Hatley Pyjamas a while ago and we have a hard job getting them to take them off! The quality of Hatley is super, the cut is very cute and cosy and they wash and wear so well. (Always high on my list of priorities!)

If you aren't familiar with the brand Hatley it is a family run company which has been around for quite some time, having been established now for over 20 years. It is run by the three sons of its original founders.

The Hatley Pyjamas come in a variety of fun prints for boys and girls which will appeal to children and which adult love too because of their cute factor! The pyjamas are very skinny fit, in a long john style. You may need to think about sizing up when purchasing. More information on the sizing of Hatley pyjamas is available on the Juicytots website.

Monkee Genes Kids Skinny Jeans at Juicytots

2011-10-06T11:34:00.000+01:00

This season we are expanding our clothing ranges and a new brand we are delighted to have on board are Monkee Genes jeans.

Monkee Genes was founded in 2006 and is the only UK organic jeans brand to be Soil Association certified. The strict criteria for this accreditation means that their ethos is to manufacture with a conscience and without sweatshop labour. Everyone involved is paid a living wage right down to the cotton picker.

Quality of fit and make are high on the Monkee Genes list of priorities too and they already have a host of celebrity fans for their adult ranges. Following on from their success they have launched Monkee Genes Skinny jeans for kids, the little brothers and sisters of the original Monkee Genes! These come in organic denim, cotton sateen and soft baby cord available in denim and also some fabulous colours. They were recently featured on style blog Bambino Goodies in a feature they did about the hot trend for coloured jeans this Autumn.

The jeans have an adjustable waist, an enamelled waist button with a banana on it, and even a scaled down version of the remove able waistband branded label patch.

These skinny jeans look great on boys and girls and are made in sizes 2-8 years, generous in the length. We currently have stock of the inky blue denim, chilli sateen and plum baby cord skinny jeans with more stock and more colours on order, which we hope to get in as soon as possible. If you require a particular size or colour which is out of stock at the moment please let us know via email and we will reserve for you.

A fresh start...

2011-10-05T11:22:00.005+01:00

Well firstly let me apologise. I've been a bad, bad blogger and sadly left the Juicytots blog to be neglected the past couple of months. This summer was my last one with a pre-schooler though and we wanted to make the most of it. I now have all three of my children in school and my eldest has actually started high school (how old do I feel?). Anyway, it is changing times ahead and after the last five years of establishing the business and trying to work around the children I am hoping to restore some work-life balance (the holy grail of the self employed- does this actually exist?) and work whilst the kids are at school. So watch this space and lets see if I now manage to do all those things with the business I've been wanting to do but not had the time for!

Just arrived Molo Fleeces...!

2011-06-21T19:14:00.011+01:00

Well can you believe it, we've just had our first shipment of brand spanking new Molo stock. In this pre-season shipment are the gorgeous teddy fleeces as well as a some of the Autumn clothes which we plan to blog about very soon, if you can't wait then have a look here

Molo teddy fleeces have a high natural fibre content. So whereas most fleeces are made from 100% polyester, these Molo fleeces are 70% cotton and only 30% polyester. This gives them a very soft handle and the benefits of a natural fibre. At this time of year and well into Autumn the Molo teddy fleeces are ideal instead of a coat. Of course they aren't waterproof but do provide a snuggly warm layer and are perfect to slip on on cooler days or after the beach etc.

This season we have four gorgeous colours to choose from party pink, cool blue, thunder grey and turtle green. Each is trimmed with a contrast colour and has a hood as well as being a zip through style so no difficulties with getting it over your child's head. The cuff features the signature Molo thumbhole which kids love as well as the bearprint design on the upper arm.

These fleeces are always very popular, so make sure you don't miss out.

Juicytots Summer Sale- Molo, Katvig, No Added Sugar & more

2011-06-15T13:44:00.008+01:00

Juicytots Biggest Ever SUMMER SALE is now on!

We have great reductions on our Summer stock including Scandinavian brands Molo, Katvig & Smafolk as well as No Added Sugar, Sophie4Sophie, LocoLili Sun Hats & selected pettiskirts.

Take a look at our SALE here

My Top 5 Boyswear Clothing Items for Summer

2011-03-30T12:09:00.012+01:00

As a family with two girls and one boy I have noticed that there is an array of clothing for girls and not so much choice for boys. This is something we have been trying to address over the past couple of seasons at Juicytots, as we would like to have a great boyswear offering too. So today I bring you my Top 5 boys items for this summer. Number one is the Katvig velour sweatshirt. This is an all round winner, it is soft and cosy, perfect for after the beach. It looks great and best of all it washes fantastically well. It is shown here over a Katvig recycled cotton T-shirt with logo design.

Number two is this reversible sunhat. This hat comes from Australian brand LocoLili. We stocked their range of girls hats last year and they were phenomenally popular, so we were delighted that this year they have launched a boyswear version under the name LocoFelix. This hat has a red brim and star patter on one side and is blue and white gingham with a navy brim on the reverse. It has a tab where you can write your child's name (perfect for school or nursery) and a cord with toggle adjuster to keep it on. We have other designs, including Robots, available on the website.

Number 3 are the lovely thick organic cotton stripe T-shirts from Katvig, available in sky blue and dark blue as shown and also in red and cobalt. Perfect with shorts and lovely quality T-shirts. We also have some long sleeve versions for cooler days.

Number four, these Alec shorts from Danish designer Molo. They have some great style details including stars woven into the denim, cute tape tabs, an adjustable waist and most important of all for boys: pockets! they are a stylish basic which will go with everything!

Number five is the Rover Popcorn T-shirt again from Molo. This has already been a run-away best seller and you can see why. Now sold out at Molo so hurry while our stocks last as we won't be getting any more. Check out our full boyswear range on the Juicytots website. We offer FREE UK p&p and our Worldwide shipping rates are also very reasonable.

What's in a name?

2011-03-29T12:23:00.006+01:00

picture taken from www.Hairstyles24.com

I read this week that TV Presenter Myleene Klass, who incidentally grew up not far from us, has had a baby girl named Hero Harper. This got me thinking about baby names. Personally we choose quite traditional, slightly old fashioned names for our children. The older two have names that were in our family.

How did you choose your child's name? Was is a family tradition, something you just liked or maybe a celebrity name? Of course you also have to think about initials, your surname and whether a name that is cute for a baby will serve them well in adult life! We liked the name Charlie for a boy but with our surname it was a no-go! I don't think our son would have thanked us for calling him Charlie Chapman do you?

Do you shorten you child's name? I liked Lottie for my third daughter but my husband argued she would have to be Charlotte and shortened, which I wasn't keen on. In the end we choose something entirely different!

Going back to Myleene, I have to say I'm not sure about her choice, but I can see the appeal of choosing something other people haven't thought of, I certainly prefer it to Apple or Peaches. Her first daughter is called Ava which is a more common name. Anyway no matter what you name your child, its something they have to carry with them for life, so choose carefully!

Hello Kitty stationery- great for party presents

2011-03-06T18:26:00.007Z

We've just added a small range of very cute Hello Kitty stationery to our range. We think this new cupcake design will go down a treat with girls of all ages. This Hello Kitty range is perfectly priced for party presents or maybe a little treat for a sibling when buying a new baby gift or when you just want a little extra something to add to a present.

The range is priced between £3.99 and £9.99 and includes notebooks, a secret diary, purse, bag and various other stationery items.

This triple pocket pencil case would be great for school and has cute cupcake and Hello Kitty charms on the zip pull.

Check out the full range on the juicytots website.

Sophie4Sophie Circle Skirts

2011-03-03T10:31:00.006Z

We have been working with Brighton designer Natalie Luffman of Sophie4Sophie for some time stocking their funky reversible baby dresses. So you can imagine we were delighted when they came up with a new design for older girls: The Circle Skirt.

Juicytots are the first UK stockists of the new Sophie4Sophie circle skirts which initially are available in two sizes: 3-4 and 5-6 years. The skirts are a full circle so perfect for twirling and have a soft comfortable ribbed jersey waistband which can be turned over as you wish. This ensures longevity of the garment, something which Sophie4Sophie are well known for and try to incorporate into their designs. The hem of the skirt is trimmed in matching binding

At the moment we have just four fabric choices available but plan to expand our range pretty soon. Natalie can also take custom orders.

We think these skirts are just about perfect for summer, all we need now is some good weather! Until then though there are always leggings and long sleeved tops to layer up with!

L is for Lunch Time!

2011-02-28T23:16:00.007Z

As the weather finally starts to show signs of Spring what better than to start to think about sunny days & picnic lunches... ....actually maybe that is a tad optimistic, let's think about packed lunches for school & nursery instead and what better way to jolly them up than with a gorgeous new lunch bag?
This lunch box co-ordinates with the dolly girl lunch bag and is a new addition to our range.

Our range of lunch bags won't break your budget and will also do their bit to help the environment as they are made from recycled plastic bottles! They are very lightweight and can be folded flat when not in use. There are eight designs to choose from and you can see the full range here.

Orla Kiely Stationery, oh yes you will be mine!

2011-02-26T18:19:00.007Z

Just in time for Mother's Day *hint, hint* we have taken delivery of some gorgeous new Orla Kiely Stationery. The range includes A5 notebooks in two designs with an oh-so-handy elastic strap to keep the pages closed when not in use. I love this feature as you can tuck things in the pages that you want to keep safe.

There is also a beautifully gift boxed ball-pen in the signature multi stem pattern and my absolute favourite is a pack of 21 gorgeous postcards in a beautiful gift wallet. There are 7 designs and you get 3 of each.

They are so lovely you could even frame them!

Check out the range here. click click!

Primrose Hair Accessories : Spotty Hair Clips

2011-02-24T21:54:00.004Z

It's lovely when you find the perfect finishing touch to your outfit isn't it? Well we think these gorgeous grosgrain ribbon bows are just the ticket!

Sold individually or in packs of two, these clips make a great gift.

Time to get organised: Storage Bags from Juicytots

2011-02-17T14:44:00.007Z

Springtime always puts me in the mood for tidying and organising the house and what better to assist me in my quest than these fab new toy tidy bags and storage bags. I have to admit to snaffling a few for myself before I put them on the website and I am pretty pleased with my efforts! This toy tidy has been put to great use organising all the kids soft toys, of which we have a ridiculous amount! It would also be useful for dressing up clothes, dollies and their accessories or even Lego (as long as you didn't overfill it and drag it about!) I also think you could use these for sorting out recycling or if like us you have lots of hats, scarves and gloves knocking about, this would be great for keeping them tidy too.

These jumbo storage bags are also very useful. We use them for storing spare bedding, for laundry, for when we go camping and for our Christmas decorations. I have also sold them to customers for toy storage, for Lego and lots and lots of other uses too.

Check out the full range of storage bags on the Juicytots website.

New Mr Men Party Range, celebrating 40 years!

2011-02-15T22:41:00.008Z

Can you believe that the Mr Men is celebrating its 40th anniversary? We have a wonderfully bright and cheery new Mr Men party range just in featuring all your favourite Mr Men characters. The range includes invitations and thank you cards as well as these fab paper party bags, where each one can be personalised with a different Mr Men sticker.
Also included is all you need for the party table including plates, cups, tablecloth and even Mr Messy napkins!

Look out too for our convienient party packs which make shopping with us even easier. Remember we have a maximum UK shipping charge of £3.95 so you can really stock up. We also carry a good selection of small gift items suitable for party prizes.

Katvig Organic Cotton Clothing for Kids, from Denmark

2011-02-14T12:58:00.006Z

We have just received our first garments from the Katvig Spring Summer 2011 collection.

There are some great new colourways to enjoy. Seen here is a lovely long sleeved organic cotton T-shirt in Seaweed and Mint. Most of the Katvig basics are unisex and this top would certainly suit both boys and girls.

We have two new short sleeved colourways too, sky blue and dark blue stripes:

Cobalt and red stripes:
For Girls we have this super funky little dress in blue and white stripes with red trims. This Katvig dress is an easy to wear style that can be layered or worn alone with sandals in warmer weather.

The Katvig sunsuit is a fantastic addition to their summer range, perfect for holidays. It has a smocked panel at the chest and balloons out into funky harem style trousers! Love it.

Look out for more pieces from Katvig's Spring Summer 2011 collection arriving at juicytots in the coming weeks.

Molo-kids Colibri Summer Collection for Girls

2011-02-08T13:22:00.014Z

The first drop of our new Molo-Kids Spring Summer 2011 has arrived and what a treat we have in store for you!

The Colibri print is a pretty girly print inspired by the rainforest and featuring hummingbirds, butterflies and tropical flowers. We have put together some outfits here to give you a feel for the range that is available currently.

Shown above is the Rika party stripe top which we have layered over a basic Molo short sleeved T-shirt. Rika is a pretty top with ruffle shoulder straps. We have put this with the bunny skirt, which is probably one of the most versatile pieces in the collection. You can get a better look at its styling in the picture below. The Molo Bunny skirt is a puffball skirt with a deep soft ribbed
turn over waistband with a pretty ribbon trim. It looks great layered with leggings or worn alone.

The Molo basics short and long sleeved purple tops co-ordinate well with this range and are great for layering up with the more patterned items in the range. Here is a basic Molo t-shirt worn with the colibri leggings.
It is possible to create a multitude of outfit combinations with just this small number of garments. You could also add other plain coloured items or denim to extend your child's wardrobe further. Look out for more Molo arriving very soon!

The Gruffalo Party Range is here!

2011-01-26T19:17:00.010Z

Our fabulous new Gruffalo Party range is starting to arrive and what a feast of delights it is! The Gruffalo celebrated its tenth anniversary last year and the animated film was shown at Christmas and has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Short Film category.

We have lost count of how many times customers have asked if there is Gruffalo party tableware available but at least here it is!

The Gruffalo party range consists of everything you will need for a fantastic Gruffalo party, including plates, cups, napkins and tablecloths. There are paper Gruffalo loot bags and packs of badges to go inside them as well as candles with holders if you are brave enough to attempt a cake!

If you need some inspiration for Gruffalo games there is a pin the tail on The Gruffalo game which comes complete with A2 sized Gruffalo poster, tails and and eye mask. There is also a pull string pinata game.

Don't forget that we also sell Gruffalo wrapping paper and Birthday cards as well as some fantastic stationery and gift items.

Christmas Dinner : Chickpea Wellington

2010-12-20T19:43:00.007Z

Serves Six

For those of you who won't be eating meat this Christmas here is a family recipe for a super vegetarian option. It is lovely hot with the rest of the Christmas dinner food and also nice cold with buffet table foods and a spoonful of cranberry sauce.

Quantities are not critical in this recipe, reasonable variations in amounts won't spoil it.

Ingredients:

Flaky pastry- 85g (buy frozen ready made and use one sheet from the pack- you need enough to wrap up the chickpea mix)

Chickpeas- 1 tin (if you don't want to soak and boil up the dried ones)

Mushrooms- chopped, 100g

Marmite- 1/2 teaspoon

Breadcrumbs- 88g

Mixed herbs - 1tsp (dried)

Onions - 75g ( a small/medium onion)

Pepper- to taste, a good grind of the mill

Vegetable stock - 38ml (!?)

Worcester sauce- dash

Tomato puree- 1tsp

Method:

- Drain the chickpeas (from tin) or cook as instructions and drain (dry peas)

- Mash together chickpeas, marmite, breadcrumbs, tomato puree and Worcester sauce. (No big lumps of peas but don't crush to a paste- you want a bit of texture)

- Saute the mushrooms and onions until soft, combine with the chickpea mixture. Add enough vegetable stock to obtain a firm mixture (it should stick together but not be a gooey mess!)

- Roll out pastry and place the mixture in the centre. Wrap the ends in and form into a flattened roll- use beaten egg to glue the joints.

- Place on a greased baking sheet, turn over so that the seam is underneath.

- Brush with the rest of the egg to glaze. make a series of diagonal slits into the pastry to decorate - barely go through- the slits will open nicely as it cooks.

- Bake at 200C (gas6) for 25-30 mins.

This recipe was adapted to family sized quantities by my Dad. The original recipe belonged to a cook at one of the schools my mum taught at and was in catering sized quantities! It is one of the vegetarian recipes all the meat eaters in our house will eat without moaning!

Happy Christmas!

Scandi Style at Juicytots: Funky Danish Brand Smafolk

2010-12-15T12:53:00.007Z

We are delighted to introduce another gorgeous Scandinavian brand this season. Smafolk from Denmark is well known for its striking all over patterned items which include some amazingly bright T-shirts and dresses. We have taken a small capsule collection for AW10 and hope to expand our range for SS11.

Seen above is the apple print dress in purple, we also have this in a gorgeous rich red. The Smafolk apple dress has a touch of Lycra to make it comfortable to wear and contrast trims at the neck and cuffs. The dresses are available in sizes from 1-2 up to 7-8 years and are generous in their sizing.

Seen here is the delightful Racing Car print top or if that's not your thing then what about the Smafolk Sports Car top? For girls, as well as the dresses we have taken the kittens top from baby sizes right through to Age 6 and for boys this Excavator top, seen below. The only difficulty you will have is choosing!

Christmas Gift Ideas :Baby Sleepsuits from Juicytots

2010-11-01T12:53:00.011Z

Now that there are only 52 days till Christmas, I thought I'd share some cute gift ideas or outfit inspiration for babies! You really can't go wrong with an all in one sleepsuit in the colder months for a young baby. You can add a vest underneath and a cardigan on top and there will be no cold draughts. I also think they are supremely comfortable for a little person who is hopefully going to spend a lot of time sleeping or at least lying about!

Sleepsuits, or playsuits as they are sometime called, come in a multitude of funky colours these days. No more boring pastels here! Molo-kids are well known for their photo prints such as the Canada Bears seen above and also for bright bold colour combinations seen here in the wide orange and navy striped sleepsuit below.

For girls, what about this gorgeous Fiona Gemstones Sleepsuit with a scattering of precious jewels on it and a delicious hot pink trim to offset the turquoise background?

If stripes are more your thing, then we have some gorgeous organic cotton sleepsuits from Katvig and Toby Tiger.

We offer FREE UK p&p on all clothing items, will also ship worldwide and can also offer gift wrapping if needed. Why not check out our full range of sleepsuits here.

Winter Tops for Boys from Katvig,Toby Tiger and Molo

2010-10-06T22:32:00.000+01:00

Who said Boyswear was dull? We have some fab bright boys tops in stock right now which will be sure to cheer up those dark Autumn days!

Molo are well known for their photo print designs and any cool dude will look the part in this Remington Recording print top. The top is a slim cut with plain grey sleeves and a photo print of recording decks on the main body. The blue trim finishes it off perfectly and co-ordinates well with the Molo Upton fleece we have teamed it with here.

If stripes are your thing, we have them a plenty! new in this week is the green and navy Katvig striped top as well as this gorgeous apple design top in tones of blue and green. Both look delightful with dark denim. We like it layered up with this soft and cosy velour zip through jacket by Katvig.

Toby Tiger can always be relied on for some gorgeous colour combinations and this new blue multi striped top is no exception.
If stripes don't float your boat, then how about stars? We love this Molo top with its signature multicoloured stars in teal, green and orange on the dark navy background. We have lots more for boys on the website, why not take a look?

Get the London Look: Outfit inspiration from Molo-kids

2010-09-27T11:01:00.009+01:00

We just love this urban look for girls featuring Molo-kids fantasy-meets-real-life London print! Look closely and you will see famous London streets teamed with iconic red phone boxes and London buses as well as the fantasy elements of rainbows and sweeties! We have put together some outfits which show how you can incorporate some key pieces into your child's wardrobe to mix and match with things they may already have.

Skinny jeans and converse look great with this gorgeous A-line shaped Molo top. The Rochelle top has frills at the shoulder and a seam across the chest which give it a pretty feminine shape. The busyness of the London print is contrasted with the black sleeves and the coloured trim at the cuff.
The Molo Cami tunic style dress with hood can be worn with red tights, jeans or with the black and white star Nydia leggings as show. This is a lovely cosy dress that could also be layered with the Molo basics grey top or a plain red T-shirt underneath.

Want to wear a pettiskirt but not look too girly and frilly? Why not opt for this red pettiskirt we have imported from US designer Oopsy Daisy Baby. We have shown it here with the star rainbow leggings, and you could put it with any plain top or with the London print top. The red pettiskirt would also be fab for Christmas worn with some sparkle!

Cool outfits for a little Dude from Bob and Blossom, Katvig and Toby Tiger

2010-09-21T18:10:00.011+01:00

Here is a great capsule wardrobe which hopefully shows that blue for boys doesn't have to be boring! Bob and Blossom make a fab range of slim fit screen print tops which mix and match with their great little stripey jersey trousers, shown here in vintage blue and navy.

Katvig boilersuits are guaranteed to keep your little man snug and warm, the blue and aqua shown here would look nice on a girl as well, but if you like pink then we do also stock a girly colourway! The Katvig boilersuit has a zip through front and half elasticated waist which gives the garment some shape. Team this with one of Molo's great basic bodysuits, available in both green and grey.

Also shown is a gorgeous organic cotton double layer jersey blanket from Toby Tiger. We find these are one of our most popular gift items and stock lots of different colour combinations. These blankets are ideal for the car seat or to lie baby on for a kick. They also come in handy when breastfeeding in public or as an impromptu change mat or towel!

Why not finish off your outfit with a great pair of soft leather shoes from Inch Blue? These Robot shoes have a navy leather background, turquoise suede trim and a sliver robot design on the front. Top off your outfit with a cute merry berry hat shown here in the blackberry design. These look good enough to eat and are sure to get those broody feelings going! There is nothing cuter than a baby in a merry berry hat.

Baby Girls Wardrobe: No Added Sugar dresses, Sophie4Sophie and more!

2010-09-15T20:08:00.011+01:00

I just love this colour palette for baby girls. The No Added Sugar dress in violet and ferret is divine and made from the softest peach skin jersey which is fleecy on the inside. What really makes No Added Sugar dresses special is all the details in the cut and shaping as well as the premium quality luxury fabrics. This little No Added Sugar dress is called run rings and it looks super cute with the Inch Blue leopard print Mary Jane shoes.
Katvig have re-invented their jersey striped dresses this season with the new balloon shape, see top picture. It is shown here in mint and aubergine but is also available in a pink colourway too. Katvig jersey wear is all made from organic cotton and is super soft.

The deer print dress from Sophie4Sophie is exclusive to us and is reversible. The other side is called feeling groovy- and indeed the gorgeous colour combinations and psychedelic pattern do have that effect! Team the Sophie4Sophie dress with a Molo basics purple long sleeved vest and the Sorrel Molo leggings in purple stripe and you have a winning outfit combination. The Molo fleece is great this time of year to just throw on over any of these other outfits to keep little ones snug.
We offer free postage on all clothing items sent to UK addressees and can also ship internationally at very reasonable rates.

Next post will be something for the boys...

Enchanting Outfit Ideas: Baby Girls Molo, Katvig and Inch Blue

2010-09-15T14:25:00.008+01:00

This cute combination of Molo and Katvig from their AW10 collections will brighten up a dull winter morning. The Katvig boilersuits are super cool and very practical especially for after swimming or for soft play adventures! The Katvig velour boilersuits have a zip fastening and a popper collar that can be worn open or poppered up. Layer with a long sleeved vest, shown here is the pink Molo basics vest which goes well with all these other garments too.

Molo are well known for their fantasy prints which mix photos with graphic designs. This Molo enchanted forest print is gorgeous and the Caroline dress is always a very popular shape, shown here with long sleeves for the colder months. It can be worn alone, with tights or teamed up with the Sorrell pink and black leggings as shown below. Check out our website for other colorways of the Molo Caroline dress.

You can accessorise your outfit with a choice of hot pink suede Mary Jane's from Inch Blue or what about these sheepskin boots which are also known as Cwtch's? The word cwtch is Welsh for cuddle and these boots will certainly make your babies feet feel loved! Inch Blue shoes are all handmade in Wales. The shoes are stocked in 0-6, 6-12 and 12-18 months sizes and come in a gift bag. The boots are made in two sizes: 0-6 and 6-12 months and come in a sturdy gift box.

If your baby is blessed with hair, then you'll love our new range of spotty clips. Shown here is the white with hot pink spots. These clips add a great finishing touch. Remember we offer free UK p&p on all clothing items and can also ship internationally at very reasonable rates.

Which is your favourite piece? Do you own any of this gorgeousness already? If so we'd love to see your pictures. Why not post on our Facebook fan page?

Autumn Outfit Inspiration: Girls Katvig & Molo

2010-09-14T17:37:00.013+01:00

I fancied doing a new little series to give you some ideas on outfits and what things from our collections will mix and match well together. Although we tend to think of buying clothing from one brand to wear together sometimes it is great to mix it up a little. So I plan to show you some outfit ideas over the next few weeks to give you some inspiration!

First up are some lovely pieces from Molo and Katvig. I'm loving the black and white items which can be worn as a staple and mixed and matched with the more vibrant things in the range and the Bianca puffball skirt with its black and white star design is a perfect worn alone or with leggings or tights and then teamed with a t-shirt and fleece. Shown here is the Katvig purple and yellow striped T-shirt but it also looks cool with the plain purple Rikki top from Molo's very competitively priced basics range. We also sell black and white star leggings which go with everything!
The Corliss pansy dress has all the purple colour tones in it and can be worn with the purple striped Nima leggings or over the Katvig purple tights. On a cold day add the Molo Umeko fleece for a warm and cosy outfit. If you love the pansy print we also sell a long sleeved top in this pattern.

Do you have any items from this range? What do you wear them with? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake Goodies

2010-09-13T14:17:00.004+01:00

There can't be many people who haven't at some time read Roald Dahl's brilliant children's stories, brought to life with Quentin Blake's' fabulous illustrations. We are now stocking a fantabulous range of Birthday cards with pictures from various Roald Dahl stories along with wrapping paper. We also have in stock some great new designs of Fabric Flavours T-shirts including Fantastic Mr Fox and Charlie and the Chocolate factory.

Don't forget to also check out our gifts which include scrapbooks, stamp kits and writing sets. Today is Roald Dahl day as September the 13th was his birthday. If you are a fan, check out this fab site which has loads of information and facts about the man himself!

Outerwear aka coats, jackets, fleeces and gloves from Molo-kids!

2010-08-07T14:59:00.013+01:00

This winter we are going to start stocking coats for the first time. We decided to choose Molo's outerwear range as it is regarded as among the best on the market for kids.

Molo's philosophy is that there are many ways of creating functional, high quality outwear, they have prioritised their choices using the following criteria:

- Waterproof

- Breathable

- Weight/mobility/durability

- Visibility

- Safety

The jackets we have chosen to stock this season are wind and waterproof, lined with Thermo Lite MICRO, which makes jackets especially warm and lets the body breathe while staying soft and light.

The jackets are lined intelligently: this means that they are lined with fleece in the important places to make them warm and comfortable, and they have nylon lining at the end of the sleeves which makes them easy to get on and off. The fleece is high quality and allows the body to breathe, all seams essential to waterproof the garment are taped.

The jackets can be washed at 30C. Close all zippers, wash inside out and try not to tumble dry more than 3-4 times during the life of the coat. this will protect the coating and lamination and will extend the garments' water resistant and waterproof qualities. Do not use bleaching agents, fabric softener or detergent with optical brighteners.

The coats all have reflective piping and the signature Molo stars made from reflective material on the sleeves and on the base of the hem. This is an essential safety feature on dark winter nights. The garments all conform to EU's safety standard DS/EN 14682.

Look out for the matching gloves and fleeces coming soon too.

Brief Interlude

2010-08-07T14:50:00.003+01:00

Apologies for the interlude, real life took over for a while! Since my last blog post we have moved which has been a lot of work, but well worth the effort. We now have an office/storeroom that is more than double the size, so no more boxes of stock outside of the office! I also have a much nicer view from the window which also makes for some great people watching opportunities.

A trip to IKEA means we have also got some great new shelving etc and are much better organised so picking and packing orders will be much easier and quicker too, yay! Moving has made me evaluate how far we have come in the last 4 years, to think when I started it was just stock from 2 suppliers in 4 crates!

Look out for posts in the next few days and weeks with news of all our gorgeous new Autumn ranges which are starting to hit down now, ther is fab new stock from Molo, Katvig, No Added Sugar, Toby Tiger and much more besides as well as some new brands for us coming later in the year.

No Added Sugar SALE Now on!

2010-06-24T18:53:00.001+01:00

We have end of season SALE reductions on all our SS10 No Added Sugar collection. For example this Betty Dress was £54.99 and is now £29.99.

All our summer short sleeved Bustle dresses are also reduced to £29.99, we don't have many left so get them before they are gone!

We still offer FREE UK p&p and can ship worldwide at extremely reasonable rates.

If you would like to be kept informed of new stock, special offers, sales etc, please sign up to our mailing list

Trumpette Baby Socks in a Gift Box

2010-06-07T00:01:00.003+01:00

These have to be one of my favourite ideas for what to give as a new baby gift. Trumpette make fab socks that look like teeny little shoes and which really stay on well due to the addition of some spandex to their composition. Shown above are the Mary Jane 5th Avenue design.

Each set of six socks comes in a co-ordinating gift box, ready to give to its intended recipient. They really are the cutest little socks!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar New Toys and Games

2010-05-07T12:57:00.001+01:00

We have some delightful new games and toys in our Hungry Caterpillar range including for babies, this fabulous Hungry Caterpillar Cot Toy with music and sounds which can be attached to the side of the cot or carseat with its velcro straps. Also for babies are the wooden book, rattles, soft toy and teethers, and some fabulous stackable blocks for babies who are sitting unaided. I think they would make a great first birthday present.

For toddlers and pre-school children we have new wooden dominoes, the Colour Me Caterpillar and Colour Me Hungry Caterpillar book. These are really popular and can be coloured in using the special pens provided, then simply washed, dried and used again and again.

Don't forget we also stock all the Hungry Caterpillar party range as well as clothing and these gorgeous toys.

New Molo-Kids Basics: T-shirts, Tops & Bodysuits

2010-05-05T20:06:00.000+01:00

I am so excited about these fab basics from Molo. I have been hunting high and low for decent quality T-shirts that will wash and wear well with out looking like old rags by the end of summer and in plain colours as my girls have lots of bright bold patterned clothes! These Molo T-shirts fit the bill perfectly.

There are two styles of short sleeved T-shirt, one a girls cut with a raglan* sleeve and a traditional straight shoulder seam. This is available in pink, purple and grey marl, each has a contrast coloured star on the back and Molo tape on the inside tape of the neck binding as well as the Molo tab on the side seam. They boys T-shirts are a slim fit with a set in sleeve**and are available in forest green or grey marl.
We also have long sleeved versions available in the same colours, sizes 86cm/18-24months from to 128cm/ 8years. The smallest size has a popper at the neck.

To go with our baby ranges we have also decided to stock the long sleeved bodysuits, they are perfect for under dresses or dungarees but also nice enough to wear as a top or even on their own! They have a round neck with poppers on the shoulder, which make a baby look more "dressed" than the vests with envelop necks which definitely look more like underwear. The bodysuits also have poppers underneath for quick nappy changing, a Molo side tab and a contrast star on the front. I love the pink and purple ones with our Sophie4Sophie dresses. the bodysuits are available in sizes from newborn up to 1 year.

For the geeks:

*A raglan sleeve is a sleeve joined to the body of a garment by a long slanting seam starting at the neck and continuing around the arm hole.

**A set in sleeve is a sleeve joined to the body of a garment by a seam starting at the edge of the shoulder and continuing around the armhole.

Homegrown designer Sophie 4 Sophie

2010-05-01T17:52:00.000+01:00

As well as the well known brands we stock, it is nice to also have something that is a bit different and this is where our Sophie4Sophie range comes in. Natalie Luffman from Brighton is the name behind this brand and is a mum of 4, yes 4 !!! children. She had 3 boys before her daughter Sophie was born and since her little girl arrived has developed an obsession for funky children's clothing. Her daughter Sophie is named after her sister "big Sophie" who is at uni studying fashion and who helped Natalie with the design of the reversible dress. Hence the Sophie4Sophie name.

The Sophie4Sophie reversible dress is designed to be worn from around 9 months up to 3 years. It starts as a dress and as your child grows it becomes first a tunic, then a swing top. The dresses are reversible and Natalie has even designed a handy little place in the side seam where you can tuck in the care label discreetly so as not to spoil the look of your dress.

Myself and Natalie have worked together to bring together a collection of fabric combinations which is exclusive to Juicytots. My favourite being the Pink Japanese dolls and Juicy stripes combination seen below.

In the summer these are great just popped over a t-shirt or body suit, look out for our new Molo basics range arriving soon. In cooler months wear with a long sleeved T-shirt and pop on a pair of leggings or jeans. Your only problem really will be deciding which funky side to show off first!

As well as the dresses we also have a few bibs and blankets in stock. The blankets are backed with super soft minky plush sourced from the USA and you really won't find anything else that is as soft and strokeable as this. The blankets are an ideal size for our in the pram and there is a range of gorgeous fabrics to choose from. We like this heart to heart design.

and here is the matching bib!

Our stock changes regularly so keep checking back to see new colour combinations being added to the website. If you want a custom made dress in a specific colourway contact Natalie direct and she will be happy to discuss ideas with you.

Stay Safe in the Sun with a fab Sunhat!

2010-04-30T00:05:00.000+01:00

Now that the weather is getting better it is time again for me to think about making sure the kids skin is protected. I like to have a bottle of suncream in my bag all the time as my kids are all really fair. A good sunhat is also a must and lo and behold we have just the thing!

When I was trawling around the huge trade fair we visited back in February, my eyes were caught by these gorgeous hats that are from an Australian Company called Locolili.

There are four gorgeous designs to choose from and they come in two sizes: Small to fit Age 1- 3 years and Medium to fit Age 4-7 years, all are fully reversible and have a chin tie if you wish to use it. The tab has a space on the bag to write your child's name too. We have had such good feedback from our customers about these hats and several have sent me lovely photos of their children wearing them too!

The Locolili sun hats are selling fast, so grab yours now. There is free p&p on all UK clothing orders and we can also send these internationally at a very competitive rate.

Wordless Wednesday: Sneak preview, Molo Basics

2010-04-28T18:19:00.004+01:00

Here are my two terrors showing off the new raglan sleeved girls T-shirts from the Molo Basics range. I will be busy getting this fab new stock on the website as soon as I ahve the images sorted out.

Top Picks of Boys Summer T-shirts

2010-04-27T13:32:00.001+01:00

We have some great T-shirts for boys this summer including the Fabric Flavours Star Wars and Roald Dahl ranges as well as Danish favourites Molo-kids and Katvig.

The Star Wars range is currently available in 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8 years but due to customer demand Fabric Flavours are extending the size range up to a 9-10 years with the larger sizes due in July. Here are a couple of the current designs.

The quality of these T-shirts is excellent and they are made from a high quality cotton that is thick and won't twist in the wash. There are six designs to choose from and we offer free UK postage on all clothing. We currently just have one Roald Dahl T-shirt with the Enormous Crocodile on it but there are new designs coming soon with other Roald Dahl book characters on them.

For basics you just can't beat katvig and their organic cotton range. I love this green and orange harlequin T-shirt which looks great with denim or the turquoise joggers.

Molo are renowned for there vivid prints and bold designs. Stand out from the crowd this summer with one of their amazing T-shirts. All the Molo clothing is made with a touch of lycra so will retain its shape really well. My son has been road testing one of their T-shirts and I have to say I am very impressed with the quality and durability. It is also nice for him to be wearing something a little different from all his friends. We have had lots of admiring comments.
I really like this fern green Tshirt called Rasmus which has stripes on the front and stars on the back with blue trims. It looks super stylish with denim and will wash and wear like a dream. Look out for a new range of Molo basics plain T-shirts for boys and girls which will be arriving very soon and at very attractive price points.

Secret Post Club

2010-04-26T12:21:00.002+01:00

I must admit to having been a bit tardy in getting this post written, life has been so hectic here. For those of you who don't follow on twitter we are in the middle of trying to move house, so there has been lots of manic tidying, de-cluttering and decorating going on!

Anyway, I am so pleased to have been able to join in with the secret post club which was the brainchild of Heather who writes a blog called Notes from Lapland. Each month you are given the name of a fellow blogger and must send them a gift. In return someone different will send you a gift. I thought this was a lovely idea and was keen to sign up.

My gift this month arrived from Jen who is the Mum at TheMadhouse, now I am already a reader of her blog and she does lots of lovely activities and crafts with her children mini and maxi so I knew I would be in for a treat. Jen had sent me some cute little wooden mini pegs that had different little dollies painted on them, some pretty envelopes, which she made herself!! as well as some little gift tags. I also got a lovely lavender filled bag which could be used to sent clothes or as a pincushion. I see she also sells these on her other blog TheMadHouse Makes and they are lovely, you should get one!

I did take a quick photo, here it is:

Stupidly I didn't think to take a picture of what I sent! I will remember to do that next time. I sent my gift to Bare Naked Mummy who seemed to be fully clothed when I popped over to check out her blog *phew* Now, this is when I wish I had even a teeny bit of talent to make something. I did try, but hubby laughed so I chucked it in the bin!! Anyway I sent some soap which is made here in Norfolk at one of my favourite places, Wells Next The Sea, a bracelet which was handmade by a lady who runs a little shop near to the kids school and some coloured pencils from our website as I saw she has two kids. I did find it quite hard to think what to send and reading other people's posts it seems the common theme is Green and Blacks chocolate so perhaps I will send someone that next time!

Angel's Face Pettiskirts from Little Linens

2010-04-24T21:42:00.009+01:00

Well they are here at last! Our gorgeous new range of fluffy, whirling , twirling vintage inspired Pettiskirts. The pettiskirts make a gorgeous present as they are presented in a designer hat box. We have a selection of colours to choose from, some plain, some mixed colours.

The cupcake skirt pictured below looks gorgeous with the Katvig pale pink and grey T-shirt for a funky everyday look or a party. You could also team it with a plainer top for a beautiful flower girl or bridesmaids outfit.

I also love the hot pink pettiskirt, it looks fab with the Molo black star leggings underneath!

The skirts have over 40 yards of fabric in the skirt and a fully elasticated waist with a satin ribbon tie at the front. Even the most hardened tomboy will be taken in by these! The come in four sizes to fit 1-3 years, 3-6 years, 6-8 years and 8-10 years. Don't forget we offer Free p&p on all clothing sent to a UK address. We can also ship internationally at very reasonable rates.

Easter Bunny!

2010-03-21T12:52:00.003Z

If you are looking for a cute Easter gift that won't rot your child's teeth then look no further than our Guess How Much I Love You range, which includes the gorgeous Nutbrown Hare beanie.

We also have lots of other small gift items from Charlie & Lola, The Gruffalo and Roald Dahl as well as our favourite The Very Hungry Caterpillar range. have a look here

Katvig New Stock Spring Summer 2010

2010-03-21T12:16:00.009Z

We are delighted to be stocking Danish favourite Katvig for the first time this season. Our own children have had lots of their gorgeous stripey T-shirts, leggings and dresses over the last couple of years. The fabric is soft organic cotton and the colours stay bright and vibrant even after lots and lots of washes. The quality is second to none and I have happily been able to hand down my older daughters outgrown items to my other daughter, so they have been well worth the money.

Shown here are some of the items in the green and turquoise colourways which look so fresh and crisp for Spring. Check out the full range on our website and remember UK shipping is free on all clothing items.

The Gruffalo celebrates 10 years

2010-03-01T18:34:00.005Z

Can you believe it is over 10 years since The Gruffalo was written? I can't- my son was born in the year 2000 and he will be 10 this year, this book, written in 1999 was one we enjoyed together when he was small and have continued to enjoy with our girls too.

We all enjoy the Julia Donaldson stories and Axel Scheffler's illustrations including A squash and a Squeeze and the Snail and the Whale amongst others. As I have mentioned before I like to buy products for the website which my own children would enjoy and from stories and characters that have some longevity. This is why The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Mr Men and Charlie and Lola were chosen. (We are also big Lauren Child fans in this house, my particular favourite at the moment being the Princess and the Pea- such beautiful pictures!)

The Gruffalo was made into a short film which was shown at Christmas and there is due to be another one out very soon. We are pleased to offer a larger range of Gruffalo products now, in addition the the popular mugs, snap cards, Gruffalo T-shirts and pencil sets we already had at the end of last year.

New for 2010 are some cute tabbards, a selection of various bags and most recently some fabulous birthday cards. We are also expecting more Gruffalo merchandise over the next few weeks.

We hope you enjoy this range as much as we do, remember the maximum charge for UK shipping is capped at £3.95 so it will never cost more than this for delivery in the UK no matter how large your order.

Hungry Caterpillar Crispy Cakes

2010-02-24T14:57:00.005Z

Here's a mega quick recipe that you can easily make with toddlers or young kids. They can help with breaking the chocolate up, stiring, pressing the buttons on the microwave and so on. There isn't really anything that can go wrong with these cakes so they are ideal for the first go at cooking

Ingredients:

A large bar of milk chocolate

Cereal, such a rice crispies or cornflakes

Break the chocolate into chunks in a large bowl

Melt in the microwave (try a minute, stir then put on for longer if needed)

Mix in cereal until it is all coated in chocolate and a fairly stiff consistency

Spoon into cake cases, we of course love these gorgeous new Hungry Caterpillar cake cases

Decorate them with edible glitter or add a topper such as the ones in our picture

Pop into the fridge to set

We have had in some great new additions to our Hungry Caterpillar party and gift range this week including sticker packs and a Happy Birthday banner.

Remember UK postage is capped at £3.95 no matter how large your order.

Spring Summer 21010 Ranges

2010-02-06T11:17:00.006Z

Wow! Its been a while since I last blogged, I can't believe it is already February, this year is really flying past. Last weekend we visited the main trade show for buying our Children's clothing ranges and were looking at Autumn Winter clothing, but this week our gorgeous new Spring ranges have started to arrive.

We have had our first drop of Molo-Kids which is an amazing Danish brand featuring lots of pictorial prints, our favourite this season is the Daisys for girls and we have some fabulous boys designs too, look out for more Molo arriving soon.

We have just taken delivery of a new brand for Juicytots which is another Danish favourite, Katvig. the whole range is organic cotton and is just gorgeous. There is plenty of their signature apple print as well as some delicious striped basics including T-shirts and leggings.

Photo Meme

2010-01-17T12:22:00.004Z

I have been tagged by twitter buddy and Bambino Goodies contributor Kat in a photo meme.

Growing up my mum took literally thousands of pictures of me and my brothers and has them all carefully stored in photo albums in date order. They go right from the early 70's when I was born up till the present day. There is quite a collection and I like nothing more to be able to look through them, especially now I have kids of my own. It is nice to have photos to show the children pictures of events and memories I have shared with them. It is also interesting to see what myself and my brothers looked like when we were the same ages as my kids and to spot family similarities in appearance etc.

Sadly I have been a bit hopeless on the photo front and this is something I want to change. One of my resolutions for this year is to take more photographs. I did however find a couple of pictures which I really like. The first one is of my son and older daughter which was taken in August 2006 shortly before I had my youngest daughter. It was my sons 6th Birthday and he and my daughter had a "midnight" feast in the tent in their bedroom. I like how my son is protective of my daughter and they are having fun together.

The second picture was taken on holiday at centerparcs, I think in 2008. My girls would have been about 41/2 and 18 months when this was taken. Although my older daughter wasn't that keen on having a new sister initially, by this stage they had formed a close bond and were starting to be able to play together. I don't have a sister and enjoy seeing how well they play together. (most of the time!)

I have really struggled to find people to tag, so I am going to say, if you would like to do this meme then consider your self tagged! Happy New Year

Juicytots SALE now on

2009-12-26T22:51:00.007Z

Our End of Season Sale has started with reductions of all of the MOLO and No Added Sugar winter 09 ranges. There are also selected reductions on Toby Tiger, Merry Berry and Inch Blue with some lines reduced to clear, ready for our brand new ranges that will be arriving soon.

Highlights include the No Added Sugar Hubble Bubble dress reduced from £54.99 to £42.99 with free UK postage

The Crocodile Tiers dress reduced from £49.99 down to £39.99 also with free UK postage.

We have also got some great reductions across the whole of our MOLO range which includes baby sleepsuits, tops and pull on trousers as well as fleeces, tops and leggings for older children.

Last Order Dates for Christmas

2009-12-16T23:00:00.006Z

I just can't believe where the time has gone lately. Well I can actually, I have been so super busy with the website I have barely had time to twitter let alone write a blog post. The Christmas season is well and truly upon us and I am starting to feel really Christmassy now that we have our tree up and have been to see the kids Christmas performances at school.

Before I wish everyone a happy holiday I wanted to remind you that our last order date for orders sent First Class is midnight on Sunday 20th December and for orders sent Special Delivery it is Midnight on 22nd December. As a little incentive use offer code WINTER to get 15% off your order.

We have had some lovely new stock in recently including these fab Kids Star Wars T-shirts from Fabric Flavours and some lovely giftware featuring The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. The Gruffalo range includes T-shirt, Chunky pencil set and of course the book itself and its sequel, The Gruffalo's child.

We still have some great pieces from Danish favourite MOLO and a few No Added Sugar Dresses left which would be perfect for Christmas day.

All I need to do now is finish my present buying and wrapping, write my Christmas cards and about 101 other jobs. We usually follow the Ice sculpture trail around Norwich which takes place this year on Sunday 20th December and really gets us in the Christmas mood. Do you have any traditions which for you mark the start of the festive break?

Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund Charity Auction & Raffle

2009-11-23T19:56:00.006Z

After reading about the flooding and seeing the shocking images on TV, I was contacted by my Twitter buddy @that_kat who has been a busy bee organising a charity raffle to help raise funds for Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund. I was very happy to be able to donate a prize and pleased to hear she has also had a phenomenal response from other small business owners. There are some fantastic prizes up for grabs and bloggers have also been able to help by spreading the word and raising awareness – what a fabulous group of people!

So, when will the raffle be? Monday 30th November – Sunday 6th December. The finer details are of how the raffle will run are still being worked out and we will keep you updated. The main pages for the raffle will be on Bambino Goodies and you can be sure that the lots up for grabs will feature some cool products.

Although there are already some fabulous prizes, the more the better as this will increase the amount of money that is raised. If you are able to donate a prize please visit the request document here for details of how to do so and updates will also be on Kat's personal blog: Housewife Confidential.

If you have a blog why not write a post about this very worthwhile cause and help spread the word?

UPDATE: The charity Auction is now LIVE! check out the fabulous lots and please bid generously! http://auction.bambinogoodies.co.uk/itemlist.asp

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-18T13:43:00.006Z

We are STILL waiting for that missing tooth to appear!

When I was looking through some pics of the kids I realised how much they have grown up this last year. It also got me thinking about other kids who are not so lucky as my own. Please have a look at two auctions I am running on Ebay for Children in Need. 100% of the selling price will be donated (minus the small admin fee they charge) & I will be posting them at my own expense.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T16:17:00.009Z

I've never been into Halloween in a big way, it probably stems from my childhood. Mum was never a fan of us bothering the neighbours for sweets! Everywhere I looked this week I had been bombarded with Halloween and become a bit bar-humbug about the whole thing to be honest. Anyway, yesterday afternoon I relented and we decided to just do a few small things at home for the kids.

First of all we carved our pumpkins and kept aside some of the flesh which we added to our yummy vegetable soup recipe. I figured it was a good way to avoid waste and also part of my cunning plan to fill the kids up on vegetables before they tried to consume their body weight in sweets! We also had hot sausage rolls and I served them with a selection of plastic bugs and flies to get us in the mood!
We followed it up with a witches jelly. We used lime jelly, some jelly worms a couple of black plastic spiders for good measure and some edible purple glitter *mwhahahahaha!!!*

After our Halloween feast, the kids got into their costumes, which luckily fit from previous years efforts. I was quite proud of my face painting efforts on Lily, and her missing front tooth seemed to add to the effect quite well!! This is her pulling her scary face!

We visited a couple of neighbours, where Mr Juicytot had already deposited sweets earlier, in anticipation of our visit! The kids were highly delighted and jolly fun was had by all.

Wordless Wednesday: Smile please! NO....smile please!

2009-10-28T21:16:00.004Z

ME: "Can you smile for mummy?...... OK then, just stand still, normal face....put your arms down"

Molo Rosesky top available in sizes 74-92cm, "modelled" (and I use that term loosely) by Ruby. Never work with animals or children, unless you are VERY patient!!

Wordless Wednesday: yummy fabrics

2009-10-21T18:40:00.002+01:00

Sophie4Sophie Limited Edition Baby Blankets

2009-10-10T14:36:00.014+01:00

As seen on Bambino Goodies today!!

I was so very excited this week when my latest order from Natalie & Sophie of Sophie4Sophie in Brighton started to arrive. I had discussed my idea of making some designer fabric Baby blankets with them as I know mums with boys who had seen their gorgeous reversible dresses had all commented on the lovely fabrics they use and that with the colder weather approaching it would be another way to show some serious good taste when out and about!

The fabrics they have used are top quality designer 100% cotton fabrics for the front of the blanket and the reverse is made from the softest, most stroke-able, minky plush you could ever hope to touch. (My 9yo son wanted to make a teddy bear from it!) The blankets measure a generous 90cm x75cm approx and so are ideal for the pram, car seat or cot or even for older toddlers to snuggle with on the sofa in style!

The blankets can be washed at 30C, if you can get them off your children to wash them! They would make a gorgeous present for a new baby this Christmas. they are priced at £32.99 and postage is FREE in the UK. We can ship worldwide too at a small charge. Please visit the juicytots website to snap up yours double quick as we only have one or two in each design!

NEW Charlie and Lola Party range is here at last!

2009-10-10T14:35:00.009+01:00

I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally have (most of!!) the Charlie and Lola party table range in stock! It has been long awaited believe me. The new Charlie and Lola range consists of plates, cups, tablecloth, napkins, loot bags, balloons, mini bubble pots and my favourite item the Charlie and Lola paper cake cases!

You can really go to town with the Charlie and Lola theme as we also have invitations and thank you cards as well as Charlie and Lola birthday cards and wrapping paper.

Prices range between £2.45 and £3.99 and we only charge a maximum of £3.95 for delivery within the UK no matter how large your order. We can also ship the Charlie and Lola range Worldwide which I am sure will please all those Charlie and Lola fans in The United States and Australia!

Toothless Wednesday

2009-09-30T13:52:00.003+01:00

My little girl is getting grown up, soon it will be all big teeth!

Molo Autumn Winter Girls Collection

2009-09-26T23:11:00.001+01:00

Danish brand Molo was new to Juicytots for 2009, we had a small amount of Spring/Summer stock but were able to expand our range for Autumn Winter. The Molo-kids brand is one we want to develop our range of over the next few seasons, hopefully increasing our offering in terms of designs and size options that are available.

For girls we have the divine Rose Sky print, available in sleepsuit and top for babies and in leggings and top for older girls. All pieces have a touch of Lycra added to the cotton for a fantastic fit and comfort in wear.

We also have the Molo Babuska Russian doll print with a quirky touch of cat faces in amongst the dolls! This is set to be very popular and again we have taken sleepsuits, tops and leggings. This range co-ordinates well with either the purple star basics or the puzzle print.

A favorite basic is the Coco dress in purple star which looks great with any of the funky leggings. The Molo range for girls also co-ordinates well with many of the Sophie4Sophie dresses we have in stock and the leggings work well with some of the No Added Sugar Dress collection we have in.

Later this week I will post about the fabulous Molo Autumn Winter Boys Collection. Remember we can ship worldwide, and that post within the UK is FREE!

Yummy Winter Warmer Soup for Kids

2009-09-23T11:26:00.004+01:00

Now that summer is behind us and the weather is getting colder I thought I would share with you a family favourite. This recipe can be adapted as you wish, quantities are not crucial and it requires very little effort!

Simply take the following ingredients, the quantities are not really important:

Carrots
Parsnips
Celery
Red split lentils
Leek or Onion depending on what you have to hand
Sweet potato (if desired)
Butternut Squash (if desired)
garlic (optional)
vegetable stock (buy low salt type or make your own if you plan to give this to very young children/babies)

Boil a kettle and while you are waiting peel and chop the vegetables roughly and put in a large pan. Add the lentils. the more you put in the thicker then end result. If you want to give this to toddlers or babies it will be easier for them to eat if it is thicker. You can always add more stock when serving it to adults or older kids.

My children enjoy chopping the vegeatbles to make this soup. I sit them round the table and put the empty pan in the middle and they can then add their chopped vegetables before I add the hot water. I find that if they have helped to make it, they are even more likely to eat it!

Add the water and stock and leave to simmer until the vegetables are all soft.

Blend with a hand blender until smooth

You can add seasoning for adults if required after serving out the childrens portions.

Serve with bread and cheese or similar. This makes a great quick nutritious lunch and can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days or frozen. It counts towards 5 a day and even the fussiest kids don't seem to notice the vegetables. It is also a good way to use up vegetables you may have knocking about, you can experiment with quantities. I find plenty of carrots and parsnips give a nice sweet taste.

Enjoy!

Merry Berry Hats

2009-09-18T23:13:00.003+01:00

These Merry Berry hats have to be THE cutest hats you could ever buy for a baby. It is one of my big regrets that we never had one of these for our own babies....(its OK, I won't be having a fourth to satisfy this desire, tempting though it is!)

We are stocking Merry Berries in 3 sizes 0-3, 3-6 and 6-12 months, although we do have the classic Strawberry design in the larger 12-18 size too. Merry Berries are priced from £12.99 with Free UK postage. We will ship internationally and charge just £1.50GBP.

My favourite for this time of year just has to be the cute Christmas Pudding hat. Please hurry if you wish to buy one though, as we have limited stocks and as they are handmade we will not be able to re-order in time for another pre-Christmas delivery.

See the full range of hats on the Juicytots website

Old friends and laughter

2009-09-12T21:25:00.005+01:00

This weekend we left the kids with the in-laws and travelled down to London to our friend's Wedding. We have known the groom since our college days (Hubby & I met on our degree course when we were 21) and the bride for at least 11 years too although we hadn't seen them since another wedding, that we worked out was about 5 years ago now.

Altogether there were twelve of us that had been at college together, it was funny to meet up again all now we are all proper grown ups, most of us with kids. I must admit the week leading up had been busy and stressful and I hadn't really had time to be excited about seeing everyone so didn't really have any expectations.

The ceremony was lovely and the weather was great too, perfect for a September wedding. We all sat on the same table and then was when the fun started... It was just like being back at college, such childishness but oh so funny! One or our friends was laughing so much she was crying and I was getting pains in my chest I was laughing so much. It was all so very silly but what a great tonic. I haven't laughed so much in such a long, long time.

Our friend the groom is in a fantastic band and they played for over an hour in the evening and we all danced loads. We got to bed at about 2am and had had such a great time. I came home today feeling very tired but still with a smile on my face. I really missed the kids this weekend but it was lovely to be able to relax and not worry about them. They had had such a fun time and been allowed to sleep in the bunkbeds, so they didn't want to come home!

Note: Just reading this blog back I would like to point out that we have been away/out more in the last two months than in the last five years! We don't usually get to galavant around without our children having fun on...our....own... so *shush*... don't tell!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-09T11:19:00.007+01:00

I promise to write something soon, but in the meantime here is our birthday girl, aged 3. She is wearing a funky Sophie4Sophie custom made dress.

London Weekend

2009-09-02T23:16:00.000+01:00

This weekend Hubby and I got to have a very rare weekend away. It was a belated celebration of our 10th wedding anniversary. August is a busy month in our family with birthdays and anniversaries! We decided we would like a trip to London as it would be something we wouldn't usually do with the kids. We have had more than our fair share of the countryside, what with all the camping we have been doing lately too!

We stayed in a hotel near to Edgeware Road and when we were arrived were pleased to find we had been upgraded, yay! Our room was huge with two double beds and a lounge area too. Good old last minute.com eh? It did seem strange without the children but we enjoyed a great meal out on Saturday night, thanks to a friends recommendation and then took a long stroll through Leicester Square and Covent Garden before coming home.

I love people watching and the tube journey home provided some comedy moments:

Two girls sat next to each other, obviously good friends chatting away in strong London accents. One is white, the other is black:

White girl: (flicking open mirror and studying her reflection), "Oh my gawd, I look like a peach!Why is my face so red?"

Black girl: "Cos you're white innit"

Classic.

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The next day we took a trip on the London eye. Hubby was really keen and as I wanted to fit in some shopping thought I should show willing to keep him sweet. I am not keen on heights...

It was ok going up as long as I looked out not at the other capsules opposite which then made the feeling of movement so much stronger. The views were spectacular but as we got to the part where the capsule went over the top I had a real desire to be elsewhere! My head knew I was being ridiculous but my body was sending out all the fear signals and I honestly thought I might cry. So I put on my sunglasses and waited for it to be over.

It was very short lived and the way down was great. I took a couple of pictures too.

After that it was shop till you drop (although actually it was mostly browsing!) and before we knew it we were back home. The kids were so pleased to see us and we had really missed them. They had been really busy with my parents and visited Wroxham barns, which is a fun day out if you have kids that like animals. The kids had all held baby chicks, rabbits and guinea pigs and Ruby had even fed a sheep.

On Sunday they had been to the beach at West Runton which is a fab beach on the Norfolk coast with lots of rock pools (its just along from Sheringham). My parents haven't had the children for a whole weekend before and although they had had a great time I think they have new found respect for how tiring small children can be, my Mum even confessed to wanting a glass of wine on Saturday night!

We are off camping again(!) this week and it is Ruby's 3rd Birthday! yikes. The back to school Monday.....and breathe...and relax....as if!

Charlie & Lola toys are here again!

2009-08-25T21:30:00.008+01:00

Today saw the long awaited arrival of our Charlie & Lola toy order. All of these lines are excellent as Christmas or Birthday gifts. My own kids have both the Charlie and Lola collectable dolls, which have now been re-vamped and are wearing new outfits. They are a great size at approx 20cm tall and fit neatly into the top of a Christmas stocking, *hint, hint*

Last year, we just couldn't get enough of the mini character playset. This is a great toy to stimulate a child's imagination and role playing abilities. We also had several customers buy the set to use as Charlie & Lola cake toppers for a Charlie & Lola themed Birthday party. (Look out for the new Charlie and Lola party range coming in September.) We can ship the all these toys worldwide, please register on the site to get the shipping rates.

Also back in stock is the Colour Me Lola doll and the ever popular Charlie and Lola Poseable Talking dolls set. Check them out along with great toys from The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Guess How Much I Love You ranges. There is something for all ages!

The Mini Mess Makers

2009-08-23T13:43:00.003+01:00

My girls are such a pair of mucky urchins! One of their favourite activities is to chalk on the patio that is our tiny back garden. Then as soon as my back is turned water, leaves and sand get added to the mix. Then they decide they need to wash their hands and start traipsing in through the lounge and hall to the downstairs loo...and back again....and back again...in...and ...out...

The result is sandy water all through the ground floor of the house, all around the basin and all over the taps and floor. The back garden looks a complete wreck, but they can spend hours chatting away, pottering about, making mess, completely oblivious to the adult stress it causes...*sigh*

That was the week that was

2009-08-18T09:48:00.001+01:00

It has been a very busy couple of weeks for us as I mentioned previously. My parents celebrated their Ruby Wedding anniversary, no mean feat in this day and age. They had a party and nearly 70 family members and friends were able to join us for a lovely afternoon chatting, eating yummy food and generally having a good time. I had offered to make cupcakes for the party, 120 of them. Those of you who follow me on Twitter will have already had a sneaky peak but for those of you who haven't seen them, here they are:

I discovered a brilliant local cake craft shop who were an excellent source of advice and mum and I went and chose silver and red foil cake cases, red, white and silver glitter and pre-cut heart shaped icing toppers (yes I am lazy, but hey cheating is good)

I inherited a Kenwood chef, what a lifesaver and put it to good use mixing up the cakes and icing. A couple of tips I picked up were that if you beat the butter for a few minutes before you start it will lighten in colour or if you want pure white icing you can buy a special whitening powder to add to the mix.

A while back, when I first used the Kenwood I did a very silly thing. I added a big hard lump of butter and a whole box of icing sugar and switched on. The icing sugar jumped out in a huge snow cloud, completely covering me from head to toe as well as the microwave, toaster, telephone and front of our washing machine. It took me over a n hour to clean up! Lesson learnt.

First I baked all of the cakes, which I had to do in batches. L was keen to help, but I had to limit her input as I was terrified they wouldn't look good enough. (the thought kept running through my head, "what was I thinking when I offered to do this?")

Then I iced and decorated them, I tried to mix and the colours to make it look random.

I was pretty pleased with the end result and most importantly they tasted yummy! I have to send a big thanks to twitter friends without whom I would never have had the inspiration to even attempt something like this. I have really got into reading all the cake making blogs too!

Here is a picture of the marque, with the bunting my mum made.

Note to self: Must learn how to sew!

On Sunday it was my sons 9th birthday. We had a low key family BBQ as my twin brothers & their wives were visiting. My Sister in Law's parents are also in the UK , visiting from China so it was nice to see them too. H had a skateboard as his main present and has been spending a lot of time perfecting new tricks on it. Funny how both my Husband and Brother couldn't resist having a go and reliving their mis-spent youth!

By Monday I was exhausted, but it had been a great weekend. Later in the week we went Camping at a site in Suffolk we hadn't tried before and on the Friday we celebrated our own 10th Wedding anniversary too.

Phew, now I can relax for a while till the kids go back to school!

Family Celebrations

2009-08-01T16:35:00.000+01:00

This next week is going to be busy for us, my parents are celebrating their Ruby Wedding with a party on Saturday. The last big family get together we had was over 2 years ago at my brothers wedding. I have quite a big family which is spread out across the UK and abroad so if isn't that often we all meet up. The party will be at my parents home, in their garden, so I am praying for good weather. I somehow agreed to make Mum & Dad 120 cupcakes for the party, so no doubt will be talking about my progress on Twitter this week and if they aren't a disaster will post some pics on the blog when I get a chance. ( Mum was quoted over £400 to have them made and of course I piped up with, "but I could make them!")

I have bought a 7 tier acrylic stand to display them on and have had a couple of opportunities to have a practice which went pretty well. I have bought everything I need today so am good to go. Watch this space!

It is also my son's birthday on my parents anniversary, he will be 9 this year! I just don't know where the time has gone. He is a lovely boy and I am very proud of him. And then the following weekend is our 10th wedding anniversary! After all that I will need a rest.

Weekend Break

2009-07-27T19:02:00.001+01:00

This weekend we decided we needed to get away and spend some proper family time together. We decided to go Camping at our favourite site nearby on the North Norfolk coast.

We had intended to go on Friday but the weather was awful so instead we packed up and left on Saturday, arriving about midday. This time I was much better organised with food and made a vegetable soup which I had frozen for lunch, the kids and I had made some sausage rolls and my hubby had made pasta sauce which we had also frozen to have for tea. I had the idea of freezing stuff as it makes the cool box colder for longer. We keep saying we will get an electric cool box but haven't got around to it yet! I bought a really good book with ideas for camp food in it, I must get round to actually reading it, then try out some ideas!

The site was less busy that the last time we were there and we got a good spot, we managed to get the tent up pretty quickly this time, practice makes perfect and all that! There was no muttering cursing either so all was well! We stayed on site for the rest of the day and the kids made new friends. there was another family with 2 boys and a girl who were all older than my kids and it was interesting to see the change in dynamic. We played frisbee and football and then had a campfire with marshmallows, yum!

Blowing my own trumpet here, but I was seriously impressed with my fire making skills, I think having dry wood helped, plus the bag of kindling we brought with us. ( Our children are all hunter gatherers and collectors, when we get home we nearly always find the kids have collected sticks, so we started to keep them in a bag in the garage and they really came in handy!)

I must admit I didn't sleep particularly well, I have problems with my back (long, boring story) and woke up extremely stiff and sore. Not sure why, perhaps it was just being more active than usual. (meaning:I did actually get off my backside and play rather than directing from a chair!!)

They sell eggs on the farm and the kids went and bought them. They cycled up to the farmhouse together and were really pleased with themselves. It was nice to be in an environment where we could allow them a bit of freedom. We played a big game of rounders on Sunday morning, don't know what came over me with the joining in, then took the kids fruit picking and for a spot of lunch at Wiveton hall cafe I had a lovely broad bean soup and hubby had crab bisque and the kids had a french bread pizza (homemade and you could see the veg in the sauce) We picked raspberries and strawberries and took them back to eat at the campsite.

After we had packed up we came home via Cley-next-the Sea, another gorgeous spot and had fish and chips for tea which were delicious. It was a big bump back to earth this morning facing all the unpacking and mountains of dirty clothes to wash. How do 5 people create so much mess?

Supernanny Aged 8

2009-07-09T20:21:00.000+01:00

Tonight, for some reason dd2 (aged 2) wouldn't go to bed. She has been up and down like a yo-yo asking for stories, drinks etc etc. My dear son (aged 8) has sensed my frustration and came and said, "Mummy, shall I read her a story?" so I said, "Oh, yes that would be lovely, thank you!" What a dear boy...

Off they went and after a bit he reappeared giggling to himself. I asked him what was funny and he said, " I saw this thing on Supernanny where a child kept getting out of bed. You keep putting them back and then sit there and don't make any eye contact. If they get out of bed again you put them back. You keep doing it till they stay in their bed and go to sleep. That's what I have been doing with my sister. When her eyes were closed I ran away"

Bless him.

Footnote: She still hasn't gone to sleep...

Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar Party Range

2009-07-08T11:35:00.001+01:00

The Hungry Caterpillar was always one of my favourite books and I have loved reading it with all three of my children, so imagine my delight when I saw this gorgeous party tableware range was being launched! We have been stocking this range for a while now and it is always very popular especially for a first birthday party.

The Hungry Caterpillar Party Tableware range is very comprehensive with prices ranging from £2.50 for loot bags up to £4.50 for a pack of 16 candles with holders. We charge individually per item up to a maximum of £3.95 for shipping to a UK address and overseas orders are charged on a per item basis.

As well as the party tableware we can also supply party loot bags and stock plenty of lovely things to go inside, including mini bubble pots, badge sets, balloons, stickers and party horns.

We have also just received packs of bowls, which would be great for jelly and ice cream and cute little candles with holders. Searching the Internet I also found a fantastic cake idea from the fabulous Coco Cake Cupcakes, Vancouver. If you want to see gorgeous cakes then this is a fabulous blog, with such clever ideas for cakes. (pic below taken from their blog)

To see the full Hungry Caterpillar range please visit our website

Summer Sale Highlights- MOLO SS09 reductions

2009-07-07T21:34:00.001+01:00

UPDATE: See our Winter 09 sale reductions instead!:

We have had a very successful first season selling funky Danish brand MOLO and so only have a very small quantity of stock left to go into our Juicytots Summer Sale. Look out for lots of exciting AW09 MOLO new season stock which has just started to arrive and will continue to be delivered over the next few weeks.

Ruth T-shirt with a cute gathered neckline detail and a raglan sleeve with slight puff. You could slip a long sleeved top underneath and wear it into Autumn to brighten up those cooler days. Was £17.99, now £13.99. For older girls we do a slightly different version called Regina which was £23.99 and is now £17.99.

The MOLO Belinda skirt in a gorgeous fern green with super bright pink waistband is comfortable yet a very stylish design and cut. It was £17.99, now £14.99 and is offered with FREE UK postage. (Worldwide shipping is only £2.00GBP)

Funk-a -rama T-shirt for boys, this MOLO Cuba Cars design is amazing! Was £24.99, now only £17.99!

Check out our SS09 MOLO Sale reductions and the new MOLO AW09 stock here

Juicytots No Added Sugar Summer 09 Sale!

2009-07-06T22:03:00.001+01:00

Hot news is that we have started our summer sale and there is still a chance to grab a bargain (or two!) No Added Sugar dresses are reduced by around 40% off, saving you £'s and best of all we are offering FREE UK delivery too.

Shown here is the Billie-Jean dress which was £44.99, now £24.99. It is a great dress for summer holidays, made from a jersey fabric with ric-rac trim detail above the soft pleats. Very easy to wear.

Miss Pinny dress in random spot fabric, was £49.99, now £28.99. Also looks great with a t-shirt & leggings underneath and will see you through right into Autumn.

We only have very small numbers of dresses left now, one or two in each style so don't delay!

To see our full range click here and don't forget to join the mailing list so you are notified when our exciting No Added Sugar AW09 designs arrive!

I've been tagged... probably 8 times by the time I get round to doing this!

2009-06-24T13:33:00.000+01:00

I've been tagged by fellow tweeters Sandy at BabyBaby who has two young sons born within a year of each other and also by Carol at NewMummy who is as you may have guessed a new mummy with a little girl. And today I have been tagged again, by Sian at yummymummytips

Here are the rules:
Mention the person who tagged you.
Complete the lists of 8's.
Tag 8 other bloggers and let them know.

8 Things I'm looking forward to:

-My youngest daughter starting playgroup in September so I can get some more work done, but guilt free!

-My tenth wedding anniversary this August

-The school summer holidays, I hate the morning rush

-Camping with my family, we have a couple of trips booked this summer

-Getting the new Autumn Winter stock for the website (its like Christmas opening all the boxes!)
- Going Crabbing on the North Norfolk coast

- Being successful in losing the stone & a half I have put on over the last 6 months, oops!

- Moving to a house with a decent sized garden (hoping it will happen before the kids leave home!)

8 things I wish I could do

- Sew properly with a sewing machine

- Knit

- Speak Chinese ( I have two Chinese sister in laws)

- Speak French properly (I like visiting France & would like to be fluent in the language)

- Play tennis really, really well (I am useless at all ball games)

- Swim in the sea without getting scared

- Ride a horse

- Draw

8 favourite fruits

- apple

- strawberries

- raspberries

- grapes

- pineapple

- pear

- tinned peaches

-mandarin segments

8 Places I would love to travel to

- USA

- Australia

- China

- Holland

- Egypt

- Italy

- The Maldives

- Spain

8 places I have lived

-Leicester- I was born there and then lived there for 10 months in 1998 whilst on a secondment at my then employers Head Office

-Nottingham

-Chelmsford

-Norwich in 10 different flats/houses in different areas of the city!

8 Things I did yesterday

-Ate a whole bar of Green & Blacks Dark Cherry Chocolate in one go.

-Realised the time has come to make a concerted effort to loose some weight

-Went to bed at 9.15pm as my Internet connection was down & I was exhausted anyway

-Forgot I am meant to be on the PTA and didn't go to their meeting, oops!

-Lots of washing as I had been away at the weekend

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8 blogs I am tagging

http://preciousparcels.blogspot.com/

http://familylife-brenda.blogspot.com/

http://www.punkrockerbyebaby.blogspot.com/

http://monstersandmunchkins.blogspot.com/

Everyone else seems to have done this already, so I am doing half a job and only tagging four people!

Growing up

2009-06-18T21:24:00.000+01:00

Funny, I wrote earlier today and really didn't have much inspiration and then of course we had tea.

ds came out of school today with a letter explaining that they will be covering sex education in the next few weeks. Obviously being the eldest of three there have been opportunities to discuss babies and where they come from. We have never had "the talk" just bits of information on a need to know basis. I have always been keen to keep things casual and to be open and answer any questions quite factually so that it is no big deal. I wanted to start this young so that my kids can talk to me when they get older and so they are well informed about their bodies etc. It did result in my son aged 3 saying to my Mother in Law, "Nanny? Have you got a scrotum?" but other than that it has been pretty non-eventful.

In the car we had a chat about the letter and ds was able to explain how babies are made really well & without getting silly. It was really sweet when he said, "when a man and lady love each other and want to have a baby..."

Anyway, cut to teatime and ds told his Dad about the letter.

We chatted casually for a minute or two and ds asked where eggs in a lady come from. I explained that they are already in a woman's body etc, but that we wouldn't be having any more babies now.

A few minutes later he suddenly said,

"Mummy? If you have three children, does that mean you had to have sex three times?"

"yes" I said, trying not to laugh or look at my hubby.

"How long did it take?"

"um, about 5 minutes"

thought that sounded casual, no big deal. But of course had reckoned without hubby's man-pride! He shot me a look across the table as though I had insulted him and started to contradict me..

"well, sometimes it takes longer" I said. "if you are enjoying it"......

Parenthood: its a challenge isn't it!?

What next?

2009-06-18T17:44:00.000+01:00

Does this happens to anyone else? I started this blog and have been enjoying it, but then I have the thought that what I should really have done was two blogs, one for JuicyTots work/business and a personal one (maybe even anonymous for some real intrigue!). There are topics I would like to post about, but are they appropriate to share with my customers?

I don't want my business to look unprofessional or alienate customers with my personal opinions. But then my business is such a huge part of my life and my personal life overlaps with my business too. I suppose that is one of the things about having your own business and being a working mum, working from home. The distinct lines I once had between my work life and social time are gone.

Since I started using twitter, I have met a virtual crowd of mums (and dads) who are in the same position as me. What a fantastic source of entertainment, encouragement, advice, ideas and networking opportunities. I would even like to think that some of my fellow tweeters have become my virtual friends. It is interesting to read what they write about on their blogs (but that's a whole post for another time I think)

So back to my original thought, do I need two blogs? I suppose not. I just hope my readers don't get bored of the randomness of my posts and my flitting between business and personal! My next post will be about products as I am visiting Bubble children's trade show this weekend. Its always very exciting to see the new ranges that are planned. But of course it is mixing business and personal yet again, as my dh always comes with me and that way we get a night away from the kids where we can pretend at being proper grown-ups, although of course we always end up talking about the kids! (and the business... although dh has very little choice on that as he is stuck in the car with me for 3 hours, hehe!!)

Child of the 70's

2009-06-13T16:53:00.000+01:00

The other week I wrote about the Mr Men range of T-shirts and bags we are stocking on the website and I said that my own childhood had influenced my buying decision.

Today the subject of Clothkits came up & someone said it reminded them of their childhood. It reminded me too as my mum bought me a Clothkits skirt and bag with matching T-shirts and it was one of my favourite outfits when I was a little girl.

Anyway, last week several of my friends and I had got into reminiscing about things from the 70's and 80's, we talked food, sweets, toys, books and films. It was hilarious. Some of the food in particular would make me cringe if someone tried to feed it to my kids now!

Top 5 foods:

1. Mini frozen cheese and tomato pizzas. They were bright, bright orange and you grilled them, yum!

2. Stacks of tubs of frozen mousse. They came in Strawberry or mint choc. You were supposed to leave them out of the freezer for a while before you ate them. There was a frozen food shop called Bejams we used to go to to get them from. Bejams was bought out by Iceland in about 1989, but when we used to go there the concept of a shop that only sold frozen food was quite a new one!

3. Wham bars. We use to get them from the vending machine after we had been swimming. You could feel them almost prizing your teeth out of your gums as you chewed. In fact one day my wobbly tooth did come out stuck in a wham bar! You can still get wham bars here

4.Pacers. These were a kind of mint version of Opal fruits (now stupidly known as Starburst) They came in the same packet but were a two tone spearmint green colour and flavour.

5.Campbells Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup. This was a staple of my childhood. We always had this at lunchtime or if not the vegetable or cream of mushroom. My mum even made up a song about it!

It went something along the lines of :

" They've got that cream of chicken, they've got it in their hair! They've got that cream of chicken, they've got it everywhere!"

Poor mum, I think she was on the verge of madness at the time, I was not 2 & a half when my twin brothers arrived! Now I have kids of my own I understand...

Funnily enough I tried the soup recently. I went to buy some fresh soup and the shop had sold out. My eyes spied the Campbells and I thought, Oh I remember that, I'll get it.

God, it was revolting!!!

Juicytots Charlie and Lola Partyware featured on Bambino Goodies today

2009-06-10T12:47:00.001+01:00

Juicytots favourite parent and baby products cool hunting blog Bambino Goodies has featured our fabulous Charlie and Lola partyware today. Remember our maximum delivery charge for the UK is £3.95 so you can easily stock up for your party from either our Charlie and Lola or Hungry Caterpillar Party ranges. We also ship Worldwide, simply register on the website and the international shipping costs will show as you add items to the basket. We stock the full Charlie and Lola party range plus various Charlie and Lola gifts and stationery items. These would make idea birthday presents for a young Charlie and Lola fan!

If you subscribe to our mailing list you will also receive an offer code via email giving you 10% off a first order. Why wait?

I do love a person with a sense of humour!

2009-06-08T10:50:00.000+01:00

We have booked to go camping again later in the year and received our booking confirmation by email. I checked through all the details and then for some reason I started to read the disclaimer notice, which was as follows:

IMPORTANT: This email is intended for the use of the individual addressee(s) named above and may contain information that is confidential privileged or unsuitable for overly sensitive persons with low self-esteem, no sense of humour or irrational religious beliefs. If you are not the intended recipient any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email is not authorised (either explicitly or implicitly) and constitutes an irritating social faux pas. Unless the word absquatulation has been used in its correct context somewhere other than in this warning, it does not have any legal or grammatical use and may be ignored. No animals were harmed in the transmission of this email, although the Dachshund next door is living on borrowed time, let me tell you. Those of you with an overwhelming fear of the unknown will be gratified to learn that there is no hidden message revealed by reading this warning backwards, so just ignore that Alert Notice from Microsoft. However, by pouring a complete circle of salt around yourself and your computer, you can ensure that no harm befalls you and your pets. If you have received this email in error, please add some nutmeg and egg whites, whisk and place in a warm oven for 40 minutes.

It really made me smile! In this day and age we all have a tendency to take ourselves too seriously and its great to come across someone with a sense of humour don't you think?

Quick and Easy Fairy Skirt

2009-06-06T12:33:00.001+01:00

When we went camping last week I took with me the things I needed to make the girls a tutu skirt each. I thought it would be fun to try this "no-sew"project which my twitter buddy @that_kat put me on to.

Now anyone who knows me well will know that sewing is sadly not my forte! I still take anything that needs mending to my mum to fix and am also a dab hand with wonderweb. I once made my son a whole shepherds costume without any sewing, just yards and yards of the iron on wonder! (plus a prolific use of safety pins- imagine my delight at finding a shepherds costume for dd1 last Christmas in Sainsburys for £7!)

Anyway, I digress. I went to a local fabric and haberdashery shop where a very patient and tolerant sales assistant helped me to get what I needed.

This is what you need:

1"elastic to make a waistband

Tulle or I used sparkle net (which was fairly soft and not as crunchy and itchy as ordinary net) You will need the net to be cut so that it is twice the length you want the finished skirt to be and cut into strips about 6" wide. I bought three colours, white, pale pink and a mid pink.

What to do:
All you do is measure the waist size and make a waist band by sewing the elastic into a band. make it about an inch smaller than the waist size. So if the waist is 20" make the waistband 19" etc.

When you have the waistband slip it on your leg and have it around your thigh as this makes the next part much easier.

All you need to do now is tie on the strips of net or tulle you have cut. Keep going until the band is full.

You can add an embellishment if you like. I bought some pink polka dot ribbon and added a bow.

The whole thing took me about half an hour. It is a great gift idea for younger girls and older kids could actually make this themselves with only a little help.

It cost me about £10 to make two skirts. The girls were delighted with them and I felt pretty pleased as they were far better then my usual lame efforts!

You can view the original tutorial that inspired the idea here at http://plumtickled.typepad.com/plumtickled/2007/08/tutu-tutorial-t.html

Of course if you want a whizzy deluxe version you could always check out our new range of pettiskirts!

Sophie4Sophie dresses featured on yummymummytips.com

2009-06-01T17:25:00.000+01:00

Check out the blog post on http://www.yummymummytips.com/ today. Our limited Edition reversible kittens dress is featured there. Sophie4Sophie is based in Brighton and the brainchild of mum of four Natalie and her sister Sophie. Their dresses are handmade using gorgeous designer fabrics and are fully reversible. They are designed to fit from around 9 months to 3 years, starting as a dress and ending up as a swing top. My daughter R has had several of these funky creations and they look brilliant with a t-shirt and leggings. We have had lots of admiring comments when out and about!

We carry a small selection of exclusive Sophie4Sophie designs on our site, take a look here to see the latest fabric combinations. They are totally fabulous! Priced at £24.99 with FREE UK postage, we also ship worldwide.

I Love Mr Tickle

2009-05-30T23:18:00.000+01:00

I have to admit that some of the choices I have made regarding product selection for the JuicyTots website have been influenced by my own childhood favourites, such as the Mr Men for instance. When I was little Mr Tickle was my favourite Mr Men character. I loved it when his long arm stretched down from his bed to the kitchen and he helped himself to a biscuit. I had to laugh when my friend told me that her son had said indignantly, " but Mummy, that's not a proper breakfast!".

My own children now enjoy the Mr Men books, I find sharing books that were once my childhood favourites one of the nicest parts of being a parent, when you can revisit the stories you loved as a child.

Fabric Flavours Mr Men and Little Miss T-shirts are made from thick, high quality cotton jersey and have chenille appliques and embroidery details. The T-shirts also have the character name and book number on the back. We also stock kids Mr Happy Rucksack and Little Miss Chatterbox rucksack which are a perfect size for school.

Happy Campers

2009-05-28T20:29:00.000+01:00

This week is half term week and the kids are off school. We all decided to take our first camping trip of the year as my husband also had the week off and the weather looked good. We only began camping last year and have so far bought a large tent and the essentials but this year plan to try to add to our gear.

Youngest (aged 2) is out of the travel cot since we last camped so we went to our local camping store en-route to the campsite and got her a new sleeping bag and another airbed. Our tent has three pods for sleeping so we now have an airbed in each one which seems to work well. The tent also has a large main area and a porch.

As usual we failed to make an early start. We tried to have a bit of a tidy up before we left, which lets face it was never going to be a quick job! Since we had children our house is mostly a mess with fleeting glimmers of tidiness. (usually brought about by the threat of visitors!)

Anyway, we were finally on our way and luckily our favourite campsite is only 40 minutes away. We arrived at about 5pm and found a space to pitch our tent, the site was busier than usual because of the lovely weather. For the first time we managed to get the tent up pretty quickly, worked as a team and didn't resort to muttered sarcastic swearing at each other! (do you always feel that everyone is watching from their camping chairs, which just adds to the tension, perhaps its just me?) I do love that you can just pitch up wherever you like. I can't abide the "camping in straight lines" mentality.

The campsite has had a new toilet block since last year which is a definite improvement. The rest of it looked just as I remembered, wafts of wood smoke drifting across the field from the campfires, VW camper vans and an array of different tents. Some people had even strung up pretty fabric bunting around their camp. We sell some great bunting on our site which the girls have in their bedroom. I hadn't thought to use it for camping before, but I may just do in future as it looked so pretty strung between the tents.

We got our fire lit, something the pyromaniac in me enjoys immensely (misspent youth and all that) and after having our tea settled down to toast marshmallows on our open fire and enjoy a glass or two of wine. Living in a large city you never really get to see the stars at night, but in the middle of the Norfolk countryside they shone really brightly in the darkness. We all slept well that night and the next day brought more glorious sunshine. Our adventures had begun!