For the Children

We're a big fan of H&M in our house but nothing beats their All For The Children collections. Each year we wait with bated breath to see what they come up with, and each year their creations wow us with their originality, quality as well as their low price point. This season it was actually the boys collection that enticed. From a fantastic grey combat suit and Bat Boy sweatshirt to the lizard printed high tech tracksuit and dinosaur rain mac.

This year the theme was animals, from Bat sweatshirts to lizard tracksuits and Chameleon bags. This incredibly cute snowy owl poncho was a big hit with Mini.

I had to buy the girls matching knitted metallic leggings, comfy as well as chic.

Here are some of our favourites from the collection

Day of The Dead

Every year the exercise in creating our Halloween look gets harder. How to do a whole ensemble look, where everyone agrees? Last year's Ghostbusters was hard to beat. So I decided to rely on my fashion expertise and style our family to the hilt Mexican style. I used clothes we already had. Adding white gaffer tape to create Tom's striped suit so it would coordinate with Phin and Mini's dress and suit combo which i had bought last year from H&M. My dress was a vintage black lace Spanish style affair gleaned from the wardrobe of my aunt Jutta, whilst Ottilie's burgundy tulle confection by Angel's Face was a Mini hand-me-down. But it was with the accessories that I really went to town.

Mini already had this pink rose crown in her wardrobe but i added feathers butterflies and birds with a glue gun as well as a black tulle veil from Claire's Accessories. 

Ottilie's cream flower and tulle crown was from Bonpoint while Phin's top hat came from our local party shop and I then stuck different sized spiders all over it, whilst Tom's was decorated in skulls.

The Grim Reaper

Our little skeleton baby kept on putting her crown on upside down, I guess she preferred it that way!

Lisa from the fantastic kids party company Jem's Fairies did our face painting and Mini and I plumped for pink crystals adorning our eyes.

I bought a couple of hair bands as well as the skull choker from Claire's Accessories and then added some blood dipped roses, a spider, butterfly and a few lady birds to finish off the look.

Our friends never fail to impress either. Here the Preston's have morphed into zombie Simpsons complete with bulging eyeballs. And the Steed's were transported to Hogwarts with Argus Filch, Professor Trelawney, Mad Eye Moodie and a pint sized Voldemort, although to be fair he was mostly mistaken for Malfoy. None the less we were all the toast of the street.

Mini goes to the ballet

Mini and her best friend India went to the ballet this week to see Sleeping Beauty. What better place to get to be introduced to the ballet than at The Royal Opera House, India's mummy Kate is one clever chicken indeed as she managed to book a box, meaning any squirming would go unnoticed in a rather lengthy three hour performance. India and Mini both dressed up for the Occasion with Mini wearing her favourite white dress with black gross grain bow by Maan and her silver duster coat from H&M's All for the children range.

Mini was captivated by the Queen whilst India fell in love with the Blue Bird in the performance

Mini is really growing up and having fun expressing herself through all her clothes. I love this Isabel Marrant plaid jacket i picked up in the sales years ago. Yay it finally fits! Mini paired it with her JCrew star print leggings, a striped Bon Ton T and her old Bonpoint neckerchief as a headscarf.

While here Mini is rejoicing that spring has finally sprung by wearing knee socks instead of tights! Hers have little bows and are from JCrew Crew Cuts. We paired them with her Boden summer skirt, stripe t-shirt and a Stella McCartney crochet bolero.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

We were invited last week by our lovely friend Dana to have a very special tea at The Kensington Hotel in Queen's Gate London. Its a new event at the Hotel and on every last Thursday of the month they have a children's tea party followed by story time. Its such a lovely idea and what makes it that little bit more special is that the books are read or performed with actors from The English Youth Theatre, making for a very visual and vocal story time indeed! 

Can you guess which story was going to be read? Its one of my favourites!

Mini wore her Tiger mask and her favourite silver sparkle coat from H&M for the event. 

There's lots of room to spread out and listen to the story. Perfect for lolling about and eating your tea.

Phin and Mini enjoyed joining in with the telling of the story with lots of roaring and shouting and Phin was especially good at all the sound effects, there were screeching and door bells ringing and pots and pans banging and all sorts.

And the scones with clotted cream, gingerbread men and perfect triangle sandwiches went down a storm

Did you guess who came to tea?

If you fancy joining their next one on Thursday 27th February at 4pm call The Kensignton Hotel on 0207 589 6300. Tea costs £20 per person and includes as much tea and cake as a Tiger could eat plus a lovely little goody bag. Now i wonder what book is next.... i hear he has a very long trunk