Mum on the Run - Cos knit and A line skirt

Today was one of those days where there was so much to do that I didn't really know where to start.  So I went to a coffee shop with our son and spent far too long doing maths homework with him and also learning what the collective noun was for monkeys.

There's still a birthday cake and birthday biscuits to be baked, beds to be made for guests and all manor of other things that my brain can't process - so I have decided to procrastinate, delegate and generally ignore all tasks until they become time urgent.  The plans for our eldest's birthday tomorrow are constantly changing and slightly overwhelming so I am going to sit back and wait and see what happens. 

It has only taken me thirteen years but I have finally learnt the most important rule of parenting - just chill.  Relinquish control and let others be in charge.  That's what I did this year with our Christmas tree.  I gave complete control of the aesthetics of the tree to our eldest and half an hour later she had her head in her hands wailing "I can't cope with the stress of it.  All the ball balls are on the lower branches. I can't cope."  Result.

We were quite late getting up as we were catching up on sleep after our eventful night at the Children's Hospital.  As there wasn't much time to think about my outfit (is there ever?!)I chose my warm Cos jumper, Cos A line skirt and red shoes for a bit of colour. The high waist on the skirt is comfortable, the length is good and the fact that the jumper shrank a little means that the length of it works well with this skirt.  Every cloud....

Mum on the Run - Some spots, some pastels, some silk and a big dollop of wishful thinking!

  

Last night I decided that I needed to share my Cath Kidston pyjamas and "Ugglies" with a wider audience so at just past mid-night, I took them for an outing to the Birmingham Children's Hospital - where they stayed with me until 4am. I took a child along too - just for good measure.  I think that the hospital staff appreciated my sartorially elegant self at that time in the morning.  I have to say that they did an amazing job of curing our poorly girl. By 4am though I was starting to get a little worried that I would still be there at 6am - ie day time, waiting for a taxi to get me home in said PJ's as hubby would have had to go on ahead to deal with the older two.  Fortuntately we snook back before daylight and oddly enough, I declined my husband's very kind offer to take a photograph of me for this post. 

Our eldest is thirteen on Sunday and we shared a typically teen type conversation the other morning which I thought I would share - Me "I'm struggling with my tights this morning" (For some reason I couldn't get them on even though we were the right size for one another) Her: "I'm struggling with my eyelids." Oh the taste of things to come.

I really couldn't inflict a photo on you today - the one above, which was taken yesterday, is bad enough (no criticism of the photographer - just me). If I had worked out how to crop the photo I would have chopped my head off to save you all but as it is, I don't know how to so apologies for that.  I am wearing some spotted trousers that I bought in Topshop yesterday.  They are tailored so smart, but spotty at the same time. You can probably zoom in on the trousers if you would like a closer look but a word of warning - stay away from the face! I put them with a coral top which I also got in Topshop.  It was in the sale, reduced from £42 to £12.  I had my eye on it before Christmas so I was chuffed.

I also bought this lovely silk shirt from H and M.  It is Kingfisher blue so really vibrant and it cost £35 ish - which is quite a lot for H and M but not for silk.  It also comes in cream.  I have decided that silk shirts are the way forward for me this summer.  I have never really liked T shirts and some of the tops are too strappy/revealing so shirts could be a good alternative.

Finally, I bought this pencil skirt.  There is a shift dress in the same fabric which featured in Grazia this week but I could only get hold of the skirt for now.  It's a great fit - very high waisted and taps into the trend of all things pastel, pretty and ladylike. I quite like the idea of wearing this skirt to an awards ceremony so if anyone knows of one which is due to take place and they would like to invite me along, please just let me know. I promise to wear something else with it - not just the skirt on its own.

Voting closes today for the Marie Claire best fashion blog of the year award.  Thank you to all of you who have followed what I have been up to and who have voted for me and thank you to the new followers that I have gained along the way.  I am keeping everything crossed (which is a little uncomfortable) and will let you know how I get on.

Mum on the Run - A pink wool coat and a navy wool dress

Today was a v. exciting day. First off, the TV programme Doctors was being filmed at our house. I had to nip back as I had forgotten my phone and I got chatting to one of the actresses, who was lovely. I am not entirely sure what the story line was for today but in the past we have had a murder, STD's, an affair and I think that this one might have something to do with a gay son and a trans-sexual Dad. It all goes on in our house I can tell you.

After that I headed to town where I found out that Birmingham is finally getting its own stand alone Whistles store. Yippeee! It's been a long time coming. On the subject of Whistles I noticed that this new season dress is in the sale, down from £135 to £60 - so one to keep an eye out for!  There are lots of spots on the High Street.



I then decided that I would treat our son to a new pencil case today with all the trimmings. I realised that his sister would be on at least her fourth by this point in the term (two weeks in) so I headed to WH Smith where I soon realised that it would be very easy for me to become a stationery geek. Anyway, I took great delight in choosing a Bart Simpson pencil case which said "Underachiever and proud of it man" Bet the school will love that one!  

Having chosen all of the stationery I then found that I had to serve myself at the till. So much for shop "assistants!" I loved playing shops when I was little and as for playing post offices - even better. Imagine my delight when, as a student I had a job in the Xmas holidays at the sorting office. I was even on TV! I loved all that stamping and chucking the parcels in the right bag for the right area. Knowing my Bognor from my Bangor helped - that's what comes from being a geography nerd! However now? No thank you, I don't really want to be playing shops any more. The time when I am being served is when I plan my next move in the game of "how to buy as many clothes as possible whilst spending as little as possible."

On to the outfit. I knew that I would have my coat on for most of the day if I was in the shops, so I was happy to wear this navy River Island dress which is shorter than something I would usually wear. Since handing my legs over to Tracy Anderson to sort out for me last summer I don't mind wearing slightly shorter things - but only in the winter and with thick tights. When Tracy handed my legs back I think that I noticed a bit of an improvement although I did find the intervening weeks a bit tricky.

My shopping trip concluded with a whizz around Jigsaw, Reiss, Topshop, Selfridges and H and M where I picked up some sale bargains and some new season pieces too - which I will show you tomorrow!

Mum on the Run - A printed dress and a chunky knit

From a styling perspective, life would be so much easier if I lived in LA or somewhere warm and sunny.  Imagine the options available if walking far wasn't an issue - or chasing after a delinquent on a scooter.  Think of those endless outfit options - shorts, short skirts, different fabrics, all types of shoes.  Actually, forget the short skirts and shorts - the ravages of three pregnancies have knocked the bare leg look on the head for me. 

As it is, I feel a little limited at the moment.  The need for warmth trumps (don't you love that word?) all other style considerations. I could of course cheat and waft around in a pretty dress for a photo and then immediately get changed into jeans - but that would not be in the spirit of Mum on the Run and anyway I haven't got time to keep getting changed.  Once that body butter is sealed in with a vest there's no way I'm letting the body heat back out!

Today's shot was taken at some unearthly hour.  You'll have to excuse the bleary eyed look - I have a stinking cold.  I was tempted to wear jeans but decided to make an effort on the basis that it might make me feel better.  I am wearing an M&S Limited collection printed dress, Oasis chunky knit and Coast belt. It really all needed straightening out and pulling together a bit more but getting the three muskerhounds and myself out by 7.50am left little time for faffing!

I'm really hoping that the voting is going well for the Marie Claire blog awards.  I fear that the children are leaving me behind. Even our youngest has secured herself an award in the form of a swimming badge - although she wasn't impressed with the blue whale on it and promptly gave it to her older sis.  Apparently it wasn't pink enough.

I have had a number of you ask where you might find a shoe boot.  M&S is always great for shoe boots and I love this pair from Jigsaw, which are currently in the sale, reduced from £129  to £89.  Because they are fairly low cut around the ankle they will be more flattering than some which come higher up the leg.  

Mum on the Run - 80's throwback (BananaRama look out!)

I nearly crashed the car tonight on the way home as a result of a conversation that I had with our eldest which went like this:

"Mum, for our Physics homework tonight we need to take a plug apart, put it back together and plug the item in." 

This from the girl who swore to her teacher the other day that the school bell had rung - only for the school bell to ring.  From the girl who assured her teacher that she was wearing her own lab coat to which the teacher responded "So why has it got D Goyal written on the pocket in big letters." [Which is not our daughter's name.] From the girl who chucked hot chocolate over her entire uniform yesterday...and that of her friends - you get the picture.  Don't get me wrong - in certain circumstances I would trust her with my life - just not these.

So to the outfit - oh the outfit.  Today I went to a couple of meetings to discuss new projects that are in the pipeline and due to the low temperature, I needed to be warm - which is where the thick cardi and warm trousers combo came in.  The boots are actually very comfortable and served me well when I had to walk to school and back as the traffice was gridlocked.

 It wasn't intended to be 80's inspired but that's how it ended up - an outfit not to be repeated! Individually I like all of the items, from the Zara trousers to the Whistles cardi, the Topshop belt and the Oasis boots - but not together.  I could just have hidden away and pretended that it hadn't happened but it has - so in the name of honesty I have to share it with you.  One friend told me that she liked it - but I think that she was just being kind!

Onwards and upwards......

Mum on the Run...at the end of a long day

Just a quick one tonight as I want to go and watch the second Coronation Street. The script writers have excelled themselves tonight - a chopped off finger being put in a slush puppy to save it - genius!

I was feeling rather guilty about our four year old watching Barbie dvds but I have reached the conclusion that it is not a bad thing after all.  For a start, she is learning the music to all of the ballets (tick) she is learning lots about mythical creatures (Griffins, Pegasus etc) and she has picked up some top phrases which make me laugh "Mum, [insert name of sibling] is ruining my life..."  She is also becoming au fait with how the dvd operates and understands how to select the dvd in English, rather than German - so not bad all in all. Phew, move on to the next issue which induces parental guilt.

So this is one pretty poor photo of me looking tired and without any make up on - all that domesticity - it really takes it out of me! Added to that, our son, understandably was more interested in going and opening another pack of his Star Wars Force Attack cards than taking (even more) photos of his Mum. Poor chap, he deserves a medal!

I am wearing grey skinny Cos jeans, shoe boots, Cos shirt dress, Reiss skinny belt, Oasis long cardi and pink coat - and if you can see any of that I am impressed.

Mum on the Run - An industrial warmth jumper for a cold day plus a tip on how to keep warm!

So today I am trying to be a really good wife/Mum.  There's a chicken roasting in the oven and the breadmaker is on.  I am going to make a stew and the iron is sitting next to me, ready to be plugged in and used. The washing is on and the dryer too.  Great Mum but not so green eh?  If I had one of those things to tell me how much energy I was using, it would be whizzing it's little socks off.  Oh and the radio and lap top are on too, plus the heating.

From where I'm sitting I think that it's a common mis-conception that going shopping is worse for the bank balance. Staying at home costs much more so, I think that it's time to ditch the "holier than thou" attitude and head to the Bull Ring. My good intentions can only last for so long anway.  There's nothing wrong with sandwiches for dinner and slightly less-than-clean-but-not-quite-dirty clothes can always be turned inside out and given a shake.

I am not performing too well on the good mother stakes either.  This week our youngest was meant to take in an item for the sound table which began with the letter "J" so naturally I found it hard for our Rabbit that we had taken in, to fit the theme.  Oh flip. "R" is next week.  I did think about trying to pass little bunny off as Jugged hare but thought that might be a bit cruel.

I wore this outfit yesterday.  It was a beautiful but very cold and crispy morning.  I dug out my Jessie jeans from Topshop and put them with my fail safe and very warm cable knit jumper from Warehouse, striped Gap top and Hobbs biker boots plus my favourite Jigsaw necklace.  Having said that, by 4pm I had taken the lot off and put on my Cath Kidston PJ's that I had for Christmas - oh how I love them!

I have found that on a cold day, if I lather myself in bodyshop body butter when I get out of the shower, then put my clothes on, I sort of seal my body heat in and cook slowly, retaining the heat for the day - a bit like the chicken that I have just taken out of the oven. I have been known on occasion to over do it and to go a bit pink but on the whole, it's not a bad tip.

Mum on the Run - Stylist's Own - pieces to "lift" your Wardrobe

Earlier in the week I said that I would write a post about the items in my wardrobe which make an outfit. These are the ones to which I turn when I need to style things up a bit! They aren't necessarily wardrobe basics but that extra layer - the icing on the cake if you like - which take an outfit from being OK to great, or (on occasion) from being great to fab.  These items are collected over time and are immune to trends and fads and they generally work either due to their style, scale or colour. 

I don't know about you but often when I am reading magazines something will jump off the page at me so I scan the outfit details only to find that the necklace/bag/shoes are listed as "Stylist's Own".  So these are my "Stylist's Own" pieces.

Shoes

Bright shoes! For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you will have seen these feature on numerous occasions.  They were from Kurt Geiger last year and whenever I wear them, people always comment.  They also make me smile! In the summer I look to converse for colourful, practical shoes which are really good for running around in with the children.

Sparkly shoes - reserved for an evening out where they take a simple black dress or trousers to another level!

The classic LK Bennett Sledge shoe as worn by the Duchess of Cambridge.  I often wear these for style events.  I actually don't have a huge amount of going out shoes.  Once I had these in my wardrobe, I found that I didn't need much else.

Bags

A bright bag.  This is a Mulberry one which I was lucky enough to have for my 40th birthday but it's not the sort of thing that I have lots of in my Wardrobe.  There are lots of coloured bags around on the High Street from Primark to Oasis and Warehouse to River Island.

A coloured evening bag - I have a beautiful black Liberty one which I love as it has a great texture but I also love this one - a great buy from Reiss in the sale many moons ago. 

Belts

Belts aren't for everyone but if they are for you, they are a great way of adding interest to an outfit. These are some of my favourites;

This wide blue belt from Reiss is a real favourite and as I was photographing it today my daughter came up and said "Oh, I love that belt."  Lucky!

This again is another Reiss sale purchase - this time a skinny belt which is a classic item and which really lifts navy or black trousers or a black dress.

Another Reiss sale purchase - may favourite go to place for belts, although I haven't bought one in a while. This is a grey leather moc croc belt which again livens up a dark outfit.  I quite often wear this one back to front!

Necklaces

I love this Jigsaw necklace probably more than any other accessory in my wardrobe.  It is also probably the only thing for which I paid full price.  The LK Bennett shoes, Mulberry bag and all of the belts were sale items. 

This, when I saw it though - it was one of those moments and I bought it.  I love the shell as it reminds me of the ormer shells my sis and I used to collect as children and the other bits were just pretty and unusual.  I had a ball that evening and it gave a bit of a trendy edge to my classic Ted Baker dress.

This one sits quite close to the neck so is great for adding interest to plain tops.  Again it was a sale purchase, this time from Hobbs.  It sat in my wardrobe for a while but once I started wearing it I realised how versatile and pretty it was and so I put it with lots of things from my cable jumper to LBD's.  Yes, this one works hard for me!

It's the scale of these babies that make an outfit - they are big, very big and when wearing these I have to be mindful not to bend down too quickly as I get whacked in the face.  I still love them though - they were a Topshop purchase.

Scarves

This is my favourite Jigsaw chunky coral scarf which again I bought in the sale quite a long time ago.  It's great for brightening up darker winter coats which can really drain me, if I haven't had time to put my lippy on!

This is a long skinny sparkly scarf from Oasis which I often take to style events with me and which I could have sold 50 times over! It must be at least 8 years old now but it still does a great job.  Now I need to work on collecting some other scarves - big printed ones. I have quite a few but they are starting to look a bit tatty.  I quite like the look of the new Hobbs NW3 cat scarf....

Gloves

I have several pairs of leather gloves which really smarten up an outfit, from pink M&S ones to navy ones from H&M with a gold zip on them which I bought on Oxford Street this year.  These cause great amusement though - huge furry gloves from Miss Selfridge which my sister's dog likes to attack.  I left them at our daughter's school the other day after dropping her off.  Another little boy tried to claim them as his Mum's but our youngest was having none of it!

So, I hope that the above gives you some ideas/inspiration for bits and bobs that you can pick up throughout the year and which you can use to style your outfits and make them more versatile.  Next on my list is a yellow bag.  Yellow will be huge next season and I think that for me, a bag may be the best option.  Karen Millen and Boden have nice ones but I will keep my eyes open for more....

Mum on the Run - A warm outfit for a cold day!

Oh yes, today it was cold!  Having not worn this jumper for a while, I decided that it would do a fine job of keeping me warm.  It is grey leopard print with sequins on the front and it was from Jesire.  I put a denim shirt underneath or else it is a little bare at the neck. I put it with the Cos grey skinnies and the chelsea boots.

The chelsea boots were worn because we were about to embark on a trip to the High Street with the four year old on her scooter - and when the scooter is involved there is always potential for running.  In fact, today she was actually behind my son and myself - we knew that she was safe as we could hear her singing Justin Bieber at full pelt. The song went "Baby, baby, baby....." silent.  So we turned round and there she was, splattered on the pavement with the scooter in the hedge. Bless her.  And poor Justin - his song was ruined. Mind you, with the paternity suit hanging over him at the moment that's probably the least of his worries.

We have had family visiting today and so I had to flex my muscles in preparation for doing battle with my three year old nephew over my diet coke (again) as on boxing day. I am confident of winning - although it may be mis placed.  He's pretty tough!

I also had a delivery today - a not insignificant one at that....

it's all in a day's work! Can't wait to rummage through these babies!

Mum on the Run - Looking through the sales purchases - to keep or not to keep? That is the question

How bad is this?  I have convinced our four year old that the bits of nougat in my toblerone are nuts (which she doesn't like) just so that she doesn't want to eat it.  Even by my standards I think that is rather naughty but hec, the children have taken their toll on many things in my life (body, finances, the height of heels I can wear) so they can keep their hands off my chocloate at least.

So today I spent some time playing with the new clothes that arrived recently. It was a fun time - some successes and some not, so take a look and see what you think:

This is the Reiss trench, reduced from £295 to £147 - so still not the cheapest but it is a good reduction and the kind of wardrobe staple in which to invest if you absolutely love it.   The fabric is different to what I was expecting but once I got used to it, I quite liked it.  The down side? It's too big and the length is wrong. Even with heels, it hits the wrong part of my leg so with flats it wouldn't work at all.  I really like it but it's not for me. Moving on....

This dress is from Boden - it's called "the sixties dress" and is in the sale, reduced from £89 to £59.  It does come up quite short so I would possibly be inclined to order the longer one if they had it in my size. I love the colour and the patch pockets. It could be dressed up for the evening or down for the day so it is fairly versatile - which is important.  I am undecided on this one - need to assess the other options!

This too is a Boden dress - the joyful jersey dress - reduced from £59 to £35.  It is a fairly snug fit but quite supportive which is nice.  It has patch pockets and again could be dressed up or down. I am wearing it with the Reiss shoes, a leather ring and a Hobbs statement necklace. I need to try the dress again to see how it feels. They only had a size 6 left so that's why it's a bit snug. Not sure that it would be very forgiving!  Sadly the Reiss shoes are too big and I walk out of them - so that's an easy decision!

I also ordered these Red jeans from Reiss which were reduced from £89 to £44.  I put them with a Reiss sparkly top which I bought a couple of years ago and which I still love.  I like them but they are too big and if they give any more they will look dreadful. So they will be going back too although given that Reiss is offering free delivery and returns at the moment, I might order them in a smaller size.

I love this Boden Milan jacket which was reduced from £125 to £49 - now that's a proper saving! It's a nice way to dress up my smarter jeans which I put with a silk Warehouse shirt.  I can see myself wearing this jacket a huge amount. I'm almost tempted to order it in black too but that's when the sales become a false economy because I don't really need it. Here's a pic of the lining - lovely spots...

Moving on now to the next outfit - a very dressed down look of Gap long and lean jeans, Clarks leopard pumps and the Boden bella jumper reduced from £49 to £29 - because much as we might like it to be, life isn't always about heels and dresses!

I love the colour of this jumper, which I have put with a Stella & Dot necklace.  The sleeves are three quarters and a slight bell shape - so something different. This one is a keeps for me as it will be really useful.  So, so far the keeps are this jumper and the Boden jacket, probably one of the Boden dresses and possibly the Red jeans but in a smaller size. I have yet to give due attention to the bag and the leather jacket...

Mum on the Run - It's a bit of a Jigsaw day - parka, dress and scarf

First of all I just wanted to say "thank you" to anyone who has voted for me for the Marie Claire fashion blog of the year award - I really do appreciate it.  Thank you also for your emails of support and a special hello to the lovely people of Guernsey and Jersey who have taken a look at the blog.  Could one of you please nip to Port Soif for me and take in the beautiful view?

So you've all heard of "hat" hair. What about "swimming hat hair"? That takes bad hair to a whole new level. And then you add in the goggles and the marks that they leave under your eyes - ten years younger - ha! More like 15 years older. It takes until about 4pm for the welts to disappear. Then there's the limp to add in to the look. How do you get a limp from swimming? This is how. You take it upon yourself to try and beat the chap swimming in the lane next to you - you kick particularly hard and feel something "twang" at the bottom of your back. That's how. So by 9.30am you end up with exceedingly bad hair, looking 15 years older and limping. Add to that thought the woolly hat which has to be worn for the walk home and you get the picture.  Press the delete button now!

The above photo was actually taken yesterday as we dashed out to do the school run.  The swimming goggle marks had gone - I wouldn't inflict that look on anyone.  The whole point of the outfit is this -you're only meant to notice the (wonky) scarf.  It's a great styling trick (and I use the word "styling" in the loosest sense of the word in relation to the above photo)-having one item that stands out from the rest so the others can blend into the background.  In a few days time I will show you the items in my wardrobe that fulfill that role but for now...back to the outfit!

I am wearing a jersey Jigsaw dress and black tights from the M&S Autograph range (a new purchse which I love - the Autograph tights in general are v good.) I threw on my brown Hobbs biker boots (my daugher has taken to wearing my black biker boots and they are now covered in mud - thanks v much for that one) and my Jigsaw parka.  Up until a few days ago the Parka stank of smoke from where I went in the garden with my son and lit fires, using a whole box of matches in the process - but an airing has sorted it out.  Then to distract from that whole mish mash I put on my bright coral, long Jigsaw scarf, which I bought in the sale several seasons ago.

No-one saw me so the fact that I was a bit of a scummy Mummy didn't bother me - or offend anyone else either!

Mum on the Run - worshipping at the altar of parcels of new clothing (Boden, Reiss and Whistles) part 1

The problem with children being at home in the day is that they find out what you get up to and to be honest, I feel a bit invaded.  They creep up on you unannounced and find you eating chocolate. They have an inordinate capacity to block certain sounds out - but if the doorbell rings, with a parcel for me - that's a different matter. They are there like a shot and after the fourth time they turn round in amazement and say "That's the fourth parcel you've had today. Is this all that you do when I am at school?" Cheeky whatsits.

So here are the parcels, displayed in all their glory in the den left by the "fairies" for our daughter's fourth birthday at the weekend. And here are the contents, displayed on a hanging rail having been opened:

Shall we take a closer look?  (Sounds very Playschool like that doesn't it?) Oh how I wish they had covered clothes on playschool, rather than going through the round window and finding how milk bottles were filled.

This for me is one of my favourite pieces - a teal leather jacket from Whistles, reduced from £325 to £95.  Now I'm not for one minute suggesting that £95 is an insignificant sum of money, but it is significantly less than £325, so qualifies as a good saving in my book.

This is the Kingfisher blue bag from Reiss in all its glory - reduced to £55 from £195. It really is lovely in real life!

If you are after an evening bag then Reiss is the place to head.  Look for the Earlham Clutch in midnight (£39 from £79) the Surya clutch in Kingfisher (£129 to £38) and the Sola clutch in emerald (£79 to £25) - north to south below!  They are all lovely and way more interesting than black.

So, these are the Reiss shoes - also a very pretty shade of blue and good for those who no longer like to wear anything too strappy and revealing - they have some substance about them!

All in all, it's all looking a bit blue at the moment but there's more for tomorrow that isn't blue - plus a little bit more that is!  I haven't tried anything on yet - that's yet to come!