Category:

1. Tween Fashion : Vertbaudet

   Posted on 9:25pm Monday 20th Apr 2015

   Anyone who has had the pleasure of "owning" a pre-teen girl will understand the difficulty of trying to juggle their changing shape, their frequent change in taste, attitude and fashion and certainly their change of mind. So with the warmer weather on the horizon, we were delighted to get the chance to look at some of the new summer range from Vertbaudet.

   In my mind, a denim jacket is a wardrobe staple whatever your age (unless you wear denim on denim and then I may have to question our friendship). The tween is suddenly a fan of a scarf or a snood with an outfit and with the addition of the shorts, this makes a winning combination in her eyes.

   I have always shopped with Vertbaudet, ever since she was a little girl is it great to see how the brand is evolving with current fashions but retaining the original quality and unique-ness that the brand has always had. 

   

   
   

   Tween Summer Fashion from Vertbaudet by littlelilypadco on Polyvore

   
   

   

   The jacket (£20), Scarf (£9) and Shorts (currently on offer at £8.10), make a whole outfit for just under £40, (I wish I could put an outfit together for myself for this amount) which means that it is not only on trend but affordable too, until she announces she can't decide between Havianna flip flops or Vans trainers!! Nevertheless, I have always found that Vertbaudet clothing comes up a little small so it maybe worth plumping for the next size up if you want it to last all summer.

   I loved that the shorts have an adjustable waistband inside with elastic and buttons (I can never understand why clothes designers don't do this in adults clothing, as my husband would love an adjustable waistband after a large meal!). This means that you "could" buy a slightly bigger size and the adjustable waist would make them last longer! White shorts are great key piece for a pre-teen ..... unless of course your little sister happens to have post-Easter chocolate covered hands. So as a mum, I adore that it is all machine washable at 40 degrees and as a long term customer, I know that they retain the colour, shape and design after countless washes. 

   I would love to show you images of her in the outfit but unless she is pulling a pouting selfie for her instagram feed, she simply isn't interested in posing for photos for her mums blog post (again the perils of having a tween). I will try and catch her when she isn't looking ..... and in the meantime, I am linking up with this weeks Wednesday's Wardrobe to share the great choices available on Vertbaudet this summer. 

    

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2. Scottish Book Trust - Snarling of Wolves giveaway

   Posted on 11:20pm Sunday 29th Mar 2015

   Reading is as much part of our daily routine as teeth brushing and baths before bedtime and it is a fun part of our day. We never see it as a chore (unless you are the tween who would prefer to play on her tablet) but the toddler soaks up every descriptive word and beautifully illustrated image. Reading is fun but it is so important for children too as it expands their vocabulary and early reading skills have been directly linked to a childs academic success. 

   Reading to and with your children can be one of the most rewarding bonding times you can have as a family and so we are delighted to share details of the Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour (organised by Scottish Book Trust) which takes the very best UK and international authors directly into schools across Scotland and the UK to inspire a love of reading, writing and illustration. In February this year the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour visited schools in Birmingham with the wonderful author, illustrator, playwright and poet Vivian French!

   Vivian has published over 200 books for children of all ages including the hugely successful series The Tales from the Five Kingdoms, the first of which, The Robe of Skulls, won the 2008 Stockton Children’s Book of the Year Award. Vivian is a great storyteller, you can see her here ....

   In support of the tour, we are delighted to be able to offer you Vivian French’s ‘The Snarling of Wolves’ book in our latest giveaway.

   

   All you need to do is enter the simple question in the Rafflecopter widget below and tell us in the comments below whether the answer is:

   A - 200

   B - 2,000

   C - 20,000

   Here is a little clue 

   a Rafflecopter giveaway

   The more you read, the better you are at it and best of all ...... it is free! I only wish I could enter this competition but you can. What are you waiting for?

   UK Entrants Only.
   The winner will be chosen at random by the random winner generator on Rafflecopter and notified within 5 working days by email
   Scottish Friendly will be responsible for the despatch of the prize.
   Scottish Friends will make every effort to provide the gift set requested but this cannot be guaranteed
   There is no monetary equivalent.
   Little Lilypad Co take no /responsibility for loss or damage in the despatch of prizes
   If the prize is unclaimed within 7 days we reserve the right to redraw the winner.
   End Date 13/04/2015 at 12am

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3. Put down the technology, pick up a book this half term.

   Posted on 7:35am Thursday 19th Feb 2015

   Put down the technology and pick up a book this half term. Sounds easy doesn't it? Well it should be, unless you have technology crazy children who love watching You Tube clips, playing on their apps and messaging their friends. A technology curfew has had to be instigated and I have dragged them (not quite kicking and screaming) back to books.

   

   I love that my girls are tech savvy but I also think that with so many devices available to help you with your every whim, there is the possibility to lose the ability to imagine, dream and use their brain. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge advocate of technology (I am never far away from it) but there is something special about holding a book and getting lost in the story.

   This is why I love The Works because there is something for everyone. They have shops all over the UK and (despite what I said about the technology curfew) you can also order online from a massive selection. They stock thousands of books at up to 90% off RRP, which definitely appeals to our money saving pockets, or in the words of the tween "means we can just buy more then Mom". I think I have her buy in here!

   

   The girls have a love of shopping (I wonder where they get that from) so once we have chosen from the books, stationary, arts and crafts at The Works, the next part is actually getting them to read the books once they have finished with the attractions of the sticking glueing and painting.

   Let them choose

   This may sound trivial but a child needs to "want" to hear or read a story. If they are not interested, they will switch off. Let your child's own interests guide his or her reading choices. It's okay to make suggestions, just don't force your conceptions of what your child should be reading onto your child. And, keep an eye on the reading level of the books your children choose, my eldest daughter will sometimes go for the easy option or pick something simply because she likes the cover picture.

   Reading aloud

   Encourage your child to read aloud to you an exciting passage in a book, or even a joke from a joke book. When children read aloud, don't feel they have to get every word right. Even great readers tend to skip or mispronounce words now and then. 

   Find time to read

   Whether it is before bed or after school, find a time where you can sit together and read. Make it part of your daily routine and this enforces that it is an important activity, not just something that you need to fit in between swimming or gymnastics or their favourite TV programme.

   As for me, I never seem to find time to read these days, so maybe if we get into this routine, I can have a browse through the books online at The Works and find some reading material and a little time just for me.

   

    

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   This is a collaborative post.

4. Can you buy children’s shoes online?

   Posted on 9:48am Friday 13th Feb 2015

   My husband doesn’t seem to share a love of shoes in the same way I do and apparently I am passing on my love of shoes to my two girls. In fact, I will let you into a little secret; the toddler possibly has more shoes than any one of us (but shhhh don’t tell my husband that).

   I am partial to a sky scraper heel, whereas the girls love trainers, party shoes, boots, pumps, sandals, in fact any style of shoe that matches the outfit of the day. So when you have three women in a household all with a love of shoes, we need to find affordable shoe options to feed our addiction. Buying shoes can be expensive and traipsing round the shops with two children isn’t my favourite idea of fun. The solution? Buying online!

    

   So when we were introduced to Pisamonas, we may have been a little excited! They are a gorgeous children´s shoes and accessories brand shoe store based in Spain and aside from the stunning classic shoe range, they tempt you with free shipping, free size exchanges, and high-quality shoes at low prices.

   

   Despite being despatched from Spain, at Pisamonas, deliveries are always FREE, with no minimum purchase required, and returns & size exchanges are always FREE too, no explanations needed. If the size does not fit, they will send a new one for free, just as if you were shopping at a high street store. (We may have done a happy dance when we found this out).

   

   So once you have got over the excitement of the FREE delivery and returns bit (I have to admit some other online retailers should take a leaf out of Pisamonas book) and take a look at the designs, you will find that they have an adorable classic look to them that is somehow both timeless and on trend.

   

   As a Welcome to the UK they are offering £10 off on your first order when spending over £40 so grab it while you can! And while my husband may insist that we don’t need any more shoes in our cupboard, Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes really can change your life!

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