WHAT MOLLY WORE: Crochet Poncho

WHAT MOLLY WORE:

WHITE TOP > H&M

SILVER CAT SHOES > H&M

SKINNY JEANS > MATALAN
PONCHO > MADE BY ME
 

Just wanted to share a little crochet project I just finished the other week. I made little Mo a bright pink poncho as she had outgrown her last one. I was given an old 70s pattern a little while ago and this is what inspired me to make this little poncho for Molly. Unfortunately I have a tendency to start a project, get distracted and don't touch it for awhile. So, on returning to finish the poncho I had forgotten about the pattern and had to make the rest up (way to not setting a good example on how to do things, yeah?). 

I'm quite pleased with the results and most importantly Molly loves it! She's been eagerly watching me make it and even helped me pick the colours. Of course, every poncho for a little girl has to have pink in it! I think she will get a lot of wear out of it over the Summer.

Over the next week, I will try to put together a pattern for anyone who would like to make it. Send me a message if you're interested!

Big love,

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REVIEW: Clarks children's shoes

Clarks recently invited Molly and I to have a look at their children's range. We've always been a fan of the brand and this is our go-to place when it comes to buying school shoes. You know you will always get good quality and peace of mind that your children's tootsies are in good hands when they're wearing a pair of Clarks'.

We did plan to get a pair of school shoes but Molly fell in love with these pink patent leather  pumps. I don't think we would of left the shop without them, either that or a full blown tantrum! This highlights the various different styles on offer at Clarks, all of which are designed to last. I know other parents that spend much less on school shoes and they generally don't last anywhere near as long, so I think spending that little bit extra actually saves you more in the long run.   

Clarks have taken care of growing feet for over 170 years. With children spending over 1000 hours in school shoes before they grow out of them, it makes sense they should be wearing the best! It's always been a bit of a tradition  in our family to go there but school shoes have changed a lot since I was a little girl. There's heaps more options on offer, from flashing lights when they walk to hidden compartments in the heel, inspiring the kids at playtime.

With expert sales assistants to hand, making sure you have the right fit is easy-peasy, totally stress free. Shoe sizes are checked using an 'ipad fitting experience' where the kids get to choose a character (Jack or Daisy) to interact with to help them with their fitting. Very different from when I was a kid! Molly's feet measured 12 1/2 F but still had plenty of room to grow if need be. That's another great thing about Clarks, they provide 1/2 and whole shoe sizes to make sure your child has the perfect fit!

Do you remember wearing Clarks' to school?

Big love,

WHAT MOLLY WORE:

DRESS >

CARDIGAN >

TIGHTS > MARKS & SPENCER

SHOES > CLARKS

BAG > SUN JELLIES

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Playing Mermaid with Sand Dollar Swim

I recently discovered an awesome swimwear range based in the UK and Molly has gone dotty for them.  The founder, Maureen Dolan, saw that there was a gap in the market to design and make stylish UV swimwear for little ones, and in 2013, Sand Dollar Swim was born! I'm quite in love with the label and wish I could get a matching swimsuit in my own size! Not only would I be wearing it to the beach, but how perfect would it be for festivals!?!

I was pleasantly surprised when Molly picked this swimsuit. She is loopy for pink at the moment and usually the only reason why she picks something, but this swimsuit is a magnificent aqua green (HOORAH!) with a small touch of pink. The suit is a little large (age 5-6) on her, but come Summer I think it will be perfect. Molly likes to spend a lot of time in and out of the water when we spend days at the beach, so making sure sun lotion is topped up can be difficult (especially when she's so engrossed in playing). It's peace of mind knowing that she will be getting extra UV protection from her swimsuit and the fabric is also breathable and fast drying, ensuring minimal discomfort.

 

It was too much of a cold, wet day to go to the beach, so instead Molly wanted to dress up as a mermaid. It's one of the reasons she loves her new swimsuit. The aqua green sparkly fabric is just perfect for an aspiring mermaid and luckily I had some shimmery lime green fabric in my stash to use for a tail. Add lots of glitter and we had ourselves a little mermaid!

So not only is this a fabulous swimsuit for days at the pool or beach, it also provides plenty of inspiration and creativeness for our little ones during playtime :) That gets a big thumbs up from me!

Big love,

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Molly's 5th Birthday Party

Normally, you know, I love love love organising parties. But when Molly said she wanted to have a party for her birthday this year I was filled with dread. We held a large party for Molly last year, and although it was a success, we found the whole experience quite stressful. We hired a hall for the day and Mr D and I did everything ourselves to keep costs down. Unfortunately it also meant I ended up being stuck in a tiny hot kitchen and Pete had 20 children to keep entertained for 2 hours. Molly and her friends told me they had an amazing day, but I just wish I could've seen it. The hall looked amazing and Mr D was a star,  but I was just rushing around like a loony. So much so that I, stupidly, didn't get to photograph any of the garlands, party hats, pom-pom flowers and confetti balloons I spent weeks making.  :(

This year we decided to do it differently. We decided to keep it small and invited less children (Molly had her whole nursery class and then some attend last year) and instead of hiring a hall we decided to have it at home, praying for fine weather and making use of the wonderful garden we now have. Even though Mr D was superb as a children's entertainer last year (I think he finds intellectual equality for 4-5 year olds. It's not a dig. Even HE would admit that) he wasn't keen on repeating the stress experience again this year, poor lamb. That's when Fairy Dust Events really appealed to us. 

Phone calls were made. Princesses were booked. Invites were sent.

Mercifully, the sun did come out to play when the big day came around. We. Had. SO much fun! There was...

Fairy Dust Events, based in Brighton, cater for all your children's party needs, whether your budget is large, medium or small. They have so much equipment and skills available and offer a really engaging experience for your birthday boy or girl and their guests. Just let them know what your theme and budget is and you will be amazed what they have to offer. We (Molly) opted a Cinderalla/Frozen theme which, aside from a big puddle to represent the ill fated dreams of Olaf the snowman, I thought it would be difficult to represent this on a hot summers day. The super-secret Snow Cannon put paid to that. Molly and her friends loved dancing while getting covered in layers of 'snow'. It was a little bit like a foam party. It was awesome!

I would totally recommend Fairy Dust Events to anyone thinking of hiring entertainers. They were just wonderful and took a lot of party related stress away from us. We had Toxi and Emma dressed up as Cinderella and Elsa and they were just the sweetest, nicest girls. They held the kids attention and entertained them for 2 hours like true professionals. When home time came around, Molly and her friends had the biggest smiles on their faces as well as a balloon animal/sword/banana and a slice of birthday cake to take home with them. Thank you Emma and Toxi for making Molly's birthday SO special! :) The little one hasn't stopped talking about it for days. And best of all, Mr D and I got to enjoy the party too!


Big love!

If you would like some help with your children's party please contact Fairy Dust Events. They offer everything from Fairy and Pirate parties to glitter discos and circus skills and can take care of all the little details too like favours and party bags.  You can find out more by checking out their website or simply call them on 0800 433 4618 

Our entertainers for the day... Elsa and Cinderella!

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DIY: Summer to-do list on lolly sticks

Do you have children on their Summer holidays at the moment?  Molly has been on hers for a couple of weeks now and I was SO worried about keeping her entertained for such a long period of time. Then, whilst browsing the web, I came across this fabulous tutorial from Good + Happy Day on how to make a Summer to-do list using lolly sticks and it's been working like a charm so far, especially at times where we've been too busy to plan anything during the week.

So. Want to make a to-do list too? This is how you do it...

First of all sit down with everyone from your family and write a list of things that you all would like to do. Add some new things amongst some old favorites. It is a great way to learn and try new things and also see new places. Need some ideas? This is what we included in our list;

• Go rock pooling
• Go to the beach
• Learn to ride a bike
• Go berry picking
• Bake a cake
• Have a picnic in the garden
• Swim in the sea
• Play with the penny arcades on the pier
• Go on the trampolines
• Fly a kite
• Make sun prints
• Stargaze
• Write a song as a family
• Collect and press pretty flowers
• Have a BBQ
• Make fruit popsicles
• Have a camera day
• Visit a farm
• Go to Lewes and have cream teas
• Visit a flea market or car-boot sale
• Go on a bug hunt
• Go camping
• Read a chapter from a book as a family
• Cycle along under cliff path and have a picnic
• Go to the Zoo
• Family game night
• Family movie night
• Mail a letter
• Have a sleepover
• Treasure hunt
• Make brownies
• Paint and decorate rocks found on the beach
• Make homemade lemonade
• Work on Molly's scrapbook
• Make masks
• Make giant soap bubbles
• Go for a walk over The Downs
• Go to Ashdown forest
• Go on a boat ride 

Next it's time to decorate! Molly and I had lots and lots of fun doing this bit. We used watercolours and painted simple shapes and patterns. You will most likely have to leave your sticks to dry over night. Once dry you can start writing your to-do's. I just used a black Sharpie pen to do this.

Then, on days when there is nothing to do, pick a stick! Yesterday we picked out, "Play with the penny arcades on the pier" and we had an excellent day. We raided our big jar of coppers and headed down to the pier to see what we could find.  Molly had great fun and was ecstatic when she and Mr D won a cuddly toy on the Dolphin Derby!

This is something we will definitely repeat every year. I'm looking forward to adding new things to our list as Molly gets older. Do you write a Summer to-do list? And what fun things do you include?

Happy summer holidays!

AKA Hooting Miss Owl

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