We had a birthday party last week and it wasn't fuelled with sweets and soft play but instead we went to a farm party and the only thing it was fuelled by was the sweet scent of manure!

The tween decided not to come (she had her own party at the same farm some 6 years ago, so it was clearly old news to her) but the little one relished in being able to feed all the animals herself.

She wasn't quite so struck on holding some of the chicks.

But was quite happy to stroke them in the basket (although we were asked to "stroke, not strangle the chicks" .... they must have known she was coming!)

And while she obviously missed her big sister, she made efforts to be brave. I think she may just be an adventurer after all!

In the last few hours I was going through my inbox and found an email about the latest Debenhams blogger competition where, if selected, two bloggers will each win an amazing £500 to spend on their Autumn/Winter wardrobe at Debenhams!

To take part, I simply have to create an outfit for myself, and for my chosen blogging friend from one of the six AW14 trends and despite there being only a few hours left in the competition, I nominate fellow lover of fashion, Emma from Emmaand3.com.

After lusting over many of the new styles and designs on the Debenhams website I decided that military works best for me and whilst Emma has been talking about Autumn clothes for her children this week, I wanted to see what Autumn could inspire for her.

So my outfit may come as a surprise to some people as it doesn't contain heels but I am embracing the onslaught of bad weather and figure I can rock this look!

I remember having a conversation with Emma and her telling me that she liked my style (I hope that she still thinks that after I have put this outfit together for her!)

These are today's mood boards but lets face it, I am a woman and it is my prerogative to change my mind, which is possibly why I have a wardrobe that is bursting at the seams.

If you want to be in with a chance to enter, be quick, it closes at midnight tonight!

Tweet

We have recently talked about children's fashion must haves for Autumn but what about the grown ups? What are the on trend fashion must haves for mum?

I have always loved fashion and being a mum doesn't mean you need to turn into a fifties housewife, unless of course that is totally your thing! Keeping one eye on the catwalk and the other on the purse strings, means that being on trend sometimes is about key items rather than a whole wardrobe for super savvy mums.

For me, shopping online is the best way to find the most competitive prices and you can check them in seconds but I have recently found LoveSales  which is a new website and ideal for my shopping habit. It only displays sales and it can easily be personalized as you are given the option of which stores you like and then only those will appear on your sales feed. It also has a feature where you can literally add any website and it will instantly notify you when the price drops, perfect for keeping an eye on those key pieces.

The catwalk has been awash with blue this autumn and while pink has reigned supreme in recent seasons, blue seems to have fought back on the AW14 catwalks. So while the weather maybe dismal at the moment, there is no need to feel blue - you just need to wear it! So what are the best ways to get colour into your wardrobe, without having to buy a whole new collection of clothes?

Scarves

I LOVE scarves, they can be fashionable, practical (and in dire emergencies, can be used to wipe a toddler's nose but I am obviously not advocating that, it was merely an observation). A scarf can add a splash of colour to any outfit!

Jewellery

Add a brightly coloured blue necklace, bracelet and earring set to an outfit and voila, instant colour injection and with very minimal outlay. Costume jewellery is so competitively priced now, it is a great way to change the look of an outfit in seconds.

Shoes

A girl can never have enough shoes. That is all.

Handbag

As above! If you get matching shoes and handbag, (especially blue or red) you can dramatise an outfit in the blink of an eye.

Coat

If you only buy one thing for the new season, it must be a statement coat. I *have* to have a new coat every year, much to the disgust of a certain male in the family. He doesn't understand the need for a new coat if there is nothing wrong with the old one but if I can get one at a discounted rate, it would be rude NOT to buy it wouldn't it?

Is there anything you would add?

Tweet

This is a collaborative post.

This week we read a new book.

Giraffe's can't dance by Giles Andreae (who incidentally also wrote Purple Ronnie) and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees is a fabulous rhyming tale of Gerald the giraffe, who would sorely love to join in with the other animals at the Jungle Dance, but everyone knows that giraffes can't dance . . . or can they?

Poor Gerald the giraffe feels very clumsy until he meets a friendly cricket, who teaches him that we may all be different but "Sometimes all we need is a different song to dance to". This is a lovely story that celebrates the richness of differences and the possibilities created by a more personal approach. It also has something valuable to say about the impact of our own expectations of ourselves and others.

Giraffes have featured heavily in our activities in the last week, as we have also had Jeffery the Giraffe from nursery to entertain. Now I am acutely aware that he is a stuffed animal and he has no clue that he needs entertaining but there is an expectation to complete a diary of his adventures over the week that he is with us. So reading a book about giraffes was fun .... as was taking Jeffery swimming!

Knowing what works at swimming, is as much as knowing what song to dance to. There is little point forcing the little one to attempt things that she is not ready for but to encourage her to develop the skills she is showing naturally.

Her confidence, like Gerald's in the book, is really starting to grow and thanks to our amazing Water Babies teachers, she really can swim.

Unlike Jeffery .... no amount of swimming lessons are going to help him.

I just hope that the little one learns the most important lesson, in that even though we may all be different, we all are able to achieve our dreams when we find the 'music that we love!' 

Tweet