Funky Kid Friday - AW15

It's Friday, so it must be Funky Kid!  Here we are for our weekly fashion fix..

I have to be honest, over the last few weeks I've been debating whether to keep FKF running or whether to throw in the Bobo Choses towel.. I know that I've not done it justice for a while.  I am rubbish at actually commenting on your lovely posts and I feel terrible about that.  I know that I need to make more effort.  Otherwise what is the point in you guys linking up?  I know this is a small linky but it's never going to get any bigger if I can't even make the effort with a few peeps joining in.  I think I find it tricky because at the moment the only time I can really do blog stuff is when Felix is at nursery.  Which is for 5 hours a week.  In those 5 hours I have to try to fit in the house work and other chores as well.  Felix continues to be a very full on child who requires constant interaction and supervision.  He doesn't really nap any more, is often not asleep until 8:30/9pm and wakes at 5:30am.  There is very little time for anything!  Everything in my life has slipped.  Exercise?  Forget it!  Anything I want to do comes at the cost of me getting enough sleep.  As we are in the process of moving house I am trying to sell as many of our bits and bobs that we no longer need..  I also have various craft projects on the go.  Most nights I get to bed a bit after 1am and I'm often up with Felix by 5:30am.  So I am chronically tired.  Leading to a need for a coffee, treat and wine every day!!!  I know much of this isn't unusual for a parent of young children, but it's my reason for being a bit crappy with blogging.

All that said, I don't want to give up on FKF yet.  I'm going to try to schedule some reminders on my phone to get me to visit the blogs who've linked up.  I try not to do too much social media stuff when Felix is awake because it always seems a little neglectful to me.  I'm also going to give a little back.  I've decided to add an extra feature to FKF - my pick of my fave outfit from the previous week!  This will give you guys a little shout out :-)

OK, enough blah.  On to the fashion.  In the last few weeks we've seen super cool brands like Mini Rodini, Bobo Choses, Indikidua, Beau Loves and Pop Up Shop launching their AW15 ranges.  As these are quite high end brands, I can't afford to get everything in the collections - that would bankrupt us!! But I do try to get one or two items from most of the ranges.  So far I've bought a few Bobo items and one from Mini Rodini.

This season BoBo have an outdoorsy feel with their "The Unknown Mountain Journey".  I love all the new prints, in particular the moon print.  I'm a sucker for anything with a moon on.   I've got a moon print raglan tee for Felix, a moon print denim bag and a gorgeous snuggly warm infinity scarf - which I'll probably wear myself!

Mini Rodini are all about animals in their prints with a bit of a jungle feel this time.  I am completely in love with the peacock print so that was a must for me.  I got a sweater for Ethan to wear.  It's stunning.

As always with these brands, the quality is fantastic.  Which you would expect, for the price.  Whenever the boys are wearing their new items or I use the moon bag, I have a big smile on my face.  I love how cheering they are!

Have you bought anything from the new ranges?  Please do link up your kids fashion posts below.  Next week I'll be featuring my first fave outfit!

Happy Friday! X

Funky Kid Friday

The school holidays are whizzing by.  I'm not quite sure where the time goes.  Are we ever?  The first two weeks were a blur of being away and having Pete home from work.  The next two weeks have been a blur of being home by myself with the boys and life without nappies.  Felix is now nappy free in the day.  To be honest, as "potty training" experiences go, this has been fairly stress free.  He hasn't really had an accident since day 4 and in total has had less than 6 accidents.  We have had some instances of deliberate messing to get a reaction.  I know it's deliberate because I know that he a)doesn't really have accidents b) takes himself to the loo or potty with no assistance c) I wasn't paying him attention at the time.  I'm hugely impressed.  Where has my baby gone?

Due to being at home a lot and potty training, the boys haven't really been wearing much.  Or anything really.  Felix is mostly naked apart from a tee at home just now because it's so much easier, he can just pop himself on the potty, easy peasy.. and if Felix is nude, Ethan likes to join in too!  What young child doesn't really.  So, as you can imagine, I don't have many outfit photos to share!  I've collected together a small amount from the last week..

Felix wears:

Old season Katvig top (bought from a friend) 

Beau Loves shorts SS15

Yellow Hunter Boots

Ethan wears:

Crown tee by Donna Wilson at John Lewis

Cargo shorts from Vertbaudet

Navy Hunter Boots

Felix wears:

Old Katvig top - as above

Mumas Boy tee from Birdies & Bearcubs

Ethan wears:

Geo heart tee from Boxed Apparel

Geometric triangle cardigan from eBay

WHY? tee made by me

Zebra print shorts from H&M

Silver Birkenstock sandals

I like that my boys wear hand me downs and second/third hand items.  Felix has worn a lot of Ethan's old clothes and some that belonged to friends like the cute dog print Katvig top he's worn a lot this week.  I love Ethan's Donna Wilson crown tshirt and his boxed apparel one because, I've said before, I find black so practical with children.  It's quite hard work to stain it and it looks so stylish but also fun if you go for a good print.

How have your kids been dressing this summer?  Have they worn clothes at all?  Are they like my two nature boys enjoying being nude?

If you have a kids fashion post, please do link up below.  I know this isn't the biggest linky out there and I know that I do sometimes suck at visiting everyone but I honestly do try.  My head isn't entirely in the game these days, with both boys at home with me and trying to move house.  It really does make my day when you read, comment and link up.  Thank you for putting up with me! Happy Friday :-) xx

Funky Kid Friday - Mini Rodini Swimwear

Hurrah!! The sun has (mostly) got his hat and we've been getting out to play!  I'm lucky enough to enjoy all seasons.  I love the smell in the air in Autumn, the colours, the falling leaves.  I love wrapping up warm in Winter and the chance of snow always excites me.  We don't get it much in Somerset and I just see it as fun, not a bother!  Spring feels refreshing and exciting.  What I love most about Summer is just how easy it is to get outside.  Of course, it's not like all rain stops but it is generally dryer and even if it's cloudy, it's still warmer.  My boys love it outside, Felix in particular. He would spend the whole day outside if he could.

Getting out in the garden means getting the paddling pool and sprinkler out!! I'll be honest, my two do love running around in the nuddy but there are times when a swimming cosy comes in handy!!  Visits to the beach or pool.  On holiday.

I wanted to share Mini Rodini's swimwear collection with you today. MR are a brand that I truly love.  I get very excited when they bring out a new collection but best of all, their old collections don't date.  Their clothing is all fantastic quality (we have quite a bit of it, I can vouch for this!) and it really lasts, washing well.  They have a truly stunning swimwear collection at present.  You can still buy some items from previous collections, they all look great!

I love the UV suits they sell.  I'm a fan of UV suits for kids, especially younger ones.  When you have someone who is outside as much as Felix is, it's useful to know they are protected.  I'll be honest, like many, he's not a big fan of being held down and creamed up!! With UV suits you know that a good portion of their skin is covered.  These suits are the equivalent of SPF 50+, very high, and the material is breathable and dries quickly.  So no staying damp or getting all sweaty.

Image Source: Mini Rodini

For older children MR have a stunning range of swimsuits, shorts and pants.  There are some unisex friendly designs and definitely something to suit every child!  I think I would get Ethan the heart print swim pants or the spotty ones.  I'd get Felix a heron print UV suit.  They'd be the most stylish boys by the pool, I'm sure!!

Prices range from £18 for swimpants to £50 for a UV suit.  MR also have a summer sale on just now - worth a look!

What have your kids been rocking this week?  Link up any kids fashion posts below.  Please don't forget to link back to me in your blog post and display my badge.  Tweet me your link and I'll retweet!

Have a gorgeous weekend all!
X

Funky Kid Friday - More Monochrome Madness!

I still can't get enough of the monochrome trend.  Is it even a trend any more?  Who cares.  I love it.  I remember when I first started buying kids clothes I thought black was too dark a colour for a child and that white was impractical.  So when the monochrome trend first came around I was scared to try it.. but I did eventually pluck up the courage and I'm so glad I did!

Firstly, it looks great.  Stylish.  I know it shouldn't really matter at all whether kids look stylish but I do like my boys to look nice and I don't see anything wrong with that.  I've discovered that actually, black and white work really well with kids.  Black is just about the most practical colour you can put them in.  Try staining black.  It's bloody hard to do.  About the worst you might suffer is a grease stain but that won't be glaringly obvious.  Or bleach, but kids aren't going to be playing with bleach (I should hope!) so that won't be an issue.  So, black?  A total winner.  As for white, well, I've discovered that as long as you take quick action with stains they aren't too problematic.  I like to use fairy soap (which I don't think you can buy any more, the green one) or similar "house hold" green soap as a pre-treatment bar.  A good soak in some soap powder and bicarb (amazing stuff, bicarb!) and then a hang on the line in the sun.  You're good to go.  If you have plain white tees or white clothes with designs that are printed on like screen print or have a plastic-y feel then you can even soak them in bleach and water!

So, forward to now, my boys have a great deal of monochrome clothing!!  One of my favorite high street ranges is Donna Wilson's collection for John Lewis.   The prices and quality are great.  They've had a sale on lately and I had to make a few purchases - and they fitted the mono-brief!!  At the weekend my two wore matching t-shirts my aunt had bought them from BHS.  Not a shop I ever really go in, but they are cute tees!

I still can't get enough of the '2' tee I bought Felix from Nor_Folk,  I've washed it about four times now and it still looks fantastic so they've obviously printed on to really good quality shirts which is always reassuring.  It just looks so bold.  And Felix recognises numbers and knows he's two so he likes wearing it!

He's such a poser, Felix, I think I'm going to have to enroll him with a model agency!!  I'm semi joking there.  I'm conflicted about the idea of young kids "working" and I'm not a pushy Mum.. but at the same time, he does have quite a unique "look" with his lion's mane and he's very used to having photos taken of him!  Anyone have any experience of kids modeling?

Want to share a kids fashion post?  Link up below!

Happy Friday all! XX

**linked with Mummy's Got Style for Fashion Friday**

Funky Kid Friday - Bows & Candy SS15

One of the fab brands we are working with on Instagram, Bowties & Candyfloss, are launching their SS15 collection on Monday 25th May.  There have been quite a few sneak peaks and us lucky reps have been sent a selection of the collection to wear.

My boys have both been sent items from the collection and we are so happy with it all!  It's a really fun unisex collection with a fruity feel to it so it's spot on for summer.  Fruit, in particular, pineapples and melons are a really big trend this summer so Alex who runs Bows & Candy is bang on trend.  Well done Mrs!

The quality of the clothes is fantastic.  It's lovely knowing that your child is wearing a fairly unique item, handmade by a WAHM in the UK.  The material is soft, comfy and washes well.  No bobbling!  They are all practical as well.  Alex made Ethan an exclusive romper as he's one of her older reps.  The romper has poppers at the bottom just like it would for a toddler or baby.. but this is really handy!  Ethan actually loves wearing "rompers" but mostly for older kids they are all in ones that you have to pull over your head or step into.  Not very practical when it comes to using the loo!  With this one Ethan can just undo the poppers and go to the loo!  Nice and easy.

I totally recommend you checking Bows & Candy out.  It's good to support smaller UK businesses I think!  Alex gives wonderful customer service as well and will sort out any issues in a flash.

Got a kids fashion post?  Link up below!  Thank you to all who join in - please don't forget to link back to my blog in your post and/or display my Funky Kid Friday badge (see sidebar).  If you tweet me your link I can RT it for you and I do my best to visit your post, comment and tweet your link again!

Happy Friday!
X

Funky Kid Friday Top Picks

I thought today I'd feature some of my top picks from two of my sponsors, The Kid Who and This Modern Life.  Both are really fantastic shops and it's hard not to write a really short blog post which says:

"Head to these sites and BUY EVERYTHING!"

because they just have so much.  SO MUCH!!!

From The Kid Who who stock clothing as well as many other lust worthy items I've chosen these beauties:

Hoody - Aarrekid

Underwear set - Soft Gallery

Body Suit - Aarrekid

Stripe print dress - Aarrekid

This Modern Life are really focused on interiors. I really love:

Play Tent - Ferm Living

DIY Crochet Word - A Lovely Little Company

Pear House - Rock & Pebble

Bruno Bedding Set - Fine Little Day

As for us, this week has been a bit peculiar.  Pete has been in London all week so I've been solo parenting.  The boys have, typically, had colds, but all things considered I've done really well!  I've managed to eat my evening meal by 7:30 every evening, got both boys into bed without much fuss and been out of the house (leaving it tidy and organised) for the school run 5 minutes earlier that we would normally be with Pete at home to help.  I'm not quite sure how that works!!

We've been joining in with #colourbythewall on Insta again so here's a couple of pics of the boys:

Watermelon vest - Bowties & Candyfloss

Shorts - John Lewis

Top - Plastisock

Leggings - Rock Your Baby

Moccs - Belle & The Bear

It was lovely to see so many of you linked up last week - thank you!  Want to link up today?  Do so below!

This post will be linked with Mummy's Got Style and Style Me Sunday

Funky Kid Friday - Messy Fashion

I like to get a bit crafty when I can, but because time (and resources) are limited, it has to be something that is quick, easy and effective!

I've always thought that paint splatter looks quite cool and I thought it'd be easy to replicate and quite good fun!! I am really into monochrome at the moment (as if you hadn't noticed!!) so I bought a big pack of white socks, a pair of white leggings and a pack of white vests.  About two weeks ago I hung them all on my washing line and then I grabbed a paint brush and some black Dylon fabric paint (which I already had) and I simply went outside, loaded up the paint brush and repeatedly splattered both sides of the clothing!

Hanging the clothes on the washing line was a great idea because it meant I could access both sides of the fabric at the same time (if I'd laid them on the floor I wouldn't have been able to turn them over until the first side was dry).  It also meant they could air dry easily.  What wasn't so sensible was that I didn't think about what I was wearing.  I wore my denim dress and quite quickly I ended up with some paint splatters on it!! At that point I took the dress off, put a black top & leggings on, hung the dress on the line with the other clothes and resumed splatting!!

All in all it took me about half an hour.  Once the paint had dried I brought them inside and ironed them to set the paint.  That was it!!  I think they look amazing.  Even my own dress, it looks cool!

Ice Lolly Tee - Chapter One

Leggings - me!

Mocs - Belle & The Bear

Whale Cardi - Yumi

Dress - Charity Shop (splattered by me)

Tights - Slugs & Snails

Shoes - Lotta From Stockholm

What do you think?

Have you heard of the children's clothing shop Gorgeous Little George?  They have launched their own range of t shirts recently and I'm really loving them.  I bought one for Felix that says "Mummy is a Blogger" and it's getting some real love on Instagram!!

If you've written any kids fashion posts lately, link up below!  Don't forget to check out the giveaway I'm running here for a beautiful Elodie Details hooded towel.  On Insta I'm giving away a fantastic bedding set!

Happy Friday everyone! X

**linking with Mummy's Got Style & Style Me Sunday**

Funky Kid Friday - Twinning

Twinning.  It's a bit of a controversial subject I'd think.  After all, I know people who find the idea of dressing their kids in similar or matching outfits abhorrent (there was a time when I wasn't keen on it myself!).

Do you know what I mean by twinning?  It's all over Instga these days darling!  Getting all matchy matchy with the sprogs in your life.

When I just had Ethan I would sometimes see some families where the children were matching each other and I'd think it a bit tacky.. but like a lot of things in parenting (and life) when your situation changes you suddenly find yourself changing your mind.  You're pregnant with baby no2 and suddenly those Big Brother Little Brother tees don't look so bad.. no, they look cute!  You have two children and suddenly it becomes thrilling when you find shoes that match in their exact (different) sizes.  And then.. you walk around the corner in TKMaxx and... what's this?  THEY HAVE THE SAME SHOES IN MY SIZE TOOO!!  What if I... no... I couldn't, could I?  BUT IT'D BE SOOOOO CUTE!!!

See?  It creeps up on you! Somehow I find it amusing if we go on a family outing and all 4 of us are rocking our chucks.  They might not all the the exact same colour, but we all have a pair of converse, Pete included!  Then there's the DMs.  Both my boys have a pair of black patent DMs and I have a pair of mat black ones.  I love it if we're all wearing them!

You can go a step further too!  Lots of the independent brands I find on Insta these days have some of their stock sized for kids and adults.  You can get matching items from Hello Apparel (stocked at Southwood Stores in the UK) and Whistle and Flute.  One of my fave online shops, The Dandy Kid, have recently got some exclusive stock - they have snagged Scandinavian inspired Canadian brand The Wild kids apparel.  I am excited about this because they have designs in adult sizes as well as kids!

Their designs are simple, modern, quirky and appeal to children and adults alike.  Personally I love the owl and lumberjack designs.  I'm really hoping that The Dandy Kid start to stock some of their other designs too!!

What are your thoughts on twinning?  Do you do it?  Would you do it?

If you've written a kids fashion piece lately, please do link up below!  Tweet me your link and I'll retweet.

Happy Friday all!

Funky Kid Friday - Outlandish sunnies!

I've seen a few people post pics on Instagram with them or their children with these wacky yet cool "mouse" style shades.  They have flip shades on them, you flip them up and it looks like the sunglasses have mouse ears!!

I thought they looked brilliant, out-there but with a hint of style.  Well, I decided to track some down.  I usually find these things are best found on eBay and I was right.  A quick search for "mouse glasses" and I found what I was looking for.  I found them in several colours so I ordered three pairs (so Felix, Ethan and I can all wear them at the same time, naturally!!).  I ordered black, white and yellow.  The yellow have yet to arrive but the black and white pair arrived at the weekend.

Felix hasn't seen them yet but Ethan is very taken with them, in fact he wore the black pair to bed one night!!

They do look funny.  I think there's a hint of Lady GaGa, someone mentioned Jonny Depp as Willy Wonka which I can see.  I think they are fun though and children love silly don't they.

What do you think?  Not everyone's taste, I know!

Stripped top - charity shop

Strong man top (underneath) - Mini Rodini 

Pug leggings - Mini Rodini

Snake Socks - Mini Dressing at Greenberry Kids

Sunglasses - eBay

Felix was perfecting his poses this week as well!! Haha.

Giraffe Hat - Mini Rodini

Stripped top - Vintage Katvig

Bloomer Shorts - Shop Haute

Socks - The Bamboo Design

Penguin shoes - Crocs

Curls Gone Wild tee - Kenzie Jaws

Leggings - H&M

Socks - as above

Mocs - Belle & The Bear

We've had some beautiful post this week.  Instagram introduces me to so many wonderful handmade clothing brands.  Something I've been waiting for for ages was our Greyham NYC order which arrived a couple of days ago.  I'm very impressed, the quality is lovely and the designs are adorable.  I love how the labels have cute magnets attached on them with the same images as the tshirts.

Care to share your little one's style from this week?  Link up below!  By the way, are you following me on Instagram?  Come along and join in!  I'm currently hosting a giveaway for a pair of beautiful handmade sandal style moccasins made by Monkey & Mole.  Size 5.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Alex
x

Funky Kid Friday & why I suck at blogging right now.

I love this linky.  It's like an adopted child.  It started as Trendy Toddler Tuesday when I took it over from Maria of Very Busy Mama fame.  I moved it to a Thursday and some point and it became Trendy Toddler Thursday.  Then I decided that as Ethan was getting older, he was no longer a toddler so I renamed it Trendy Thursday..  A few months ago I decided that Friday was a better day for me to host the linky so I moved it and renamed it Funky Kid Friday.  Which I like actually :-)  Anyway, since this linky started all that time ago, blogging has come on in leaps and bounds.  Almost everyone seems to be a blogger these days!! New linkys start up all the time and there are now heaps of kids fashion linkys out there - back in the day Trendy Toddler Tuesday was pretty much the only kids only style linky!!

It's always been a relatively small linky.  I think the most I've ever seen linked up to it would be about 10 people.  Number have been dwindling though.  I think that at the moment a lot of that is down to me.  I'm happy to host a linky but more work goes into it that you'd think.  Obviously there's the most important part, you've got to get a post written and live in a timely fashion.  You've got to embed the linky code so people have somewhere to link there post to.  That's the basics though.  Ideally you want to be tweeting people a day or two before linky day to remind them.  Then again on the day.  It helps also if you retweet their links once they've linked up and you really have to make a point to visit all of the linked up blog posts and comment.. because that's the point!

I know I've sucked big time at all of the above lately.  There have been a few occasions where I've not managed a post at all.  Many times when I don't even get around to visiting the blog posts that have been linked.  How awful is that?  It's no wonder people aren't bothering to link!  I feel awful about it.  Because I love this linky.. and I feel it's dying a death which is mostly my fault!

I won't lie.  I've been toying with packing it in.  Not blogging all together, but the linky.   After all, if no one's linking, what's the point?  But there's part of me that just can't give it up.  Not yet.

So, why am I finding it so hard?  It's a good question.  When I just had Ethan I used to find it relatively easy to find time to blog.  Once he was over a year old he slept well, most nights he was asleep by 7/7:30pm and he'd sleep until 6:30-7am.  Excepting the odd disturbed nights from teething or illness, he was pretty reliable sleep wise.  I knew that if I risked staying up until midnight or later to do some blog work that as long as I got to bed by 1am I'd more than likely still get 6+ hours sleep.  Just fine.  I didn't blog in the daytime with Ethan, he would only nap in his buggy and only in a cafe - funny child!  If I brought the buggy back home with him asleep in it he'd wake straight up!! So I used to walk around until he fell asleep and then sit in a cafe with a coffee and my book.. and he'd usually sleep for an hour.  Maybe two.  Total chill out time.  This again meant that when the evenings and nights came around I was ready to do some "work".   One child and two parents meant a fairly straightforward bedtime routine.  We'd take it in turns.  One of us would stay downstairs to cook our evening meal, the other would bath with Ethan, read to him and settle him in bed.  Usually we'd be eating our meal downstairs by 7:30pm and by 8pm I could get the laptop out.  When he was 3 Ethan started at preschool giving me time in the day to work on my blog.  Which was just as well because I fell pregnant with Felix and was totally done in by 7pm!!

Fast Forward to now.  Felix has been a whirlwind since the moment he got here.  He's not one to hang around or do things without fuss.  I should have known after giving birth to him less than 5 minutes after the midwife arrived at our house!! He was destined to be a pickle!! The midwife remarked on his strength when he was born.  He got a 10 on his APGAR which she said was rare in itself let alone after a (pretty much) unassisted home birth.  At three days old he rolled over by himself.  He walked at 10 months.  He's been noisy, vocal and (appears to us) very intelligent from the get go.  He's also a huge pain in the butt.  He's always moving.  Even asleep he moves constantly, even talking and crying in his sleep.  He doesn't sleep through the night.  At nearly 23 months old he's never slept through properly.  He will wake at least once and often several times.  He still has milk in the night.  He won't co sleep.  If we bring him in with us he stands up, opens the curtains, pulls my eyes open and shouts "Come on Muma, get up, stand up Muma, downstairs!".  He climbs on anything and everything.  I cannot let my eyes off him.  If he naps in the day time it might be as little as 10 minutes.  To be fair to him, it is often longer but very often only 45 minutes so, by the time I've got a few little jobs out the way, it's not long enough to get the laptop out and work!

The evening routines are solid but take MUCH longer.  Now one of us bathes with Felix and puts him to bed whilst the other stays downstairs with Ethan to do his reading and spellings.  Then the one who's put Felix to bed comes down to start cooking supper.  The other goes up with Ethan to put him to bed.  Once all of that is done, we usually sit down to eat at 8 or 8:30pm.  It very often is closer to 9pm and on a few occasions has even been 10pm!!  Once we've eaten, cleared up a bit and maybe had a chance to chat, catch up with each other, it's late and the last thing I want to do is work on the blog!!

On top of blog work I have other things to do these days that I didn't when I just had Ethan.  Ethan is at school now so there are things that go along with that, making sure uniform is ready, checking school emails, paperwork etc.  I have two massive bin bags of clothing and shoes to list on eBay that I never seem to get around to - as we're not planning a third I must sell the clothes Felix grows out of!!  Then there's other things, like the 2014 family photobook I've been trying to get around to making for ages.  Or emails that need replying too.. or craft projects I really want to work on.. or a stack of Molly Makes magazines that I've subscribed to since November but haven't yet read any of... or the 5 books I've started and not finished.  If I do start work on the blog I end up staying up until 1 or 2 am and then Felix wakes during the night and gets up for the day at 5:30am and I've only got 3 or 4 hours sleep... not enough!

Another thing to note about Felix.  He is ill.  Almost all of the time.  It's become a bit of a running joke with friends and family.  I'd noticed that he was often ill but became more acutely aware of it when my sister in law was diagnosed with cancer last year.  Due to her chemo treatment we had to be very careful about coming into contact with her if one of us or the kids was ill.  We would normally see her once a week at the weekend but that became very infrequent because Felix is ill so often.  I've started keeping track and in the last 10 months or so the longest stretch we've had between his illnesses is 8 days.  In the last two weeks (the school holidays) he has had a cold which lasted a week and a D&V bug which started on Tuesday and is still ongoing.

There is just SO much to do... and the fact is that things like Instagram are easier for me just now.  It's quicker, I get so much more interaction..

I'm not going to give up on Funky Kid yet.  I love this blog as I've said, and once Felix starts at preschool I really want to work on it properly, make more of a "job" out of it.  Maybe even make a living from it!! For that reason I don't want to let it go, I've got to keep it ticking over.

I'm sorry for this huge essay!! I just wanted to get some thoughts out, explain a few things.  To those of you who have stuck with me and the linky, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I appreciate it SO much.  I really am going to make more of an effort to make it worth your while for linking up.  I do love seeing you all link and all your adorable children!

Here's a few pics of mine from the last few days.  I hope a few of you will link up and show off your funky kids!

Red Balloons for Ryan vest - Indi Nook

Black leggings - Asda

Docs - eBay

Blue Super Peanut top - Bobo Choses AW14

Easter Rabbit leggings - Bowties & Candyfloss

Purple & white trousers - Plastisock

Yellow jellies - Sun Jellies

Pink Sandals - Saltwater Sandals

Red/Blue/White sandals - Beppi via eBay

Elephant leggings - Fred & Noah

Constellation leggings - Stitched Up Apparel 

Monochrome "buddy things" - Liten at BeBaBoo.com

Harlequin leggings - H&M

Gunmetal moccs - Belle & The Bear (still looking great!)

Storm Boy cot sheet - Tobias & The Bear

Monochrome top - H&M (very old!)

Snake socks - Mini Dressing stocked at Greenberry Kids

Funky harem trousers - The Mini Classy

Striped top - Polarn O Pyret

Blue trousers - Liten

Scandi Cross vest - made by me

Rabbit leggings - as above

Love to you all!

Alex
xxxx

Instaspiration - Stitched Up Apparel

Happy Saturday folks!  Today I would like to share with you another wonderful creative brand I've found on Instagram - Stitched Up Apparel.

I got particularly excited when I found Stitched Up Apparel because they sell clothing made with a material I'd only seen used in American stores.  Whilst I'm not at all against buying from American shops, I prefer to go for homegrown if I can. If I buy from abroad it takes longer for packages to arrive, somehow the likelihood of them going missing goes up and there are sometimes customs charges.  So buying within the UK is preferable!

I placed an order straight away and I don't regret it.  The quality is great!  Speedy service too.  I bought narwhal leggings because that was the material I'd been lusting after.  I ordered size 2+ and the sizing is quite generous so I think that Ethan (who's 5 but slim) will be able to wear them before Felix!

I can't wait to order more, there are a few more new fabrics that have arrived that I'm really coveting.

Go check Stitched Up Apparel out now!

Funky Kid Friday - Ryder L

Have you seen my new feature?  Once a week I'm going to write about brands/cool feeds/crafty folks that I've found on Instagram.  I'm calling it Instaspiration and it will be published on Saturdays (I think that's the time of week people have a bit of time for some inspiration!).  I love stumbling across new brands, especially small start up businesses, work at home Mum's, UK businesses etc.  Instagram is the perfect place for this.

A brand I love on Instagram is Ryder L.  I've been following them for a while and have wanted to make a purchase for ages.  Something I've noticed about Ryder L is that they have a very defined style and a particularly good range of accesories, especially hats!

In the end it was a hat I decided to purchase.  Ethan really likes a cap for Spring/Summer.  They come in very handy for school as well.  We can never have too many hats, it's good to have a few at home, one in the car, one for school etc.  Ryder L have the coolest range of snap back caps I've seen.  It was hard to choose which one to go for but in the end I chose the one with DUDE on the back - my boys are often described as dudes when I post pics of them on IG!

I was hoping to be able to share a photo of Ethan wearing the cap but unfortunately the post person decided to deliver my parcel to the wrong address - goodness knows where!  As a result it's ended up back at Ryder L HQ.  They are very kindly sending it straight back out to us, but how odd!!

Luckily there are loads of gorgeous pictures from the Ryder L shop for me to share.

Something else very exciting - Ryder L are holding a Brand Enthusiast search on IG at the moment.  If you have stylish kids you might want to enter.  Details are on IG but it's running for a few more days so go check it out!

Over to you guys now - got a kids fashion post?  Link up below!  Please link to me in your blog posts and tweet me your links so I can RT!

Have a lovey Friday :-) xx

Funky Kid Friday - Monochrome goodness with Baby Bandits

Monochrome is such a huge trend.  It started a couple of years ago and it doesn't seem to be going away but going from strength to strength!  At least in our house anyway.  I love it.  I still love all colours, don't worry about that.  Our house and our clothes are still bright and bold.. but I just love the contrast you get with black and white, especially when teamed with other bold colours like mustard yellow or a sunny orange.  Or even a bright green.  Ohhhhhhh.... I love it!! Ironically Love Is In The Air is playing on the radio as I write this... ha!

I love it when I find a brand that shares my monochrome madness.. even more so when it's a small UK brand.  This is the case when it comes to Baby Bandits.  I first discovered them on Instagram when they were getting ready to launch their brand.  I don't think they've even been "live" for a year yet!! They are doing fantastically though.  Already a huge fan base on Instagram with a following of over 4K.

Their clothing range is gender neutral (hurrah!) and "focuses on blacks and whites with a skull and crossbones logo being featured on many of the products making it slightly edgy and different from the majority of children’s clothing currently available in high street stores.".  Admittedly it probably isn't to everyones taste, but I love it.

More importantly, so do my boys.  I ordered one of their sleevless rompers in age 2-4.  What's really fantastic is that if I roll the legs up Felix can wear it and if I roll them down again, Ethan (who's 5) can fit into it.  Bargain!! We're going to get years of wear out of this!

The romper looks awesome with nothing underneath so will be fantastic for spring and summer.  However, it also looks great with tops underneath.  You can layer it up with jackets and hoodies too!

Well done Baby Bandits - we love you!

Want to link up your own kids fashion posts?  Do so below!  Please don't forget to link to me in your post and tweet me so I can retweet your link!  If you can, display my badge as well please!

Happy Friday! X

Funky Kid Friday - Nothing Doing

Oh man.  What a week!  We've all been ill all week.  At different times, but we've all had this horrible cold/virus/upset stomach.  It's been pretty miserable.  Ethan has been off school for most of the week.  Felix has felt so ill that on Thursday afternoon he didn't move from the sofa.  Something that has never happened before in his 20 month existence.  Not even when he had chickenpox!

As a result, I have very little to share fashion wise this week.  I'll just share a few pics of my poorly boys.

A week with the boys

I hope that you have escaped the illness!!  Written a kids fashion blog post?  Link it up below!  Don't forget to comment here, visit others and tweet me :-)

Happy Friday!

What Mother Made SS15 - launches soon!

I love to support smaller independent brands.  Especially if they are UK based.  What Mother Made is an awesome London based brand.  Created by Charlotte Denn after she made some traditional style nighties to sell at a street party celebrating the Royal Wedding in 2011.  She found a gap in the market for handmade traditional British designs with a bright funky twist.

Felix had an adorable pair of WMM dungarees when he was younger.  They were adorable.  Well made and very evocative of a bygone era.  Older generations always commented on them!

Well, the new collection launches in two days time so I thought I'd offer you a taster.  You can expect the same traditional cuts and designs but some very bright tribal inspired materials!

You can buy online here or if you live in London you can pop along to Broadway Market where they have a stall.

Funky Kid Friday - New Year!

Christmas and New Year have come and gone.. and here we are, the second Friday in January already! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas/New Year/Holiday!  We enjoyed a good amount of family time.  I like to have a break from the blog over the Christmas holidays.  For one thing, I don't have as much time to work on it.  I also think I benefit from a break from it though.

If I'm entirely honest, my blogging mojo isn't quite back, but it's Friday, Mum and Dad have Felix and I should really get something productive done!

I love having both boys at home with me during the holidays for many reasons.  It's hard work when they are both home but at least we don't have to rush out for school in the morning.  It's nice not to have the time constraints the school days bring.  I also like that Ethan can choose his own clothes in the morning.  Something he really enjoyed each day.

Here's a selection of the boys outfits over the last few weeks:

Want to share what your children have been wearing?  Link up below! Don't forget to comment here and visit anyone else who links up.  It's all about the love!

Next week I'm sure a more normal service will resume.  And hopefully as Spring gets closer Felix and I might stop catching a new cold each week!

Happy 2015 everyone! XX

Funky Kid Friday - Big love to Donna Wilson

Something I always champion on this blog is unisex fashion and letting children wear clothes that have nothing to do with gender and more to do with comfort though I do love a bit of style, let's not deny that!

Some of you may be aware of a movement called Let Toys Be Toys.  It's all about letting children choose what toys they want to play with and encouraging stores to stop dividing their toys according to gender.  You know the kind of thing; pink kitchen equipment for girls and blue diggers for boys.  I've always let my boys play with whatever toys they like.  They have cars, kitchen stuff, dolls houses, trains, a push chair, dolls, fairy dresses, space suits...  Their clothes and toys are of all different colours.  I don't buy into this half hearted idea of making "girls" toys that are "appropriate" for boys by making them blue, like when you see a blue push chair being marketed for boys.  No.  NO.  It's just a pushchair.  It's not for a girl or a boy, it's for a child!

I digress.  The folks behind #lettoysbetoys have a new movement and it's Let Clothes Be Clothes!  I'm sure you can guess the ethos.  It's simple.  Children's clothes should just be clothes, they needn't be "boys" or "girls".  So many stores divided their clothing according to gender and make some really odd choices as to what constitutes a "boys" top or a "girls" top etc.  A company #letclothesbeclothes have been targeting recently is John Lewis.  There are several reasons why (earlier this week they were spotted stocking "bras" for girls from age 2 plus!) but I want to write about the way they were stocking their fantastic Donna Wilson range.

I myself have bought several items from this range and I must admit I did notice when buying online that some of the range was under "girls" and some under "boys".  As I wanted two pairs of the leggings for my boys, I had to venture to the "girls" section.  No bother really, I'm used to shopping from both sections, though it would be nice just to be able to shop in "children's clothes".  I found the way the clothes had been divded accorcding to gender very strange and guess what, so did #letclothesbeclothes.  More than this though, Donna herself never intended the range to be divided by gender.  She had very sensibly designed it as unisex.

Felix in his Blah Blah Blah leggings by Donna Wilson @ John Lewis

Scandi Cross Vest - hand printed by me

Tee - Threadless

Leggings - Donna Wilson @ John Lewis

Moccs - Belle and The Bear

Now, thankfully John Lewis have changed how the have the range as unisex (or in both sections....) on their website.  I'm not sure what is happening in their stores, but at least they have made an effort.  I love this range of clothing and I've always chosen clothes according to whether I and my boys like them and how practical they are, not whether they are intended for a girl or boy.  I'm used to looking in girls and boys sections, online and in stores.  I do look forward to a day when that's not the norm though.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Want to link up a kids fashion post?  Please use the linky below!  I will do my best to comment on your post as soon as I can though do bear with me, no one is sleeping well in this house just now, both boys have been ill and it's very manic here!!!  Please don't forget to link to me in your blog post - thank you! xx

Trendy Thursday - H&M All For Children

For the last few years, H&M have launched a special collection of children's clothing and accessories in October called All For Children in collaboration (and to help raise funds for) UNICEF.  Each year, the collection is quite something so I was looking forward to this years collection.

Well, if you're on Instagram and love kids fashion, chances are you know just how amazing this years collection is.  With a woodland theme, there is hardly an item I haven't lusted after.  I was never going to be in a position to buy all of the items I wanted, but I was lucky enough to get a few.  The one item I really wanted but didn't manage to get was the bird cape.  Stunning item.. if anyone has one and doesn't want it, let me know!!

Image Source - H&M

I did get hold of these amazing boots and this fantastic bear hat.  Ethan is mad for the hat.  The boots are a little large yet so it'll be a while before you see him in them!

Some items are still available online and I'm planning on purchasing this top and legging set and this cool tshirt.

Image Source - H&M

Image Source - H&M

Do you have anything from the All For Children range?

Link up your kids fashion posts below.  Please don't forget to link to me in your blog post and/or display my badge.  I will comment on your post and tweet a link.  Thanks for joining in!