Best dressed boys - My dreamy washing line
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I spent a small fortune in Next on Saturday buying a couple of matching outfits for the boys for our holiday to America this week. We are travelling on my Mum's staff travel so we all have to look super smart! I found these adorable floral print shorts, checked collared shirts and purple soft jumpers! Definitely SFU (suitable for upgrade!)

I also hid in the bag (from my husband who says we need nothing at all) a sweet white polo shirt with candy clouded stripes and purple check shorts (2 of each of course)! I would have gone the whole hog and bought the cable striped purple hoodies too but they didn't have small boy's size!

So when I saw the competition on All Baby Advice I set about creating my ultimate wish list from the online collections!

For me, it's all about the layers!

For my big boy

Fluorescent skull trunks (because every little boy wants to be a pirate and I love to get my boys in pink - who says you can't buy pink if you have boys!) £9

Prince Charming t-shirt £6 I have 2 Princes making me Queen of my Castle!

Checked collared shirt (I'd save the chinos for another day) £17

Orange striped crew jumper (I love a bit of Breton) £11

Cobalt blue carrot fit chinos £10 my husband is a big fan of chinos so he can match his Dada!

Boat shoes £12 smart but really soft (we have the blue ones) and clean up well.

Visor sunglasses £6 because he wants so much to be a dude!

Yellow belt £7 since he's stopped wearing nappies in the day all his waistbands feel loose!

Trilby (Although it's age 7, he has a big head and that would fit like a dream!) £7

Unless it was raining (well it is summer in England after all) and then we'd swap the boat shoes for these bright Red wellies £11 and this stripey raincoat £14!

After a long day strutting his stuff in his funky outfit he would slip into a pair of these stars and stripe pyjamas £21!

For small boy

Lovely jubbly t-shirt £5 one of my favourite catch phrases, I use it way too much!

Blue Oxford Shirt and bow tie set £12 any excuse to get my boys in a bow tie! Please Next bring out a range of different coloured ones in your accessories line!

Nautical check shorts £7 small boy is a laid back Larry and could totally pull off a shorts and shirt combo!

Grey and blue stripe cardigan £14 (love the toggles)

Checked flat cap £6 (unlike big boy, he has a little head and so really suits these caps!)

Nautical flip flops £5 (he's not walking or even cruising yet but still they are too cool not to have dangling out of the bottom of the buggy! Plus he has big feet so a size 4 would fit!)

After a bath, milk, (Brother bibs essential £4.50) and a story he would get zipped into his Cloud sleeping bag £20 in one of these sleep suits £14!

I adore all in one rain suits so if we got caught in a downpour, I would just have to zip him into this Navy quilted all in one suit £26.

Wow, I have racked £244.50 and still would have just over half left on the prize gift card to treat big boy to some of these Map swimming shorts £10 and small boy to lots more! Sometimes you just can't get everything matching!

I had told my husband that we would save money having a second boy! But I just can't resist buying them matching outfits or dressing them in similar colours! I love the fact that all the Next clothes we own, can be tumble dried too!

Happy reading and here's hoping I will win the competition and can show you some photographs of the boys in the actual outfits!

p.s I had wanted big boy to post his own vlog as our entry but he kept picking up all the character products which would have disqualified us! Watch a short out take in the sock department!

All Baby Advice NEXT Mummy Stylist Blogger Competition

Mama's Monday Must Do - packing!

We are off in exactly 10 hours! (Ok so technically this post is half an hour too late!) I have packed a week's worth of matching outfits for my boys! I really didn't know they had so much of the same colour ways and patterns until it was all laid out, ready to go in the suitcase.

We had a slight disaster tonight when, all packed to the rafters, with 2 ratty, grisly boys who were an hour out of routine, the clutch went on the car!

We were so lucky we hadn't set off and although it involved repacking our small car with 7 cases and a couple of holdalls, (thank god for staff travel 3 case allowance) and me travelling up the M4 with 2 tired boys and my Father in law travelling the other side of the motorway central reservation, to collect my husband and the two woofers, we are all safe and sound in Weybride tonight.

Whilst we are "packed" I need to do a bit of jigging around in the morning to make sure all the cases are not over weight! We have a blow up bed in one, candles in glass jars in another and my precious dress for the big wedding, squished into a hand luggage sized case, that I hope we can take on as small boys' hand baggage!

Vintage Sunday
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This afternoon we went to the Vintage Summer celebration hosted by Vintage to Vogue in Bath, on the lawns of the Royal Crescent. I have only been to one vintage fair before and it was glorious, so we were excited to travel a little closer to home, on a sunny Sunday!

Big boy was looking dapper in his gingham shirt and bow tie combo and small boy had his vintage teddy bears jumper (although it got lovely and warm in the marquee so it was soon stripped off).

Vintage to Vogue put on a fantastic show. You were greeted by the sounds of 50's records being played in a Silver Cross vintage pram!

There was a bar set up in the entrance offering all sorts of quirky cocktails and the marquee was divided into a tea room with beauty and dress up parlour on one side of the chequered dance floor and a range of stalls selling clothes and home goods and accessories on the other.

As it was lunchtime for us (we had fed the boys a snacky lunch before we left) we went straight to Mrs Stokes' Secret tea party stand. An array of mismatched china cups and saucers, tea pots and cake stands bursting with home made treats, were laid out on trestle tables and unlimited tea poured out of the china tea pots. We chose an afternoon tea platter for £6.50 that included four sandwiches (we went for cheese and pear chutney), and your choice of three cakes (our choice - a huge slab of flapjack, heart shaped victoria sponge and a toffee apple sponge). Not forgetting the unlimited tea! I bought a couple of mini cup cakes for the boys and an extra slice of the lemon drizzle cake as that is my all time favourite!

We watched the lindy hop class and then when they took a break, big boy took to the floor! Luckily he found a little girl to ask to dance!

There was a fashion show featuring clothes starting from the twenties. We were really disappointed to miss the band which were on at 3.30pm because we had to get back for the woofers! I had a quick 3rd time whiz round the sellers stalls and picked up a couple of lovely greetings cards that I want to frame, for when I get my own office at home, (hopefully over the summer) and a vintage needlework box to keep all my old bits of thread and ribbons.

The organisers even treated us to a goodie bag as we left, intended for being one of the best dressed! I think it was the bow tie and teddy jumper that must have caught their eye!

Both the boys were jigging about to the music and had a great time. Big boy even said over his sausage and mash tonight "my favourite part of today was seeing the soldier" so the fashion show was a hit with him!

Well done to Vintage and Vogue for hosted a great afternoon, wish we could have stayed longer and see you for the next!

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