The Summer Haul Of A Tween

In August I have what will be my second to last holiday of the year from work. Then come September that's it . The Christmas season starts and it madness until 2016 (Those in retail will not only relate but will also feel my pain) I am taking Aalliyah back to Blackpool for a 5 day mini break and one thing that she was in desperate need of was some new summer clothing for the glorious weather that I am ever so hopeful we will receive while we are away. Aalliyah has never been what you would call a "girly" girl always preferring to wear joggers, jeans, trainers and such over dresses, skirts and sandals. Recently though she has been keen to explore more feminine options when it comes to her attire (I think it's the secondary school influences) so I was more than happy to take her on a mini spree for some new holiday essentials. Now I am far from being well off, I barely scrape by at times and being a part time working mum appreciate a bargain as much as the next person. Take a look at some of the little gems we found..

We picked up these gorgeous floral cotton dungarees (£12) and festival style hat (£5.60) from Peacocks. Perfect for those summer days.

This gorgeous dress from Primark was a bargain at only £5 perfect to slip on for dinner or even as a cover up on the beach. We also couldn't resist this Aztec print T-Shirt for £3.. Perfect for layering.

Primark definitely came up trumps as we also spotted these gorgeous summer trousers at only £6 a pair. Perfectly cool to wear in the daytime but nice enough if you are off out for dinner in the evening. Plus you can never have too many shoes and at £3 a pair! then why not get one in every colour right?

Last but not least was some make up bag essentials (In the hope that my mascara would stop disappearing from my make up bag) We headed to Superdrug who I think are fab for make up! Aally picked a fabulous mascara (after trying on many) and went for a very subtle natural pink lippy.

We had a great time shopping and I think she got some gorgeous bits that I cant wait to see her in on holiday.

Losing Out To Technology

A couple of days before Christmas, Aalliyah misplaced her iPod and after spending the best part of three days turning the flat upside down and driving myself crazy by searching the same places ten times over, I had to face facts. It was lost. It was frustrating as the only possible way of it becoming lost was in a matter of five minutes walking from one street to the other. She had run home from her nans house, so chances are it fell from her pocket. With Christmas day looming, I thought it was best to just deal with the issue afterwards as I didn't want it to put a cloud over our festivities.  As much as I was annoyed at the time, I really can’t blame Aalliyah for losing it. Since getting it over a year ago she has been amazingly responsible with it. It’s just one of those things and as much as I am sure I will be replacing it for her soon I can’t help feeling slightly pleased that just lately I seem to have got some quality time with her back again. Now don’t get me wrong, we do spend time together as a family whether staying in for game night or going out for a walk somewhere, but there were days when she would literally spend the best part of the evening glued to that iPod. She is an avid gamer (Minecraft in particular) so is ever so slightly addicted to those gaming videos on YouTube.

I came to realise that up until the point she got her iPod, she was a very regular reader. She has always had an exceptional aptitude when it comes to English and reading and her reading level has always been ahead by years. She would literally devour a book in one sitting and loved nothing more than getting a new book. I remember when we joined the library. You would think it was Christmas with how ecstatic she was. She would always mention new books she knew were coming out and I would always do my best to get them for her. I loved her thirst for knowledge and didn't mind paying for books as opposed to toys or games as I knew they were expanding her vocabulary and she was learning through doing something she enjoyed. When Christmas comes around, it is the perfect excuse for me to stock up on reading material.Tesco always seem to have such a wide variety of kids’ books and I am always spoilt for choice when deciding on new ones to purchase. Just look at this beautiful selection of children’s books below. This is just a small selection of the books she actually has. They are just crying out to be read. Aalliyah recently stayed at her nans house for the night and where she is used to a DVD before bedtime she had to take a book as there was no TV. She came back the next day full of excitement and telling how good the book was and how much she was enjoying it. This is what I wanted to see. I want her passion for reading to come back.

Aalliyah has made a commitment to herself to read more. She knows that she will inevitably get a new iPod but has made a promise to not only me but herself to not let it take over her other past times that she loves. In particular, reading!

Are you an avid reader? Do your children share your love of literature? Or are you left out in the cold from technology? I would love to hear your thoughts..

** This post has been contributed by Tesco.

Fitness And Fun With The Virgin Active Crew

It's no secret that Aalliyah is an active girl. Whether she is skateboarding, playing football or simply running around like a maniac, she is never happier than when she is working up a sweat. So when we received an invitation from Virgin Active to trial a new fitness class aimed at kids, she very literally jumped at the chance.  Virgin Active have worked alongside SAQ International to develop an exciting new fitness class aimed at children ranging from 8-15 years old. It's a fresh, new approach to children's fitness which is not like your normal mundane fitness classes. Instead it incorporates exciting challenges which proved to be a huge hit with all the kids involved. 

The kids were really put through their paces right from the initial warm up. They took part in some great team challenges involving balls and sand bags, focusing on their throwing , catching and teamwork abilities. Then they moved onto individual challenges and some animal antics with Nathan Helberg from Zuu chimps. Aalliyah loved the animal movements like the gorilla and the frog and found these the most strenuous. Another thing she seemed to really enjoy were the reaction challenges using the fit lights. She was rather good at these actually and has some lightening fast reflexes. What was also great to witness is how the team members were so involved with the children and kept them motivated throughout the class. The kids were seriously sweating by the end of it but were enjoying themselves so much I am sure they could have easily carried on.

All in all our experience with the Virgin Active Crew was amazing. Not only did Aalliyah have a wonderful time getting active and socializing with other kids her age, but it was amazing to meet and speak to some of the people behind the Virgin Active Crew and to really hear first hand how beneficial these programmes could be. Not only do they improve core fitness and ability but they are proven to improve a child's academic performance and even improve a child's handwriting literally within weeks of starting a class. After seeing first hand how much Aalliyah enjoyed the class, It really is something I would be interested in following on with. 

Do you or you children attend any fitness classes? How do you find them? Why not give Virgin Active Crew a go?

Disclosure: I am a member of the Netmums Blogging Network, a unique community of parent bloggers from around the UK who have been handpicked by the Netmums team to review products and brands on their behalf. I may have been paid expenses, and have been supplied with a product sample for this review, but retain all editorial control. All my Netmums Reviews will display the Netmums logo within the post.


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Every Witch Way - A Nickelodeon Hit Show Coming To The UK

A spellbinding smash hit show from Nickelodeon makes its UK premier tonight. Every Witch Way follows 14 year old Emma Alonso, an ordinary girl with extra-ordinary powers, whose life is turned upside down when she moves to a new school and soon discovers that she's a witch. The series follows Emma on her journey through high school and all the trials and tribulations along the way including her friendships, crushes and frenemies! Such as Maddie Van Pelt, the queen bee at Iridium High whose family is also harboring a magical secret.

 

We had the wonderful opportunity to attend a preview screening and premier event in London in May and aswell as watching the first couple of episodes before anyone else, Aalliyah and her BFF got to experience some VIP treatement at the pre screening party.

They got to kick back and relax while getting some fab pamper treatments such as hair chalking and temporary tattoos. When they were all glammed up they then had the opportunity to take to their very own red carpet and take part in a mini photoshoot. Aalliyah had a blast and really did feel like a celebrity for the day and we are both keen to tune in and see what happens next. 

What would a premier event be without a goody bag right? The lovely guys over at Nickelodeon are giving 5 lucky readders the chance to win a super goody bag packed with some fantastic Nickelodeon merchandise such as a notepad and pen, Spongebob and Patrick plushes, a Nickelodeon cap, cup and keyring and lets not forget an awesome "Every Witch Way" tote bag. All you have to do is enter via the simple rafflecopter form below and good luck.

Be sure to tune in to Nickelodeon tonight at 5.30pm GMT and catch the premier of Every Witch Way. We are sure you'll love it so much you wont want to miss a single episode. Why not Sky+ it so you don't have to!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

In The Blink Of An Eye

Isn't it scary how quickly the years seem to fly by? I know people say it all the time but time really does seem to pass us by so quickly especially when it comes to our children growing up. It seems like only yesterday I was choosing Aalliyah's pushchair and cot bedding and yet Monday I found myself choosing her secondary school! I went to an open evening at a local secondary school that both myself and Aalliyah are eager for her to get in to. It really was an amazing evening touring the school but as I sat there in the auditorium surrounding by hundreds of girls and their parents it suddenly dawned on me, this time next year Aalliyah would be in her secondary school and more than likely helping out on the next presentation evening for prospective pupils. Its not like I am totally unaware of her age, but it just hit me like a bullet. 

I got thinking about all the "firsts" that I would never experience with her again. Her first words, steps, smile. Her first day of school, the first bit of artwork she brought home for me. It is sad to think that I will never get them years back but then as I looked at her watching the presentation with so much excitement in her eyes I started to think of all the new wonderful things we were yet to experience together. Starting secondary school, her first love, her first heartbreak, university, her graduation, passing her driving test and buying her first house. There are so many exciting adventures that lay ahead of her we will have so many "firsts" to still enjoy. Although she needn't think I'm going to be purchasing all these "firsts"! Who knows, maybe when she graduates and makes her "first" million she can actually buy me my "first" mansion. Ok, so not a mansion but there are plenty of beautiful country houses for sale that I wouldn't say no to.

Time really is precious and although its sad to see her leaving those baby years behind it is exciting and wonderful to watch her blossom into a beautiful, intelligent and independent young lady.

*This post in in collaboration with Strutt&Parker

Holidays Are Coming

You cannot look at Facebook or Twitter without being reminded that Christmas is on the way. With Christmas being 95 days a short time away, I decided that today would be the day I sort out my "Christmas Drawer". I'd like to think of myself as fairly organised and like a magpie do spend most of the year collecting little things perfect for Christmas gifts and hide them away. The main advantage of starting early is the money you save. I haven't got as much as I had this time last year so I need to play a bit of catch up. What I did get so far, was stashed away and forgotten about so needed sorting, and in most cases unwrapping as they were still in the packaging from when I received them in the post. I had forgotten about some of the things until I opened them.

Whilst I was sorting the things out I got thinking about Aalliyahs Christmas list which she had written a few days ago (Early bird) and how much it had changed from last year. It was like I was looking at the list of a teenager. Gone are most of the toys and games requests and in their place are things like an iPod, a mobile phone and a laptop. Rather than wanting roller skates she wants a pair of Converse shoes. Granted she will always be grateful for whatever she receives and will always love her yearly hoard of board games she accumulates every Christmas but when did she grow up so quickly? When did she start caring about having the latest mobile handset, designer footwear or stylish clothing and accessories. It seems like only yesterday she was asking for a Scooby Doo teddy and a mystery machine! If anything I have realised how quickly they grow up and I should treasure every moment as pretty soon she will be asking me for driving lessons, a car or money for uni! 


What have your children asked for this year? Are they early birds like Aalliyah? If not, what are you planning on purchasing for Christmas 2013? I'd love to know.

*This post was in collaboration with John Lewis

The Gallery - Back To School

Never mind the six week holiday going fast, for me the past ten years have flew by! Where have those years gone? I can hardly believe that Aalliyah will be starting her final year of primary school tomorrow and then this time next year I will be sending her off to secondary school! When did my tiny, fragile baby become a strong, independent, young lady?

Strong willed, intelligent, independent, beautiful and ambitious are just a few of many words to describe my amazing daughter and I hope she continues to blossom and really succeeds in her final year of primary school. But most of all I hope she makes a lot of wonderful memories this year too as they will stay with her forever!

The Gallery theme this week is "Back To School" Head over to Sticky Fingers Blog and check out the other entries.