The Big Feastival 2014 | We’re ACTUALLY going!

TBF2014

I enter competitions on a whim. I forget about them. I entered The Big Feastival competition via the Jamie Oliver ‘Gold Club’ back in December… at the time, I remember saying to Mr Memoirs, “We should keep that weekend free, just incase!”. His obvious reaction was “No need, we never win anything…”. He’s eating those words right now, because I DID WIN!

We’re so so excited, I can’t even put it into words! And that is saying something.

I’m even excited about the camping part! Which is DEFINITELY saying something.

We’ve always wanted to go to The Big Feastival – as we’re huge fans of Jamie Oliver, and Alex James fan’s to boot (I was always on team BLUR, of course). This is literally the perfect festival for us, especially with Eli in tow too. It’s hugely family-friendly (heck, Justin Fletcher A.K.A Mr Tumble and actual Mr Bloom swoon are there too!). There are dozens of activities and area’s to keep little ones entertained. Plus, and most importantly, this is a foodie festival. With all our favourite chef’s in attendance! You can see the list of who’s-who, here> CHEF’s.

IMG_9500

The marketing team at Jamie Oliver have been absolutely fantastic. They’ve been super swift to reply to any queries we’ve had and have kept me up to date with everything. The tickets landed on my doormat this morning, giving me a new lease of excitement – WE’RE ACTUALLY GOING!

So – what’s the plan when we get there?

Well, we’ll unload the car and get the tent up as soon as possible – and get settled in! We tested the tent a few weekend’s ago and it was super easy to assemble – which is good news because I would get bored so quickly otherwise! For the first time ever, we also have a camp bed; there was no way we could sleep on the actual floor for a few nights (we literally have the bones of elderly people!).

We’ll then head into the festival, which open’s at 11am!

We’re really looking forward to seeing presentations/tasting’s with our favourite Chef’s, as well as joining in all the toddler activities we can feast on! Eli is very, very good with his food, so we’re certain he’ll get stuck into munching whatever he can. As reader’s of my blog, and friends of mine IRL, will know, I’m massively mildly obsessed with Little Bird by Jools. Basically, there is little else that I will dress Mr Eli in, other than Little Bird. It is my imaginary children’s fashion made reality (and probably better than my imagination to be honest!). And guess what? Little Bird will be at The Big Feastival too! Last year there was even a catwalk (I can’t cope!), which I’ll so be FROW of with Eli. Hoping he doesn’t gatecrash though – I know he has a soft spot for Jools and her design’s too! I’m literally so excited I can’t even contain myself!

Just look how adorable these kids are man! LOVE LOVE LOVE Little Bird!

So the countdown is officially on, now that tickets are in hand! T-minus 13 day’s! This weekend we’ve bought Eli some new threads to keep him cool or warm and dry across the Big Feastival weekend. That’s the only trouble with a British festival, you really need to pack for ALL weather! I’m certain we’ll have an amazing time whatever the weather will be. There are adventures and memories to be made… and that’s the main thing.

 

MM.

 

PS – any tips you have for camping with a 2 year old would be greatly appreciated!

Here is the line-up (in full, more or less).

feastival-poster-3_8_14 (1)

What Eli Wears | Little Bird by Jools.

IMG_1554

You’re likely to see a lot of posts about Little Bird by Jools Oliver on my blog – ones like these: Brand in Focus and Proper Boy’s Shoes.

I actually adore Little Bird at Mothercare. As mentioned, several times, we look like we live in the 70’s, so Little Bird ensures we all match!

This is one of my favourite little outfits that Eli is currently sporting: ’74 Blue Tee, Green Terry Towelling Shorts (I KNOW!) and Navy Buckle Shoes.

IMG_7915

IMG_3077

IMG_4973

IMG_1820

IMG_1088

IMG_9450

 

All styles available from Mothercare.com

MM.

 

Halloween costume inspiration, for kids!

We LOVE Halloween. But, we’d already decided before Mr Eli arrived that he was ALWAYS going to be a skeleton, with Converse on, at Halloween. Well, until he’s old enough to say “NO MORE NOW, PLEASE!”, of course.

But I can’t help but adore these following costumes I’ve found on Pinterest. Most of them would work at any time of the year too, not just Old Hallows Eve. ENJOY!

(Below is a small selection of the costumes I’ve pinned, to view the whole lot, click here >>> Halloween Inspiration)

UP!
UP, image taken from Pinterest.

a80749397bb1e4374b9a2d5d729cce49
E.T, image taken from Pinterest.

2c8f14269e6f3c0cb461855a508df6e2
Fox costume, image taken from Pinterest.

3d8675820a609d57ef5707cdda0ed520
Lady Liberty and Honest Abe, image taken from Pinterest.

d497dc0cb0141cccd814000192b472e6
Spray painted toy soldier (not sure how the poor bairn walks!), image taken from Pinterest.

b19a58e1a7c2ec971a03eec81657ac53
Cardboard box dinosaur, image taken from Pinterest.

c033bd8716c1a82edf90870682fc4156
Don Draper (not sure how appropriate this is!), image taken from Pinterest.

a38cc607e18f2639a29e0c4108b6f71f
Jesse and Walt (REALLY not sure how appropriate this is, either!), image taken from Pinterest.

f6a35181c8e9c18ee561489d3ac75bcc
Zombie kid! Image taken from Pinterest.

MM.

My favourite cosy jumpers, online now!

jumpersforblogpost

 

BRRR! It’s getting chilly out there!  Here are my favourite cosy jumpers for your little boy (or girl!), that are available online, NOW!

#1 – Tootsa MacGinty New Forest Jacquard Jumper, Blue – £40.00 From JohnLewis.com
#2 – John Lewis Baby Moose Fair Isle Jumper, Blue – £15.00. From JohnLewis.com
#3 – Retro Cosy Jumper, £22.00 – £24.00. From Boden.com
#4 – Knitted sweater with buttons at the side, £15.99. From Zara.com
#5 – Cable crew neck jumper, £11.00 – £12.00. From Next.co.uk
#6 – John Lewis Baby Bear Jumper, Grey – £15.00. From JohnLewis.com
#7 – Black patterned crew neck, £13.00 – £14.00. From Next.co.uk
#8 – Cosy hotch potch top – #16.00 – £18.00. From Boden.co.uk
#9 – Tootsa MacGinty Cloud Knit Jumper – £34.00. From JohnLewis.com
#10 – Knitted stripe jumper – £5.99. From H&M.com
#11 – Fisherman style jumper, £13.00 – £14.00. From Next.co.uk
#12 – Marled sweater, reduced from £14.95 to £11.99. From Gap.com

 

MM.

What Eli Wore: Eli’s 1st Birthday!

Photo 04-09-2013 11 51 59

What Eli Wore >>>

Ralph Lauren Oxford Shirt, Ralph Lauren Shorts, Converse Kids Hi-Tops.

Where from? >>>

Ralph Lauren Oxford Shirt, £55, available at House of Fraser

Ralph Lauren Shorts, £45, available at House of Fraser

Converse First Hi-Tops, £22.99, available at Office Shoes

Mr Eli looked super smart on his 1st birthday last month. He generally wears clothing like his Daddy and his birthday was no exception. His beautiful Ralph Lauren Oxford Shirt features a button down collar and signature Ralph embroidered logo to the chest. We rolled his sleeves up, which made this shirt look even cooler (but also helped keep stains at bay whilst he was eating/rolling around). His shorts too are Ralph Lauren, with a flat front and red embroidered signature Ralph Lauren logo at the left knee. These shorts look really smart and are so far, very hardwearing! Eli finished his birthday outfit off with his trusty Converse Hi-Tops in a blast of vibrant red. His little shoes took quite a beating on his birthday – we’ve just ordered some new ones, this time with rubber soles, just like Mummy and Daddy’s real-life Con’s!

Photo 04-09-2013 12 00 35

MM.

What Eli Wore: Happy 9 month birthday!

photo 3 (1)

What Eli Wore today >>>

Top: Dinosaur Tee, Next, £6. Click here to purchase online.

Bottoms: Navy Shorts (pack of 2), Next, £11. Click here to purchase online.

Head: Hat (pack of 2 hats), Next, £GIFT.

photo 2 (3)

Today Mr Eli is 9 months old! He has officially now been out as long as he was in! Incredible. What a 9 months it has been. Completely full of up’s and down’s – and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Mr Eli is just an amazing human being – such a character. Our beautiful darling boy xxx

photo 1 (3)

To celebrate it being sunny, a bank holiday AND Eli’s 9 month birthday, we headed to Southend for the day. Got to make the most of that sunshine! Eli (with a little encouragement from us….) is a huge dinosaur fan. I’d been looking for some ‘cool’ dinosaur items of clothing for a while. But not really seen anything aside from realistic dinosaur graphics (which just look plain scary!) or overly-cartoonish style dinosaur graphics. But when I saw this tee from Next I practically POUNCED on it! It’s a great looking tee – cool dino print on front and back with a little chest pocket. Lovely stuff. Also have to mention these shorts! Because Eli will probably be wearing them a lot over the summer! They’re a 2-pack from Next, £11. Come in Navy and a Cargo-Brown colourway. They’re extremely hardwaring, wash great, wicked quality and made using a heavy cotton so they can be dressed up (with a shirt) or dressed down, like today.

Next have some really good clothing this season for your little man. I tend to go for mini-Daddy style clothing, rather than cute kids clothing. So if you’re after the same kind of thing, give Next a whirl. So so good. Great prices too!

MM.

 

What Eli Wore: ‘E’ is for Eli.

photo 2 (2)

What Eli Wore today>>>

‘Ee’ Alphabet t-shirt, American Apparel, £10.

Brown Harem Pants,  Zara Kids – Part of set with cardigan, £GIFT.

photo 1 (2)

Eli wore his brand new American Apparel Alphabet tee to the park last week; teamed with wicked knitted Harem Pants from Zara.

It was the first time it had been warm enough for short sleeves! And it was also the first time Eli played on swings and slides! He absolutely loved it – as you can tell.

I’d always been meaning to buy myself a ‘Cc’ tee from American Apparel… think I’m probably a little bit too old for it now. I’ll stick to my Carrie Claire necklace I think. But Eli looks wicked in his ‘Ee’ tee; of course all of the alphabet tee’s are unisex too. LOVE it.

 

MM.

 

Mr Eli and Mini Boden: Outfit #6.

Today is the final instalment of Mr Eli’s Mini Boden Adventure! Today is Outfit #6.

It is absolutely FREEZING today. I can’t believe how chilly it is, even in the house! So Mr Eli got snuggled up in this incredible Winter jumper and cosy cords. We’ve already decided that this just has to be Eli’s Christmas Day outfit – how cool is this for a Christmas Day jumper?

So what is Eli wearing today?

Click here to purchase>> Winter Jumper (Snowflake), Red, £24-26; from Boden.co.uk

Click here to purchase>> Lined Cord Trousers, Cadet Blue, £16-£18; from Boden.co.uk

As I mentioned, this jumper is just awesome. It’s the perfect Christmas Day jumper. But with a twist… this is a COOL Christmas Day jumper! Like the other Winter jumper from my previous post, this one is also cashmere blend so is super cosy and warm. The bright red is a great colour and the snow flake pattern gives it the true festive feel. Mr Eli particularly enjoyed eating the rolled up cuffs for some reason… but the rolled up cuff does mean you can make this style shorter if your little one still has space to grow into it. Unlike traditional knitted jumpers, this one is not itchy against your little ones soft skin, so you can be safe in the knowledge they’ll be having an excellent time wearing it! As opposed to when we were kids and HATED wearing knitted jumpers for that reason alone! This style is a definite must-purchase for the festive season, your child will be so warm and look beyond adorable in it; plus it will make for a conversation piece, as you all reminisce over festive jumpers from years gone by.

I would suggest you get your order in soon mind; because I just know that this jumper will be flying out!

Click here to purchase>> Winter Jumper (Snowflake), Red, £24-26; from Boden.co.uk

MM.

 

* I am partaking in a Boden Bloggers competition. Head over to the Boden Facebook page to vote for my blog posts as your favourite :)

Mr Eli and Mini Boden: Outfit #5.

Today we played in the garden and displayed some signs of ‘post Halloween blues’. Today is also Mini Boden Outfit #5 Day*

Eli enjoyed his pumpkins so much yesterday that we took them into the garden today 🙂 It’s a pretty chilly start to November, good job Mr Eli was suitably dressed!

So what is Eli wearing today?

Click here to purchase>>  Jersey Duffle Jacket, Navy, £22-£24; from Boden.co.uk

Click here to purchase>> Winter Jumper (Snowflake), Red, £24-26; from Boden.co.uk

Click here to purchase>> Lined Simple Trousers, Blue Ticking Stripe, £16-£18; from Boden.co.uk

I’m going to focus on the amazing Jersey Duffle Jacket for this post! I’ve always wanted my little boy to have a cute navy duffle coat and this one from Mini Boden is just perfect. While this jacket is made of jersey, it is quite a nice thickness, great for layering up on chilly days. Eli is wearing another Mini Boden Winter jumper underneath his jacket here; it’s cashmere blend so it kept him so cosy whilst we played outside! Mini Boden keeps this style traditional with a hood, wooden toggle fastening to the front, as well as front pockets and cuff detailing. Again, Mini Boden make sure that childrens’ clothing is kept interesting by adding the stripey lining, which can be seen when the jacket is left unfastened and of course from the inside of the hood too.

 

MM.

 

* I am partaking in a Boden Bloggers competition. Head over to the Boden Facebook page to vote for my blog posts as your favourite :)