The London Mummy, Author at The London Mummy

Big Fashion

6 Of The Best : Colour Pop Cashmere Sweaters

Rather than buy 10 cruddy jumpers this season that bobble and shrink after one wear and wash, I am going to buy just one good one… (You can hold me to that). So this means I have to plan ahead and my first stop is the cashmere jumper. The new season has conveniently dropped just as the kids go back to school, so get first dibs now whilst you have the time and before the good ones go.

Little Leggies Pastel Cashmere Jumper £145

This jumper exudes femininity and is perfect to show off your end of the summer tan with its mint green and sorbet yellow cuffs against the pretty pale pink.

Tabitha Webb Jett Bolt Jumper £195

The lightning bolt is a good analogy for how I am feeling as I get the kids back to school. Perhaps if I am wearing it, it will calm me down. Lovely biscuit colour with subtle neon contrast.

Wyse London Colour Pop Slouchy V Neck £170

Great for those with darker colouring and slouchy enough to hide any Pimms belly from the summer holidays! (This has me written all over it!)

Cove Cashmere Holly Star Jumper £120

A new take on last seasons popular ‘star’ look. Almost superhero ‘esque’. Sure to be a favourite of your little Billy Bunter!

Chinti & Parker Personalised Letter Cashmere Jumper £350

Choose your letter in either hot pink on navy or white on black. Obviously I would go for PINK…

Cocoa Cashmere Side Zip Curved Hem Jumper £210

Haven’t come across this type of detail before – love it!

Have you seen TLM Directory? It is a plethora of lovely places, people, products and services all personally recommended by me (although I am not responsible if anything goes wrong! *wallace smile) Enjoy xx

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Fashion Little

Dress The (little) Kids This Autumn…

Hope you have all had a cracking summer. After a little blogcation, I am champing at the bit to share my new kids clothing discoveries with you. One gem that I have to start with are the gorgeous new brands that John Lewis are selling AS OF TODAY.

Margherita Kids designed by Ms Missoni herself, is exclusive to John Lewis for girls up to 8. The Exclusive Brands Baby Edit are 4 new brands – Serendipity, Wheat and Mini La Mode for babies up to 2 and Michelle Carslund are lovely posters for a nursery.

Now, where to begin…

Margherita Kids Geisha Quilted Jacket, £43

Margherita Kids Embroidered Bodysuit, £34

Margherita Daisy Collar Blouse, £28

Wheat Natural Print Trousers, £33

Wheat Baby Eila Print Dress , £34

Serendipity Llama Wool Print Jumper, Berry £56

Serendipity Baby Trapper Al Paca Hat Wool Hat, Yellow £34

Mini La Mode Toy Soldier Sleepsuit, £43

Mini La Mode Pink Sleepsuit, £43

Michelle Carslund Elephant Love Poster £20

Michelle Carslund Circus Poster £20

johnlewis.com

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Activities Days Out Family Life

Port Lympne Safari Park & Dinosaur Forest

Yesterday, I went on Safari to the African Plains followed by a trip through a Dinosaur Forest. We were even back in London by wine o clock. No, the summer holidays haven’t made me completely bonkers (yet), this was all on a day trip to Port Lympne Reserve in Kent.

It was mega! Port Lympne is the ‘sister’ of Howletts, yet much larger – 600 acres to Howletts 100. The reason we headed there was that I had heard on reliable grounds that it is a must for any budding dinosaur fans as it has of the most extensive displays in the UK.

This sight won’t be erased from one little guy’s mind for a long time!

We then hopped on one of the Safari trucks. (No queues and if there were, each station has a playground next to it so the kids won’t hang off you whist you are waiting). As you can see from the photo below it was incredible and we were so close to the animals – rhinos, giraffes, zebras, bison, bears & lions.

We decided to walk back to basecamp via the Gorillas and primates so these complimentary buggy’s came in use!

And a little photo that will go down in history… #tripletsnottriplets

Port Lympne also has 6 different types of accommodation ranging from a beautiful Hotel to tree houses and my favourite were the camping pods. definitely adding a stay in them to my bucket list!

As we were heading back to the car, we made a slight detour as we saw a sign ‘Tigers’. Thank goodness we did – we were the only people within a couple of metres of beautiful & happy healthy tigers. That was my highlight! The excellent coffee and friendly staff are also worth a mention as so often both are rubbish. We left a coat down by the dinosaur cafe and they willingly went on a 15 minute round trip to collect it for us. We love Port Lympne!

aspinallfoundation.org/summer

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TLM Monthly Edit

TLM Monthly Edit : July 2016

There is no slowing down despite the summer holidays commencing. Work still needs to be done and there are services to make life easier. Have a look at the wonderful ‘service heavy’ July Edit with a couple of other goodies thrown in for good measure.

ihateironing

Can you imagine if there was a service that collected your dry cleaning at an hour convenient to you and delivered it back 24 hours later – spotless (and also sending you a reminder text that it was being delivered/collected?) Well, ihateironing does exactly that. It is so easy to sign up and it the prices are standard shop prices but without you having to leave the house. We had a suit dry cleaned and shoes re-soled and I will be doing my jumpers in due course.

Indian Summer

Indian Summer is a gorgeous boutique filled with treasures for babies, gifts, jewellery and fashion. Visit them in Fulham or check them out online – they gift wrap beautifully too so perfect to send as a present or even to yourself. I especially love their kaftans.

City Cruises

How often do you walk along the river and long to be on a boat? We have done the commuter services between the City and Putney but they are inside & not very scenic. We fancied taking the sprogs on a river cruise so chose The River Red Rover. It is all-day hop on, hop off Thames river pass offering unlimited access to the river for 24 hours or 72 hours. You can hop on and hop off at any one of four piers, with open passage on any City Cruises sightseeing boats for a full day spent exploring the sights of the Thames. We boarded at Westminster and went up to Tower. The commentary was ad lib and very amusing. The skipper pointed out landmarks and gave us plenty of new facts. My favourite was A Room In London….

Aldi

I am an Aldi convert. After receiving an inflatable kayake (£39.99) and a soft archery set (£19.99) of the highest quality for the lowest price – it will always be my first port of call for garden toys. Also loving the Olympic wetsuits and I hear the food is swell too. Swing by when you next see an Aldi or you can also order most online.

The Little Paws Hotel

I met a lovely lady Clare, who runs a Dacshund Hotel from her home in Earlsfield. You must have her on speed dial if you wan the best for your little dog whilst you are away!

The Mother Concierge

The Mother Concierge is a new website offering personalised, curated events and activities for London’s primary school aged children during the school holidays. Subscription to the service is only £14.99 per school holiday. In two easy steps, parents and carers simply subscribe, complete a short questionnaire and thereafter receive a downloadable events calendar – including clickable links from their smartphone, PC or tablet – tailored to their needs, for each and every weekday of the school holidays.

Pickle UK

Whether you’re after finger food for a working lunch, a fine-dining experience for a group of friends or creative snacks for a children’s party, they deliver a culinary experience that delights.

Have you seen TLM Ultimate Directory? For services similar to these and lots of other useful one’s, please have a look!

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Days Out Travel

Child-Friendly Hotels Within 2 Hours of London

This selection was compiled by Britain’s Finest – a useful website with plenty of special offers, to help you track down the finest places to stay, dine and unwind. There is also an excellent search facility with over 400 ‘Child Friendly & Family Hotels.’ Here are 5 of the best within 2 hours of London..

Brooklands Hotel, Surrey

Children under 12 years stay for half price, under 3’s goes free. They have serval family packages available, from a Spa day for mum and daughter to family driving experience with Mercedes-Benz.

Tylney Hall Hotel, Hampshire

Children under 2 go free, treasure hunts for 3- 9’s with the use of an outdoor & indoor pool. You can even feed the residence of ducks in the beautiful grounds of this grade two list hotel.

Maison Talbooth Hotel, Essex

Offers canoeing on the river Stour, cycling (with a variety of bikes to suit all ages and stages), tickets to Colchester Zoo, tennis lessons on the hotel’s court and access to outdoor swimming pool.

Rubens at the Palace Hotel, London

Perhaps you would prefer a hotel in London? The Rubens is rolling out the red-carpet for families! Children of all ages are well catered for with a host of family friendly features with your very own director of fun and concierge team. Children under 12 years old stay free when sharing a room with parents.

Old Swan & Minister Mill, Oxfordshire

Children are made to feel welcome as soon as they arrive with bath ducks, teddy bears & treats. Plenty of activities for the children from cycling to fishing. A family holiday package is also available for 2 adults & 2 children under the age of 18 years.

Britains Finest

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Activities Days Out

Topgolf : Golf For All

Whether you are into golf or not, Topgolf is something you have to try. It takes the traditional driving range and adds a ‘ten pin bowling’ like scoring system to it and the ability to order food and drinks from your booth.

There are 3 just outisde London – Chigwell, Watford & Surrey. We bombed down the A3 and headed to the Surrey Topgolf but depending where you are in London, all 3 are very accessable.

It was like being in the States (!) the service was impeccable and the staff were super friendly (and patient!) This summer they have a fantastic deal for the kids – Eat, Drink & Play. Two games (40 balls) and food & drink from a snazzy menu for £10. (Adults £16) That’s a very reasonable way to entertain the children and they are also learning a new skill!

We went en famille and by the end of game, there was a mega improvement (apart from the 2 year old, who funnily enough, wasn’t too interested in playing but she did love watching the scores come up on the screens.)

The idea is that you score by hitting the ball into one of the circles. You activate your ball before you hit it and then your score comes up on screen. The further away the higher the score.

There is also coaching, junior camps and FOOT GOLF. No, I hadn’t heard of it either but it was brilliant.

After a yummy lunch of nachos, burgers and a caeser salad, we headed off to the golf course for a game. Basically, everyone has a football and there is a flag with a whole (for the football) and each hole is given a par (how many kicks they estimate it should take to complete the hole). As you can imagine it was a great success.

As we drove off, there were cries of ‘please can we come here again?’ And that was just my husband…. 🙂

Topgolf

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Services Spotlight

Harriet Rowlands : Family Home Property Finder

If this gorgeous spike in temperature is making you feel a bit restless in your current home and you’re thinking you might need a bit more space or even want to up sticks to the countryside – todays post is for you!

Harriet Rowlands offers a bespoke property search service, No Place Like Home, for clients looking to buy property in West London and surrounding counties. Her specialism and passion, is finding the perfect home for families, especially those relocating from London to the country. Her successful searches have taken her to Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berskshire, Sussex and Dorset.

As a buying agent, she has a comprehensive understanding of the complexities and subtleties of all that is involved in property search and acquisition. This extensive knowledge has been built up over a 16 year period of buying and selling property. She uses her expert knowledge of the local property markets, extensive network of contacts and highly effective negotiating skills to find the right property for her clients, and most importantly – at the right price! With her previous teaching background she is able to direct parents to excellent schools too.

She was lucky enough to buy her first flat in West London in her mid twenties and enjoyed every minute of her property search. She felt rather bereft after her own property search had come to an end, but over the following months and years she was lucky enough to be asked by many friends and family members to find the perfect property for them. At this time, she was a teacher in leading London independent schools so she carried out property searches as a hobby in her spare time. However, she knew that she would, one day, make her hobby into her profession.

So after her children were born, whilst they napped, she started to teach herself the ins and outs of social media and to write the content for her website. And so No Place Like Home Property Search was born.

Harriet is friendly and welcoming yet professional and of course discreet! She enjoys meeting new clients and understands their requirements quickly to enable her to find their perfect property.

My previous clients often remark about how I am able to cover my fees by shrewdly negotiating the final purchase price of their chosen property. This is obviously a real plus point when the buying process is already costly.

Harriet is currently running a Summer Offer of 10% off her fees, so even more reason to get in touch with her.

In a similar vein, if you have already purchased a property, wondering which area to move to or are making a move into unknown territory, you must register on Life After London. Bee, a London mum, set the website up to help you move out of London and connect with people in the same boat.

Harriet’s Favourites

Hotel: La Residencia, Majorca

Website: The White Company

Restaurant: Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton

Shop: Jigsaw, Westbourne Grove

Holiday Destination : Vancouver & Vancouver Island

Parenting Tip : ‘Don’t panic, it’s just a phase!’

nplhome.co.uk

See Harriet on TLM Ultimate Directory alongside many more fantastic businesses!

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Services

Creative Childcare From Bea & Co

There is usually is a heavy influence of women in a young childs early life. Mothers, female childcare & teachers make up a team of primary carers. So other than Dad & wider family, where do young boys in particular glean from other good male role models?

When I heard about Bea & Co who offer creative sitters, both men and women – I opted to try a manny. As try as I might to have pushed for a male au pair in the past, it has always been a big fat no from my other half. Fair enough, but a few hours childcare – who can say no to that?

Jamie breezed into our house on Wednesday afternoon and after politely introducing himself and taking his shoes off, immediately cracked a gag with the boys and the rest is… a very quiet afternoon for me! All I heard were squeals of delight from upstairs as they did a treasure hunt around the house, an assault course and some imaginative play.

This is the benefit of having an actor to look after your children. Their senses were engaged from the off and Jamie’s magnetism had them all enraptured and engaged. They finished off the afternoon in the garden throwing a ball about, bounced on the trampoline and had an archery competition, before he sat with them at supper and distracted them through to completion of their burgers. Result! (Yes, mine actually have to be coaxed into eating BURGERS!)

Bea & Co offers babysitting (but note – these guys & gals don’t sit!) both day and evening, chaperoning, days out, International travel assistance and if you think your child has it in them – coaching (singing, acting, dancing). Both team members and clients are personally recommended (if you phone Bea & Co, you can say you heard from me!) so all the creatives are CRB checked and experienced.

Once you sign up for the yearly membership fee, there is the same very reasonable hourly fee, day or night. After Amy, the lovely founder meets you and your brood she will introduce you to a few creatives, who you will have access to use at short notice & who know your routine and family, so no awkward familiarisation process as with a traditional babysitting agency.

Try them and you won’t look back!

beaandco.com

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