SLOW DAYS, EMU AUSTRALIA BOOTS AND MAMA STYLE

Over the last few weekends we've really been enjoying slow days pottering around the city, hanging out with friends, trying out new places to eat and generally having fun. As the weather is still proving to be quite unpredictable I've been switching between trainers and these spring boot c/o Emu Australia – totally crushing on these – and maybe the occasional sandal and naked toes! The silvery metallic finish looks really cool with a pair of skinnies and because they are so lightweight and breathable, they make for a perfect boot that can be enjoyed all year round. So when we headed down to North Street I decided to team them up with my leopard print jacket and sunnies for a bit of fun mama style.

The other week we decided to check out the new-top-us, Pizza Workshop, and a new coffee pit stop for me. Both Paul and F are huge pizza fan's so we thought it would be fun to sit out on the street front channelling some Brooklyn vibes in this small but perfectly formed restaurant/pizza bar, which oozes cool with its striking geometric stools, minimalist interior, delicious sourdough pizza and gluten free bases *win*.  

Typically we didn't manage to snap many pics inside as we were to busy enjoying our slices! They were delicious and it's definitely a place I'd recommend for families, as F loved the colouring in menu and the service was super friendly and quick. Afterwards I grabbed a quick flat white from Tincan Coffee and wandered around taking in some pretty blossoms before heading back up to our neck of the woods. We even took a blanket on the Downs for a bit of R&R. 

The kiddo, as per usual, had boundless energy and was very excited to try out his new Cheetah Sneakers c/o Emu Australia, which of course can make him run faster ;) They are so super cute with the little face on the front and I even caught him chatting to them about a race. It makes me feel quite nostalgic seeing him wear such a iconic Australian brand as I spent the first few years of my life growing up in Perth, and even though this is a far cry from Oz, it feels like I'm somehow giving him a little connection to my childhood.

This boy surprises me everyday with his kind nature, inquisitive mind and boundless energy, he really makes my heart swell with pride. As the weather has been so unpredictable I've been carrying around this Pac-a-mac c/o Muddy Puddles for any sudden downpours, plus he looks super cute in this raindrop jacket.



This weekend is going to be filled with more slow days, a school friends birthday party for F and a Eurovision party for us big kids ;) and fingers crossed there might even be sun!

What are you up to this weekend? 

MINI RODINI KIDS STYLE SELECTION

I've been really excited to share this kids brand with you for a while now, first off because it's sooooo cool and I kinda want to wear all of the pieces myself and secondly because it's ethically made! Yep that's right, cool kids clothes with a concsience! If you haven't guessed already I'm talking about the wonderful Swedish children's wear brand, Mini Rodini.

One of my favourite things about kids clothes is how much fun they can be in. I mean yes, of course fashion can be fun for all ages, but when picking out pieces with the boy I really get to see his personality shine through. Funky patterns, quirky prints and bright colours, the clothes he wears are an explosion of his personality and I love it. I fear the day that he becomes too self concious to wear what he likes or society dictates what is appropriate. For now I want him to have fun and enjoy being a kid, whether that's wearing a cardi full of tassels, dressing all in pink or buying tops full of unicorns!

As we love to explore new destinations I'm always looking for cool threads for him to travel in and we decided to try out a few pieces from Mini Rodini's Spring/Summer range to road test in Berlin, but with F catching swine flu we had to be put the trip on hold. Thankfully Bristol's street style scene is just as good and we spent a fun morning hanging south of the river with some street chalks.

F absolutely loves these organic cotton Spot Sneakers in yellow, he's convinced they make him run as fast as a leopard and who am I to argue! He even slept in them the first night they arrved and he hasn't wanted to wear anything since *a sign of a truly awesome shoes*.

We also chose this smart Pico Jacket in dark blue, as it's perfect for spring but also can be used at school, plus the leather detail panda logo and gold popper buttons are ace. I love how he looks in the sneaker coat combo, especially with his Star Wars mag in hand *sigh my dreamboat*.

Started back in 2006 in Swedish illustrator, Cassandra Rhodin's Stockholm apartment, Mini Rodini is one of Scandinavia’s fastest growing children’s wear brands. It's now selling in some of the most prestigious department stores and independent shops all around the world, from Harvey Nichols in Kuwait, Selfridges in London and Barneys in New York and I can see why *hands up to all the creative mamas out there*. I love these embroided heart jackets and fun print leggings! Here are a few of my favourite pieces from this seasons collection.

As well the designs being fun and cool, I am sooo happy to find a brand that I can trust, with each garment meeting their strict commitment to being both ethical and sustainable, from the organic cotton they use through to their low carbon footprint and fair labour proimises. In fact it makes you feel really good to be able to dress your little one in fun, imaginative clothes from a responsible  brand, you can read all about their values here.

Due to the kiddo being ill we missed the press show for the Autumn/winter collection *boo* but I'm super excited to see what they have in store next season, and I'm definitely going to be buying a few more pieces for F to have some fun in this summer.

 *We recieved the sneakers and coat as part of this review, but I truly love this brand and all opinons are 100% my own.

SHORTSTITCH STYLING SERVICE FOR KIDS

Every now and again a company comes along and you think yes this is ace! and that's exactly what happened when I was approached by ShortStitch, a personal shopping service for kids fashion. OK so it might sound a little luxurious, reserved for the likes of celebrities and London's elite, but ShortStitch are here to shake it up and make cool affordable for the likes of me and you.

The truth is parents are busy creatures, unlike the slower days pre-child where you could leisurely lie in until eleven and spend hours enjoying lunch out, we're now running on a whole different schedule. In fact I don't quite remember what on earth I used to do with ALL that time now that every minute is so packed with busy. So when a cool kids company, ShortStitch, creates a way to take the stress and strain out of shopping – because let's face it, who wants to play find the runaway child in a department store while having a small heart attack – then I'm going to say a whole lot of yes to that!

I love fashion, especially kids clothes and I often mix up high street finds with independent labels when picking outfits for F. So when I trialled the ShortStitch service I wondered how I would find it and if they would be able to pull together the sort kids fashion I love. The Answer? Oh yes!

The clothing is aimed at 4 - 10 year olds and using the service was super easy, you simply click on the website for your own personal consultation – sounds quite fancy ay– and fill in a few details: age, gender, show size, clothes size. You get asked whether they like to play any sports? Do they have a particular interest and what do you tend to do day to day?  Then you click a few buttons and whoosh your order is done. Now just sit back and wait for your box of yay to turn up.

I was excited to see the rather cool box arrive at my door, full to the brim with wonderful brands that I know and love, as well as a few new ones. With a selection of t-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, shoes, boots, hats, shorts and cardies, I was pretty much prepared for any event. There is a cute tape measure and the all important price list so you can see what everything costs, and the best bit is you try on the clothes in the comfort of your home. What you like you keep and pay for, and anything you don't, well you just send back with the box. So simple.

I must admit F loved trying these on, I think getting a big important box in the post made him feel quite special ;) We tried on a few of the outfits and F let me take a few pics of our favourites so I could share them with you, and as a treat afterwards we went to the ice cream parlour and enjoyed a few scoops with sprinkles.

I really can't get enough of these 10IS boots! I love the tan colour with white laces and toe and they look ace with light denim, especially the I Dig Denim pair that he's wearing here.

The items in our box ranged from £20 up to £110, the higher priced pieces being a rather gorgeous hooded rain jacket and the above boots, but with plenty of gorgeous t-shirts, jumpers and jeans all around the £25 - £40 mark, I would say this would be a perfect hassle free way to pick out an outfit for any occasion, as every piece of clothing is high quality and beautifully designed. 

I love these cute looks for summer with this Scotch & Soda Straw Hat and Vigro embroided tee, and I was very excited to see my favourite Finger in the Nose label in there too, like this two tone t-shirt above.

After picking out choosing to keep a few pieces to keep and take with us to Berlin next week, I simply packed the rest back into the box, sealed it with the provided labels and used the nearest Click + Collect service, although there is a courier collection available by appointment at no extra cost.

This is such a great way for style conscious parents to see the new season trends at home and try them first hand before purchasing. The best bit is you are only paying the recommended retail price so there are no hidden costs to you *great ay!* the service is free making this a brilliant concept in Kids fashion!*We were asked to trial the ShortStitch service for the purpose of this review. All words and opinions are 100% my own and I couldn't recommend this wonderful service enough. 

FAMILY TRAVEL AND HOLIDAY STYLE

One of the exciting things about travelling abroad is deciding what to pack and wear. Choosing what holiday style to go for can be a challenging process, as I want to be comfortable and look good without taking everything but the kitchen sink. So when Debenhams asked if we'd like to choose some items from their Holiday Shop I was excited that I could get something for all the family in one fell swoop, without spending days darting around in a lat minute pre-holiday panic.

With a renewed sense of wanderlust, I'm excited about all the travel plans we have lined up in the near future and I feel so grateful for the opportunities this blog of mine has given me and my little family, and mostly to you lovely lot for reading it *blows kiss.* I've done a few solo trips this year and found it easy to pack light, but heading on a family holiday is a whole other matter.  On our most recent trip we managed to take two small carry on cases and a trunki, which meant that a lot of things were jammed in due to F wanting to take various toys, books and other home comforts.

However in July we have two weeks of travel to take and I've been dreaming of a long haul flight, I really want to visit San Fransisco, Portland and LA as it would be an amazing adventure. So I though this would be the perfect opportunity to upscale our luggage with this generous Tripp suitcase, also the bright pattern makes it easy to spot at baggage claim.

Packing for F is easy as he's happy in t-shirts and shorts while hanging out by the pool, he was pretty stoked when I picked out this Dinosaur top and palm print hat, which looks good and protects him from the sun. Paul loved these brilliant blue casual shorts and I think the contrast of these brightly coloured suede boat shoes really makes the blue pop.

I tend to stick to dresses and shorts when travellings somewhere hot as I hate feeling restricted in my clothes, so this knee length scalloped hem dress is perfect for the day and the embroidery detail is so cute.

But my favourite of all is this Grecian style midi dress teamed with these minimalist white flats from one of my favourite brands, perfect to dress up or down depending on what you're getting up to!What is your staple style when holidaying abroad? Do you have a favourite holiday outfit?

WIN A £100 TO SPEND AT BURP BOUTIQUE

I love good style and when F was born I was very excited by the prospect of hunting out cool clothes for my little one to roll around in, I mean who wouldn't coo and ahh over tiny little shoes right? I don't always spend lots of money on F's wardrobe, it's a healthy mix of high street bargains, hand me downs and a few boutique pieces, and I love how his clothes are an extension of his colourful bubbly personality.

I often feel a bit deflated when I walk through the super colourful – although mostly pink with a splash of yellow – girls department into a sea of blue and dinosaurs for boys. F loves colour, I love colour so why do shops insist on these toned down hues for boys?! Yes F likes a dinosaurs as much as the next kid, but he also loves pink and wearing conformable leggings, so I often find myself looking at independent kids boutiques to bridge his wardrobe gap.

One great online store is Burp Boutique, who's mission is to create a collection of colourful, unisex, bright, bold and fun clothes for your little ones, while supporting British Made, up and coming designers. They focus on well made clothes, amazingly illustrated story books, fun squidgy soft toys and unique pieces of art, to bring you something different and fun for your little ones.

To celebrate Burp Boutique fourth birthday, they are offering you the chance to win £100 to spend in their online store! All you have to do is take a photo that conjures up a celebratory moment and post it on Instagram, not forgetting to follow @burpboutique and add the hashtag #WINburp! The picture can be anything, let your imagination go wild!

The competition ends on Friday 15th May and will be judged by myself and Fritha from Tigerlilly Quinn. I can't wait to see all your fab pics :) Good luck! x

Wild & Grizzly has been shortlisted for the Style Category in the Brilliance in Blogging 2015 awards.  It would be wonderful if you could take a moment to vote for me here. Thanks so much for your continued support. xx 

F WEARS // KIDS STYLE

The sun has been starting to work its magic and last week I stepped out with this boy dressed ready to welcome spring with a smile, wearing these bright colours from Mini Boden. There's definitely something to be said about creating a bit of sunshine with your clothes and I love how playful this outfit is on F. 

The last few weeks have been a bit manic so I'm pleased to be starting this week on a positive note, I've got back into my fitness regime and healthy eating plus I'm trying to ensure I get enough sleep which always helps calm the mind. I really hope we're in for more messy hair, coatless sunny days.

F wears:

Top c/o Mini Boden

Jeans c/o Mini Boden

Trainers c/o Clarks shoes

Wooden tulip from Amsterdam

What are you looking forward to this spring?

CRUSHIN' ON CLARKS SPRING/SUMMER 2015 RANGE

We've always been a firm fan of Clarks in this house, I remember my own parents taking me to have my feet measured as a child and it seems the brand has made an impression on me. It was the first place I trusted to measure and fit F's super cute wriggly toes and foot,  and after buying my most comfiest peep toe heels from Clarks last year I've been won over by their women's range too.

We were in London so we decided to stop by Clarks SS15 press show to see what delights spring had in store and I'm so pleased we did. Across the range the design is set to impress, with playful bright patterns and colours, not to mention these Clarks original Desert Boots in silver *swoon* F was quite taken with them and no doubt these will be his favourite's come spring.

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F WEARS // KIDS STYLE

Finally summer is in full swing with hazy days and balmy nights, t-shirt season is here and what better way then to hit the streets with these cool prints from French Blossom. We're loving this selection of of Bakker Made With Love tee's, our favourite being the Mr Muscle print which is perfect for park play dates and ice cream sundaes. Check out their great range of satchels and backpacks too. 

This post is in collaboration with French Blossom