Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Autumn & Winter Toddler Boys Clothes Bargains ♥

I really could help share with you all the recent clothing bargains which I've gotten for autumn and winter for Tyler Lee, the site I got them from is one I've used a good few times now and I've never had a problem, it's AliExpress. I think you can buy almost anything on AliExpress but I only pick up bargain clothes and accessories for Tyler Lee as they're so cheap and exactly the same as clothing offered in stores such as Next, only at a fraction of the cost. I'm all about saving the pennies! I also spotted some 'shops' on Instagram selling clothes from AliExpress but charging more than double for them, absolutely outrageous! This spurred me on to go and source the pieces myself and I've saved a fortune. Last year I got Tyler Lee's gorgeous knitted owl hats on there and we got so many compliments on them and people asking where I got them, they were just €1.62 each too with free postage - yes, even more good news, sellers on AliExpress are now sending purchases free via registered post! The sellers I've bought from have been based in mainland China and Hong Kong and it takes between nine and twenty days for items to arrive but I'm happy to wait. Here are the bargains I've picked up lately, they all arrived this week too.

 Denim star print dungarees. I was hoping the quality of these denim dungarees would be good and I wasn't disappointed, they're great! I only have one problem, I think they may be a bit too big for Tyler Lee but I'll try rolling up the ends. I think they're super cute and I really can't resist anything with stars as you probably all know by now! These were €9.05 - bargain!

 Knitted viking hat. Jacek has a bit of a penchant for all things viking so I could resist getting this cute little viking hat for Tyler Lee. I think it's supposed to be a photo prop but I'll be putting it on him when we're out and about this autumn and winter. It's a bit smaller than I thought it would be but it still fits, it's so adorable, I love it. This hat was just €3.91.

 Knitted puppy hat. Tyler Lee loves puppies and is in love with his PupPup comforter so I thought it was only fitting that I got him a puppy hat to match. The quality of this hat is fantastic and I love that it's in a similar style to his owl ones from last year (which still fit - yay!). The ears on it are floppy and it has an adorable little patch on one of the puppy's eyes, it's so sweet. This hat was €6.89.

 Cat design pants. I love grey on Tyler Lee and I love anything cute so when I saw these cat design pants, which feature the cats face on the bum part I just had to get them. These will be cute with a little jumper and are so soft that they'll be comfy for him to run around in as well as keeping him warm. These were €5.73 and are also available in black.
Star print harem pants. Again with the stars! These are so comfy for my boy to run around in and I love the design, they'll look great with his band t-shirts. These are also available in a royal blue colour and I think I might have to invest! These pants in particular were very similar to something I saw in Next last season but are less than half price of what they were charging, it's the same thing so I can't justify spending more. These were €6.96.

I have so many other bargains in my wishlist on AliExpress but I need to have a proper clean out of Tyler Lee's old clothes before I can invest in some more because his chest of drawers and wardrobe is full of clothes at the moment. I love buying clothes for a new season though, bring on autumn and winter because I can't wait to have my boy sporting his lovely new pieces.
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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Toddler Autumn/Winter Bucket List ♥

With autumn fast approaching I've been thinking of all the lovely things I'd like to do with Tyler Lee in the colder months of the year, this being the second autumn and winter of his life. I love spring and summer but there is something so tempting about autumn and winter that leaves me longing for nights in front of the fire, comfort food and warm, comfy clothes. Now that Tyler Lee is past the one and a half mark and a walking, curious, adventurous little toddler there are so many things I'd like us to do together in the colder, cozier seasons of the year. I've decided to compile a little bucket list of some autumn and winter activities and moments I'd like us to have together, hopefully I'll be able to cross everything off with my little cherub in tow. We had a wonderful autumn and winter last year even though my boy was so small so hopefully this year will be even more adventurous, fun and jam packed  now that he's able to do activities with me.

1. Put together another Christmas Eve basket for Tyler Lee and give it to him an hour before he goes to bed on Christmas Eve.
2. Buy more winter/Christmas themed books and have an epic story-time in front of the fire.
3. Roast marshmallows and dip them in hot chocolate.
4. Go trick-or-treating. (No one to go with :( )
5. Dress both of us in costume for Halloween. (done 31/10/14)
6. Carve pumpkins and put candles in them, put them outside the front door. (Too late buying them)
7. Go pine cone and leaf collecting in the woods. (done 29/09/14)
8. Collect conkers and put string in them for conker games. (Couldn't find any conkers!)
9. Jump in a pile of leaves. (done 04/11/14)
10. Visit Believe at Fota again.
11. Watch The Addams Family and Casper on Halloween night. (He wouldn't watch them!)
12. Build a snowman (if it snows!).
13. Have snow cones.
14. Cuddle up on the couch with the fire on watching Disney movies.
15. Send a letter to Santa.
16. Leave a carrot for Rudolph and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.
17. Make paper snowflake decorations.
18. Put a blanket on the floor and have an indoor picnic in front of the fire.
19. Take a chilly walk in the woods amongst the falling leaves. (done 04/11/14)
20. Buy a teepee and make it a special reading place.
21. Bake Christmas cookies, let Tyler Lee decorate.
22. Have a mini photo session in a leaf pile.
23. Go on a nature walk. (done 29/09/14)
24. Visit a Christmas fair.
25. Visit another castle.
26. Sit on a hay bale and take some pictures.(done 04/11/14)
27. Have another family day out.
28. Have a snowball fight (if it snows!).
29. Buy lots of cute Christmas outfits for Tyler Lee and take lots of pictures.
30. Visit Santa.
31. Have another Christmas photo session. (Toddler would not co-operate :( )
32. Visit our friends in Wexford. (done 03/09/14)
33. Let Tyler Lee help decorate his own special little Christmas tree.
34. Do leaf printing.
35. Do apple bobbing.
36. Make homemade soup and have it with soda bread.
37. Buy new pyjamas for Christmas Eve.
38. Do something special for daddy's birthday.
39. Pick some apples in Barryscourt Castle orchard. (done 16/09/14)
40. Celebrate Valentines Day and make sweet treats.
41. Make sure Tyler Lee has an amazing 2nd birthday.

I hope I can cross everything off the list. I'm now filled with images of colourful falling leaves, mittens and scarves, cute jumpers and coats, Christmas decorations, twinkling lights and lots of cuddles with my boy. I seriously cannot wait.




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Sunday, August 24, 2014

Where Rainbows End Blog Hop #9 ♥


Hello and thanks for stopping by my little blog! Welcome to week 8 of the Where Rainbows End Blog Hop! I hope that you'll all link up, have fun finding new blogs which you'll hopefully fall in love with and have some great posts to follow from your newly found fellow bloggers. You can link directly to your main blog or your favourite post from the past week or a giveaway you're running it doesn't matter, just enjoy it! You can submit Bloglovin or main blog page links for GFC users too.  All blog genres are welcome too!

Please let me know if you've followed my blog by leaving a comment on this post and I'll be happy to return the favour!


The rules are simple:

Don't just leave your link and leave, please do visit other people's blogs too, that makes the blog hop work properly and be beneficial for all involved.


Leave a comment on someone's blog if you have the time to let them know you've stopped by.

Thanks for taking part, happy blog hopping!
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Saturday, August 23, 2014

Toddler Holiday Essentials ♥

We recently took Tyler Lee on his first proper holiday abroad and before going I was humming and hawing on what to bring, wondering if we'd have enough toys and gadgets to keep him entertained whilst trying not to over pack and be left with a suitcase full of things we didn't even use. Above are some essential items I brought for Tyler Lee and they really served him well on our trip.

1. Trunki PaddlePak. This was one of the best things we could have brought with us, the PaddlePak is amazing. Available in sizes for little ones and their bigger counterparts, the eye catching designs of PaddlePak are really fun for kids. We have the Chuckles the clown fish PaddlePak and it reminds me of Nemo from Disney's Finding Nemo. The PaddlePak is waterproof and was perfect for bring Tyler Lee's towel, sunscreen, hat, drinks, snacks and even my magazine to the beach and pool. The zipped pocket on the tail was perfect for holding our apartment keys and some loose change for ice-creams. I highly recommend the PaddlePak for little ones who go to swimming lessons too, it carries everything and is so easy to open and close, you simply pull apart the buckle and unfold the top or fold down three times to close. The toddler size PaddlePaks are £19.99, I also love the Sheldon the turtle PaddlePak, the design is super cute!

2. A hat. We brought this fun Panda baseball cap and a little sunhat for Tyler Lee on our holiday. A hat is always an essential for a little one in the sun, especially when it's intense and shining all day long (unlike here at home!). I love the design of the Panda hat, not only is it super cool but it's practical too. The Panda hat is from H&M.

3. Sun-safe swimming togs. It was important for me to get sun-safe swimming togs for Tyler Lee as we really aren't used to the sun here in Ireland and I wanted to protect his skin as well as I could from the glaring sun. I opted for two-piece togs as they were so much easier to take on and off, especially for swimming nappy changes and considering that he spent most of the holiday wearing these he was very well protected. The togs featured above are from Next.

4. Sunscreen. Arguably the most important holiday essential for a toddler, if you're going to a hot country of course. We brought Sudocrem Sunscreen Mousse in factor 50 with us. This quickly absorbs into the skin, isn't sticky and gives fantastic protection. No sunburn guaranteed if applied regularly throughout the day. You can read my indepth review of Sudocrem Sunscreen Mousse here.

5. Comforter/Favourite cuddly toy/ Blanket. If your child has a special comforter which they take everywhere or a cuddly toy/blankie which they can't be parted with then make sure not to leave them behind. My little one has two comforters which he can't ever be parted with and they came everywhere with us on holiday, even in the pool. They were also a source of comfort for him on the plane and aided him in going to sleep. 

6. Sunglasses. A great holiday essential if your toddler will wear them. These sunglasses were from Penneys/Primark and were just €1.50 and were great in protecting my sons eyes from the sun. Sunglasses are also a great alternative if your toddler refuses to wear hats, their eyes will still be protected from the direct sunlight.

7. Food pouches/smoothies. These are so handy to have not only on the plane but also when out and about on holiday. Pouches make for mess-free feeding and snack times and are so handy to carry around in a bag to the beach or pool as they don't have to be refrigerated. The smoothie and fruit pouches are also fantastic if the heat is getting to your toddler and they refuse to eat much as they will still get something refreshing and healthy to eat.

8. A non-leak/drip cup. This is another important essential item for holidays to hot countries as your toddler will want a drink with them at all times due to the heat. You don't want water or juices spilled all over your beach stuff or handbag so a non-leak/drip cup is an essential. The cup featured above is from Boots and it's so sturdy, leak free and the plastic design means that little teeth can't chew through the lid!

9. Small toys. We didn't want to bring too many toys with us on our holiday as we were going to be spending so much time outdoors but we did bring some small toys such as the phone pictured above which were great for bringing on the plane and carrying around in the changing bag for keeping Tyler Lee entertained at mealtimes. Toys such as the phone are great as they have sounds, visuals and more than one setting so toddlers won't get bored easily.

10. Snacks. It's great to have a changing bag full of healthy little snacks when abroad, especially as you may not find foods your toddler usually eats and the ingredients list may be in different languages. We also found that baby food was quite expensive in the shops we went to so we were glad of our snack stash. I highly recommend these Organix Organic Gingerbread Men, there's a lot in a pack, they're healthy and little ones love them.

There you have it, my toddler holiday essentials. The great thing about all the items listed above is that they can all easily fit in one bag too, perfect for traveling light. These ten items were perfect for my son on holiday, I highly recommend each and every one of them for toddlers going on holiday.



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Thursday, August 21, 2014

Snippets Of My Life Via Instagram ♥

His first strawberry milkshake/ My gorgeous new bag/ Beach hair!/ Beautiful vista/ MAC lipstick + long hair = smiles/ Total yumminess/ Love that printed dress/ Dream diary/ Blue eyed boy

Okay I admit it, I'm an Instagram addict! It comes from my love of photography and I love seeing what people post from around the world. I was away last week so these snippets are brought to you from the Algarve. My boys first ever milkshake, we opted for strawberry, lots of whipped cream and syrup, it was so hot that he wasn't really eating though and didn't finish it. My new bag, I was immediately drawn to the colour, pink, bows and hints of gold, it just screams me. My beach hair, now I'm home my hair needs a lot of conditioning, the sun and salt water dried it out. Also note my very red neck in this picture, stay away from bronzing butters! The view from dinner, this was my view at dinner a couple of times and was so pretty seeing the sun setting, the sea and the beach whilst eating something delicious, perfection. Another obligatory selfie, this time taken at home, rather impressed with my tan and hair in this one and who new wearing a MAC lipstick could cheer a girl up so much. Spaghetti carbonara, my new food obsession. I had to take this selfie as I was finally wearing my Ingenue London dress and I wanted to show off the gorgeous print which has a bit of a neon vibe to it, perfect for summer. My dream diary, I picked this up in a shop called Ale-hop and I love the cover, I also picked up the pen there too. I'm now recording my dreams every morning, if I can remember them! My little babe at lunch one day, I think he looks so angelic in this shot, those eyes!

If you don't already follow mine and Tyler's adventures on Instagram you can find us @dollydowsie


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Sunday, August 17, 2014

Where Rainbows End Blog Hop #8 ♥



Hello and thanks for stopping by my little blog! Welcome to week 8 of the Where Rainbows End Blog Hop! I hope that you'll all link up, have fun finding new blogs which you'll hopefully fall in love with and have some great posts to follow from your newly found fellow bloggers. You can link directly to your main blog or your favourite post from the past week or a giveaway you're running it doesn't matter, just enjoy it! You can submit Bloglovin or main blog page links for GFC users too.  All blog genres are welcome too!
My lovely co-hosts are - Bex from Futures and Lisa from Goofball Mommy
Please do stop by their lovely blogs and share the bloggy love.

We are looking for two more permanent co-hosts so please do get in touch by emailing fionairish@eircom.net if you're interested.




Please let us know if you've followed our blogs by leaving a comment on this post and we'll be happy to return the favour!

The rules are simple:
Please follow your hosts if you like their blog, don't just leave your link and leave, please do visit other people's blogs too, that makes the blog hop work properly and be beneficial for all involved.

Leave a comment on someone's blog if you have the time to let them know you've stopped by.

Thanks for taking part, happy blog hopping!

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Thursday, August 14, 2014

Winnie The Pooh Baby Clothes From Next ♥

I absolutely love classic looking baby clothing and even better if it's somehow connected to books, stories and the characters found in them. This weekend when I popped into Next with my boy to buy him some sandals I was stopped in my tracks by a new display they had in the baby section, it was Disney Baby Winnie the Pooh clothing. Now this wasn't that awful, cheap looking, tactastic character clothing which you usually find in children's clothes and which I really can't abide at all, this was beautiful, classic looking children's character clothing and I fell in love with them instantly. Of course, the tiny baby options in these garments were by far the cutest but my little one is eighteen months next week, nevertheless, I picked him up some pieces in 12-18 months because luckily this size is still quite big on him, bless him and his thin little limbs! I can only show you some pieces we have from the boys range but the girls range was just as beautiful with little rompers and a gorgeous little dress with Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin and balloons dotted all around the skirt, so pretty! This little Winnie the Pooh collection adds to the Gruffalo, Tiger and Mickey Mouse character clothing pieces Tyler Lee already has. All of the pieces are grey and as you'll see in the pictures below the light picks up the grey differently in some pictures, however, all of these pieces are light grey. I love grey, it's my second favourite colour and one I've loved on Tyler Lee ever since he was a newborn baby.
I picked up this sweet little Winnie the Pooh t-shirt which has Winnie himself and his pal Christopher Robin holding a balloon, I just love the illustration and this will be lovely with Tyler Lee's little chinos and handmade shorts. This t-shirt was €11.

 I also picked up this sleepsuit set as I think they are just beautiful and will be lovely for my boy to sleep in - I have a bit of a 'thing' for nice pyjamas. The illustration on the first sleepsuit is so sweet and I love the quote. The second sleepsuit with all the different illustrations dotted around is so sweet. This set of sleepsuits was €22.

 Finally, I picked up this long-sleeved vest and soft dungarees combo. I'm not quite sure if this one will fit properly and the poppers on the legs and crotch area seem to pop open in any Next dungarees I get for my boy but alas, I will try again as this set was too beautiful to leave behind. This set was €25.

What do you think of the pieces? Are you a fan of classic looking children's clothing?


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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Loving Lately: The Toddler Edition ♥

Tyler Lee and I are back with a post to show you all some products we've been loving and highly recommending for toddlers. This week is a great mix of what Tyler Lee has genuinely been loving and things which I've been loving for him so hopefully you might see something which your own toddler will love or get some benefit from too. There were so many things I wanted to show you all this time round but I had to whittle them down to a select few, I'll try to include the other pieces in a future post. Some of the items featured below were amazing bargains so I couldn't help but share, it's always great to save a few pennies, especially when it comes to buying everyday essentials for your child as well as toys and fun pastime products for them.

 Pre-loved Toys. I'm a big fan of carboot sales, you can pick up some amazing bargains and these wooden toys are no exception, I picked up both of these for just €1, such a bargain I'm sure you'll agree! I love wooden toys, especially when they come in rainbow colours as that's the theme of Tyler Lee's room so when I saw this rainbow stacking toy I had to pick it up for him. I also thought this peg puzzle was great and my boy loves his Peter Rabbit peg puzzle so this has been a winner with him too. I gave both these toys a deep clean with Dettol and they're perfect now. The most important thing is that Tyler Lee loves them and I love that they didn't cost a fortune which most wooden toys seem to do!

 First Dinkies. The peg puzzle above made us realise that we should perhaps get Tyler Lee his first dinkies, he was using the peg puzzles pieces as cars, making engine sounds and pushing them along the floor. We picked up his first dinkies in our local Smyths store and he actually has six but I couldn't find the other two for the picture, he loves hiding his toys around the house! He loves pushing these along the floor now and thinks they're hilarious when they move on their own. They were great value too at just €1.62 for the little ones and €3.99 for the bigger one, which when you pull back zooms by itself across the floor. 

 LumiPotti. This is the potty which Tyler Lee is going to be toilet trained with. The LumiPotti is a standard potty but comes with a removable, battery powered, movement activated night light to aid night time potty training. I've already gotten Tyler Lee to sit on the potty by himself so that's step one done at least! He's only 18 months old next week but I thought it'd be good to at least introduce him to a potty and see if he shows an interest. This will be great for letting him know that he can use the potty during the night even if his father and I are asleep. The potty now stays in the bathroom so that he can find it for himself. The LumiPotti is £19.99 and comes in vanilla or green and can be bought via Amazon from the LumiPotti website.

Cussons Mum & Me Sleep Tight Baby Bath. I've only ever used Cussons Mum & Me moisturiser on Tyler Lee before but I decided to try this baby bath with him as he was fighting his sleep a lot and not going to bed when he usually was. I made him up a nice, warm bath with this and it gave great Hollywood, fluffy bubbles and really relaxed him as it's made with Lavender. When he came out of the bath he was yawning and rubbing his eyes so I put him to bed for the night and he went straight to sleep. I think this is a great bath product for little ones and it's now on offer in Boots for just €1.99, such a great price that I couldn't help picking up two bottles.

 Bedtime Reading - Alice In Wonderland. This book was such a big hit with Tyler Lee, it's Alice In Wonderland illustrated by Mauro Evangelista and he really loved the illustrations, he was transfixed with them whilst I was reading. I always pass him the book after I've finished reading so that he can look through the pages himself, the page pictured above really caught his eye, he was feeling Alice's face. I'm so glad Tyler Lee seemed to enjoy this book as Alice In Wonderland is one of my own favourites. This book was also a huge bargain as I also picked it up at a carboot for just 50p.

 Huggies Soft Skin Wipes. I picked up these Huggies wipes when they were on offer at my local Tesco and I'm so glad I did, they're fantastic for Tyler Lee's skin. I initially got them as I saw they had shea butter in them and he had a very running nose at the time and I thought these would be softer on his skin rather than his normal wipes, I wasn't wrong. I picked these up again recently as they were on offer in my local Boots for just €1.29 a pack and they have been great for nappy changes during this teething time. I love how moist the wipes are and they leave his skin feeling very soft. Even though I have a drawer full of Pampers Extra-Sensitive wipes I want to keep buying these Huggies wipes, that shows just how great I think they are!

 Henry Hoover Toy. This wins the 'favourite toy of the year' prize outright. Tyler Lee absolutely loves the hoover so we wanted to get him his own mini one so the hoover isn't lying around the house and he's not playing with dirt and dust. He loves his Henry Hoover toy, he carts it up and down the stairs, has hoovered the entire garden and is always playing with it. I hope his love of hoovers will stay with him all through his life so he can hoover his own room when he's older! He is obsessed with this toy, it really was the best €22.99 ever spent!











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