Adventure Togs ..... and all that!

"Happy Birthday" Adventure Togs

It's been 6 years since we opened our virtual doors! How time flies when your having fun. It just seems the other day that Penny & John, the Outdoor Scene rep's at the time, poured the contents of their suitcases over my living room floor and my first (very scary) order was placed. Very quickly, the Jumbo Suit, a childs waterproof all-in-one suit became our best seller.

Over time our website has been updated for our changing needs and our colour scheme from greens to blues. Many of our early products have remained, e.g. the Keela Waterbug and Snugbug although the colours have changed, and new brands have come along e.g.Togz Waterproof Rainwear and Target Dry.

We have embraced social media with our own facebook page, twitter account and of course this very blog. And to co-incide with our 6th birthday, we have joined forces with some Twitter friends to form http://kidsclothescollective.co.uk, a blog which represents quality Independent Childrenswear shops in the UK. The blog features news from our shops, reader reviews of products as well as some lifestyle features and predictions of the latest trends in the Childrenswear sector. We are thrilled to be involved with "Kids Clothes Collective" and hope you will join us!

 

I don’t think I’m adventurous enough

This is a guest post written by Emily, a work at home mum with three children under five. She writes a blog called babyrambles (http://babyrambles.blogspot.com).
 
I’ve been having a read of the Adventure Togs blog and website. And I have to say it makes feel very enthusiastic about getting out and about. My problem is I’m a bit of a fair-weather adventurer. If it’s pouring with rain I tend to stay put.
 
Even though my children love rain and playing in the puddles. They’ve all got waterproofs too so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t go out and enjoy ourselves in the rain as well as in the sun. It’s just a bit… wet.
 
This wasn’t how I was brought up. My parents were big believers that nothing should be cancelled because of rain. We had two week long rainy holidays in places such as the Lake District and Scotland. And we were always out every day, rain or shine (mainly rain).
 
I think it’s an admirable quality to refuse to let weather stop you from doing something. Unless it’s extreme weather I suppose. It’s all too easy to cancel your plans, stay indoors and have your children climbing the walls with boundless energy.
 
So I need to take a lesson from my childhood. I need to make sure we get out whatever the weather. The children always thank you for it and I don’t want them to grow up being wimpish about the rain. Maybe we should get a dog? You have to get out and walk a dog whatever the weather. On second thoughts, three young children and two cats is enough for now.
 
You read it here first: from now on I’m going out in the rain. Luckily we’ve had quite a nice summer so far. But on a rainy day you can just end up in soft play and that really is hellish.

School Holiday Madness

School holidays are a mad time for working parents. I am a constant juggler I admit, and try to fit my work around the childrens activities and family days out. Hence my excuse for the lack of blog posts of late....to compensate I am delighted to host a guest post today, from Emily, a work at home mum with three children under five (much more to juggle than myself even). She writes a blog called babyrambles (http://babyrambles.blogspot.com).

Childrens Rainwear

Its that time of year again.The school holidays are about to begin and the heavens have opened. Parents all over the country are in a panic - they are off on holiday and the childrens rainwear is too small. New overtrousers are needed, waterproof jackets for the kids, rain ponchos, waterproofs for all!

Even I am unprepared. I know my youngest child needs rainwear. His Target Dry waterproof jacket is too small and he needs new!

We, at Adventure Togs are always looking out for new childens rainwear and with so many excellent outdoor clothing brands on the market - Muddy Puddles, Togz, Hippychick, Regatta, Abeko, Spotty Otter, Elka, Kiba, Togz, Trespass, Columbia - we search out the best waterproof rainwear for our children.

So if you are in a last minute rush for your pre-holiday shopping..... look no further!

Childrens UV Protective Clothing

It has become so important that we protect our skin from the damaging rays of the sun. Reading an article in the Telegraph last Saturday Doctor Dawood: Why do we carry on tanning? made me realise that many people are still not taking the dangers seriously enough. There is no excuse for sunburn when there so many excellent sun protection products on the market. In addition to the multitude of high uv factor lotions and potions, there is clothing which will almost totally block out UV rays. We have recently introduced some Konfidence Childrens UV Protective Clothing to our range. From UV protection t-shirts  to long sleeve UV Suits for babies and toddlers. The range also comes with matching hats.

Alternative Boden Catalogue

I do love Boden, but we're all game for a laugh. I've joined Dulwich Mum, the blogging queen in her quest to create an Alternative Boden Catalogue. I hope you like my entry, Adventure Mother.

Boden Catalogue Page 24,
Leah (What do you like most about men: their weapons..ouch!) wears Slinky Party Frock in Starlight White. En Route Boots (page 203).

Gun (Leah's own).

Pacable waterproofs & summer showers

Just when I thought summer was here to stay, I have this morning been caught in a downpour! I sent the boys off to school with their Mac-in-a-sac waterproof jackets safely tucked in their bags and I met my walking friend as usual at 9am, expecting the rain from around lunchtime (according to the weather man!). We had literally been walking for 10 minutes when it started and yes, I was unprepared. Although I have now dried off, my straightened hair is a frizz (hiss). If I'm lucky I won't actually need to face anyone for the rest of the day as have enough work to keep me going for several hours and I'm sure a Lush bath this evening will sort out my woes :)

I keep saying this, but I am so lucky. We have amazing walks on our doorstep and I must start taking some photos on my travels just to prove we do actually get out there. In the meantime, I have pinched an image from Peter Knowles (our local photographer and friend) who photographed Rob Brydon who was chosen to be immortalised in steel alongside acting legend Richard Burton and a local man – forest ranger Dick Wagstaff – all local heroes to the community. The steel three-some stand along our fantastic cycle/walk route thanks to Sustrans.

My Incy Wincy Office.

I posted on Twitter the other day that "I love my little office" - It's true, it is so small but I love disappearing in there to work, escaping from the rest of the house - the cooking, cleaning, etc. and being the boss!

Working from home is so very different from a typical work environment. I structure my day so that most of my work is done between 10 and 3, so there is just enough time to fit in a quick walk after the school run (and I mean RUN most mornings). Next, all the orders are from the previous 24 hours are processed and emailed to our warehouse and then other stuff! Other stuff varies day to day from sourcing new products and invoicing schools to SEO and marketing. Some days it is very organised, other days it seems all of a jumble but I wouldn't swap it for the typical 9-5.30, 5 days a week. Oh no!

I was fortunate enough to only work 2-3 days a week as a locum pharmacist when my boys were younger, but I was never truly satisfied with just being mother on the other 2-3, especially when they started nursery and needed me less. I always felt guilty that I should be working. I did not have the opportunity to go back to my pre-motherhood position on a part-time basis. It was full-time manager or nothing. Hence I locumed in pharmacies as close to my mother's home (the babysitter) as I could get, so I could feed boy 1 before starting work, pop back to feed him at lunchtime and again another feed before the 40 minute drive home. It didn't help that he would not take a bottle at all, so expressing was not an option. When I look back, I really don't know how I did it.

I recently came across a website called My Family Care which helps employers establish the right childcare and eldercare solutions for their employees. It may help others who are in similar situations.

I still juggle some locum days in amongst our sales of outdoor clothing, in addition to another professional role I have with the Pharmaceutical Society. But as long as I have my incy wincy office to escape to, I'm happy!

Mac-in-a-Sac Jacket Winner

 Our Mac-in-a-Sac Jacket Facebook Giveaway came to an end yesterday afternoon at 3pm. Thank you to all our new Facebook fans who entered the draw, please keep an eye on our Facebook page for more special offers and competitions. The lucky winner yesterday was Jenny Kearney from London, who chose a lime jacket as her prize. We will be posting it off to her today!

Well done Jenny!

Outdoor play and learning

I am not a fan of copying and pasting other peoples text. However, I thought this was interesting reading and am sure many of you will agree!

The term “nature-deficit disorder” was coined by author Richard Louv in his book “Last Child in the Woods” to describe what happens to young people who become disconnected from their natural world. Louv links this lack of nature to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.

Research is also showing that getting young people outdoors is helping ease attention disorders.  Click here to access the original scientific article "Coping with ADD"

Read more at http://www.cbf.org/Page.aspx?pid=702