Braving the Elements with Dry Kids - Waterproof Jacket & Trousers Review

It feels like it hasn't stopped raining since Christmas so when Dry Kids contacted us, it couldn't have come at a better time!

Dry Kids offer colourful, affordable waterproofs and I was excited to take a look at their website and see what they had to offer. We were asked to review something from their range so I picked a waterproof trousers and jacket set for Elliot.

Photo Credit - Dry Kids

When the waterproof set arrived the first thing I noticed was the quality of the clothes. Compared to Elliot's current raincoat, these were so much thicker and well made. I loved the colour, a really vibrant royal blue.

Features:

- elasticated waist of trousers for a snug and comfy fit
- poppers at ankle so the trousers can be worn inside or outside of wellies
- foldaway hood in collar
- jacket folds away in front zip pocket
- elasticated cuffs
- reflective tape detail
- vented back panel to jacket with a mesh lining

Ironically, the day the waterproofs arrived we had no rain but we decided to test the set out down at one of our local beaches. I ordered the size 3-4 for Elliot, he's only just 3 but is quite stocky but there was plenty of room in the jacket and trousers. In fact the trousers were quite long on him but I just rolled them up - it meant I couldn't use the poppers but it means he'll get a good couple of years wear out of them!

Because the jacket and trousers were a good thick quality, I had no worries about Elliot getting cold whilst we were on the beach. It was a really cold day and there was a sharp wind but the clothes kept him nice and warm..that and all the running down sand dunes!

We did actually get to test out the waterproofs later on in the week when the rain returned. We had a particularly soggy walk home from pre-school one day but Elliot was nice and dry in his waterproofs, he even road tested the trousers out in a spot of puddle jumping!

The cost of the trouser and jacket set is £13.95 which I think is great value. Everything on the website is reasonably priced, including the waterproof all in ones for £11.40

Overall, I'm really pleased with the set and I won't hesitate to purchase from Dry Kids in the future.

Disclaimer: We received the product for the purpose of the honest review. All views are my own

Settling into our New Home - Elliot's Dinosaur Themed Bedroom

Regular readers of this blog will know that last year we had to move house twice, which was pretty stressful to say the least! We have now been in our current home for two months and we are finally starting to get settled. As it's rented we aren't able to change the decor much but I'm hoping over time we can put our own stamp on things.

We have three double bedrooms so Elliot's room is a really nice size and SO much bigger than his tiny room at our old flat. It's a good job it's big because he has alot of toys! For storage I use the large stacking drawers - he has three lots of these and it makes it alot easier to organise the toys. One set of drawers is just full of plastic dinosaurs!

He also has a large play table which has big drawers underneath to store his cars and bigger vehicles. The table was a real bargain at half price (should have been £120) from Argos and it's very sturdy and heavy. Elliot doesn't really use his cars on the table but has lots of figures such as Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Clangers that he likes to play with on there.

We decided to go with a dinosaur theme for his bedroom and I picked up some really great bits in Dunelm Mill such as the black out curtains and lightshade. They also have duvet covers and door stops which match so I will be popping back to get these soon! Obviously we can't change the wallpaper but I picked up a t-rex wall sticker from Amazon to go with the dinosaur theme. When it arrived it wasn't as big as I was expecting but he likes it! Elliot also got a 3D dinosaur head for Christmas that my Dad spent hours putting together. The t-rex looks like he is coming through the wall which is quite cool....unfortunately his bottom jaw keeps falling off so I need to get my Dad round to mend him!

Elliot is a big bookworm and has lots of books - he quickly outgrew his kids bookcase so I recently bought him a standard sized one, again from Argos. It fits in his room perfectly and I love how neat and tidy all his books look in there. Well neat and tidy until he gets them all out!! His original bookcase is still in his room but this just holds his dinosaur books now, of which he has a fair few.

Yes I tidied it especially...and no it definitely won't stay this tidy!!

When we moved in I was quite relieved to see nice big radiators in the bungalow and not storage heaters. We had those heaters in our very first house and it was freezing, it never seemed to warm up!. It means I can put Elliot's pjs on the radiator so they're nice and toasty for bedtime! (See Best Electric Radiators if you're in need of some heat in your life!)

Our next room to sort out is the office - currently the desks are covered with boxes of books that I need to unpack but I hope to bring you a blog post about it once we've made it look pretty!

*This is a collaborative post

A Wintery Beach Walk

We are lucky enough to live by the sea and we have several lovely beaches within a few miles of us. But saying that, we take our local area for granted a bit and don't visit the beach as often as I'd like!

This week finally saw some dry, crisp winter days so we rounded up some friends and headed for Sandbanks Beach in Poole. The sun was shining but blimey, the wind was chilly!!!

The first thing we spotted was a tractor leveling out the sand so this kept the boys amused for ages! Not sure they were expecting to see a big tractor so that was an added bonus.

The promenade goes on for miles but with toddlers in tow we didn't get very far, they were distracted by the first sand dune and most of their time was spent running up and down, or sliding down! Elliot even ventured into the sea for a paddle - thank goodness for waterproof trousers and wellies ;)

We ended the afternoon with a hot drink in the cafe and a quick play in the playground. The sun was beginning to set and I love the natural light in the photos.

Elliot was so tired when we got back to the car that he was asleep before I'd even left the carpark - a combination of fresh sea air and lots of running around makes one tired little boy!

Do you like to visit the beach in the Winter?

Linking up with the following:

 

Slimming World, Action Men and David Bowie #LittleLoves

Occasionally I do weekly roundups with photos but today I thought I'd join in with the #LittleLoves linky via Morgana at Coffee Work Sleep Repeat. 

Read

I joined Slimming World this week so my reading material has been Sw magazines, recipe books, online forums etc! I've done Slimming World before but it a good few years ago so I've been familiarising myself with the plan. I'm looking forward to weigh in on Monday to see how I've done! 

Watched

My new favourite comedian is Greg Davies and we have been watching lots of his old shows this week like Man Down and Cuckoo. I can't believe I've not watched Man Down before, it's so so funny!! 

We've also been enjoying Walking the Himalayas - I wasn't too fussed about watching it at first but it's been brilliant and so interesting. Levison Wood is being hailed as the new Bear Grylls - he might just be my new favourite action man ;)

Credit - Channel 4

Made

The weather has been really cold this week so we've had lots of healthy warming meals like fish pie and spaghetti bolognese. I actually did the bolognese in the slow cooker and it was so simple and I loved the fact I could come home from a busy afternoon and it was done! 

Wore

My wardrobe has consisted of jeans and jumpers but I'm looking forward to a shopping trip to Southampton at the end of the month to spend my Christmas money!

Elliot got sent a set of waterproofs from Dry Kids this week so he's been testing them out. Typically it has been dry for the last couple of days but we went for a walk on the beach yesterday and the waterproofs were perfect for keeping him warm and dry....especially when he decided to go splashing in the sea!! 

 

Heard

Obviously the news has been dominated by the sad deaths of David Bowie and Alan Rickman this week. Alan Rickman was such a great actor and no one can play a villian like him. 

I felt especially sad when I heard about David Bowie because he was such a big part of my childhood - my sisters and I used to watch the Labyrinth all the time and we all loved him as the Goblin King! Elliot loves the film now too and we've been listening to the soundtrack in the car all week :)

And lastly...

Last weekend was full of birthday parties (Elliot went to three!) and it was pretty tiring, this weekend is completely empty so we are looking forward to spending some family time together! 

Going on a Dorset Dinosaur Adventure

Elliot is dinosaur mad! The majority of his toys are dinosaur related, he sleeps under a dinosaur duvet, he has a whole book case dedicated to dinosaur books, he idolises Andy Day and I have lost track of how many times we have watched Andy's Dinosaur Adventures!

So where do you take a dinosaur mad 3 year old on a rainy day? The Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester of course! 

The Dinosaur Museum is the only museum in the UK dedicated solely to dinosaurs, makes sense really being that Dorset is well known for it's Jurassic Coastline . The museum has been opened since 1984 and promises a hands-on experience. Something that is very important for an inquisitive toddler! 

When Elliot found out we were going to the Dinosaur Museum he was really excited and when we arrived and spotted two giant dinosaurs outside, he was literally bouncing along the pavement! 

Admission is quite reasonable, we paid less than £20 for two adults and one child but it's worth checking the website as they have money off vouchers and different offers which include other museums in Dorchester. 

The museum looks really small from the outside but it's actually surprising how much is inside, including some life size reconstructions! There are different rooms featuring lots of interesting facts, interactive displays, dinosaur bones and much more. We were given a quiz on the way in too which encouraged us to read all the displays! Obviously Elliot can't read yet but there was enough to keep his attention and he loved all the big dinosaur models.

I love the fact that the museum is very family friendly and hands on - I'd hate to visit somewhere and spend the whole time worrying about Elliot touching things he shouldn't! 

Our last stop of the afternoon was the gift shop and it was stocked full of dinosaur related goodies. Unlike some gift shops we have been to (looking at you Disney World!), everything was reasonably priced and most things were under a fiver which is perfect for pocket money spends. We really didn't need anymore dinosaurs at home so we bought Elliot a little pack of fossils and a mini magnifying glass which he had his eye on. I think he could be a little paleontologist in the making! He was also pleased as punch to receive a medal after completing the dinosaur quiz....with a little help from Daddy! 

The Dinosaur Museum is the perfect place to spend a couple of hours on a rainy Sunday afternoon and I'm sure it won't be the last time we visit! 

Linking up with the following linkies:

Looking Back at 2015

I know this is a cliche but I cannot believe we are now in 2016!! The second half of the year absolutely flew by as we had so much on and Christmas arrived way too fast leaving me a bit unprepared.

It has been a challenging year with lots of highs and a few lows but here's some memorable points!

Pre-School

Elliot started pre-school in September and he is absolutely loving it! I knew he wouldn't have any issues and he proved me right, he runs on in so excited and I love the big cuddle and smile I get when he runs out at home time!

First day at pre-school!

Family Hols

We were very fortunate to become a Bluestone Blogger at the beginning of 2015 and we were able to try out one of their lovely lodges at the Bluestone National Park Resort in West Wales. We had a really fun short break and just looking at the photos is making me want to return!

Bluestone National Park Resort

Our next short break was in May and we went to Butlins in Minehead.  It was our second 'Just for Tots' break and we had a great time, so great in fact that we didn't even end up leaving the resort all week which is quite unusual for us. The highlight of the week was meeting Mister Maker who was performing there - what a nice man!

Just For Tots, Butlins Minehead

Our big family holiday was a two week break to Florida in September and something we'd been looking forward to all year. We stayed in a lovely villa in Kissimmee and had the best time visiting all the theme parks. My highlight was Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party -  Elliot loves spooky things and we had a great time seeing everyone dressed up and trick or treating!

Potty Training

After lots of failed attempts and wondering if Elliot would still be in nappies at 15, I stopped getting so stressed about potty training! He refused to sit on the toilet or potty and would get really upset if we tried to make him. In December I had decided to wait until the New Year to try again, think he just wasn't ready.

But one rainy day when we were home, I decided to have another go....and he only went and cracked it! That first day was rather stressful with a lot of tears (him and me) but by the end of the day he was actually weeing on the toilet - woohooo! We were even brave enough to go out to soft play without a nappy and all was fine. Within a few days, he was completely dry in the day and since then he has been dry at night too.

My only issue is poo :( He thinks its too scary to poo on the toilet so he'll only do it in a pull up! Will be tackling this so any tips welcome ;)

Blogging

My blog had it's 1 year anniversary/birthday in July and it's mad to think I've been blogging for well over a year now. Blogging for me is a hobby but I would like to take it up a notch.

I feel inspired when I see the great things fellow bloggers such as Sabrina at The Mummy Stylist and Laura at Life With Baby Kicks are achieving and it is giving me a kick up the bum to blog more!

Moving House

This has been the biggest challenge of the year because we had to move twice in 3 months which was just bloody hard work and the biggest stress we've ever had to endure!

After writing a list of things I'd learnt from moving, little did I know we'd be on the move again just a couple of months later. Unbeknown to us, our new landlord had accumulated quite a big arrears on his mortgage and the courts had issued the house to be repossessed! We really didn't expect to be receiving eviction notices hand delivered by the baliff and to say it was a stressful time is an understatement. We managed to extend the repossession by a few weeks but as the eviction date got closer and closer we had no choice but to accept the fact we were going to have to move house again....absolutely rubbish. Luckily we managed to get our deposit back and also luckily, we found another lovely house just a few minutes walk from Elliot's pre-school.

Our second move wasn't quite as stressful because we did it over the course of a week and had no-one waiting to move in on the same day! But I got a bit sick of packing and unpacking and even now, after we've been in our new house for 2 months, I've still got one room to unpack. Fingers crossed we'll be here for some time, I don't think I can look at another cardboard box for a while!

Although it was a stressful time in our lives and a really crappy situation, things have actually turned out for the better now. I love our new house and it feels so much more homely, we are back within walking distance of our friends and most importantly, Costa is just round the corner ;-)

Birthdays and Growing Up

Elliot turned 3 this year which I'm still trying to get my head around. We celebrated by throwing a spooky themed birthday party for his friends and Elliot dressed up as a zombie mummy...as you do! It was great fun - we had a bouncy castle, spooky music, enough food to feed the whole of Dorset and lots of noisy children in fancy dress!

I'm really enjoying Elliot being this age - I love our conversations and he's so bright, he asks so many questions and doesn't ever forget a dinosaur fact! At the moment he's into jokes so we bought him a joke book for Christmas. But actually he likes to make them up - they don't make any sense but he thinks he's funny!!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and here's to a great 2016!