New Year, New Opportunities

Living on the coast, it is a tradition to go for a walk along the seafront on New Year's Day. As the sun was shining and the sky was blue, it seemed silly to pass up the opportunity.

As expected, half the town was taking the same opportunity and it was lovely to bump into several friendly faces and have a New Year catch up.

Walking along, I started to ponder what 2013 had in store. As well as my own personal New Years resolutions, I also have some for Tykes Tights and my thoughts turned to planning how I would implement the changes. The past couple of years have been quite difficult for me with a lot of emotional highs and lows. I doubt very much that this year will be any different but as I was walking, my thoughts turned to a quote I had seen on a friend's facebook page. Julie, who runs local company Balanced Health had posted this quote several months back. I don't know why it randomly popped into my head but it seems very appropriate:

"More often in life, we end up regretting the chances in life that we had but didn't take, than those chances that we took and wished we hadn't" - Anonymous



So the start of a new year, the first day of a new book. Only we can write what is on those pages with our own thoughts and actions. Only we can decide whether our story has a happy ending. It's not about what this year has in store for us, it's about what we have in store for it!

Happy New Year!

Tykes Tights in print!

We recently did an article for Insight magazine.  Although I have seen the proof, the hard copy arrived through the door this weekend:-

What's in a name?

I was thinking the other day about nicknames.  I remember at school that many of the others in my year group had nicknames, although this tended to be mostly boys.  Lots of nicknames are surname based. 

This got me thinking about my own nicknames for Toddler.  He has loads but mostly all a version of the same thing.  These are the ones I use the most:

-          Tickle

-          Tickle monster

-          T monster

-          Bunny

-          Munchkin

I can’t see any of these going to school with him! 

Did you have a nickname?  Do you use nicknames for your children?

Understanding the mind of a 3 year old.

Being a single parent isn’t easy.   I don’t mean the day to day stuff, although that can be a challenge too.  I mean the stuff that appears out of nowhere and throws you.

Toddler has started having issues whenever he comes back from his dads.  Last time, when he got home, he poo’ed his pants for 5 days in a row after being clean for months.  It might have just been a natural potty training blip but it still makes me paranoid that there is something going on in his head.  Every time he comes back, he has an unsettled night.

Last night he woke twice and was really angry both times, crying and kicking his blankets about.  When he got up this morning he was still really angry.  He couldn’t tell me why he was angry but I am now pretty convinced that there is a pattern emerging.

His dad and I have been able to put our personal feelings aside where our son is concerned.  We are friendly and amicable in front of him and we even go for family days out together for Toddler’s benefit.  We still get on as friends and he speaks to his dad every day on the phone and he enjoys looking at photos of himself when he was little and daddy lived with us.  Of course, Toddler can’t remember daddy living at home – he left when Tom was 1. 

He has also started to play one of us off against the other.  Yesterday he told me that when my favourite song came on the car radio, he told daddy that it was my favourite then daddy turned it off and he was sad.  After speaking to daddy, I found out that he did indeed tell daddy it was my favourite song then daddy asked him if he wanted to listen to it and toddler said “no, you can turn it off”.

I wish I could get into the head of a 3 year old and see exactly what is going on.

I have googled the subject to death and found that the unsettled, angry behaviour is quite normal but it still makes me feel guilty.  I am constantly wondering what I can do to make the situation easier for him.  He knows that we both love him and he enjoys the days out that we have together. 

Any advice?  I don’t want to end up with a screwed up angry teenager!

When 'manflu' strikes!

This week has been manic!  What with the start of Tykes Tights season, car troubles and a million other things.  Phew.  Thank goodness it is the weekend!

Let's end the week with a bit of fun.  I came across this website earlier in the week and had a good giggle.  With winter around the corner, I am sure there are lots of men who are getting prepared for the onset of manflu.  Us women should make sure we know exactly what to expect when this terrible illness strikes our loved ones!  (Sigh - there are times when being single has it's advantages!)

For a tongue in cheek view on 'manflu', check out

http://manflu.info/

So what is all the fuss about?

Since the launch of Tykes Tights two years ago, we have been overwhelmed with support. 

Who would have thought that so many mums out there were suffering in the way I did.  Lost socks, cold legs and unhappy bunnies.  I have also chatted to some lovely mums who, having grown up, or experienced living in other countries, have also been willing to shout from the rooftops about the wonders of boy’s tights.

This is what they have to say:

“I was surprised how difficult it is to find tights for boys in the UK. I grew up in Germany where most children wear them. There are plenty of colours and patterns to chose from in the shops to suit boys and girls. This is in sharp contrast to the UK. Here, tights are very much considered to be for girls only although they are a great piece of clothing for children of both genders. Our 20-month-old son has been wearing tights (sent to us from Germany until I found this website) ever since he was a baby. They are great at home where he wears them with a jumper and a pair of thick socks. They keep him warm without restricting his mobility. Tights are brilliant for outdoors too. Worn under trousers or dungarees they have kept our son warm during recent cold winters.”  - Michaela

“In Poland boys wear tights till approx 7 years old (where they go to kindergarten) . When they are 7 and go to school they are not eager to wear tights and then we buy them boy’s leggings and socks together. When they are without shoes you can see only socks but under the trousers they wear boy’s leggings. For my boys it is ok and my sons’ colleagues also wear boys pants when they start going to school.” - Agnieszka

"I was amazed that I could not get boy's tights in England.  I grew up in Italy where boy's tights are very common.  I expected there to be a greater variety in England as the weather is so much colder.  I am so pleased that I have found Tykes Tights, especially with the cold winters here in England" - Mariella

It seems like the rest of Europe are way ahead of us.  Why has it taken us so long to catch up?  I would love to see rows of boy's tights in every department store (Tykes Tights of course!)  Maybe one day...

To bath or not to bath?

Toddler has always loved bathtime
 

Since Toddler was a tiny newborn, we have shared baths together.  When his Daddy lived at home, we would take it in turns to have a bath with him.  Now of course, it's just me.  Toddler still has a daily dip in the bath as part of his bedtime routine but about once a week (usually at the weekend) we jump in together.  Toddler loves it and I often use it as a bribe if he doesn't want to go to bed. 

The only thing I don't like about shared baths is that I like my baths nice and hot, Toddler likes his cold.  I'm not talking warm, but proper cold.  We compromise in that I have a soak in the bath by myself for 10 minutes then put the cold water in at one end for him. 

Toddler loves to pour water over my head, use my legs as a slide and stick foam letters onto my tummy to write his name.  It is such a lovely experience and always very chilled out.  A nice calming way to end the day - no stress, just lots of cuddles and laughs.

But when do shared baths become inappropriate?  Toddler is now 3 and of course he knows that boys have 'dinky's' and girls have bottoms.  He knows that boobies are for feeding milk to babies.  He often compares our bodies when we bath together which in my opinion, is a healthy way for him to learn about the differences in boys and girls.  At what point though is he 'too old' to have a bath with his mummy?  Now at 3?  4?  5? 

Going for Gold!

Now that the news has sunk in a little bit, I can start to think rationally again.

Yesterday, we found out that Tykes Tights had got through to the final of the Mumpreneur UK awards.  It is the first award that we have ever entered and I didn’t think for one minute that we would get this far. 

Finalists were due to be announced on Wednesday and I spent most of the day refreshing my twitter and facebook feeds for updates only to find out that due to the larger numbers of applicants, results day would now be Friday.

So, yesterday, back to refreshing every few minutes until I saw a twitter post saying that finalist emails had been sent out.  I kept looking at my phone for the green flashy light to tell me that I had  a new email.  I wasn’t surprised when it didn’t come.  Afterall, out of all the small businesses in the country, it was unlikely that I would be recognised on my very first attempt.  I wasn’t disappointed as it was kind of what I was expecting.  I had looked through lists of previous finalists from 2011 and 2010 and recognised a lot of names and companies – people who had really made their mark – it was quite daunting.

A little later, I fired up the laptop.  Seems my email and my phone aren’t talking to each other properly as there, in my inbox, was an email from Mumpreneur UK!  Shock, excitement, confusion, panic – I think I went through a whole range of emotions in those first few minutes.

The email explained that over 1200 businesses had applied for the awards.  That’s a lot of application forms to go through!  There are 9 categories and 8 finalists have been chosen for each category.  Tykes Tights has made it to the ‘Best Mumpreneur Product’ category which is primarily for mums who have invented their own product (another reason I didn’t think we would get this far) but is also for mum’s who have brought a unique product to market.

Now we have a month to wait!  Good news is that I get to go to a fantastic conference next month, listen to some inspirational women and pick up lots of information and advice.  All this will be washed down with a lovely 3 course meal and the day will end with the award winners being chosen and prizes being given out.  Can’t wait! 

I have now got to submit some paperwork and sample products to the judges.  I have to tell them why Tykes Tights deserves to win.  I need to impress the likes of Jo Elvin (Editor in Chief of Glamour magazine) and Vanessa Gold (MD of Ann Summers). 

No matter what happens on the day, whether we walk away with an award or not, I am completely honoured and overwhelmed at having got this far and that Tykes Tights has been recognised as one of the top mumpreneur companies in the whole of the UK!

 Boy’s tights rule!

What are little boy's made of?

Since Tykes Tights launched in 2010, it has been rather a solitary mission.  I feel like it has been me against the world, trying to promote the advantages of boy's tights.  Of course, I have met lots of mums and dads along the way who have the same views as me and have returned each year to stock up on their boy's tights which is great.  But banging the drum on your own is no fun.  Until now!

Ladies and gentleman, I would like to introduce you to Slugs & Snails!
 

Slugs & Snails was started in Ireland by Kat for exactly the same reasons as I started Tykes Tights.  Neither of us were able to find tights for our little boys.  Whilst I emabarked on finding the best qualitly boy's tights from other parts of Europe and importing them, Kat's journey led her down the path of designing and manufacturing her own range of tights for boys.  For the past year, we have both been banging our own boy's tights drums but this winter, we will be banging our drums together.

Slugs & Snails tights can now be found on our own website.  They are bright, funky designs which cover the whole tight - not just the ankle or bottom and come with anti slip soles meaning your little one can race around without slipping.   Each pair of Slugs & Snails tights comes packed in a box making them perfect for gifts.

Click here to visit Tykes Tights and check out the range of Slugs & Snails tights for yourself!

Babies in the office?

I was inspired to write this post after watching a fantastic two part BBC documentary called “Babies in the office”.

For those who didn’t see it, London based taxi company, Addison Lee, trialled the American trend of allowing staff to bring their babies into work.  At the start of the trial, many of the staff were a little wary of the idea and to be quite honest, I did wonder myself how they would be able to meet their targets and continue a normal working day amid the chaos of a dozen little people. 

We all know that little people can be rather demanding.  What do you do when you are in the middle of an important phone call and all of a sudden, your baby starts crying?  Would the babies become bored of sitting by a desk for 8 hours with no other stimulation?  Surely being stuck in an office cannot possibly stimulate a child in the same way that, for example, a trip to a baby and toddler group can?

After the first trial week, many of these issues did arise.  The babies and the staff all had to fit into a new routine.  At times, some parents had to leave the office early because their children had had enough and some parents were unable to meet their deadlines or hit their targets.

It was decided that the trial would be extended for a whole month.  During that time, it became clear that the office was not really an ideal environment for a toddler.  Although many of the toddlers did find a nice routine and were stimulated by the environment around them, we all know how demanding a toddler can be.  We also know how inquisitive a toddler can be and you can’t really afford to take your eyes off them for a second!

Parenting is a full time job.  So is working.  Is it really possible to combine the two?

The longer trial proved to be a success.  The parents and babies found a system that worked for them and the company found that some parents were even meeting their pre-child targets.  Ok, the level of work achieved might not have been as it was before the babies arrived but the company were not just looking at what they could gain in the short term.  Addison Lee discovered that by allowing parents to bring their babies to work, they were creating loyalty within their staff.  Many staff that would have given up work to look after their children, were returning to their job thus saving the company time and money that would be required to recruit and train new staff. 

By the end of the trial, Addison Lee had to make a decision.  Were they going to continue allowing staff to bring babies to work or would the idea end when the trial did?  I am delighted that Addison Lee have become the first UK company to allow babies into the workplace.  Based upon the results of the trail, smaller babies are welcome into the office and the older babies and toddler s have been provided with on-site crèche facilities.  The positives for both parent and child outweighed any negatives.

It’s a huge step forward in dealing with childcare issues in this country.  Many parents, including myself, either give up work, change their career or take a step down the career ladder in order to raise their children.  Addison Lee are helping parents to work whilst still being there for their children.   Juggling work and children is never going to be easy , Addison Lee have taken a step closer to making it easier.   
                                                                                                                          

 What did you think of the programme?  Would you welcome this type of scheme in your workplace?  Have you felt like you have had to choose between a career and being a parent?  Would you take your baby to work?

2012 – I’ve been waiting all year for you!

Last night, as the clock struck 12, I had a text from one of my best buddies:

“Happy New ‘your’ Year chick. Hope you’re smiling it in. Loves ya! Xx”

At that precise moment, I knew exactly what I should do and plastered a huge great big smile on my face to welcome 2012 in. As you already know, so I won’t go on about it, 2011 was a tough, challenging year for me personally. All I wanted to do was get it out of the way and start afresh. Now my chance has arrived and I am grabbing this New Year with both hands, ready to take control.

Already, I have got lots in the pipeline. This is going to be a fantastic year for Tykes Tights – so many wonderful plans and goals to be achieved. If I ever doubt myself, I look back over some of the wonderful emails I have received in the last few months – words of thanks, praise and encouragement from so many customers. In fact, it was one such email that I received a few days ago that inspired me to do a bit of creative writing for a national newspaper. Watch this space!

The most important thing to remember as we start a new year is that life is what you make it. It will try to knock you down, it will try to squeeze the air out of your lungs but you are in control. If you let it beat you, it will. If you take each challenge, no matter how big, with a smile and a positive mental attitude, you can get through it. I have already proven that to myself. So, yes, this is ‘my’ year and I am ready to rock and roll so fasten your seatbelts, put that smile on your face and let’s enjoy the ride!

Wishing you all a positive, happy and successful 2012!

"People become really quite remarkable when they start

thinking that they can do things. When they believe in

themselves they have the first secret of success."

~Norman Vincent Peale~

Potty training Toddler Tyke!

Today was the first day of big boy pants for Toddler Tyke. I feel like we have been preparing for this day for a long time, and putting it off for even longer! But today was the day to bite the bullet and go for it.


Toddler has seen many of his friends go through the whole process and teddy has been potty trained now for quite some months. Pants have been sitting in the drawer waiting to be used and we have had lots of chats about using the potty. We have read a book about using the potty a zillion times but Toddler didn’t really seem all that interested. I put it down to him being a boy!

Signs that Toddler was ready to take the plunge:

- He could tell me what was in his nappy – wee or poo

- If he had done a poo, he would say “No mummy, don’t come near, don’t touch”

- He would run to find me if I went to the loo

- And then give me a running commentary of what I was doing (great fun when using public conveniences!)

So day one and, apart from two parcel runs to the Post Office, we had a stay at home day. Toddler spent most of this sat on the potty in front of his favourite Fireman Sam dvd whilst I bribed him with ‘treats’ if he could do a wee. Ok, maybe not the best method but it worked.

By bedtime, we had had 3 big wees on the potty, an even bigger one in his pants (my fault for giving him a drink and not thinking of the consequences until too late) and a poo in his pants (silly mummy, I should know that a poo often comes after lunch).

I had received lots of advice on what to put Toddler in during the day. I thought about no pants but he was really keen to wear them. I didn’t want to put him in trousers because they would be too tricky to mess around with if he needed to go ‘now’. Being as it was too cold for just pants, I decided to give pants and tights a go.

Pros

- Keep legs warm

- Easy to wash

- Soak up wee before a puddle is created

Cons

- Can't pull them down himself




These worked fine but I was constantly pulling them up and down for him.

I then looked through his drawers and rediscovered his huggalugs. Perfect! Why hadn't I thought of these before?  Warm legs and no need to pull them down. These should be on the shopping list of anyone deciding to potty train in winter! So, after raiding the stock room for a new supply of Huggalugs, we are ready for day 2!

Oh, and just so as you know, Huggalugs are currently 2 pairs for £10 on the website, just click here to take a look ;) Bargain!

A Tykes Christmas

Christmas 09

This Christmas is the one I have been most looking forward to and most dreading all at the same time. Ever since Toddler Tyke was just a tiny bump, I knew Christmas would never be the same again! I didn’t realise at that time just how different!


Christmas 09 and Toddler was just 8 months old, far too young to appreciate the excitement of it all but he loved the sparkly lights. The day itself was just any other old day to him but to me it was the best Christmas ever! After all, Christmas is all about children. I got excited as I opened his presents for him and became a kid again myself.


Christmas 10 and Toddler Tyke helped me to decorate the tree, or rather undecorated it! He was old enough to unwrap his own presents although was bored of this quite quickly. Again, the sparkly lights were a big hit and again, it was little more than a normal day to him – just with lots of extra toys to play with.

Christmas 10

Christmas number 3 – Toddler Tyke is a fully grown toddler – walking, talking, with his own ideas and opinions and a good understanding of what is going on. The Christmas I have been waiting for!

 

Already, Toddler is talking about Father Christmas and telling me what he would like to receive. This weekend, we went out shopping to choose some lovely new decorations for the tree and got lost in the sparkly lights, tinsel and baubles. He also met Father Christmas and put in his request. He is now old enough to get excited! I can’t wait to see his face when we put his little stocking out, when he sees presents under the tree, when we read the stories about Christmas and most of all, when he opens his presents to find the orange ‘puter he has been absolutely desperate for.

The only downer on the whole thing is the fact that Christmas is a time for families and Toddler will never spend a Christmas with his whole family around him. That makes me really sad. Since being unwillingly transported into the world of the single parent family, Christmas will never be the big family gathering that I wanted him to have.

Even more of a reason to make the most of Christmas this year and realise how lucky I am to get to experience every single second of it. I can’t wait! Bring on the baubles!

Toddler Tyke and Father Christmas - November 11

Smile!

Today Toddler Tyke had his first dentist experience. I have always been very strict about teeth brushing, not drinking juice out of lidded cups, sweets in moderation etc with the aim to promote the importance of dental hygiene to him.

Today I had a check-up at the dentist and decided that he was probably the right age to come along with me and see what it was all about.

I had been preparing him for several days, talking about how excited I was to go and see the dentist and how he could show the dentist his lovely clean teeth. On the way, I talked very positively about what a lovely time we would have and if he was a good boy, the dentist might give him a little present. Sitting in the waiting room, he chatted happily to some of the other patients and played with his toy cars.

We were called in and he watched with interest as the dentist looked in my mouth and took a ‘photo’ of a tooth that had been giving me trouble.

I smiled lots to reassure Toddler that everything was ok and it was a good experience. The dentist showed Toddler the photo of mummy’s teeth and then he got a chance to sit in the chair like mummy. He was fascinated by the fact that the chair moved up and down.

 

With a bit of encouragement, Toddler eventually decided that he would like to show the dentist his teeth too and opened wide.

After a quick peek in his mouth, he was presented with a lovely green balloon which he quickly passed to me and asked me to put in the bag.

Once we got to the car, I asked Toddler if he wanted to hold his balloon.

His response “I don’t like that balloon – it’s too greeny!”.

"When I thought I couldn't go on, I forced myself to keep going. My success is based on persistence, not luck." - Estee Lauder

At the end of last year, I was celebrating my wedding anniversary and looking back over 5 years of wonderful life with a man I loved. Just weeks later my world was blown apart and I found myself facing a scary future as a single mum. Looking back now, I don’t think I have any real recollection of the first quarter of this year. Most of it was lived through a haze, a basic survival instinct and nothing more. My only reason for getting up each day was Toddler Tyke. Despite what was going on in our lives, he still needed his mummy, still needed to be fed, dressed, nappy changed etc.


As we head towards winter and the end of 2011, I keep reflecting upon this year and how it has changed me. When things were tough, everyone kept telling me I was tougher, a strong person who could get through this. It is only when you really need it do you actually realise how strong you can be. Your inner strength comes from somewhere, deeply hidden and takes over to carry you through.

Tykes Tights took a major battering at the start of the year. Like I said, I could barely function let alone work on a new business, devoting the time and energy it needed to send it into it’s first spring and summer. I spent a lot of time wondering how other people do it, how do other’s cope?

I read about Rebecca Taylor, who at 23 was a single mum sleeping on her Grandmother’s sofa. With a lot of determination and hard work, she turned her life around and is now owner of The Original Lash and Nail bar in the North of England with an average annual turnover of £200,000.

You may have heard of Sharon Wright, inventor of magnamole, a magnetic cable device to help put cables through walls. Another single mum who worked hard to achieve her dream. She is now an award winning inventor with a hugely successful business and has published books.

And of course, there can’t be anyone who hasn’t heard of Kirsty Henshaw of Dragon’s Den fame. Single mum who created a dairy and nut free desert for her young son. Since then, she has developed a range of products available on the supermarket shelves and Worthenshaws Freedom is set to become a huge name.

And that’s when I realised. Troubled times are sent to put us down or ruin our plans, they are sent to give us determination, to build our characters and help us to find the motivation we need to move on to a brighter future. So here I am, Winter season 2011 building a brighter future for me and my boy 

How will you keep your family warm this winter?

So it looks like our Indian Summer is over and has disappeared as quickly as it arrived. Who would have thought that this time last week we were baking in temperatures of nearly 30 degrees and I am now digging out winter coats and seriously considering turning the heating on.

So how are you going to keep your family warm this winter?

When Tykes Tights started, it was all about tights for boys but since those early days, our range of stock has gradually increased to include girl’s tights, socks for both boys and girls (including boy’s knee socks), slipper socks, and our latest addition, thermals.

Our range of thermal wear isn’t just for the kids either. We have thermals for the whole family, whether it be long janes for mum, thermal t-shirts for dad or vests for the kids. We also have fab adult thermal socks which have been tried and tested here at TT HQ.

Are you planning a winter skiing holiday? Do you or your partner work outdoors? From farmers to builders, market stall owners to lollipop men/women, we now have something for everyone!

So, how are you going to keep your family warm this winter? Easy – Tykes Tights!

Pop along and see what we have for you and your family ;)

Mixing Business and Babies!

Juggling a tiny person and work commitments is hard for any parents and the reason why many mums and dads choose to look for a new way to earn money - a route where they can manage their time more effectively in order to meet the demands of a growing family.  I had never planned to start Tykes Tights, the idea came looking for me and I realised that it could work.  Yes, it has taken a lot of time and some days, I feel like I let my son down because I have orders to pack, emails to reply to and blogs to write rather than getting stuck in with the play doh.  Other days, I can give my son 100% attention and leave the admin side of things until he is safely tucked up in bed.  Working, whether for yourself or someone else, and being a parent is always going to be juggling act but hundreds of new mums are full of new business ideas, looking for a way to make family life a little more manageable.

When I started Tykes Tights, I can across mumsclub where I found all the help and advice I needed from like-minded mums, as well as making great business contacts and good friends along the way.  Each year, Jane at mumsclub organises a Business and Baby Show where mums (and dads!) with new businesses or just a seed of a business idea, can gather for advice, whether it be on the legalities, setting up a website, managing social media, advertising and even gaining funding.  At the show, there is also a 'mumpreneur alley', a row or two of stands showcasing businesses who are run by mums. 
A couple of weeks ago, I entered a competition to win one of the mumpreneur stands and was delighted to find out that we were one of 20 businesses chosen to go along.

On Friday afternoon, I packed up Toddler Tyke and drove him to stay with his dad whilst I carried on my journey to Birmingham.  After an overnight stay at a local premier inn, me and Nanny Tyke were up early to head to the venue and set up for the day.  As well as selling our products, there were lots of seminars and networking events set up throughout the day.  I went along to listen to Antonia Chitty talk about the use of social media and how to promote your business.  I also went along to a 'speed networking' event where I met a host of other business mums and learned about their businesses as well as talk about how we could work together and help each other out.  It was great to finally meet some of the other mumsclub regulars who I had 'virtually' known for over a year but never before met face to face.  For any mum thinking of setting up a business, or even running a business, it was a great day with lots of information and help available.  Whilst I was busy making contacts, Nanny Tyke did a great job of promoting our products and we returned home on Saturday night with a lighter car load. 

A big thanks to mumsclub for organising the event.

I was even more delighted when I got home to find out that I had won the prize draw from Vitabella, a fab new company offering gorgeous beauty products direct from the heart of Italy.  I had tried out the handcream at the show and it smelled gorgeous, as well as sorting out my dry skin.  I can't wait for my prize to arrive so that I can try out some of the other products.  VitaBella are also looking for consultants to host parties so that they can expand the areas they reach out to.  if you are a mum looking for a way to juggle work and family, this could be an ideal opportunity!

Win a pair of our gorgeous slipper socks!

Whilst I have been getting lots of positive feedback from our customers, it would be great if other customers could see it too. If you have purchased or received any item from Tykes Tights, we would love to hear what you think.

We will be giving away a pair of slippers socks (£9.99) in the next week. To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is pop onto the website, find the item you ordered and write a quick sentence or two about it by using the ‘reviews' button then 'write a review'.

 All reviewers will be entered into the competition and given a number. The winning number will be chosen with a random number generator. The more reviews you submit, the more chances you have of winning.

We look forward to reading your reviews! The winning number will be chosen next Friday (30th September).

Good luck!

http://www.tykestights.co.uk/

No tweeting good!

I have tried. I really have. I think I have failed. Twitter sucked me in, chewed me up and spat me right back out again. What did I do wrong?

Having read blogs about the power of Twitter, I knew I had to harness this and make it my own. I made an account, designed my background and started following people. All good. My number of followers steadily started to increase and I even managed to dabble in Follow Fridays too! I had a few chats with fellow business mums and all was well – for a while.

Twitter has this habit of sucking you in. Right in. So far in that everything else gets neglected. In order to establish relationships, I found I was sitting glued to Twitter for hours. Following conversations so that I could contribute with informed or interesting information of my own. It was taking over my day.


I decided I needed to pull back. This is where it went wrong. Imagine being in the playground. Everybody is chatting and getting on well. You don’t know what they are chatting about because you weren’t at school yesterday. You missed the vital information that would lead you into the conversation. You try to start a conversation but they have already moved on, discussing something else that you missed. You stand there, alone, in the corner of the playground watching what is going on around you but not being privy to it. You give up and go inside. Fail.


Twitter – an excellent social tool when in the correct expert hands. I fear I do not have expert hands. Am I alone? How can I make Twitter work for me and my non-existent spare time?

A day in the life of a Tight wearing Tyke!

Like mother, like son. Every morning in this house starts in the same way. A nice cup of tea! Toddler Tyke adopted this routine several months ago. Not that you can really call his ‘tea’, more like milk with a hint of tea but he likes it all the same.

Mornings are always busy, whether it be swimming, play dates, tumble tots, baby and toddler group or a day at nursery, we seem to do a lot of rushing around. Time to get dressed and Toddler Tyke is already developing his own sense of style. He will quite readily tell me what he is or is not prepared to wear, usually by throwing offending garments on to the floor. Today was relatively easy, TT only pausing to ponder the merits of aeroplane tights over sports tights. He chose the aeroplanes.

After a hasty breakfast, we don our coats and set off with the buggy, to our new toddler group. En route, we collect a little buddy and accompanying nanny. Toddler Tyke has boundless energy which we try to use up in the mornings. Whilst he runs off to be the first to find the toy screwdriver, I settle down to chat with the other mummys. Today, I saw a look of horror and disgust at the mere mention of boy’s tights. I know that some people don’t ‘get it’ but really! Just 5 minutes later, my faith in Tykes Tights was restored when another mummy announced that not only would she be placing an order with me, but she had cancelled her own tights delivery from Germany(courtesy of her mother who lives there). Success!

Quick dash home in the rain and time for lunch. Ask Toddler Tyke what he would like on his sandwich and the answer is always the same – choc choc. Hmmmm, chocolate spread. I blame my mother for this, although my husband blames me for passing sweet tooth genes onto our son. With the blatant lack of choc choc in the larder, banana sandwich and yoghurt is the order of the day.

By 1 o’clock, Toddler Tyke has had enough and it is off to his cot for a nap. Cue much rushing around by mummy Tyke who uses this time to process orders from the website, answer emails, sort stock and try to catch up with the housework.

Once awake, cuddled and watered, Toddler Tyke is ready to start the second part of his day. This often includes a walk to the post office with a return trip via the ‘gark’ to play on the swings. Today’s weather has been bitterly cold and I am sure that Toddler Tyke is enjoying the comfort of warm little leggies.

After helping mummy to prepare dinner (and taste testing everything first!), it’s time to wait for daddy before sitting down to eat. By this point of the day, trousers have usually been flung to one side and Toddler Tyke is enjoying the freedom of movement without denim constraints. No cold leggies though as those aeroplanes are still doing a great job.

We don’t have 6 o’clock in this house. We have rough and tumble time. At least Toddler and Daddy Tyke do. I stay out of the way! From the safety of the kitchen, I often listen to shrieks of laughter and squeals of delight mixed in with several lion roars or tickle fingers. Only when it goes quiet, do I dare to venture into the lion’s den.

Half past six, calm restored, milk consumed and the all important question of the day answered – are we riding the Ninky Nonk or the Pinky Ponk, Toddler Tyke climbs the stairs ready for his bath and bed. By seven o’clock all is quiet. Toddler Tyke chatting sleepily to his teddies, Mummy Tyke heading for the lap top to catch up on orders and Daddy Tyke opening the much needed ‘Plinky Plonk Juice’! Our Tykes day is done. Ready to start all over again in the morning. Ready to choose between the pirate tights or the cars. I wonder…