We love you Milton Keynes

It's been a busy couple of weeks and I have failed miserably to keep up with the blog.  Last weekend was manic, with the BabyExpo in Milton Keynes and the Mumpreneur Business Awards.

The BabyExpoUK exhibited for the first time in Milton Keynes rather than it's usual Brighton home.  After a long drive with a car full of stock, Toddler and weekend bags, we arrived on Friday afternoon ready to set up the stand for the weekend.  The Expo was held in the main shopping centre: thecentremk.  What a fantastic venue.  The organisers, Suzanne and Mel from Whats on 4, did a remarkable job and by 9am on Saturday morning, the whole area was alive and buzzing, full of bright, colourful stands.

Saturday was busy with a steady stream of customers.  Thankfully, the lovely Jana of Spotty Dot who had a stand next to me, was on hand to keep an eye on the TT stand whilst I grabbed toilet and coffee breaks.  It is well worth checking out her website and looking at her gorgeous soft toys and rattles.  She also does a fantastic range of handmade t-shirts. 

There were also lots of things happening on the stage including talks by the lovely Annabel Karmel and sleep expert Jo Tantum.

On Sunday, Nanny Tyke manned the stand for me whilst I headed off to the Mumpreneur Business Awards (more on that in the next blog).  Although quieter on the Sunday, Nanny Tyke still did a roaring trade - especially in our fab slipper socks.  There are going to be an awful lot of warm toesies in Milton Keynes this winter!

A big thank you goes out to the lovely Gillian of Mojo Maternity who was on the other side of us.  She specialises in maternity wear for both taller and bigger ladies.  Gillian herself is tall which was a blessing to Nanny Tyke who will quite happily describe herself as 'vertically challenged'.  The layout of the stand meant that Nanny didn't stand a chance of being able to break it down on her own at the end of the Expo without a ladder, or the help of Gilllian and her husband.  If you know any tall pregnant ladies, I would most definitely recommend checking out her website.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend.  We spread the Tykes Tights love and met so many wonderful mums, dads, nannies, grandads and little ones.  This is one event that we will be putting in our diary for next year! 

Choosing a school

As a teacher, choosing a school for Toddler should be a doddle.  I should know all the right questions to ask and exactly what to look out for and expect.  So why do I feel like I'm going to get it wrong?  It is such a massive decision to make and it will affect him forever. 

There are about 5 schools local to us which are options.  Two of them have been ruled out straight away because of their reputation.  I think having insider knowledge is worse because it makes you more picky.  The obvious choice of school in terms of location, progress, attainment, beahviour etc is ideal except for one major flaw.  It has recently moved into the building that I worked in for 10 years.  The building where I met Toddler's dad, where we worked together, where I taught when I was pregnant with Toddler and, ultimately, where I cried a million tears when Toddler's dad left.  It is only a building - bricks and mortar - but it holds just so many memories.  It is the place of my most happiest and my most saddest memories.

Today I conquered my fears of returning in order to take Toddler for a look around to see if it would be suitable for him.  As I walked in the main entrance, my stomach churned.  It was just like the old place.  Even Toddler recognised it (despite not having been there for over a year) and at one point he even tried to run down to the staff room! 

The Head took us on a tour and, knowing I had worked in the building before the refurbishment, took us around the whole school rather than just straight to the early years area.  It was a very strange experience to see somewhere so familiar look so different.  The early years area looks completely different to how it did when it was a middle school and the whole school in general has a different vibe.  Whilst we talked, Toddler made himself a few new friends in reception and had to be pried away from the wendy house. 

By the time we came home, I think I had managed to lay a lot of my demons to rest.  It's the start of a new chapter for our family and that building.  Time to move on.  I know Toddler will be happy there and can start to make his own new memories of what lies within those walls.

So, decision made.  School chosen.  I think...

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?

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...

Marmite...

Boy's tights - you either love them or hate them!

I love talking to people about boy's tights.  I love the reactions you get when they realise what you sell. 

Imagine the scene - I'm at a babyshow or Christmas market, a young lady, her partner and little boy saunter up to my stand to have a look.  We start the small talk whilst they have a look around.  I explain what we sell.  Cue the following reactions:

Lady - either a) Looks really interested, makes eye contact and dives for her purse
            or     b) Looks at you with concern, makes a polite excuse about her husband probably
                          not liking the idea and heads for the exit.

Man -  either a) Looks at you with concern, turns away and runs
             or    b) Just turns and runs

Of course, this is not true of everyone I meet but there is definitely a pattern emerging.
I think I only rarely sell boy's tights to men.  It is usually the ladies or the grandparents that go for the idea.  I think men are scared of tights! 

Occasionally, I will come across someone who won't bother with the polite comment and will tell it how they think it is.  Apparently, putting a baby boy in tights will affect their sexuality!  "I don't want my boy growing up gay" is one I have heard too often!  I would love to come back with a quick retort but I guess it's not professional.  Instead I just smile.  Another one I have heard is "You can get them cheaper in Asda" - oh really, do Asda sell boy's tights? 

I guess, like Marmite, you either love 'em or hate 'em.   I'm not going to try and convert the haters, afterall it is a personal choice but I will make sure that for those of us who love boy's tights, there is a wide range of gorgeous styles to choose from each winter at Tykes Tights, ready to keep those little legs toasty warm. 

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!

A day in the life of a Tight wearing Tyke - part 2

Quite a long time ago, I posted “A day in the life of a tight wearing tyke”.  I thought perhaps it was time to do another one.  Afterall, a lot has changed in that time.  In the first post, Toddler Tyke was just 18 months old, he is now a strapping 3 year old and has a completely different daytime regime.  Another big difference, is that Daddy Tyke was then living with us, now it is just Mummy and Toddler so, of course, many other aspects of daily life have changed to take this adjustment into consideration.

So, Toddler’s day starts anywhere between 7:00 and 7:30.  He usually lays in his bed talking or singing to himself until he hears me call him.  Then he comes running into my bedroom and jumps into bed for a morning cuddle.  After a sit on the potty and getting dressed, it is downstairs for a drink.  Cup of tea to wake mummy up and usually milk or ‘nana’ milk for Toddler. 

3 days a week, it is then a mad rush to get to nursery on time but today is Wednesday, a more relaxed start to the day as we don’t need to be anywhere until half past 9.  Toddler’s morning routine includes spending at least 15 minutes deciding which cereal he would like.  Weetabix?  Shreddies?  Shapes?  We go through all the options but usually come to the same end result – Ready Brek with raisins. 

After breakfast, it is upstairs to do teeth.  Sounds so simple doesn’t it?  After procrastinating, choosing several toys to take, forgetting something very important when halfway up the stairs and having to go back down for it, more timewasting and eventually we get to the bathroom.  Cue time to clamp mouth tightly shut whilst twisting head in all manner of directions to avoid the toothbrush.  Sigh!

Back downstairs for shoes and coat.  (Coat?  In May?)  This can easily take 20 minutes and usually results in mummy Tyke counting to 3 with the threat of the naughty chair if Toddler doesn’t act upon the given instructions.  Toddler has to do EVERYTHING himself and his way. Often he succeeds but often I hear the words “You must do it mummy” when he realises that actually, he can’t.   Finally, all ready to leave and Toddler decides he is taking his train/peppa pig van/gruffalo bag/slinky/torch with us.  More procrastinating as I tell him in no uncertain terms that we do not need to take toys to Toddler Group.  Instead we agree that Toddler can take his imaginary friends – Twigs and Tree Fu Tom who he has cradled gently in his hands.  Finally, just as I think we are going to get out the door.  Toddler reminds me that Tree Fu Tom and Twigs haven’t brushed their teeth.  Of course! Silly Mummy! After digging out the imaginary toothbrushes to brush their teeth, I am informed that the toothbrushes aren’t kept in the kitchen and I ‘must’ go upstairs to find them.  Sigh.  Count to 10 and calmly tell Toddler that these are the only toothbrushes we have and if he isn’t happy with that, Tree Fu Tom and Twigs will have to go to Toddlers with dirty teeth.

Amazingly, we arrive at Toddler Group just 5 minutes late.  Toddler quickly rushes off to socialise with his little buddies and grab the tools before anyone else spots them whilst I settle myself down for a good old natter with my buddies.

After Toddler Group, it is home for a quick lunch, sit on the potty, grab Toddler’s rucksack and off for an afternoon at nursery.  I don’t need to go into more detail about doing all this I’m sure.  If you need more, just re-read paragraph 5!

4:30 and it is time to pick up Toddler.  Mummy has managed to do a few jobs, a couple of orders and not a lot else.  (Except that lovely cup of tea drunk in complete silence and finished in one sitting!)

Toddler 'helps' me make dinner by taste testing every ingredient as I try to add it to the pan.  After dinner it's play time which at the moment seems to revolve around pretend play.  Toddlers current favourite is making the sofa into a train and taking me on a journey.  He also likes to sit on his trampoline and pretend that he is an ice-cream man - I have been sold some very strange sounding ice-cream flavours over the last few weeks!

Bath and bed are not without their struggles.  Again, procrastination and independence seem to be the theme and everything takes so much longer than it used to!  After I have read Toddler his chosen story, he then likes to read it to me, his own version.  I love listening to how creative he is when he 'reads'. 

Some things don't change from my first post, Toddler in bed and it's time to get to work - maybe with the odd glass of Rose thrown in!

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 ;)

Calling all business mummies and baby forum users!

While facebook and other social media sites are without doubt one of the best ways to get your name known and promote your business, I have become increasingly frustrated with another excellent source. Stick ‘tights for boys’ or ‘boys tights’ into any search engine and, as well as finding us!, you will find links to a whole range of parenting websites and forums. Mums and dads all over the country are starting discussion threads “where can I get tights for my boys?”. The answer is simple – Tykes Tights of course! Except it’s really not that simple. The rules on these forums state that you are not allowed to advertise your business. I was even banned from one forum for thanking a particular mum for adding a link to my website.

I can see all these people that need a little nudge in my direction and there is nothing I can do about it! It is so frustrating! As a mum who had exactly the same problem, I would have appreciated someone sending me a link but when I write on these forums, in the mediators eyes, I am no longer a mummy, I am a business woman touting for business. Gah!

So, I have to just sit back and hope that someone else will mention Tykes Tights.

How do other people get around this? I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

Oh, and if you happen to come across a discussion on a forum and wish to mention us, please feel free!!!

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!

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?