We were BLESSED with sunny blue skies and good temperatures for the whole of September and even a chunk of October but the wind, rain, and cold have now firmly arrived.
Luckily, I was ready with water proofs, so the rain didn't see Aaron getting wet bless him.
As you can see from MY feet above, I wasn't quite so lucky. WHY was I wearing sandals with a SUEDE wedged heel in such conditions? Well simply because the elevation of the heel helps my plantar fasciitis, and means I can actually walk instead of hobble. Thankfully Daddy has now bought me boots, as an Anniversary gift, so problem solved:
They are fabulous. They mean I can walk pain free for hours AND I can even cycle in them!
Doing the #SchoolPedal Without Getting Wet
When the first onset of rain came, I had Aaron wearing this jacket:
I thought he was the Bees Knees (LOOK at the jacket and you will see the pun is very much intended). I thought the YELLOW of it meant he was very visible on his bike, and that the plastic of it would mean he was water proof.
It takes BAD wind and rain, added with a bit of dim light and you really get the measure of whether something is weather appropriate!
Being YELLOW is NOT enough. In dark mornings and evenings, especially when cycling, HI VIS is required.
So here's what we now have in our new Dickies Store Vermont Water Resistant children's jacket:
With even more detail given in the specification:
The ABSOLUTE best part of the Dickie's jacket is that it comes with trousers. The day above, where I said we cycled home with him in his yellow jacket, his legs got soaked. I said to him "Aaron that wouldn't have happened with your other jacket as it comes with water proof trousers" so we both agreed we'd be sticking with that from now on.
The good thing is, I cycle with a rucksack, so it's easy to always have water proofs in there, for those times when rain catches you by surprise.
There are other reasons that all of this is required. Firstly the clocks go back this weekend (remember it is FALL BACK and SPRING FORWARD), and secondly, every Friday we cycle to and from football practice so even when it wasn't dark for our #SchoolPedal home from school, it WAS by the time we got back from football and will be even more so now with the Winter evenings :-( so all of the hi vis and weather protection is very much necessary.
Oh the absolute irony of me calling this post "Get Under Cover" after what happened THIS morning. We were about 12 minutes late for school, which meant the path up to school was full of nursery children, their buggies and their parents and we struggled to get passed them all. They start at 09:00 and we start at 08:45 so it was our fault for being late. Anyway when I was closing the gate from the path to the bike shed, I was moaning to myself, under my breath, about how none of the Mums had made it easy for Aaron to get passed, even though their school doors weren't even open yet, and therefore it would have cost them nothing to let him passed, instead of driving their buggies like the footpath equivalent of a Land Rover that owns the road. Anyway a dad was looking over at me, and I thought he was genuinely intrigued or sympathetic. No, once I locked the bikes and walked down the other path to school, I finally got the chance to look down, and two of the buttons on my blouse had popped open, so ............. I guess the advice in this post, about wrapping up, should be swallowed whole by yours truly too. I might not be famous but I certainly experienced one of those wardrobe malfunction thingy thingies!!!!!!!! #Yikes
Today, it was very dry as we left, although the pavements and roads were wet so it clearly rained overnight. As it was a bit chilly I put on Aaron's new Winter Coat, and wanted to put his DickiesStore rain jacket on top but he wouldn't let me. It's okay though, as it is light enough to carry in a rucksack for when needed.
For times like that, when he needs a coat for warmth, but it is not raining (or snowing), he doesn't have anything hi vis in his new (Primark) winter coat, so what I will be doing is putting his new Hi Vis Children's Waistcoat on top of his Winter Coat. I haven't got pictures of him in that yet, but will add some within 24 hours.
So now he has the DickiesStore Children's Water Resistant Suit (only 13.50 GBP) AND a Primark Winter Jacket (only 12 GBP) so for wet days he only needs the former, for dry days he only needs the latter, and for those days where it is cold, windy AND wet, he can wear the two together. We've done this type of layering the last 2 Winters (with other jackets) and it really works, but as it's been about 8 months since Aaron's been layered up like that, when I put them both on together yesterday, he said he felt like a "hot air balloon" - he took them off so quick, I didn't even get a photo. I know my boy though, when the temperatures REALLY drop he'll be putting them both on VERY willingly and then I will be on the hunt for a hat, gloves and scarf, which is next on my never ending shopping list!
Even though Aaron only turned 4 in June, both jackets, the DickiesStore one and the Primark one, are both in sizes 7-8 and neither of them are too big, although they are roomy enough that they will definitely see him through the Winter months in all conditions :-)
I forgot to say, Aaron has a very large head. In fact the circumference of it was why I needed a C-section. I was very impressed that the hood on the Dickies Store jacket was deep enough to accommodate him:
Liska xx
Disclosure: We were sent the DickiesStore suit and the DickiesStore hi vis waistcoat for the purposes of this review. We bought the Primark jacket ourselves. We love all of them and every word here is my own.
Doing the #SchoolPedal Without Getting Wet
When the first onset of rain came, I had Aaron wearing this jacket:
It takes BAD wind and rain, added with a bit of dim light and you really get the measure of whether something is weather appropriate!
Being YELLOW is NOT enough. In dark mornings and evenings, especially when cycling, HI VIS is required.
So here's what we now have in our new Dickies Store Vermont Water Resistant children's jacket:
- A draw string hood.... this is SO necessary! The other day Aaron cycled home wearing the jacket you see above. The wind was in our faces, so the hood kept being blown off. Aaron dealt with this by cycling, one hand on the bike handlebars, and one hand on the hood. This began quite near home so alarming as it was, being a confident cyclist, I let him. I felt a bit stupid given that we already owned our new jacket at this point, but had out of habit gone out with the yellow one. Lesson learned though! By the way the hood DOES fully cover his head and curls, he was just being a very unwilling model in the photos below.
- Elasticated cuffs! The first time Aaron tried it on, it was the VERY first thing he noticed. He said "this is like an apron" - you know the ones they paint in at school. They are so needed for wind and rain though, and you'll see that they are lacking in the jacket above (which incidentally satisfactorily got us through many a sunny rainy day - it's just not built for Autumn/Winter).
- Hi Vis stripes, which you'll see "DickiesStore" refer to below as "reflective tape detailing". They ARE quite high vis though, as you'll see in the pic of Aaron with his best friend below.
- A zip, with storm cover buttons on a flap ON TOP. The above jacket only has buttons.
- All of the seams are sealed, as you see in one of the "inside out" pics below.
- It's a suit so it comes WITH TROUSERS. So needed for cycling, when your legs are more exposed and your thighs are horizontal!
- A good roomy hood, that folds into the collar, when not in use!
What the brand's description says about it:
DickiesStore Children’s Vermont Water Resistant Suit benefits from all the features the adult suit has. With draw cord adjustments and elasticated cuffs providing all round weather protection.
- Three colour options.
- Manufactured from hardwearing PVC.
- Two pockets.
- Mesh buggy lining to keep warm.
With even more detail given in the specification:
Jacket
- Zip fastened front with studded stormflap.
- Elasticated cuffs.
- Tail hem with drawcord adjustment.
- Two jet pockets.
- Reflective tape detailing.
- Raglan sleeves.
Trousers
- Fabric: 100% polyester PVC waterproof fabric with tape welded seams.
- Full elasticated waist.
- Side pocket access.
The ABSOLUTE best part of the Dickie's jacket is that it comes with trousers. The day above, where I said we cycled home with him in his yellow jacket, his legs got soaked. I said to him "Aaron that wouldn't have happened with your other jacket as it comes with water proof trousers" so we both agreed we'd be sticking with that from now on.
The good thing is, I cycle with a rucksack, so it's easy to always have water proofs in there, for those times when rain catches you by surprise.
There are other reasons that all of this is required. Firstly the clocks go back this weekend (remember it is FALL BACK and SPRING FORWARD), and secondly, every Friday we cycle to and from football practice so even when it wasn't dark for our #SchoolPedal home from school, it WAS by the time we got back from football and will be even more so now with the Winter evenings :-( so all of the hi vis and weather protection is very much necessary.
Oh the absolute irony of me calling this post "Get Under Cover" after what happened THIS morning. We were about 12 minutes late for school, which meant the path up to school was full of nursery children, their buggies and their parents and we struggled to get passed them all. They start at 09:00 and we start at 08:45 so it was our fault for being late. Anyway when I was closing the gate from the path to the bike shed, I was moaning to myself, under my breath, about how none of the Mums had made it easy for Aaron to get passed, even though their school doors weren't even open yet, and therefore it would have cost them nothing to let him passed, instead of driving their buggies like the footpath equivalent of a Land Rover that owns the road. Anyway a dad was looking over at me, and I thought he was genuinely intrigued or sympathetic. No, once I locked the bikes and walked down the other path to school, I finally got the chance to look down, and two of the buttons on my blouse had popped open, so ............. I guess the advice in this post, about wrapping up, should be swallowed whole by yours truly too. I might not be famous but I certainly experienced one of those wardrobe malfunction thingy thingies!!!!!!!! #Yikes
Today, it was very dry as we left, although the pavements and roads were wet so it clearly rained overnight. As it was a bit chilly I put on Aaron's new Winter Coat, and wanted to put his DickiesStore rain jacket on top but he wouldn't let me. It's okay though, as it is light enough to carry in a rucksack for when needed.
For times like that, when he needs a coat for warmth, but it is not raining (or snowing), he doesn't have anything hi vis in his new (Primark) winter coat, so what I will be doing is putting his new Hi Vis Children's Waistcoat on top of his Winter Coat. I haven't got pictures of him in that yet, but will add some within 24 hours.
So now he has the DickiesStore Children's Water Resistant Suit (only 13.50 GBP) AND a Primark Winter Jacket (only 12 GBP) so for wet days he only needs the former, for dry days he only needs the latter, and for those days where it is cold, windy AND wet, he can wear the two together. We've done this type of layering the last 2 Winters (with other jackets) and it really works, but as it's been about 8 months since Aaron's been layered up like that, when I put them both on together yesterday, he said he felt like a "hot air balloon" - he took them off so quick, I didn't even get a photo. I know my boy though, when the temperatures REALLY drop he'll be putting them both on VERY willingly and then I will be on the hunt for a hat, gloves and scarf, which is next on my never ending shopping list!
Even though Aaron only turned 4 in June, both jackets, the DickiesStore one and the Primark one, are both in sizes 7-8 and neither of them are too big, although they are roomy enough that they will definitely see him through the Winter months in all conditions :-)
I forgot to say, Aaron has a very large head. In fact the circumference of it was why I needed a C-section. I was very impressed that the hood on the Dickies Store jacket was deep enough to accommodate him:
Disclosure: We were sent the DickiesStore suit and the DickiesStore hi vis waistcoat for the purposes of this review. We bought the Primark jacket ourselves. We love all of them and every word here is my own.
Being able to see children clearly on these winter mornings and afternoons is so important. the jackets look cosy and practical.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to have those stripes with the dark days coming up! :( I LOVE your wardrobe malfunction story and will have to refrain from calling you Judy from now on!
ReplyDeleteLooks like both of you are set for the winter. I love your boots.
ReplyDelete