LivingwithKids

I haven't got £1,000 to spare at the moment *sigh* but inspired by Josie at Sleep is for the Weak I've decided to share my fantasy shopping spree. And because it's my fantasy shopping spree I'm afraid I'm not going to be remotely worthy - it's all going to be for me, me me.

First of I'd like a new handbag. A gorgeous, desirable, buttery-smooth leather handbag. This would not be a handbag for screwed up receipts, old lozenges and lidless lipsticks. This would be a brand new bag, full of promise, to hold my life together. A bag like this DKNY Distressed Leather tote from House of Fraser, for £240.

Then I need a dress. Not a school run dress but an utterly beautiful dress, like this one from Coast, £85.

Of course I would have a brand new coat. Not a coat of many colours, rather a mac that will see me through this awful endless rain and into spring. A mac like this stone cotton trench  from Jigsaw (£185).

I would need shoes, too. These Dune Kross Platform Peeptoe Satin Ivory Shoes , in fact, from John Lewis (£95). And earrings - these Amethyst ones (£115), plus a Marc Jacobs wrap bracelet (£60) from Liberty.

And because all that dreamy shopping would make me tired, I'd like a bath in my favourite lavender foaming bath (£17.75) from L'Occitane while sipping on a glass of Laurent-Perrier from Majestic Wine (£45) and nibbling on caviar from Fortnum and Mason (£130). And I might even have a box of chocolates from Hotel Chocolat. Well, I did say it was my fantasy.

*What would you spend your fantasy £1000 on?

Aren't these Sesame Street kids t-shirts from M&S fab? They also do Bert and Ernie too, and they're only £5 each, bargain!

They reminded me, though, that Sesame Street is probably the only kids' TV show that my sister and I used to watch when we were little that's still on. I wish they'd bring back Rentaghost - although I doubt our sophisticated children would appreciate it!

Which kids' shows would you like to see back on TV?

I don’t have much in common with Victoria Beckham, apart from bunions, and other than being a mum, but like her I do love trench coats, which is just as well because they’re one of the key looks this spring. Stylish and brilliant for slipping on to do the school run, going to the office or, if you're VB, dodging the paparazzi. 

The difference between a trench and a mac, in case you’re wondering, is that trench coats tend to be more military in style, with epaulettes and flaps and deep pockets. M&S have a great selection – here are two of the best:

Autograph Essentials Double Breasted Trench Coat with belt (£69)		Water Repellent Zip Fastening Trench Coat (£79)

I'm not sure why I've spent the past 25 years or so refusing to wear wellies. I think it stems from when I was a teenager and 'green wellies' were seen as deeply uncool. Ever since then I've resisted wearing them at every possible opportunity. Great for kids, I thought, but not for grown women who don't drive 4x4s and say 'yah' a lot.

But last week, as I struggled across the muddy rain-soaked quagmire that used to be the common, I was forced to admit defeat. This is largely because my Uggs finally gave up the ghost - they developed a split just above the heel which grew and grew until finally all the suede was split too. *sniff*

So I've done something I never thought I would do. I've just ordered these brilliant mock croc/snake black wellies from Next, and I also love the pink and orange ones and the Kidston-esque strawberry patterned ones too. £20 a pair! Bargain.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas. We were up early this morning as usual (the puppy doesn't have any concept of the phrase 'lie-in') and I decided it was a good opportunity to hit the sales. No, I don't mean rushing to the High Street to trudge my way at a snail's pace along behind thousands of other shoppers (this is not my idea of fun). I mean online.

My absolute top tip for sale shopping - particularly in the current climate - is to only buy things you know to be useful, and hopefully believe to be beautiful. Some of the best sales are at M&S , Mothercare , John Lewis and Laura Ashley- they have up to 50% off -and Debenhams have up to 70% off. Plus you get money back for your kids if you shop through KidStart. To see a full list of the best sales and how much you could get back for your kids, click here.

Happy shopping!

Now of course I treasure every homemade calendar, wood and pottery present I've ever been given by my offspring for Christmas. And if Tinkerbell and her friends are reading, I'd really like some fairies to come in and clean my house from top to bottom (yes, even the skirting boards) sometime before the 25th. But if someone is planning to buy me something, bearing in mind budgets are tight this year, I'd like it to be something I really, really want. So here's my pick of some of the best Mum Gifts around this season:

Michael Kors' Very Hollywood Eau de Parfum. Everything about this fragrance screams glamour - from the pink box to the beautiful bottle, which will look stunning in your bathroom or on your dressing table. And of course it smells heavenly - with delicious notes of mandarin, iced bergamot, jasmine, ylang ylang, raspberry and gardenia. Simply fabulous. From £33.28, available at House of Fraser .

A pair of Cath Kidston pyjamas. OK, so maybe they're not the sexiest things in the world (although they are very pretty) but they look incredibly snuggly and sometimes that's A Good Thing (£40, available from John Lewis). Also available at John Lewis is this adorable Jan Constantine 'Love' make-up bag, (£29).

A spa voucher from SpaFinder . One of my favourite presents ever has to be the spa visit the Man of the House gave me one year - a whole day of pampering and nothing to think about except myself and which room my next treatment was in, amazing. I don't know any woman who wouldn't be thrilled to be given one/some of these for Christmas.

A CD to do some mummy dancing to. I don't really want to find Susan Boyle under my tree this Christmas, good though Wild Horses is. I want to find Cheryl Cole's fab album 3 Words (£8.95, available from Play.)

M&S's lovely Signature candle. It's only £7, but it's stylish and elegant and smells of delicious grapefruit and ginger - perfect for lighting while you take a relaxing pampering bath with....

Goodworks amazing Good To Unwind gift set (£20, available from Boots). Simply everything you need for some serious Mum TLC, in one brilliant package and at a bargain price.

And finally, a good read. I've chosen two with a slightly spooky theme. Marian Keyes just keeps getting better and better, and her latest, The Brightest Star in the Sky, is an absolute genius of a book. And newcomer Cally Taylor's novel, Heaven Can Wait, is beautifully written, a real page turner - can't wait for more from her. Both available from Waterstones.

P.S: don't foget to tell your nearest and dearest that if they shop through KidStart for any of the above, they'll get money back for your kids. What's on your Christmas wish list?

I absolutely love The White Company - their catalogues seem to promise a lifestyle where messy muddy puppies, shouty children and mismatched lingerie simply don't exist. Every year I look forward to the Christmas collection - we still have the beautiful glass baubles we bought a while back - and this season they've really outdone themselves.

There are gorgeous kids' clothes, toys, home accessories (including even more beautiful glass baubles). But my personal favourites are in the women's collection. I particularly adore this stunning alabaster Cashmere Kimono Cardigan (£180, but if you shop through KidStart you get 3.5% back for your kids) and matching Chunky Cable Accessories (from £30).

And this dark charcoal marl textured wool cape (£120) is perfect for slipping on to do the school run, or, um, going out to the wood shed to fetch a basket of logs for the open fire (OK, I might be getting carried away here. We don't even have a fireplace.)

One of my favourite retailers, Next, has just launched their Next Generation competition to find aspiring little models aged four to seven to take part in a shoot for the  Directory. I've spoken to the organisers and they've told me that the emphasis is very much on fun - they want the kids to look like they're enjoying themselves.

So if you think this is something your son or daughter would like to do, join the Next page on Facebook and then click on the Kids Competition tab and follow the instructions on how to enter. And if they make it through to the final 100, do let me know!

And talking of Christmas (sorry!) I've decided that this year it makes sense to spread the cost a little by buying a few presents now, and I'm starting off my online shopping trawl with Tesco.

I'm supposed to be looking at gifts... but I've been TOTALLY sidetracked by the fact that you can now get KidStart savings back for your kids on their fabulous clothing range, too (a very generous 3.5%). I don't think I'm going to be able to resist this absolutely gorgeous Florence & Fred cardigan (£25), bang-on-trend check shirt dress (£14) and blue leather bag (£40). Well, it is my birthday soon!

If there's one thing that makes me really angry at the moment (OK, it's one of many!) it's the thought of celebrities' children being turned into fashion 'icons'.

Right now, there's a lot of attention focused on little Suri Cruise, who reportedly has a 'million dollar wardrobe' , (including, bizarrely, shoes with big heels).

Suri Cruise is three.

Of course little girls (and some boys) often become interested in clothes at an early age. They become fussy about what they will/won't wear (I know a little boy who insisted on wearing his wellies to bed and a little girl who likes to wear party dresses everywhere, even playgroup). And you cut your measure according to your cloth, as the saying goes, so if you can afford to spoil your kids, it's hard to resist the temptation not to.

But spending such an obscene amount of money on a wardrobe for a toddler is crazy. The most important thing about children's clothes, as most parents know, is that they should be PRACTICAL. And I feel really uncomfortable with the idea of 'fashionising' children, celeb or otherwise. The other day someone asked me if I'd take part in a 'who's the best dressed celebrity child?' poll. My answer? A big fat NO.

Let me know what you think.