A midwinter midlife lately

By |2024-02-09T20:46:43+00:00February 9th, 2024|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

It feels as though the year is slowly opening its eyes doesn't it? My grandma was an incurable romantic and she insisted that Valentine's Day was the day when every bird found its mate. Obviously nature isn't quite as well programmed as that but some are pairing off already - the owls in our garden have been busy for ages and now the herons on the canal are catching up. It does feel as if hope is there, even if [...]

Midlife lately August – simple summer moments

By |2023-08-11T15:24:04+01:00August 11th, 2023|Categories: Family, Midlife, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

What should we talk about today? It can't be clothes because I seem to be living in jumpers and jeans so I think it has to be a midlife lately - August. I know that lots of you are on holiday, as are we usually. In fact this is the first August since 1997 that I haven't been away somewhere or other and it feels strange. We spent May, June and July constantly on the move, mostly for work or [...]

Midlife – as your family moves on, so does your life

By |2023-07-28T17:24:15+01:00July 28th, 2023|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

And so, as you'll know if you follow my Instagram feed, there was a big day for our family a couple of weeks ago. It was the middle one's graduation, a day I found myself completely unprepared for in terms of impact. It was a bit like pregnancy when you find yourself so focused on the birth that it's almost a shock when you have to take the baby home with you afterwards and you realise that in the [...]

4 learnings I’m taking from 2022

By |2023-01-13T19:10:30+00:00January 13th, 2023|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships|Tags: , , , , |

Something a bit different today because there's no point in talking about clothes at the moment - we're going to need an Ark up here soon if the rain doesn't stop! Before I start though I just want to thank you for all of the encouraging comments and messages you sent after my Christmas post, they were so heartwarming to read and they helped my year of blogging to end on an especially happy note. So talking about learnings suggests [...]

Autumn midlife lately – time for a catch-up

By |2022-10-14T17:05:45+01:00October 14th, 2022|Categories: Family, Health, Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

The weeks seem to be flying past at the moment so I thought it was time to take a mid-season pause and have a catch up with an autumn midlife lately. I've found random photos of various moments on our camera rolls so here's what's been going on in the background while I've been talking about travel and new season clothes. Autumn midlife lately - empty nesting Towards the end of September it was finally time for the youngest [...]

When your family moves on and expands – welcoming partners into the mix

By |2022-09-11T13:31:26+01:00September 11th, 2022|Categories: Family, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Pre-script Since I wrote this we've travelled to St Lucia and on the flight over we heard the sad news that the Queen had died. It felt right not to publish this the following day but a few people have been in touch saying that they'd be grateful for a break in the sad news that surrounds them. So I hope I won't upset any of you by sending this live now. It's difficult being away and not feeling part [...]

Holidaying with your adult children – a time of adjustment

By |2022-09-02T17:41:02+01:00September 2nd, 2022|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well how lovely it is to be chatting to you again. It's odd but life feels as though it slips through my fingers when I'm not blogging; time's tendrils gather round me and without being logged, the memories evanesce. So my next two posts will be an indulgence for me - I need to squirrel away our happy Kalkan times because the boys' lives are really moving on and I can't see us the five of us having the opportunity [...]

Closing off summer chez Midlifechic – it’s goodbye for a while

By |2022-08-12T16:18:33+01:00August 12th, 2022|Categories: Family, Style, Work life balance|

I'm taking you on the road with me again because I haven't yet had a chance to sit at my desk and draw breath. Behind the scenes I'm busy talking to retailers with both my consultant and my blogger heads on so I'm very well prepped for AW22... but I don't think any of us want to go there just yet do we? This is going to be my last post for a little while because we're about to head [...]

Love & marriage – the joy of a simple wedding

By |2022-07-29T18:25:27+01:00July 29th, 2022|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

This week and next for me are all about tinsel and baubles. It's officially my 30th year in retail and 'Christmas in July'... I've been doing this for a long time! Going in and out of Christmas events on hot London days does leave you somewhat confused - it's like the feeling you get when you wake up in a hotel somewhere exotic knowing that you'll end the day back in your own bed. However, as the boys would say, [...]

Midlife Lately – Making summer weekends count

By |2022-07-21T15:01:20+01:00July 15th, 2022|Categories: Family, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Well hello and a huge thank you for all of your comments last week - I think it's a record. Just as I was beginning to wonder if you'd stopped reading you astounded me. I usually reply to everybody individually but I have a lengthy corporate identity document to complete so instead I'm going to spend any spare blog time I have collating each comment into a report. I'll add 'noted' under each one so you know that your feedback [...]

Clothing to combat hot weather & midlife lately

By |2022-07-21T15:03:57+01:00June 17th, 2022|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

My goodness these weeks roll around quickly when the sun's out don't they? We have a lot going on on the domestic front at the moment and I'll tell you more about that at the end so it's a catch-up post today. I'm going to start with a run through of what I've been doing and wearing, move on to clothing to combat hot weather (I think you need it more desperately in the South than we do up here) [...]

What I’m wearing at home and abroad

By |2022-05-27T17:00:12+01:00May 27th, 2022|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As promised it's a catch up today with a bit of an outfit round-up. I know you've seen snippets of our short break in Lanzarote but I'll tell you a little more about that and then talk about what we did for my surprise birthday weekend. So without coming over all Foreign Office, today's post is all about what I'm wearing at home and abroad. There are a lot of pictures and I've tried to keep the writing as short [...]

A midlife catch-up – what I’ve been doing and wearing

By |2022-04-01T17:10:30+01:00April 1st, 2022|Categories: Exhibitions, Family, Midlife, Style, Work life balance|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

And here we are on 1st April which means we're a quarter of the way through the year already. I'm not bringing you the post about getting older that I was hoping to because I just haven't had time to do it properly. Instead, when I was looking back at my camera roll trying to make sense of the fact that the year's going so quickly I realised that there were lots of photos on there that I haven't even [...]

So that was Christmas! Hello 2022…

By |2022-01-14T14:21:57+00:00January 14th, 2022|Categories: Christmas, Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

So that was Christmas! Hello 2022 - I'm wishing a rather belated Happy New Year to you. As you'll have gathered if you follow my Instagram account, our Christmas was lovely but not quite the one we expected because along with so many others, I went down with Covid. It meant that I took last week off to recoup some of my lost time with the boys before they went back - and to recover a bit. So there aren't [...]

Making the run up to Christmas feel special

By |2021-12-10T11:09:51+00:00December 10th, 2021|Categories: Christmas, Family, Gift ideas|Tags: , , , |

Well in one way or another it's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas isn't it? I still can't quite believe it's only a fortnight away, perhaps because we don't have any of the usual Christmas counting down going on here - things like the boys opening their advent calendars after breakfast or the pleasure of adding little Christmas surprises into their lunchboxes. A few of you have mentioned that you're finding it harder to get into the mood this [...]

Midlife ups and downs – and what I’ve been wearing

By |2021-11-05T17:14:34+00:00November 5th, 2021|Categories: Family, Midlife, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

After playing catch-up on our Greek trip for the last few weeks it feels good to be talking to you in real time again. We've had lots going on and I'm going to write this post the opposite way round to usual because it has some sadness and I don't want to leave you on a downer on a Friday. So I'm starting with some midlife ups and downs and then I'll move on to happier events and what I've [...]

The empty nest – how we’re coping with the end of days

By |2021-09-22T17:16:02+01:00September 22nd, 2021|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships|Tags: , , , , , |

The end of days And just like that they've flown. After 25 years of family life our nest is empty and it's the moment I've been dreading since my boys first arrived and filled our home with love, mischief and laughter. I distinctly remember holding each one of them for the first time and feeling so many things: joy, awe, responsibility, love... all tinged with an awareness that I was heading on a journey that would be over before I'd [...]

British City Staycation – Newcastle Part 1

By |2021-08-13T16:24:51+01:00August 13th, 2021|Categories: Family, Midlife, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Well hello, it's good to be back and talking to you after our two weeks away. I'm wondering how this post is going to work because a few of you will already have seen the photos on Instagram but of course there was no space on there to give you the full story behind them so I hope it will still be interesting for you. As you know after various holiday cancellations we decided to spend two weeks over at [...]

Birthday thoughts – was lockdown a lost year?

By |2021-05-18T16:47:47+01:00May 18th, 2021|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships|Tags: , , , , |

I think it's always worth taking some time to reflect as your birthday approaches and tomorrow I'll be 54 so that's what I'm doing. Of course I'm usually looking back over a busy year of personal achievements peppered with standout moments but this one, of course, has been a little different. It's hard to view the last twelve months with any kind of perspective because even though lockdown's starting to lift, it doesn't quite feel as though this strange time [...]

Cornucopia – new outfits, food and Midlife Lately

By |2021-02-27T17:02:49+00:00February 26th, 2021|Categories: Family, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Well hello, how are you? Feeling buoyed by Boris's roadmap or not? I've noticed that this week has been an emotional one for a lot of people. Everyone I've spoken to seems to be swinging between elation at having a hairdresser's appointment in the diary and despair at still having weeks of limbo ahead. I feel the same and I'll have a go at encapsulating it in Midlife Lately at the end of this post because I'll be fascinated to [...]

Goodbye 2020 and hello lockdown 3.0

By |2021-01-08T16:20:06+00:00January 8th, 2021|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Well hello! How are you? I hope your 2020 ended with a Christmas that meant something to you, even if it was a bit different - and that you feel in some way restored. Hitting a new year in a state of extreme lockdown wasn't what any of us were hoping for but we'll get through it together. Today I'm going to do a quick Christmas recap for my memory bank and then I'll share the way that I'm going [...]

Midlifechic 2020 – over and out

By |2020-12-18T18:23:16+00:00December 18th, 2020|Categories: Christmas, Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships|Tags: , , , |

My last post for 2020 - wow what a year. In fact I almost feel I should leave it at that because what can I say? I don't have enough perspective to review it dispassionately yet but I thought I'd share my immediate reflections here, even if only because one day I hope this will be an interesting sociological record to look back on. So I'm going to do it in my usual way, starting with the downs, moving on [...]

Christmas 2020 – how to make it feel special at home

By |2020-11-13T08:46:39+00:00November 10th, 2020|Categories: Christmas, Family|Tags: , , , , , |

Christmas 2020 - how to make it feel special at home As I said in Friday's post, it's still hard to know just what Christmas is going to be like this year. If the infection rate continues to fall we may see life opening up a little more but even so, I think it's clear that it's going to be a much quieter one spent at home - if we're lucky with the people who are closest to us. I [...]

Midlife lately – catching up after half term

By |2020-11-03T16:50:23+00:00November 3rd, 2020|Categories: Accessories, Christmas, Family, Midlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Hello again - as you probably realised I ended up taking the whole of last week off. Thank you to everyone who sent a little message checking up on me, it showed me that you notice when I'm not here so perhaps I do bring some value with this blog... which is something I often wonder about. Of course we 'should' have been in Paris but as it happened I had a nasty chest infection anyway (not Covid, I did [...]

How it feels when your child leaves for university – and new outfits

By |2020-10-26T12:38:22+00:00September 25th, 2020|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|

Well what a week it's been here, I have lots to tell you. In this post I'm wearing quite a few new season pieces for people who just come for the clothes and I'll finish with a surprising development on the life front for those who follow my ups and downs. But first, a huge thank you to everyone who joined me for a workout in the park with Sally at an ungodly hour this morning - I'll embed the [...]

Stitch Fix review, beauty recommendations and a singalong

By |2020-07-31T16:11:14+01:00July 31st, 2020|Categories: Family, Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

It's been a much quieter week here this week, we've been balancing our leap out of lockdown by being home-based again in a strange kind of exposure equation. It means I don't have anything exciting to report on but I have been trying out a few new things so I'll tell you about those instead with a cornucopia including a Stitch Fix review, some honest beauty recommendations and a singalong. Stitch Fix review I'm starting with a Stitch Fix review. [...]

Staycationing in London and Newcastle post Covid 19

By |2020-07-24T18:50:10+01:00July 24th, 2020|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello, how are you... it's been a while. As you know I've been away from my desk for the last week staycationing in London and Newcastle which means today's post is going to be a catch-up (and it's a bit of a long one so pour yourself a drink). So what was it like to go away just as the lockdown began to lift? Staycationing in London post Covid 19 London Thursday We started our journey on a very quiet [...]

Slowly moving out of lockdown, summer 2020

By |2020-07-10T19:41:21+01:00July 10th, 2020|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Hello everyone. Well another week has gone by, the first one of relative freedom and it was interesting to read how some of you were slowly moving out of lockdown in the comments after my last post. As so many people said, it's clear that everybody has a different attitude to risk and the good thing is that so far, most people seem to be able to live alongside each other without judging. Mr MC and I are finding that [...]

Women over 40 tell me – how is it for you? And a catch up.

By |2020-06-10T13:24:00+01:00June 9th, 2020|Categories: Family, Health, Style, Surveys|Tags: , , , , , , |

Hello and happy Tuesday everyone. I'm back after a couple of days off last week when as you might remember, Mr MC and I intended to make a plan for the next few months. We wanted to focus mostly on our business but of course like most people's, our work and life is so closely interwoven that we needed to consider everything else as well. So, we sat down with coffee and notepads and after some drumming of fingers we [...]

Midlife lately and SS20 at home outfit ideas

By |2020-05-27T16:51:17+01:00May 27th, 2020|Categories: Family, Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, I'm out of sync at the moment because I had two days off for my birthday last week and then tunnelled into the Bank Holiday. It means I'm behind with the comments (and everything else) but I'll crack on with them after this. First of all though, a catch-up, starting with midlife lately and then I'll move on to some SS20 at home outfit ideas because a few new drops have landed this week and they'll be the last [...]

Quarantine – as the days roll on – Coronavirus 2020

By |2020-05-12T16:45:42+01:00May 12th, 2020|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Quarantine - as the days roll on - Coronavirus 2020 How are you getting on? I have to admit that today is the first day when I've felt a bit fed up of all of this so I'm glad it's a blogging day. With the possibility that somebody has happened upon this post few years on from now, let me just apply some context. We're now in the eighth week of quarantine and in Boris Johnson's broadcast on Sunday evening [...]

Midlife lately – quarantine days and nights

By |2020-04-21T15:11:30+01:00April 21st, 2020|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello everyone, I'm back from my 'week off.' I hope you've all been settling into this new way of living, I thought we'd have a quick Midlife lately quarantine catch up today and then perhaps go on to look at some clothes on Friday. As this spell of good weather continues (she says, touching wood), I'm starting to think about a wardrobe for a summer that is largely, if not completely, going to be spent at home. Before that though [...]

Midlife in the time of coronavirus – more diaries

By |2020-04-10T12:54:44+01:00April 10th, 2020|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

We're coming to the end of the third week of lockdown and so I thought I'd do another simple diary. As readers you will of course know what it's like to go shopping at the moment but I'm recording it here for legacy purposes. I hope that soon we'll be looking back with disbelief and I don't want to forget how extraordinary this time was. So today do please add in the comments anything that's struck you as you've tried [...]

Hello 2020 – reflections on a midlife decade

By |2020-01-10T15:34:05+00:00January 10th, 2020|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships|Tags: , , , |

Well hello and a Happy New Year to you. I'm back to blogging a little later than planned because we had guests until 30th December and then went over to Newcastle for a family funeral so it turned out to be busier than we expected. However everything went well and mum-in-law declared it to be 'the best Christmas for years' - phew! Reflections on a midlife decade Even though it's ten days old now, I feel as though I need [...]

Road trip to Brighton – summer’s last gasp

By |2019-09-17T18:17:22+01:00September 17th, 2019|Categories: Family, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

As I mentioned last week, I have one last chapter of our 'summer of last hurrahs' to tell you about. When we got back from our teen FOMO-riddled two weeks in Turkey, I was puzzling over how to approach future holidays with the boys when Travelodge got in touch to ask if they could help me with a summer post. Immediately the idea of a road trip sprang to mind and so they suggested we [...]

IQ student accommodation – how does it compare to our student days?

By |2019-09-03T21:47:46+01:00September 3rd, 2019|Categories: Family, Travel|Tags: , , , |

School started again for us today and so I'm back at my desk busy working on the AW19 trends post that I'll publish on Friday. In the meantime we have a few things to catch up on. Way back in June, as the exams ground to an end, you may remember me telling you that I was making the most of one last long school break with the boys by planning in all kinds of things. Next year will definitely [...]

Summer holiday destinations with teens – Turkey #2

By |2019-08-16T17:32:31+01:00August 16th, 2019|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , |

Hasn't the weather been awful this week? Let's go back to Turkey! Join me in the sunshine for the second half of our holiday - there are a lot of photos so I'll try to let them tell the story without too much rattling on. At the end of the last post, I left off when just six weeks before we were due to depart, I discovered that we had nowhere to stay for the second week. Thanks to the [...]

Family holidays with teens – Turkey 2019 #1

By |2019-08-09T21:24:05+01:00August 9th, 2019|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

Well hello... it's been a while so I hope you're still there. We're back from the longest of our summer trips this year which was a fortnight in Kalkan on Turkey's Turquoise Coast. As you know it's the place where we find we can completely switch off. We first went there in 2000 when the eldest was just a toddler so we've seen it change over the years. This time I have to say it was very, very busy. Kalkan [...]

The Lake District with teenagers: The Swan Hotel & Nests

By |2019-06-20T17:13:10+01:00June 20th, 2019|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , |

After months of toil and tension, the exams have ended and this week our summer of last hurrahs began with the first of the trips you saw me planning - a few days in the Lake District with teenagers. We were invited to stay at The Swan Hotel and Spa at Newby Bridge which is in my favourite part of the Lakes, the Western Peninsula. The Swan has always been one of my top five hotels in the Lakes but [...]

Outfits of the day and more thoughts about mothering

By |2019-03-29T17:28:40+00:00March 29th, 2019|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Well here we are on 'Brexit Day' at the end of what must have been one of the craziest weeks in British history. Our business is feeling the impact. We work with a number of Sci-Tech businesses that are being badly hit by the loss of European funding, the stalling of potential global funding and the inability to get innovations passed in the absence of a governing system. As a result, some people we know are facing the loss of [...]

Thinking about Mother’s Day and the gifts that you give

By |2019-03-22T12:01:15+00:00March 22nd, 2019|Categories: Family, Gift ideas, Midlife, Relationships|Tags: , , , , , , |

I've been compiling Mother's Day gift posts for as long as I've worked in retail and as always, this year they're everywhere. So when Marks and Spencer approached me to put one together for them, I pushed back. But then they asked me to go beyond the clichés and do it with a difference and after spending some time looking through their site, I felt that I could. So, today I'm thinking about Mother's Day and the gifts that you [...]

New year, new plans at Midlifechic – Happy 2019!

By |2019-01-08T16:40:51+00:00January 8th, 2019|Categories: Christmas, Family|Tags: , , , , , , |

Well hello and a very Happy New Year to you. I feel as though I've been away for ages which is good but I've missed blogging and it was lovely to hear from a few of you who emailed last week to say that you were missing the posts. Let's catch up with a quick look back at Christmas and then a focus on new year, new plans at Midlifechic. You may remember that my last post on Friday 21st [...]

A few thoughts about Christmas 2018

By |2018-12-21T15:30:04+00:00December 21st, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships|

Before I start, I have to say thank you to Nicky Keep who sent me a picture of the above jumper when she was shopping in Sainsbury's - I rushed straight out to find one!  It's my last day in the office and I'm hoping to log off for two whole weeks so that means that this is probably the last post of 2018. I haven't really had a chance to look back at the year yet but I feel [...]

Midlife Lately – what I’ve been doing, wearing and thinking

By |2018-12-07T17:52:15+00:00December 7th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Family, Midlife, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It's been a while hasn't it and some of you have written in to ask why I haven't been doing Midlife Lately. The thing is that for me, this is not a job. As I've always said, I started Midlifechic primarily as a personal journal so that I could leave a record that my future great grandchildren might read. I was inspired to start writing after reading through boxes of family letters that I discovered after my mum died. For [...]

Gifts for teens 2018 – little ideas to make them smile

By |2022-09-23T22:22:29+01:00November 22nd, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Family, Gift ideas|Tags: , , , |

I really hope this Gifts for Teens 2018 is going to be a useful post - for me as well as for you. As I said yesterday, there isn't much around that's new. In addition teens, who have always been unbelievably difficult to buy for, now spend so much of their time in the digital world that 'stuff' just isn't on their radar. And yet they still anticipate the excitement of surprises as they look back at their childhood Christmases [...]

A week of two halves at Midlifechic

By |2018-10-05T17:12:20+01:00October 5th, 2018|Categories: Family, Interiors, Midlife, Relationships|Tags: , , , , |

Hello, its a post of two halves today because this week has taken an unexpected turn. I'll move onto that later but I want to start by telling you about the dinner party that I mentioned we were hosting last weekend. You see a little while ago I was contacted by a company called La Belle Assiette. I hadn't heard of them before but they're an online chef service. Their website covers most of the UK and it enables you [...]

What I’ve been wearing and a midlife lately catch up

By |2018-09-18T17:00:15+01:00September 18th, 2018|Categories: Family, Midlife, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I thought I'd take a breather from the madness of new season so that we can have a quick catch up. Today I'm bringing you a post of recent outfits, try-ons and a midlife lately catch up which has ended up being more introspective than I intended but that's what happens when I have something on my mind. So, as far as the weather is concerned, we seem to be sliding quickly into Autumn here but every so often, summer [...]

Beach holiday packing post mortem – Kalkan part 2

By |2018-08-26T16:48:07+01:00August 26th, 2018|Categories: Family, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , |

And so here we go, the last taste of high summer on Midlifechic before we move on to Autumn. That means we should talk a little bit about beach holiday style before we move into cosy jumper and boots territory. So here's my beach holiday packing post mortem. Packing for a beach holiday - conclusions As an experiment, I packed differently this year. You may have noticed that about 95% of my holiday wardrobe focused on dresses. Once I'd worn [...]

Back To School for Teens – a stylish way round it

By |2018-08-09T15:14:59+01:00August 9th, 2018|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , |

I know, there wasn't supposed to be a post this week but just as I was about to log off for our holiday, one last interesting opportunity dropped into my Inbox. But this time it wasn't for me, it was for the boys which made such a nice change. So often I see mummy bloggers doing posts with their little ones and wonder what it would have been like to work with mine when they were little and pliable. Poor [...]

Midlife and the turning of the generations – plus what I’ve been wearing

By |2018-06-26T18:39:50+01:00June 26th, 2018|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

And so the world of style blogging is hitting its summer lull. As the sales are in full swing and the storybook sunshine goes on, I can feel my mind turning away from its usual fascination with retail towards the things that matter more. I'm very aware that for our family, this will be our last calm summer for a while. We have no important exam results to anticipate and when autumn comes, our status quo will continue with everyone [...]

City break with teenagers – 4 days in Valencia

By |2018-06-06T17:29:13+01:00June 6th, 2018|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, I'm back. My schedule is still slightly disrupted but it's good to be blogging again. Let me tell you all about our trip to Valencia which turned out to be very simple and very relaxed - just what we all needed. This is one of those posts that is a bit of a personal journal as well as a midlife style blog. As you know, one of the reasons I write is for any future great, great grandchildren of [...]

The happiest of 51st birthday weekends

By |2018-05-21T16:39:26+01:00May 21st, 2018|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

This morning I am feeling every one of my 51 years which could have something to do with the fact that I decided to party like a 15 year-old in celebration of my 51st birthday. I haven't stopped all weekend and my brain is dead so I'm going to let the pictures do the talking and share a bit of my birthday joy with you. It all started on Friday night when my sister and brother-in-law popped over with presents. [...]

Indigo jeans try-on and what I’ve been wearing

By |2018-04-13T17:33:12+01:00April 13th, 2018|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well first of all let me start by thanking you for the overwhelming response to the survey on Tuesday. I've switched it off now because there were many more replies than I expected and it was getting expensive but it was worth every penny. I'm currently going through all of the data and comment fields. I will get back to you on some of the points that popped up repeatedly over the next few weeks and I'll answer the first [...]

Thoughts on Mother’s Day as your children grow older

By |2018-03-08T13:39:43+00:00March 6th, 2018|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

(Note to confused overseas readers - Mother's Day or Mothering Sunday is on 11th March in the UK) I've always maintained that Mother's Day is my favourite day of the year. It's better than a birthday because you don't get any older and it's a celebration of the incredible task that we undertake as we help our children grow into decent human beings. For the last 20 years I've been lucky. On Mother's Day my nest has been full and [...]

The best place for a family holiday with teens

By |2020-01-17T13:56:32+00:00January 23rd, 2018|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Travel|Tags: , , |

The best place for a family holiday with teens. I spent a few hours over the weekend wrapping up the final details of our main summer holiday as the sleet hammered down outside. I think I've already mentioned that we've decided to go back to Kalkan, our favourite spot in Turkey. We're aware that our days of school summer holidays are numbered. In fact we only have two more years after this one when we will be tied to the [...]

Midlife lately – winter outfits and events

By |2018-01-09T16:45:58+00:00January 9th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Family, Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

We have some catching up to do. Forgive me for the fact that this includes Christmas, luckily there aren't many sequins because we did most of our partying earlier in the month. When I left you in 2017, it was the eldest's 21st birthday and he was due to arrive home from London late that night. So, we're picking the story up as we arrived at the railway station to meet him. The 21st birthday Poor boy, I don't think [...]

Happy January – searching for a better way to manage 2018

By |2018-01-09T14:05:09+00:00January 5th, 2018|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships|Tags: , |

Hello - and a very Happy January to you all, I hope you've had a wonderful break. We had a lovely couple of weeks off despite being beset by illness and I'll tell you all about it in a 'midlife lately' post next week. In the meantime, I'm just popping up briefly. The boys don't go back to school until Monday and so I'm trying to be around while they're off. You see we were chatting over dinner one night [...]

Marrakech in 3 days with teenagers

By |2017-11-22T12:15:16+00:00November 7th, 2017|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Marrakech in 3 days with teenagers. Before we dive fully into Christmas madness, I thought you might like to join me for a few days of sunshine. As you know, we had a little trip to Marrakech last week. It was a plan that we came up with back in the spring when we realised that my 50th birthday was going to be somewhat subdued because it fell, as it has done all of my life, in exam season. Why [...]

On children growing away – how a stair carpet floored me

By |2018-01-08T16:54:33+00:00September 19th, 2017|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships|Tags: , , , |

As always, it's the small things that get under your skin isn't it? For the last couple of years, as I've descended the stairs I've been aware of a patch of carpet on our landing that has been getting thinner and thinner. Last week, it finally wore through. Of course the £1,000 plus that will be required to replace it is one of the reasons that I've been ignoring it- but it's more than that. The hole in the carpet [...]

Spotlight on Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo AW17 – for women and men

By |2017-08-31T09:50:16+01:00August 31st, 2017|Categories: Family, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

So we're kicking off Autumn 2017 with my favourite post of the season - the launch of Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo AW17. It is live now in the UK and launches at 9pm ET in the US (although be prepared - it launched an hour earlier than advertised in the UK). I think everybody who reads Midlifechic knows that Inès is my ultimate style icon. Other than Helen Mirren, I don't think there is anyone like her in terms of [...]

A family holiday in Kalkan and what mattered most

By |2017-08-18T17:23:36+01:00August 18th, 2017|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, I'm back! It's always a bit strange starting the first post after a holiday. It reminds me of the first day of term when you used to feel a bit nervous about going back to school even though you were going to be reunited with all of your friends. I hope you've had a good few weeks. I'm just going to write one post about our family holiday in Kalkan this time because I'm going away again next week [...]

What I’ve been wearing and the trials of student internships

By |2018-01-08T16:59:28+00:00July 21st, 2017|Categories: Family, Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hmm..what shall we talk about today? It's that finger drumming time of year so I thought I'd show you a few of the outfits I've been wearing recently. It will give us a chance to have a little chat about what's been going on too - I have a story that I've been meaning to tell you for a while about the trials of student internships. A school mum outfit Some of you may have seen this on Instagram. I [...]

Hope sale – and revisiting my past

By |2017-07-07T17:05:33+01:00July 7th, 2017|Categories: Family, Midlife, Relationships, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I have a late addition to the summer sales for you. Hope will be opening their sale tomorrow (Saturday 8th July) and I have a VIP preview which means you can go onto the site and snap up the bargains before everyone else. In preparation for the new stock arriving, they are having a huge clearout from past seasons and a lot of items are 70% off. It's a great opportunity to buy something of high quality at an amazing price. Here [...]

Simple 50th birthday celebrations

By |2018-01-08T17:02:44+00:00May 23rd, 2017|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Hello everyone. I'm just dropping in to share my simple 50th birthday celebrations with you but, before I do, I want to say a huge thank you for every single one of your kind wishes. I felt buffeted by love from every angle on Friday. Whenever I checked my phone there were new messages from different sources and I read every single one. It was absolutely wonderful and I'm so grateful to everyone who took the time to share a moment of the day [...]

Weekend wardrobe ideas and exclusive discounts

By |2017-04-23T16:40:25+01:00April 14th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Family, Style|

So, looking at capsule wardrobe ideas again, it's time to start thinking about slightly warmer weather. I've put together two new collections to give you some weekend wardrobe ideas. They have enough breadth to cover both smart and casual requirements. Let's begin with grey and blush which is this season's current winning combination - think of the shades of Provençal rosé. Weekend wardrobe ideas - rosé and grey     Rosé V neck sweater - this is out of stock at hush but [...]

Twelve things for Tuesday – and Mother’s Day weekend

By |2017-03-28T16:46:27+01:00March 28th, 2017|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Happy Tuesday everyone. It looks as though I will be spending a disproportionate amount of time driving this week as I have meetings that range from the Scottish Border right down to the Midlands. So I am putting together a quick post with a few of the things that I have spotted recently that I think you'll like and I'm finishing off with a round up of Mother's Day weekend. Easter This is probably the last stretch of time that we [...]

Thoughtful gift ideas for Mother’s Day – Spring 2017

By |2017-03-10T14:42:06+00:00March 10th, 2017|Categories: Family, Gift ideas, Interiors|Tags: , , , |

Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday as my mum would insist) is fast approaching in the UK. I always say it is one of my favourite days of the year, much nicer than a birthday because you have a lovely day without being any older. And as I'm writing this post, I'm smiling because a funny thing happened when we were having drinks with a group of friends after Christmas. As the women were discussing what presents they had unwrapped on Christmas Day, everything they [...]

Trying it on – Boden, Finery, M&S…and Hush SS17

By |2017-02-21T10:38:31+00:00February 17th, 2017|Categories: Family, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello. We haven't had a 'trying it on' post for ages so today I thought I'd show you some of the things I've been ordering. It's half term here and I've been doing my best to work from home and spend some time with the boys because I know these days are trickling through my fingers. In fact I only have 4 more February half terms left in my life. So, join me in the chaos. In the pictures below, you can see [...]

Losing the extra pounds gained over Christmas and other things

By |2018-01-08T17:09:09+00:00January 4th, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Family, Health, Project Happier, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello and Happy New Year! I know I'm supposed to be full of perky new year's resolutions but I tend to see September as more of a time to start afresh than January. For me the decorations are down, the middle son has already gone back to school and this morning, I faced the scales which led me to a moment of self loathing because I've put on half a stone. However, when I look back at the fantastic Christmas we've had, I [...]

Happy Twixmas – 6 Christmas outfits

By |2017-03-18T22:44:02+00:00December 28th, 2016|Categories: Christmas, Family, Sale, Style|

Hello - I hope you're all having a wonderful time. I'm just popping in with a few outfits of the week as promised because by next week, sequins are going to look a bit out of place. I thought it was going to be a quiet one this year because most of our friends and family are away but actually, when I look back at Christmas 2016, I will remember it as the funny one. The boys have been on [...]

Christmas Party outfits for women over 40 and a Christmas tree farm

By |2018-01-08T17:10:29+00:00December 13th, 2016|Categories: Christmas, Family, Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It's getting closer....Our weekend was a rush of decorating and entertaining. Here's how it went. Festive Friday I was working at home for the day but then had to go to a client's drinks party. Although they were all wearing suits because they'd gone straight from the office, I felt fine wearing a jumpsuit. It's such a saviour for things like this...not too smart, not too casual, not too dressy... Jumpsuit - this year's version; Jigsaw ponyskin heels (past season); Necklace; Earrings [...]

How to have a fun Christmas with teenagers

By |2017-03-18T23:03:27+00:00December 9th, 2016|Categories: Christmas, Family, Project Happier|Tags: , , , |

Christmas is easy when they're little isn't it. They believe everything is magical and, although it's physically exhausting, you really don't have to think very hard. But then they grow, their wishes are for bigger things and yet they still dream of the magic so I've been thinking hard about how to have a fun Christmas with teenagers. My boys are utterly resistant to anything changing. For them, Christmas is steeped in tradition and last week we had to break it [...]

What to consider when your son or daughter leaves for university

By |2017-08-25T16:07:22+01:00September 2nd, 2016|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships|Tags: , |

I know a lot of you are facing this as I was last year, the countdown to the day when your son or daughter leaves for university. They will be brimming over with anticipation as you brim with tears of dread. I thought it might be helpful to give you an idea of what to expect, not from an expert point of view, just from a fellow mum who has been through it. It is going to be hard for you, however [...]

Kefalonia with teenagers – Part Two

By |2017-06-09T16:11:43+01:00August 26th, 2016|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

So let's get on with the second instalment of "Kefalonia with teenagers." The first week of our holiday flew by. For a change of scene, we hopped onto the ferry that trundled into the harbour every morning and headed over towards the mainland for an afternoon. Prices were about 30% lower than in Fiscardo so we had an especially nice lunch and did a bit of kaftan shopping. The distinctive thrum of a Greek ferry engine transported me right back to [...]

A holiday in Kefalonia with teenagers – Part One

By |2017-06-09T16:10:53+01:00August 25th, 2016|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello - I'm back, it feels like a long time since I've posted. So - as a lot of you guessed, our mystery destination was Kefalonia in the Ionian Islands. I managed to keep it a secret until a few days before we left when I had to give the boys a small clue in case they read my last post. As it was with you, the one I chose was too easy - Hellas. In an instant they knew [...]

How to have a happy family holiday with teenagers

By |2016-07-08T21:36:32+01:00July 8th, 2016|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Sale, Travel|Tags: , , |

I had an email last week from a reader, Sue, asking about how to have a happy family holiday with teenagers. She said “you seem to manage to really enjoy your holidays with your boys. When my two were little I used to look forward to them being bigger, I imagined that holidays would be more relaxing but actually I find them really stressful. Now that they're both teenagers they just seem to be bored and we end up having [...]

The high street sales & Father’s Day thoughts

By |2016-06-29T16:30:49+01:00June 17th, 2016|Categories: Family, Relationships, Sale|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

So the sales have started early. Because the weather has been bad there is a glut of clothing that retailers need to offload and temptation is everywhere. I've been through a number of stores and picked out what I think are the best bargains but before we start, let's make sure we set off on the right track. 12 things to remember when you hit the summer sales Don't forget that high summer clothing only needs to be a very small percentage of [...]

Over 40 style – the British preppy look

By |2016-04-22T00:43:16+01:00March 31st, 2016|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

With Easter having fallen so early this year it feels as though we should be in full throes of Spring outfits but it's just a bit too chilly. This is usually the time when I fall back on a jersey breton and a pea coat but for some reason I'm just not feeling much love for them this year. I was struggling for inspiration until I received a Jack Wills email. Jack Wills are well known for the the British preppy [...]

Why I Walked Away From My Midlife Career

By |2017-01-10T16:42:39+00:00March 11th, 2016|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Work life balance|Tags: , , , , |

Given that this is primarily a style blog, I was amazed by the interest and debate that my work life balance posts provoked. There are obviously so many of us in one of two positions - struggling to maintain a career and the needs of a family or struggling to find our sense of purpose as an educated stay at home mum. I've been really touched by the many stories that you've shared with me either privately or publicly over [...]

A tough midlife career decision – and a stealthy M&S discount

By |2017-03-18T15:07:33+00:00February 21st, 2016|Categories: Family, Midlife, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , |

I'm very late blogging this week (again) but I have news on my work life balance and a tough midlife career decision that I can finally share with you. One Sunday night a few weeks ago, I was sitting at the dinner table with my head in my hands dreading the madness of the week to come, feeling that I was living in a very small but very fast hamster wheel. Mr MC looked across at me and asked me what [...]

Midlife love, celebrations and Project Happier #5

By |2017-03-18T15:08:52+00:00February 11th, 2016|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Ta dah! Welcome to the new look Midlifechic. Mr MC has laboured hard so that it would be ready in time for its second birthday but we know there will be glitches. It  will take until Saturday 13th to flush through fully in the meantime, if you're reading on Bloglovin please could you view this post directly on my blog here just this once and let me know what you think and also if there are any viewing or technical [...]

Chilling out with my boys – Project Happier

By |2016-02-06T20:29:29+00:00February 6th, 2016|Categories: Family|Tags: , , , , , |

Just a very quick hello from me to say that after another hectic week I'm unplugging this weekend and spending some time with my boys including the prodigal son who has returned for the weekend.   (wearing Boden cashmere v neck, Jigsaw dark denim shirt, Claudia Bradbury necklace and for the eagle eyed, the only reason I don't have my wedding ring on is because I've been to the gym and it's still in my bag, fear not)! No fatted [...]

Sparking Joy – Project Happier #3 and new season buys

By |2017-03-18T15:08:45+00:00January 16th, 2016|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Reading your comments I realise you're way ahead of me on this one, Mari Kondo's 'Life Changing Magic of Tidying' arrived last week along with 'Spark Joy' but they're still sitting in their unopened packaging. I had intended to start reading them on the way back from London but I'm still ploughing through Gretchen Rubin's 'Better Than Before'. However, even though I know spark joy is a tool to use in a decluttering sense, the words have been floating around my [...]

“Project Happier” for a Midlife new year

By |2016-01-03T18:30:17+00:00January 3rd, 2016|Categories: Family, Project Happier|Tags: , |

So, here we are, in a bright shiny new year, how are you feeling? I usually hate January but I'm feeling really quite excited about the year ahead. I'm full of new ideas for Midlifechic, in the background a stylish makeover is being prepared for the site and I've decided to give my old editorial skills a brush up and start including some new areas for discussion alongside our perennial quest for chic. Lots of you have written to me over [...]

A new year life audit – preparing for 2016

By |2018-12-18T16:08:28+00:00December 29th, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Family, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

As we come to the end of the year I'm in a reflective mood so I thought I'd share an article about a new year life audit that I read at the hairdresser's. Unfortunately because I took a photo of the pages I can't tell you which magazine it was but it was by Libby Purves and she was talking about a new year walk that she takes with her husband (she said that it was important to do it without your children to [...]

Happy Twixmas one and all

By |2015-12-28T17:39:35+00:00December 28th, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello everyone - I've found a quiet moment whilst my brood are in a post Christmas lull. It feels like ages since I've had time to post so here's a quick catch up with some activities (and outfits) from the crazy Christmas period. Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that the fun began for us on Friday 17th, in fact this photo sums up the mood of our Christmas. We've all been so pleased to be together again and [...]

Twas the night before the night before Christmas…

By |2015-12-28T17:47:19+00:00December 23rd, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Family|Tags: , , , |

...and I've run out of time. I had planned a post for today but sadly my brother-in-law's mum died last week so today has been her funeral. No funeral is a happy event but she was 94 and so we were able to talk about a life well lived and appreciate her. We were all together in the village church that she loved and it was yet another timely reminder about the importance of family and spending time together. Tonight will [...]

Winter outfits and a bit of Christmas sparkle

By |2017-03-18T15:08:58+00:00December 13th, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Family, Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Well what a week we've had in the aftermath of Storm Desmond. We were stranded at home until Wednesday (much to the delight of the boys) as the schools and the roads were closed. We finally switched over from the emergency generators to the mains supply last night so life is just starting to get back to normal. It has been a strange, dark time, dark because everybody has had to conserve the little bit of power we had, so [...]

Storm Desmond – the calm after the storm

By |2015-12-28T17:50:02+00:00December 7th, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Family, Style|Tags: , , , , |

Just a quick hello from me today to thank you for all of your messages of concern over the weekend, it's certainly a been dramatic time. As I finished my last blog post on Saturday, I was telling you that all of the shops were closing in the village and the power was failing. We're based in a coastal village between Kendal and Lancaster, our house is sea facing with the canal at the bottom of the garden but luckily [...]

Christmas gift ideas for women over 40

By |2022-09-23T21:55:45+01:00November 23rd, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Family, Style|Tags: , , , , |

I had wondered about doing a 'gift ideas for men' post but I've been lucky to have the opportunity to chat to all kinds of women over the last few days. As part of my research, I've been asking them what they are buying for their husbands and they all seemed to have it planned. So I then asked them what they were hoping for themselves and the stock answer was 'oh I haven't got time to think.' And actually [...]

Christmas gifts for teenagers

By |2022-09-23T22:00:13+01:00November 21st, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Family|Tags: , , |

I should not be blogging, I should be Christmas shopping. For the last 14 years I have had it all done and dusted by the week after half term. This year is proving to be very different and my boys are starting to behave like the children in the Paypal ad - normally they know they are banned from going down into the cellar by now but the cellar is bare...completely bare. So, I sat down today to crack on [...]

What to do in London with teenagers

By |2016-07-25T15:33:43+01:00October 30th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|

I love half term. Somehow it's aways a more chilled out break than the major holidays - you expect less, good weather is a bonus and nothing is scripted. When the eldest was busy packing for uni back in September, I decided we needed to work on our new shape as a family of four rather than five so I booked a break for us all to look forward to. Of course the prices of all of the hotels are [...]

Style for women over 40 – 7 outfits for 7 days

By |2018-01-17T12:17:42+00:00October 16th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|

As we're still waiting for most of the winter collections to hit the stores, there don't seem to be many new clothes around to get excited about. So, seeing as quite a few of you have been in touch recently to say how helpful you find it to see what I wear day in day out, I thought I'd try and achieve a photo every day this week. As I mentioned in my last post, the shorter days are making [...]

Outfits for days of autumn sunshine

By |2016-11-30T18:47:04+00:00October 9th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello friends. It's been a very busy week - I feel as though I haven't stopped talking - presentations, long shared car journeys, meetings and dinners. It will all start again on Monday (yes I'm working on Monday again - the 3 day week isn't happening)!  I need to retreat into some peace and quiet to recharge my batteries for a bit. So - not as many words as usual today - I know you'll understand. Instead I'm treating you [...]

The end of days – when your firstborn leaves for university

By |2017-08-25T15:57:34+01:00September 28th, 2015|Categories: Family|Tags: , |

So that's that then. He's gone. The house feels very empty today. For 18 years I've listened out for him waking, from the early dawn snuffles in his crib to the more recent midday cacophony of multiple media devices. Today I opened the door onto an empty bedroom. The trainers, hoodies and rugby balls were all gone; just the teddy bears, sports certificates and dinosaur books that once meant so much were left behind. On Saturday he went full of excitement, bubbling over [...]

A Top Shop and IDLF at Uniqlo review

By |2015-09-27T21:21:13+01:00September 25th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

It's a quick post from me today because we are on the final countdown to dropping the eldest off at university tomorrow. I'm not going to talk about how I'm feeling now because I suspect I will be offloading on you when it's all over. Suffice to say that the letting go is yet another bit of motherhood that no-one prepares you for and boy does it hurt. In the meantime, I've had a week off; I've been doing shoulder rehab [...]

Autumn 2015 style for women over 40 and work life balance

By |2015-09-07T19:02:35+01:00August 28th, 2015|Categories: Family, Health, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I hope you've had a good week, it's going to be a post of two parts today. First of all a style fix for those who prefer this part of my blog and then we'll move on to the next instalment of the work life balance discussion that we've been having over the last few months. At last I'm  starting to get my head around Autumn 2015 style for women over 40. There's no doubt that skinny jeans and tailored crops [...]

A holiday in Kalkan plus should women over 40 wear bikinis?

By |2017-06-09T16:19:35+01:00August 14th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Hello dear friends - it's been a while but we're back from our holiday in Kalkan. The daily grind has resumed and before the glow wears off, let me take you with me to Turkey for a whirlwind tour of our lazy days and nights. Before we get on to outfits I must remind you that my life was so very hectic in the weeks before we went away that, unlike last year when I shopped and planned outfits for [...]

What midlifechic did this week…

By |2015-07-04T15:54:34+01:00July 4th, 2015|Categories: Family|Tags: , , , , , |

It's been another mad week, I've been busy trying to get the first new ranges that I've worked on signed off so the hours have been long. Most days, in addition to my usual 11 hour day, I've been starting again after the boys have gone to bed. But there is an upside, it's meant that the good times have been precious - it's the old bittersweet thing again. So, I'm not going to bore you with my work outfits which [...]

A Boden review Spring / Summer 2015

By |2015-06-19T18:17:18+01:00June 19th, 2015|Categories: Family, Product review, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

You might want to make a cup of tea - I've got lots to talk about this week! First of all it's been very exciting to be approached by Boden. Lots of you have been commenting on their growing relationship with bloggers and how they seem to have been focusing on the younger 20-somethings who, realistically, have never been their core audience. There have been  a few threads discussing it on Mumsnet with women noting that whereas most brands are making [...]

Midlife clubbing and concerts – what to wear??

By |2019-02-18T13:38:55+00:00May 30th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well I'm amazed by how much correspondence my impending Pete Tong night triggered last week (I have yet to answer the emails but I will, I promise). It seems that you were either horrified or intrigued by the thought of it and lots of you wanted to know why I was still up for a night that started at 10pm and went on into the small hours. There are two reasons. Firstly, as I've mentioned before, Mr MC, being slightly younger [...]

A week of chic extremes

By |2015-05-24T12:34:09+01:00May 24th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, hope you're all having a lovely weekend, especially everyone in the UK as it's the last Bank Holiday for a while. Lots to tell you about this week so I'm going to dive straight in - I've reluctantly promised to do some planting today so the garden centre is calling. I always thought that I would find my gardening mojo when I was grown up and had a big garden. Well I have the big garden but the mojo still [...]

Casual outfits for a Bank Holiday weekend

By |2015-05-08T13:48:24+01:00May 8th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Happy Friday everyone, I hope you had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend and a good week. It's my favourite month, everyone around here starts to emerge from their Winter sleep and in celebration of the Spring, each village holds a special event. Sadly the dreadful Bank Holiday weather spoiled the first two that we'd planned to go to last weekend and we ended up spending Saturday hunkering down on the sofa with the boys having a popcorn and movie extravaganza. [...]

An unmissable jewellery offer – 75% off for Midlifechic readers

By |2015-05-01T21:05:45+01:00May 1st, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , |

And I'm back. I just needed a bit of time out after the funeral I went to last week. If you aren't a regular reader, a very close friend of mine died suddenly a few weeks ago and I spent a few days either side of the funeral last weekend with his family. It's been tough; somehow even when you come back to your own life, grief clings to you like smoke and you just can't shake it off. I [...]

Easter Week Chic

By |2015-04-10T09:45:19+01:00April 10th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Another week over already, it’s been tough going to work and leaving everyone at home snoozing and I’ve missed the usual fun I’d be having with the boys but it's been an uneventful week and given the way things have been going recently, I'm utterly grateful for that. Thank you for all of your lovely comments and emails last week, the funeral isn't for another fortnight so I've been trying not to think about it. Before I go on to [...]

It’s all spinning a bit too fast….!

By |2015-03-27T09:55:30+00:00March 27th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Hello dear friends - what a week it's been, but this is effectively the start of the weekend for me. Here's my update, starting with last Saturday when I had to do all the boring things like taking the car for a service that I would previously have tucked into the week. Happily before I set off, a mystery parcel arrived from the lovely Rachel at RachelWears. I had no idea what was inside but it turned out to be [...]

Mother’s Day Weekend Chic

By |2015-03-16T17:13:21+00:00March 16th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , |

Tomorrow is D Day for me and I'll be starting my new job so I thought I'd try a new superfast post to cover off a bit of weekend chic. This might be the sort of post I have to do for a while until I settle into my new routine. Quite a few of your survey responses (yes I have read and analysed every single one - thank you so much for your time and enthusiasm) have asked me to [...]

Boghopping with Berghaus

By |2015-03-12T18:26:04+00:00March 10th, 2015|Categories: Family, Product review, Style|Tags: , , , , |

I had a surprise delivery last week. A little while ago Berghaus asked me if I would review one of their new season jackets and then I didn't hear from them for a little while so I forgot all about it. When a parcel in a black bin bag came through the letterbox I assumed that the boys and been buying from Ebay again until I saw it was addressed to me and inside was a bright Berghaus Paclite III [...]

10 Mother’s Day gifts for older mums

By |2015-03-07T11:42:49+00:00March 7th, 2015|Categories: Family|Tags: , , |

I was having lunch with a group of friends this week and felt a bit sad when they were all feeling stressed about what to buy their mums for mother's day. I wish I still had a mum to buy for. Then I arrived home and Mr MC was scratching his head looking for ideas for his mum so I thought I'd put together a quick post on mother's day gifts for older mums. This will be my fourth mother's [...]

A wintry weekend in Liverpool

By |2015-03-03T17:42:53+00:00March 3rd, 2015|Categories: Family, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

So, whilst we wait for some of the new things I've ordered to arrive, I thought I'd take you on a trip to Liverpool. If you remember, Mr MC had booked us in to stay in the city overnight after his meeting last Friday although it very nearly didn't happen. Our youngest woke up that morning with tonsillitis and if it hadn't been for my lovely sister quickly rearranging her plans, we wouldn't have been able to go. I can't [...]

Half term in Edinburgh and a special new necklace

By |2015-02-20T15:45:38+00:00February 20th, 2015|Categories: Family|Tags: , , , , |

It's been a busy week at Midlifechic. I forgot to tell you that I was heading off for a few days on a 'Mums and Sons' trip to Edinburgh with one of my best friends so forgive me for being slower than ever to answer your comments. I really want to tell you about this lovely new Spring necklace that I'm wearing today But here's a quick round up of our trip to Edinburgh first. We've been really looking forward to our [...]

Winter work day outfits

By |2015-01-15T15:22:11+00:00January 15th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

I should have known better. All through Christmas I kept on top of work and Midlifechic by curling up on the sofa with my laptop. During the first week my neck started to feel a bit sore, then my shoulder . In the second week it was moving into my back. I kept on ignoring it thinking it would be fine, I even thought it would be a good idea to keep going to the gym to hammer through the [...]

A Parisian starter wardrobe for women over 40

By |2015-01-04T21:44:28+00:00January 4th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

As you know I've been reading lots of style books over the Christmas holiday they were definitely my most useful and absorbing presents. Actually they couldn't have come at a better time, because they reminded me that a truly chic wardrobe isn't filled to bursting with lots of different clothes, in fact it is pared down to a number of essentials that all work seamlessly with each other. So when the sales started I was far more eclectic than usual. [...]

Out with the old…and in with new year chic

By |2014-12-31T19:59:42+00:00December 31st, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

A very quick post from me to wrap up the old year and welcome in the new. Our social life has continued to be stymied by the flu bug that must surely now be an epidemic. We haven't had it yet but nearly all of our plans have been disrupted by phone call after phone call from people saying they're down with it, we feel like we're more-or-less the last family standing and we're living in isolation. It's made me [...]

The Christmas Diaries 3

By |2014-12-28T16:04:45+00:00December 28th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

I hope you've all been having a lovely time. The others are out walking Gary so I've found a few moments to say hello. I've been enjoying having a little more time on my hands to play around with some old favourites in my wardrobe for a Midlifechic Christmas. Here are some outfits of the week with links attached for anything that is still in the shops: Book Club reunion chic! This was where I left off in my last post, [...]

The Christmas Diaries 2

By |2014-12-23T15:03:35+00:00December 22nd, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I'm back again with a quick update, it's been a busy weekend. When I left you on Friday we were off to Ambleside for a pizza and to see the long awaited last instalment of The Hobbit movies. If you ask me, it was just a lot of fighting but it was voted as excellent by the youngest who is a Tolkien buff so that's what matters. If you're a regular reader you'll remember Cinderellagate from a couple of weeks [...]

The Christmas Diaries 1

By |2014-12-19T16:37:51+00:00December 19th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|

Hello lovely people, some of you have been in touch to say that you're going to miss my blog if I don't publish over Christmas which is very, very kind of you so I've been thinking about how I might keep in touch. I'm going to post sporadic Christmas diaries when I get a chance so here's a quick recap of the last few days: Last weekend the school that the oldest and youngest go to held their 'Nine Lessons and Carols' service [...]

Statement skirts … and more Christmas interiors

By |2014-12-10T13:43:59+00:00December 9th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I now declare Christmas to be in full swing. As you will remember, on Friday I was going out with Mr MC's university karate team - it certainly wasn't the sort of student night out I remember! I think they were at the very end of their funds because apart from enthusiastically accepting all offers of drinks that were bought for them, they otherwise earnestly sipped tap water throughout the evening. It was interesting though, it's a long time since [...]

Casual Christmas party chic …and interiors

By |2014-12-05T18:11:08+00:00December 5th, 2014|Categories: Family, Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

And we're off - the first official Christmas 'going out' event. One of the karate clubs that Mr MC trains with is at Lancaster University so tonight we are going out with a group of students on their dojo's night out... now there's a wardrobe conundrum if ever there was one. I am absolutely old enough to be their mum and my one hope for the evening is that this isn't their first thought as I walk through the door. So, casual [...]

What to wear for an ‘at home’ party

By |2014-12-10T13:46:49+00:00November 18th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

As you know, on Friday night we had a little party. An old friend from the playground has recently switched from running Pampered Chef parties to 'Virgin Wines At Mine' parties (which personally I think is a much better idea) and I'd promised her ages ago that I'd hold one at our house. The tricky thing is that you need to keep the numbers to a maximum of 18 so that she can talk about the wines and get everyone's feedback. [...]

A casual chic round up for Autumn half term

By |2014-11-04T20:55:03+00:00November 4th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday As you know, the first few days of our half term were packed with our trip to Newcastle and then the Boden party which took up the whole of Monday and Tuesday. Fortunately the smallest boy was keen to help at the Boden event which meant I felt I'd at least spent some time with him. He also managed to win a £50 Boden voucher in the raffle but was most disappointed as he'd had his [...]

A mindful Midlifechic weekend

By |2017-01-02T13:28:09+00:00October 21st, 2014|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

So after the electricity meltdown that was Friday, we had digital meltdown on Saturday and Sunday with absolutely no broadband. This is extremely rare in our house. Because I often like to work from home we have 2 lines, just in case, so if one goes down there's always a spare. But no, this weekend we had digital silence. So given that it was my first at home for 7 weeks, I decided to make it a mindful Midlifechic weekend [...]

Outfits for a working week

By |2014-10-21T16:51:12+01:00October 17th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Being your own boss is both a blessing and a curse. On days like today I hit Friday morning and wince at how little I've actually achieved because I've been maxing out my 'flexible working'. However I have at least been trying to dress the part. As we're moving fully towards an Autumn wardrobe now, I've been trying out a few items that are on the edge of the culling pile just to see if I still like them. Unless you're [...]

Chic days out with my boys

By |2014-10-15T11:09:57+01:00October 14th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well hello world - oh I do like saying that. Welcome to my new followers, emailers and commenters this week from Holland, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and yes, finally, the USA. It's been really lovely to hear from you and I'm amazed by how many of you already shop at Clarks - there was me thinking it was a little British brand when it's obviously already global. For those of you who have asked for a facility to subscribe [...]

Autumn outfits of the day

By |2014-12-10T14:00:19+00:00October 7th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Well that took us all by surprise didn't it - one day we were feeling complacent about the Indian summer and the next day the North wind blew in with Autumn. So as you can see from today's pictures, in the space of a few days I've gone from blazers and slingbacks to coats and boots. Suddenly in our house we're discussing what to do for Hallow'een and bonfire night and the subject of Christmas has been raised more than [...]

Geordie Chic – a weekend in Newcastle!

By |2014-09-30T19:11:42+01:00September 30th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

First of all thank you for all your lovely comments and emails after Friday's post. Your collective display of empathy and united loathing of the trials that rugby inflicts on the mothers of Britain has cheered me up no end! As did a night in Newcastle. If you've ever been there you'll know it's never dull, although unfortunately we had to avoid the more crowded bars with the eldest and his Captain Caveman cast in case it was knocked. So, [...]

A week of woes at Midlifechic

By |2014-09-26T16:29:03+01:00September 26th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

What a week it's been chez Midlifechic. As if the rugby injury with its ensuing disruption wasn't enough, the dark clouds of doom have remained over us. When I first started this blog, I never thought I'd be sharing my woes like this but here we are. There have been perpetual roadworks on the motorway in Cumbria and twice in the last year Mr MC has been flashed going at 48 in a 40mph zone accruing 3 points on his licence [...]

Autumn outfits for grey days

By |2014-09-23T17:14:45+01:00September 23rd, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

How typical. It started to rain (for the first time in weeks) just as the youngest exited the changing rooms for his first appearance on the rugby pitch...and it stopped just as the match finished and we got back to the car. Haven't we been spoilt this summer with the fabulous sunny days that seem to have lasted pretty much since the end of June? Anyway grey skies, rugby matches, this will be my life on Saturdays until about Easter, [...]

High street cashmere review plus…are you posh?

By |2014-09-19T19:55:52+01:00September 19th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, hope you're all well. I feel as though I've hit my 'wall' this week to borrow a runners' term. I think the initial new term energy burst has worn off in our house, especially as there seems to have been a school related meeting every night that I've had to go to which makes for long days. The eldest is mid-UCAS statement and application, still not having a clue what his 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th choices will be, [...]

Autumn Winter colours 2014

By |2014-09-02T19:54:04+01:00September 2nd, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , |

Ok so I'm accepting that it's now September and, even though it's still feeling like late summer, we need to look ahead. One of the great things about working at Selfridges was the pre-season briefing on colour palettes that guided all our work. If you've developed a wardrobe of chic basics, it's easy to add accents of seasonal colour to stay on trend. So today I thought it would be helpful to kick off Autumn dressing by going to the [...]

Holiday chic part 2 … and how it all got better

By |2017-06-09T16:23:31+01:00August 24th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Well I hope you're all having a lovely Bank Holiday weekend. Mine is rather quiet because Mr MC has gone over to Newcastle for a karate course (we're well and truly back to normal) taking the 2 smalls to see their grandma. The 17 year old is packing in his restaurant shifts before he goes on rugby camp next week so it's just me and the cats - thank goodness for them! I thought I'd cover off the rest of the [...]

The first day of holiday – how it all went wrong!

By |2014-08-20T17:55:29+01:00August 20th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

The reason I didn't blog on holiday. I don't know about you but I spend ages imagining the first day of our holiday throughout the winter months, planning it really carefully to make sure it's perfect. This year it wasn't. As you know our plane was delayed and so instead of a good night's sleep in a nice hotel, we had to force ourselves up after just 3 hours. I had barely nodded off because Mr MC, high worshipper of [...]

Holiday chic – what I wore for travelling to Spain

By |2014-08-18T16:00:21+01:00August 18th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Well hello, we're back...shivering...blimey! Holiday chic already feels far far away as I tell myself I can't possibly put the heating on in August! Thank you to those of you who kept in touch via Instagram, it was lovely to hear from you. As you've gathered I didn't blog while we were away - there's a story behind that and it involves a very unfortunate loss of equipment but I'll come to that in a later post. So, a quick one today [...]

Chic holiday packing – so long, farewell…

By |2014-07-30T15:21:54+01:00July 30th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

At last it's holiday time in the midlifechic house. As usual my list of things to do is so long that I keep sitting down with a cup of tea and wishing we weren't going but I don't really mean it. Of course it hasn't helped that the younger boys have been floored with a stomach bug which means I'm running on very little sleep. I think it's been a karmic response to last week's wanting to feel needed again. [...]

The end of days – leaving primary school

By |2018-07-30T16:21:09+01:00July 25th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , |

So here we are, it's all over. The celebrations, the tearful moments, the milling together with other mums in the same situation...all finished and I'm left feeling surprisingly flat. I worked out that of the 38 families, 25 of us were what the school calls 'farewell families' leaving primary after a sequential run of siblings so it was quite an intense week. There was less of the general joy that was there when my other two left - everything (even [...]

Go to Top