We arrived nice and early as the center was opening so it wasn't too busy. It's rare that I take the kids shopping, preferring instead to pick up clothes for them as I do the supermarket shop. However I'm starting to find with my daughter that she would like input into her clothes and sometimes what I pick out for her isn't what she would like to wear (she's 4 people, just 4!!). Her big brother on the other hand doesn't seem to be too fussed.
I found it a struggle to avoid the toy shops and that seemed to be all they were interested in; our first stop ended up being The Disney Store. It was day one of their sale so we very lucky and got quite a few bargains. They both had wanted the Big Hero 6 pjs but they weren't in the right size for my daughter, so she selected some Cinderella ones instead. She also picked out a Tinkerbell dressing gown/housecoat/robe (I never know what to call it!) as her current one has become too small.
They also both chose Star Wars Rebels lunchbags - I always take a lunchbox on car trips as it can be filled with a few healthy snacks to keep them occupied. These too were in the sale, and my son also picked a matching Star Wars Revels rucksack (doesn't seem to be available online) which he used for our holiday and he can then take for Primary 2 (I can't believe he's getting so grown up!). We had a browse round the toys, watched a bit of Big Hero 6 which was on the big screen and then we headed to the next shop. I was quite proud of the kids as we managed to browse the toys but there were no tantrums when I said we weren't getting any and I managed to escort them off to the next shop without any tears! They seem to be getting used to 'window shopping' and creating wish lists for birthdays or Christmas.
BHS also had their summer sale running (up to half price online and in store) and we managed to find some cool summer T-shirts that were on offer. There were loads of clothes in store that took the kids fancy and my son was struggling to pick just one T-shirt. Both of the kids ended up being drawn to one that came with a water pistol and we bought these on the premise that they could play with the water guns at the yurt. They also had a great laugh chatting about being twins! The T-shirts were great but the water pistol is obviously a gimmick and not great quality... they leaked lots which was a bit disappointing especially as T-shirts were quite expensive at £10 and £12 each depending on the size.
If I had a bit more time to browse, I would have found these T-shirts which are much better value and equally would have been huge hits with the kids as they seem to be interested in dinosaurs now due to Jurassic World Lego (I let my son watch a clip of this on YouTube at the weekend and he's hooked!) and they also love Big Hero 6 at the moment.
There are some lovely girls clothes at BHS too. I've previously raved about the Millie range which I love, and I spotted a number of gorgeous dresses and T-shirts for little girls. The littlest is obsessed with pink dresses but if only she would branch out and try some other colours...
We also grabbed some new socks for the eldest at BHS as he only seems to have school socks that fit him just now! Warm socks are a must for camping!
I had wanted to go to Trespass to pick up a fleece for my daughter, but they both were getting a bit fed up of looking at clothes by this point and were desperate to go to Hamleys as I had mentioned they could have a small toy each for the holiday. Hamleys is absolutely huge, and there is just so much choice. My son very quickly picked a Ninjago Airjitzu whirly thing for £7 which I thought would be ideal for playing with out in the garden at home or at the farm on our holiday. But my daughter was just overwhelmed and despite me giving her suggestions of what she could choose she struggled and became a bit cranky.
To be honest by this point we were getting close to lunchtime so I can understand why she was a bit out of sorts. In the end she chose a make-up case that had a variety of lip glosses and eye shadows, blusher etc. It was in the sale too with 50% off (it doesn't seem to be reduced anymore and is at full price of £30 online) so I agreed. Plus I was hoping it would keep her away from my own make-up stash!!
We paid for our toys and headed to Ed's Easy Diner for some food. The diner has a gluten free menu which I was really impressed with. I seem to be seeing this more and more at restaurants now. With our tummies full and hands full of bags of shopping we decided to call it a day.
All in all it was a very successful trip I think.
Do you take your children shopping with you?
We received a complimentary £100 voucher for the St Enoch Centre in exchange for a review. As always, opinions are my own and are honest.