Getting ready for winter with the #ACEWinterRefresh Challenge

Turning over the calendar to the month of November seemed to definitively mark the end of the summer/start of autumn. There is no doubt about it - we are definitely into full-on autumn and, dare I say it, even the start of winter now. While we've been looking for conkers for the past few weeks and watching the leaves turn brown, yellow and red on all the nearby trees, this weekend has seen major wind that has pretty much blown all of the leaves, whatever their colour, straight off the branches. Wherever we look now, there are bare branches, big piles of soggy leaves underfoot and big fat raindrops running down the windows.

For the recent half-term holiday, we didn't do much at all. Besides the cold and the rain, we also had Pierre's plaster cast to deal with, so my usually energetic, outdoorsy son was stuck inside, making cakes, watching TV and catching up with his friends on his phone. This did give me a chance to catch up on the housework and random jobs though, so it was the perfect time to receive some brand-new ACE for Colours Powder to put through its paces. Just by adding a couple of spoonfuls to the machine for your normal wash, it promises to reinvigorate clothes, using stain-removing powers, and bring coloured garments back to life. Sounds perfect for freshening up the autumn and winter clothes that have been tucked away throughout the summer months.

Well, this half-term marked a point where I finally felt able to go through the cupboards - in particular those belonging to Madhouse Daddy, but also mine and those in the kids' rooms - and bag up all the clothes that we didn't want or need any more. It's been eighteen months since he died and somehow, it just seemed like the right time. I gathered the kids together and we went through everything - his T-shirts, jumpers, shirts, ... - and the kids each collected up a pile of things they wanted to keep, to wear or just to remember him by. Seeing all his side of the wardrobe empty just looked wrong, so I moved half of my clothes over to his side. Mentally, this was quite a hard thing to do, but we ended up with about twenty big binbags full of clothes that we donated to a local charity shop. They will be sorted out and resold cheaply or donated to homeless shelters, which makes me feel good about all our hard work sorting through everything.

Here's my favourite find - a totally snuggly, warm Washington Redskins jacket that he brought back from a trip to the USA where he was an au pair for a year straight after university. It's not something that I would have bought personally but I love it. It needed a wash though, as it was often worn when we were out and about, so the Ace for Colours Powder was perfect for this. It freshened it up up beautifully, gently removing stains and helping to keep the colours bright and fresh. It's like getting a hug from Madhouse Daddy every time I wear it and the bright flash of red is great for lifting spirits on grey, rainy days (which we have been having a lot of lately !).

Disclosure : This post is an entry for the BritMums #ACEWinterRefresh Challenge, sponsored by ACE for Colours Powder. Get help for all kinds of stains with the ACE Stain Helper and pick up the range at your nearest Morrison’s store or buy online on Amazon.