Little Dude!

Valentine's Day!

 

 Usually every year I am way behind on Valentine's Day jammies and a shirt for Sammy. I like to get him holiday clothing while he is little and will still wear it. I was just telling my husband I needed to get on that. Today I did some online shopping to see where I should focus. Honestly I did not see a ton out yet that I really love. Gap had about four pairs of jammies that are simply amazing. I will probably splurge on those.

The Gap jammies and Osh Kosh shirt are so far what I am thinking I will get for him. My other option might be to get something off of Etsy. I guess time will tell!

 1. Heart Breaker Shirt from Carters! Really cute and reasonably priced.

2. Romeo Shirt from OshKosh.com. Sizing can by funny on this brand. I usually size down.

3. Jammies from Gap. These are very cute. Buy when they have a deal and size up. These run small. I really like them and will probably get these.

 

Travel Tips for Toddlers

Well... We're home. Came back on Friday and saw our home and nearly passed out from joy. Traveling with a toddler is not for the faint of heart. Here are a few tips we tried and liked.

First would be to plan your trip with a break in mind. On the way down we stopped half way and ate at a sit down restaurant. He got a nice break from being in the car. But if you are planning on flying with a bunch of time in the airport- just find a way to take a break from it all. It could be breaking out the coloring books or a special walk around the terminal. Just do something to have fun.

This one is so obvious but check the weather and plan accordingly. Then plan if they are wrong. The weather forecast is always wrong in my book. Also pack 2-3 more outfits than you think you need. If you change your mind or need something dressier- you have it. Also kids make messes and you might not have access to a washing machine.

Bring anything that makes you feel at home and really happy taking care of your toddler. For me- that is my Aden + Anais skin and hair care stuff. We really love the scent and it works well. It helps me feel a little like normal! Also bring along a few door knob covers and electrical outlets. Door latches or anything like that can be a life saver. It is a really nice feeling to not have to watching them 100% of the time.

We packed one pair of shoes and multiples of socks and his bogs. Hat and Gloves- basically anything we figured he could need. I just brought him his own suitcase and made a packing list so we didn't forget anything.

Sleep Arrangements...

Toddlers and Babies need safe places to sleep. We had the hardest time figuring out what to get for Sammy while out of town. My grandfather has been sick so we've been traveling more than usual. We decided to get the Joovy Moon Room because it did not have a weight limit and Sammy had outgrown his standard pack and play. We had Amazon ship it to my grandparents house so he has a place to sleep and we don't have to stress about it. It comes with a sheet and we generally bring a pillow. I bring his Aden and Anais dream and a couple swaddle blankets so he feels at home and really cozy.

Bring your monitor. It is a hassle but just bring it.

Odds and Ends

Bring toys if the place you are heading does not have any they can play with. Plan some activities for when things get stressful. Does the town you are visiting have a mall? They probably have a toddler play area or a local library sometimes are great places to go and hang out. Just figure out 2-3 little things you can do to give everyone a break and give you a break.

Don't be afraid to be mean about their schedule. No one is going to make those plans for you- no one thinks about that little kid that needs that nap or needs to get to bed before too much longer. One night Sammy was up all night because his sleep schedule was so off. That was a fun next day for sure...

The biggest thing I did to make travel easy was that I came home on a Friday so Sammy had a couple of days to rest up and get back onto schedule for school. I am so glad I did that because it really made a difference. He needed that rest badly.

Hope your travels are great! Planning ahead a bit can make the difference between a disaster and a fun time away from home.

Week of Clothing Christmas!

Christmas was a whirlwind. I wanted to keep everything pretty basic so it was easy to pack. And I wanted to keep things pretty color coordinated so I could grab something easily each day for Sammy to wear. I focused on brighter outfits on days that we would be photographed more heavily. 

Monday I knew we'd be seeing family so I wanted to give Sammy something cute and soft. I wanted to layer so if he was running around and became warm, I could remove some clothing and still have a fun shirt. We used the same pair of shoes all week so I did not have to pack multiples. And after I lost those Dr Seuss converse.. I am on the alert!

Tuesday it was rainy and I wanted something that would keep him warm and could cover his head. The camo makes it a bit fun. A stranger told us- I just love his britches! Ha!

Wednesday for Christmas I wanted something dressy and fun. These bright Carters pants are cute and roomy. He can move in these and are chinos so feel pretty jean like. The shirt is also Carters and you know I love it! I try to include it because it photographs well and is comfy. This little vest is a nice layer and is really warm.

Thursday we opened presents and I wanted a pop of color for pictures. The Gap skinny jeans are mustard and the Target Cherokee shirt ties in well. They are still comfy for stair climbing and playing but it is an adorable outfit. 

Friday we were driving  home and I needed something he could relax in. These pants are lined and the shirt is warm but really soft. He spent a good amount of time in his carseat. 

Week of Clothing will resume

Week of clothing is late. I should have published last week. It's been chaotic with the holidays. I have two scheduled when I am back in town. A vacation one and a post holiday clothes version. 

Hope your season has been merry and bright!

Hold onto your Pennies!

You are probably going to get a million and one pre-Christmas emails for sales. Read through them and if something is great - get it. If it's not this isn't an awesome time to stock up. Their stock is low so sizes are running out. They need to sell at some point but I'm hedging my bets for after the first of the year. 

Stick those dollars into a savings account. Nothing is more fashionable than education. After you get all of those holiday gift cards go to town. 

Notable things... Genuine kids at Target is to die for. Carter's has colored denim and Gap is always on sale. 

Happy holidays!

Toddler Hair!

So sad they took away my little red head's adorable mop. It will grow back :)

OshKosh Target is Trying to Bankrupt Me.

OK. Maybe I am dramatic. I was grocery shopping and they had a ton of great pieces for little ones. I had about ten pieces of clothing in my buggy and had to fight myself down to two. Darned Budget.

They do a horrible job of showing off these clothes in person. I bought Sammy this one. I really wanted this button down.This one is pretty cute too- not sure about the hue of the blue.

They had some great pants- colored denim. Really great stuff! Don't take all of your spending cash with you. There was a bunch of great stuff!

I did not take my own advice

I should have known better. A few weeks ago, we went to take Sammy to get a little trim. He has longer hair and it was getting shaggy. I needed it trimed.

There are a few things I did wrong here. First, I did not go to the same girl. I just let them work us in. She was new and let's face it- awful. Sammy freaks out and sometimes I have to leave the salon so he will cooperate better. The husbo is no fashionista and has no idea of my hair vision only that we don't want it "too short".

I showed the lady a picture of the style I was going for and felt like she was on board. I left to get us hot chocolate and came back to basically a disaster.

What I could have done better.
1) Made an appointment with his regular stylist. She has vision and passion. She looks at my pinterest board for ideas and listens to me when I tell her how I see this going.
2) Picked a less busy time. She rushed and Sammy was playing and having a great time before the cut- just kind of setup for a bad experience.
3) Brought along a toy to keep him occupied.
4) Not left. I should have stayed there and fought for a great haircut. Especially this close to Christmas.


How we are going to fix this. Well.. that's tougher. Hair doesn't reappear and you can't make it come back instantly. We're just waiting it out. I use some of the colder weather hats to help and honestly- its not THAT bad. Just way shorter than I would have liked and the layering and structure of the cut is not good. So it pretty much falls into his face dorkily. The back appears to be slightly uneven. I will go back probably Thursday night and have them even it out and give it a little bit better cut so I can brush it across his face or spike it slightly to make it more "Sammy" and his style.

Next time I will stick to my guns and follow my plan for success. Little boy hair is unexpectedly hard.

Plaid is so cute!

Week of Clothing Wednesday!

Monday :) Easy layered shirt from Carters with khakis from Old Navy. Easy and cute!

Tuesday- Carters lined flannel and some lined pants. Sammy's class sometimes can go outside in the winter. The temp this way was iffy so I went ahead and planned for the cold. (He stayed inside!)

Wednesday- OshKosh for Target sweater with Cherokee jeans. I had his boots on today since it is coooollld here. 

Thursday will be a nice graphic tee from Boden and some Caters Camo lined pants. Really easy and warm. Bodens shirts have a nice thickness to them! If I can find his Dr Seuss converse shoes they will go with this. They are still lost sadly.

Friday just a nice striped warm sweater. With the weather we've been doing some big time layering. It is cold and windy. These lined pants are nice and warm. 

So much of Sammy's winter stuff has an extra layer and I am seriously grateful. Look to Carters for help with that. They sell a ton of stuff that has a little extra stuffing or another fleece layer. They just get so cold and quickly! 

Bogs... Are they worth $50 for your toddler.

In a word... Yes!

I wanted to get these boots a good testing before I started recommending them. I really feel like so many people tell you they love something and have used it about a week. That is not a tried and true review.

Here we have icy & snow this week. When looking around for boots I really wanted something that could pull double duty. I needed a boot that would work in the wet and rain and also for snow. Since we're discussing a toddler here, it needs to be made so that he can actually run and play in these boots.

I found Bogs. They are very cute and durable. Made of something that looks mostly like a thick wetsuit with some sherpa like lining inside but not too long looking. The bottom is unique- kind of like a pool toy almost. But functions very well.

A nice bonus is that Sammy can get these on and off by himself. They have nice handles and a wide opening for him to use. They are very warm and don't come up super high so he can run and play easily. They protect against rain and snow very well so we don't need a pair of rainboots and a separate pair of snow boots.

The price isn't awful. I feel that $50 is semi reasonable when considering that you can wear them from Fall to the next spring- just size a bit larger and wear bigger socks. We bought a full size up and this turned out just fine. I will add a picture in when I get them edited :)

Colored Jeans... Sans the Overpowering!

So I may not be the only mom here that worries about going too big kid fashion, or just too fashionable overall for a little kid. He's not a doll and I don't want to draw a ton of attention to a piece of his clothing.

I love it when people notice Sammy is adorable. Sammy, not his jeans. I want items to look like him and a cute adorable version of him. Colored jeans can kind of cross that line for me. The line where his teacher is saying- What great jeans or wow Sammy those are some bright jeans. I don't give a ton of thought to what other people think - I just want to keep his overall clothing to be kind of age appropriate and maximize on the baby cuteness while he's still a little one.

I posted a little outfit idea that kind of shows how we work colored denim into his wardrobe. Basically I follow a couple of rules.
1) Nothing else loud. I like solid or lightly striped tops. Nothing really bold because the jeans are already eye catching.
2) The colored pants need to be fitted but not super skinny. This is kind of the colored jeans style but he's a toddler and needs to run and play.
3) I don't pair the jeans with a top containing the same color.

Those are really my only rules. This is fashion and should be fun! I try to treat them like any other pair of jeans after those points. I love red jeans on a little dude. So cute! I like to pair with this great denim shirt I found at Carters- it is the one in the set. It's still on sale today at Carters. Please ask for link if you need it! Then Carters has these little adorable boots. If I had unlimited money I would get those, but alas... We use the ones he has from Target or Stride Rite.

The second shirt combo is a little hoodie from OshKosh and just an undershirt. I love putting his little high top converse with that. (They are currently missing! Please Lord let me find those before he outgrows them!) Just a little bit more casual and funky with his chucks.

I  hope this inspires you to take a bit of a chance with your child's wardrobe and see how pieces you already have can work in this look to create a new fun one. Gap, H&M, and Old Navy are all great places to look for affordable ones.

Bonus- if you are getting photos taken as a family- colored jeans on a toddler is a really great photo outfit look.

Colored Jeans! Outfit Idea

My House is Messy.

Sad but true. My house is just not where I need it to be to feel comfortable. I love order and clean. My house is for sure not those things.

I'd love to be one of those moms that always has breakfast ready for her child and wakes them up with plenty of time in the mornings- but I am really struggling being clothed before my son even wakes up. I know I need to suck it up and deep clean the house this weekend and get up on time. I know the solution but getting there seems to be a gigantic hurdle for me.

My kitchen is probably one of the top three offenders- the laundry probably being the second, and my bedroom being the third. I have a large kitchen and feel like I am always in rush mode. I know how we got to the messy kitchen problem. We have the hardest water ever! Seriously limescale is a part of my daily life. Our water softener ran out of water and no one noticed. Suddenly an entire load of the dishwasher was covered in limescale. Pretty much the only thing that removes this is vinegar. I had to soak everything in the sink to remove it then rewash and put away. On top of that I cook pretty much every single meal and don't put pots and pans OR tupperware into the dishwasher. So basically this built up into pure chaos.

The laundry has been out of control since we went to the first Polar Express. I can wash and dry but man putting up is pretty much beyond me. Add to that we cloth diaper and that sometimes can create a stall in things. I need to do enough washes that they are clean and that (because I work out of the house) can take a while. Between a messy toddler and a messy husband I am up against a lot.

So all excuses, I could stay up all night and clean but I just have not had the motivation. SO... My house is a disaster. It should be clean. I feel like things are not settled at home because of the mess and hopefully I get that solved this weekend. Cross everything for me! I seriously need a miracle.

Stylish toddler!

Sammy @ 3!

I really want to have a nice way to remember all of the amazing things that Sammy does at this age. I need to start writing it down and keeping a journal of sorts- I just decided to do it here and hope that everyone will indulge me!

Sammy is so funny and extremely bright! He loves to say "I will!". It is darned cute. If you ask him to do something, chances are that is what he will say.

He puts so much enthusiasm into everything. His rendition of ABCs is very boisterous. I love it!

He is serious at times which is really great. He is a thinker and considers things before answering. Not too many things are lost on him. I really think he is like his dad that way. He is just so family centric and really interested in how the world works around him! Maybe an Engineer like daddy?

I feel like so far three has been a lot easier than two. Sammy was the easiest baby ever but about 11 months he decided to become whiny and pretty much stayed that way until recently. I feel like we are gaining some traction with his defiance.

Sammy loves to sing and dance. He is starting to tell jokes and pretend. Everything is trains right now. He feels Santa should bring Ferdinand and Luke. We talk a lot about trains and play. I sometimes feel bad that he does not have other kids at home to play with. I often have to cook or clean when we get home and I wish I could drop everything and play with him. I often do.

Being a mom to this little one is the greatest gift I have ever been given and I am so proud if him!

Week of Clothing Wednesday!

Monday I did a cute little OshKosh grey sweater. I got it from Target and it's still in stock- still current lineup. Great deal. Just some Boden jeans with it.The sweater is cut well and he can move well (a nice undershirt does not hurt!)

Tuesday I just did jeans and a tee. I forgot his coat in my husband's car so it was a ordeal. I had another hoodie and a lighter fleece on him too for playtime outside- so he was kind of the Michelin kid yesterday.

Today I kind of went all out. Khakis from Old Navy (these kind of run small!) and a plaid shirt from Carters. Over that a fleece vest because it is oddly supposed to be kind of warm here today. I wanted to layer so he could take off things as he warmed up.

Tomorrow I am going to break out the Cherokee jeans. They are pretty great actually- and the price is very right. Matching that will be his Wild man Records shirt from Cherokee/Target. Of course red chucks have to go with that.

Friday will be his Gap sweatshirt with some nice pants that are warm. It is supposed to snow on Friday. We can't have great weather too long of course. He will probably have to break out his Bogs. He is not a fan of anything like that- but snow on the ground will leave us few choices.

He's been having to wear his Stride Rite shoes often due to the ankle injury. He is fine but I want to make sure he has great support. I was kind of out of love with that brand overall to be quite honest. Their quality is really amazing but their pricing really sucks.

Accessories are keeping his whole look still in the sweet little one category. And his darling face! He's precious. I feel like as we get out of the Carters sets and start getting into the separates full time- he's kind of looking just like a little boy. (He's 3- why is this a newsflash to me?!) I am using them to keep these looks a bit younger. So fun hats and mittens are key right now. And seriously fun socks - that is just my joy!

Note to Mom Shoppers!

Boden and Carters are both having some killer sales! Don't be shy! Get those deals :)