Back To School Style

 It seems hard to believe but back to school is quickly approaching! Liam starts the third week in August (so only two weeks of summer left) and Lyla begins her second year of preschool right after Labor Day weekend. I remember loving back to school shopping as a kid ... new school supplies, backpacks, and clothes! It turns out it is just as fun for me as a mom. I always picture buying long sleeves for the school year but the end of August/September are both still too hot for that so I've gotten them a few new clothes to transition into fall but they'll mostly use their summer wardrobes at first. I thought I'd share a little back to school style and wardrobe inspiration for toddler girls and for boys ...

Sweatshirt Dress | Heart Pocket Tee | Rust Dress | Boots | Denim Skirt | Tennis Shoes | Frill Socks | Oak Bluff Dot Pinafore 

Camo Tee | Hooded Flannel | Ringer Tee | Black Denim | Moto Joggers | Skinny Jeans | Nikes | Grey Sneakers

I'm looking forward to a daily routine that being back to school provides and hope both of our kids love their news schools! 

back to school | toddler boy style

It is hard for me to believe that at the beginning of September, Liam will be going to preschool for the first time! It will be so good for him to spend time learning with other kids his age and he is more than ready! My biggest worry all along has been his ability to communicate to his teacher and peers but I have seen him make so much progress over the last 6 months in speech and I feel like he is at a point in his development that he can communicate his needs and can only benefit from hearing other kids his age talking. He also learns so much better from someone other than "mom" so, here we go! We went school supply shopping for toddler sized blunt scissors and washable markers. You know, all the preschool necessities. ;) Last but not least, a few back to school clothes ...

Lightening Bolt Long Sleeve | Vest | Buffalo Check Button Up

Joggers | Cargo Green Skinnies | Jeans

Boots | Backpack | Beanie

Last year, the weather here was warm well into the fall and we wearing shorts at Thanksgiving (haha!) so I imagine his current summer wardrobe will be what he continues to wear for the beginning of the school year. He does however need a backpack for the first day so we'll start there! Until then, these are definitely a few cute styles for later fall to winter. 

Happy Back to School shopping! XO

Baby Girl Style

You guys!!! I am having WAY too much fun shopping for baby girl things! They have made big strides in the baby boy fashion industry over the last few years so I've had fun dressing Liam too but every time I'd pass the girl section of any store, I'd catch my eye wandering to all things rompers, dresses, bloomers, and bows! Needless to say, it has been so fun for me over the last few weeks to have a reason to browse the baby girl section of a store now! 

Don't worry, I haven't gone overboard (yet), I've just gotten her a few new little things that were on sale last week and I am DYING over how adorable they are ...

Tutu Dress | Velvet Bow (in dusty rose) | Sweater Dress (sold out from Zara)
Bear Sweater | Ballet Shoes

A lot of what is out right now is very summery and having her due date in September in Idaho, you just can't possibly predict what the weather will look like. If it is anything like last year, we celebrated Thanksgiving with 78 degree weather and it was absolutely beautiful or we could already have 6 snow falls by then!

Here are a few more baby girl things I'm loving ...

Chambray Dress | Blue Dash Bow | Blush Jammies | Eyelit Flutter Onesie 
Floral & Blush Romper Set | Teal Dress | Fringe Sandals | Bloomers

I have also heard wonderful things about knotted gowns during the newborn days. I never did have or use one with Liam but I can see how they make for easy diaper changes in the middle of the night when you don't want to undress baby too much. Candy Kirby Designs, a small shop that I love, shared this new product teaser picture on her Instagram account the other day and I'm in love with the print ...

SO excited to have a baby girl!
p.s. I can't wait to share with you soon what I've already started dreaming up for her nursery!! XO

a dress

When it comes to sewing, I set my mind on creating something pretty extravagant with very little practice and expect perfection. Oh who am I kidding, that is pretty much me with any of my hobbies! haha A few days before leaving on our trip to California back in April (I meant to share this post sooner, but somehow it got lost within the draft archives), I was finishing up packing and really wanting to bring a floral maxi dress with me. With too little time to ship something I found online and no luck searching the limited options we have in this small town, I decided I'd sew a floral dress myself. I used this tutorial, minus the pockets on the front of the dress, and cut my own pattern out of parchment paper. I hacked out the dress two nights before leaving and sewed it the night before our very very early morning flight the next morning. haha Don't look too closely because the sleeves are a little tight and the neckline has two small spots where the fabric bunched but other than that, I was pretty pleased. I think my grandma would be proud! :)

Back to School | Toddler Boy Style

This last week was the first week of school for the kids in our town and it has been a good reminder for me what a gift it is that I am staying home with Liam. Now more than ever I feel like it is exactly where I need and am meant to be. I have however missed buying brand new school supplies for my classroom and the excitement of shopping for that outfit to wear on the first day. I didn't want to miss out on that fun so is there such a thing as back to school shopping for a toddler who isn't quite going to school yet?! ;) haha

It is really more of Liam's fall/winter wardrobe but back to school just fit. ;) And believe it or not, I'm only a year away from that! It is hard for me to wrap my mind around having a pre-schooler but when that time comes, I know how much my little social butterfly will love it. With that said, a few toddler boys styles I am loving for back to school, or in our case, the fall months ahead ...

Baseball Hat | Sweatshirt | Shoes | Khaki's with Suspenders | Hunter Wellies | Hooded Shirt | Long Sleeve Camo | Long Sleeve Greatness | Jeans

I am in love with that little yellow sweatshirt with the bear ears on it and was so sad to discover that it is currently out of stock in Liam's size! I keep checking back hoping they will get more in soon! Also, I had NO IDEA that JCrew carries toddler sizes?! I knew they discontinued baby sizes but was excited to find out their kids selection goes all the way down to 2T. Now if only they weren't so expensive because I just can't possibly justify spending $30 on a kids shirt. They are definitely cute though! ;) Several of the pieces above are from OshKosh which is another brand that I love and they are having a 50% sale with an additional 25% off coupon code for Labor Day this weekend. One of my favorites not pictured above are these, overalls are my fav on little boys!

Have you seen the new Cat and Jack kid's clothing line at Target? It is so adorable! We don't have a Target in our town so whenever we travel to a city that does, I usually jump at the chance to go and have a sweet husband who supports me. haha While we were in Utah a few weeks ago I picked up a pair of patched skinny jeans, a button up denim shirt, and a pair of tweed pants that will be perfect for Liam to wear to church this winter! These sneakers are also called the Liam sneaker so it just seemed kind of perfect. :)

It has been consistently hot here for during the later part of August/beginning of September so Liam hasn't worn any long pants yet but everyone was posting back to school pictures last week so I had to take a few of our own in his new denim shirt. :) What our "school" days look like at home right now ... 

One of Liam's favorite books right now is an I Learn Numbers book from Nic's childhood!

I love this handsome little boy so much!!!

Some of my old co-workers gifted Liam that backpack with his name on it at a baby shower they threw for us after Liam was born. He loves carrying it around and keeping his trains inside! "Momma, will you put these train tracks together for me?!" 

Happy back to school shopping! XO

5 tips for thrift shopping for kids

With back to school right around the corner (next week in my town!) and fall months also not too far away, I have been thinking about new clothes for Liam. With him being our first child, each season is like starting over (no hand-me-downs from other siblings). It is both so much fun but can also get expensive. I will be the first one to tell you that I love name brand kids clothes. The gap, h&m, Zara, and Oldnavy to name a few. I'll be sharing a back to school style post with some of those brands later this week but before I do I wanted to mention thrift shopping first. While you can troll the sales and get a good deal on kids clothes at name brand stores, there are times when you can get an even better deal at a thrift store for the same styles you are loving on your kids. I will also be the first one to tell you that I do not love how fast Liam grows out of his clothes. I'll put on a favorite outfit on him and then turn around twice and it is already time to be boxing it away for a little sibling someday. I don't feel as bad going out and buying a new wardrobe for him when he has grown out of all of his clothes or the seasons are changing when I can get several outfits for a fraction of the cost. With that said, I have found so many great things for his wardrobe for pennies, you guys. So here are a few tips when thrift shopping for your kiddos ...

| Shop Kids Consignment |

While I am still able to find some great buys at the DI, the Youth Ranch, and Good Will to name a few, you really have to hunt at those places. Shopping kids consignment stores are amazing. Most don't accept anything other than name brands, no holes, no stains ... they are really picky! Which is great because you can find a lot of quality items for a similar price you would pay at some of the other thrift stores I mentioned above where you will have to do a lot more searching.

| Look One or Two Sizes Larger |

If your child wears 18 month clothes, don't be afraid to look at the 2T and sometimes even 3T sections. Most kids clothes are 100% cotton and have shrunk significantly after several washes. So some of the clothes in their current size will fit tighter or can even be too small in some cases because they have shrunk. Not only does it give you a broader selection to look in multiple sizes but you'd be surprised at what things could potentially fit that are one or two sizes bigger. Here are a few examples I got for Liam, all of which were 2T but still fit him at 18 months ...

| Repurpose Items with Stains |

A lot of times when you shop at thrift stores where people just drop off unwanted items you run into more holes and stains. I recognize you can't work around all stains but sometimes stains and holes lend themselves to a new distressed look depending on where they are, particularly with pants! I love distressed denim shorts on little boys and found these red gap jeans at the Good Will for $2. They had a couple black streaks on one of the thighs. The first thing I did was put some Dawn soap on the stain and let it soak for an hour or two, scrubbed it in with a toothbrush and then washed it on warm to see if the stain would come out. Sometimes you can get them out and don't even need to worry about repurposing the item! Depending on where the stain is, if it doesn't come out you can easily distress the pants in the spot and you won't even notice the stain anymore. 

| Shop Multiple Seasons of Clothes |

This is similar to the concept of repurposing an item. If it is summer, look at the jeans or overalls sections and cut them off to make shorts (like the picture above)! For girls, you could even buy a pair of jeans and leave them the way they are but roll up the bottoms a couple of times for a pair of capris. I am never very good at predicting what size Liam will wear during what season when it comes to shopping ahead but you can always look at the coat section for example and outfit your child for the next winter. It is fun to have clothes in their closet to have them grow into. Since I have a problem with this, I usually tend to stick to pieces that can be worn during any time of the year like a red Gap polo for example that I found for Liam. It is a 3T and definitely too big for him right now. I don't know if it will be too small by the time next summer rolls around but short sleeves can be worn with a sweatshirt, jacket, etc. in the winter time if that is the season he ends up fitting into it.

| Consider What the Item Will Look Like Washed |

Not only with clothes but especially with shoes this holds true. I have found 2 pairs of shoes for Liam at the Youth Ranch that were pretty dirty. However, I could not pass up this h&m pair of striped boat shoes for $2 and these Salt Water sandals for .99, especially when they retail at Nordstrom for $35! Such a good buy! The striped pair I ran under hot water and then used a toothbrush and scrubbed them with baking soda to take as much dirt as possible out of the fabric. When I got them as white as I could I used a combination of Dawn dish soap and a little bit of detergent to clean them out really good and then let them air dry on my back patio. With the sandal all I had to use was the Dawn soap to scrub them with a toothbrush and washcloth to clean them up. Kids shoes are an area where they need good shoes for support like many of the name brands offer but the $30+ price tag can sometimes be a lot to swallow when they grow out of them so fast.

Hope some of these tips help you the next time you are shopping for a new season of clothes for your kids. It is always worth it to try thrifting first because often times you will be surprised what you can find! Happy thrift/consignment shopping!

Mini & Me Beach Style

"Let's go to the beach, beach, let's go get away!" ;)

We are headed to California for a family vacation in a week and I can hardly wait! It will be Liam's first time seeing the ocean and getting to swim in a pool! If he is anything like his mom, the beach will quickly become his favorite place on earth. And we already know how much he loves just being outside. Packing at the last minute stresses me out. So does choosing outfits for myself!! Why is that so hard?! With that said, I thought I'd get a jump start on packing a few things that I won't need much between now and then like SWIMSUITS! Here's what Liam and I will be wearing to the beach ...

Mini ... Rashguard Striped Swimsuit, Sandals, Baseball Hat, Sunnies (Carters, old)

Me ... Floral Peplum Top & High-Waisted Striped Bottoms, Flip Flops (American Eagle, old), Hat (T.J.Maxx, old), Aviators

Even if you don't have a tropical/warm vacation coming up, good news is that summer is right around the corner (thank goodness!) and it will be swimsuit season before you know it. XO