Spirit Week

I never had Spirit Week when I was a kid.  You just went to school, did your work and NO FUN! for you.  Then again, I went to a public school and there was not much funds for fun.  Amber goes to a private ultra fun school where the learning is hard, but they throw in some goofy stuff here and there to remind you that this school is special and that is why you pay the big bucks.  Okay, I maybe over thinking this and a wee bit bitter about writing that check once a year.  Yeah, Spirit Week!!

Monday was pajama day, which is Amber’s absolute favorite and, secretly, mine.  Hell, who wouldn’t want to spend all day in the jammies.  Technically, I could spend my whole day in my pajamas, but it is a downward spiral that can take you to doing your grocery shopping in Spongebob pajama pants and large fluffy puppy dog slippers while people wonder if there is a mental ward nearby.  She rolled out of bed, brushed her hair and teeth and that was it.  No arguing over what to wear.  No long drawn out conversations about those shoes versus these shoes.  The world was simple.  I think I might have even skipped a little that day.  I do insist that Amber wear real shoes on this day.  I just get visions of Amber walking straight into a puddle, because she was daydreaming of unicorns or Hannah Montana, and then complaining about her soggy feet.  I am more if thinking about my day being easier than her comfort.  Don’t go handing out those Mother of the Year awards just yet.

Tuesday was a totally different story.  It was Hawaiian day.  Not sure how this fits into Spirit Week, since we are pretty far from Hawaii and our beaches or more like banks of rocks where one can impale themselves, but no one felt it was their job to explain their thinking behind each day to me.  This day proved to be much more tragic.  And by tragic, I mean Amber had ideas of wearing her dance costume to school and I had ideas of people not thinking I let my daughter go out of the house in a pink body suit and gold lame grass skirt.  Fine for the stage, not so much for school.  Besides, I can’t imagine being comfortable in the dance costume all day.  So a compromise was made, with much dramatic OHMYGODIAMGOINGTODIE screaming. Amber worn her pink grass skirt, purchased long ago from Target, pink tier tank top, a flower from her dance costume in her hair and appropriate under garments so to keep her innocence a little longer.  Really there is a small window when your underwear is not a jaw dropping experience and that pretty much stops the minute you go from diapers to underwear.  Besides, doesn’t anyone remember how bad it was to hear the cries of I see London, I see Paris, I see______’s underpants.  I am still haunted by that at night. *shiver*

Today is Support Our Troops day or, as Amber put it, Army day.  When I picked her up from school, yesterday, she informed me that she had to dress like an Army guy.  I don’t think she knew what that meant, because I don’t think she would have been as excited.  I am sure she would be willing to fight for her country, but more in a pink camo capri pants with a frilly top kind of way.  She may not look like a real soldier, but it would be closer than anything else she might have in her closet.  Sadly, the pink camo capris pants were not that well liked and I gave them away many moons ago.  So it was back to racking my brain trying to figure out the best way to achieve a girly solider with the least amount of effort on my part. 

George came in and asked me what should she wear for Support Our Troops Day, this morning.  I told him to find something red, white and blue. DUH!!!  I had no idea what that might be, since I have banned a lot of white from Amber’s closet long ago.  Any mother of a small child does not need that last statement explained.  Then it hit me.  I had gotten Amber a cheerleading outfit/costume from Gymboree a few years back that might still fit her.  I have tried to get rid of it many times, but Amber always catches me and insist that it fits her, even though with each passing month you can see more and more of her mid-drift.   I am okay with her belly hanging out while at home, but that little problem would need to be fixed if she was to be seen in public. With the help of a cami and Amber’s excitement we had our outfit for Support Our Troops Day.  She promptly went into a new cheer she learned from an older girl at school.  O-O-O Offense!  D-D-D Defense!!  I guess that can fit for the military, too.  And really, how can you not be supportive when you are your country’s cheerleader. 

Up next tomorrow, Nerd day. So many problems with this one, but I will save it for another day.

Mini Carrie Bradshaw

Amber has really come into her own with regards to her style.  The girl knows what she likes and she will fight to the death for it.  Okay, maybe she will stomp her feet and whine until I buy her the dress SHE likes and not the one I like. 

Long gone are the days where I can force what I like onto her.  She has been putting up the good fight since about 2 years old, but I could still muscle her into the cute baby dresses that I like.  Now, I am simply an old, feeble woman that just needs to get out of the mall and wants the whining to stop.

George had promised Amber a date day for Sunday.  Then we just happened to find ourselves at the mall on Saturday, of course, while there we had to stop at our regular stores and check out the sale racks.  It would be blasphemy to do anything else, like say go directly to the store we were there for, get a baby shower gift and leave.  OH THE HUMANITY!!!  Our walk through JCPenney landed us in front of an absolute adorable dress.  It was brown with large brightly colored dots, a blue sash and a full skirt, perfect for twirling.  Amber was all for it and exclaimed, “This will be perfect for my date day with Daddy.”  And that, my friends, is where I should have stopped.  However, being the shopping mentor for my daugther, I explained that she must be careful not to pick the first dress she stumbles upon.  We would check out other stores and if we didn’t find anything we would come back for this dress.  Well, we did find something else and Amber had to have it.  I admit it is a pretty dress and she looks lovely in it, but I really wanted the brown polka dotted dress.  I put up a good argument for MY dress, but she wasn’t having it, not even when I offered to buy both dresses.  I am assuming this a look at things to come. 

I will admit it ain’t so bad:

Prim and proper.

Now with more sass.
We are going to wait on the Manolo Blahniks for awhile.
Like when she can pay for them herself.

Swimsuit Shopping

I think we can agree that males have it pretty easy when it comes to shopping for clothing of any sort.  Basically, theirwardrobe, as my friend would say, is Garanimals easy.  There a few pieces and all you have to do is make sure the colors match.

Swimsuits are no exceptions.  From the time boys pop out of the womb they have one choice, 2 if you are daring, in the swimsuit arena, trunks.  Most times a swim diaper will do in a pinch and they are still wearing diapers.  Some will argue that the same goes for little girl babies.  Just put a swim diaper on them and go, but I think that mostly people, meaning mothers, like their little girls to look like little girls.  And this means dressing them in bright dainty colors and frills, even when swimming.  But what happens when those little girls start growing up and are subjected to images of Victoria’s Secret models and a society that believes sex can sell anything.

Have you looked at the state of little girl swimsuits, lately?  There are some that leave very little to the imagination, which for little girls is scary, and then there are some that look innocent enough, but then you notice that add little splash of sexy, which have you shrieking from the store.

Since Amber was a wee little baby I have tried to dress her in swimsuits that I feel are appropriate of her status as little girl and not hot sex kitten in training.  I have passed over the string bikinis, triangle tops and cut out swimsuits.  I stuck mainly to one pieces that look sport inspired or tankinis with rectangle tops and ample cover bottoms.  However, a question has been raised in my mind.  Would I prefer my little girl in some of the more skimpier versions of swimsuit or my future teen daughter?  Then I have a heart attack and rushed to the hospital never to be heard from again. Just thinking of my teenage daughter walking around with men, and younger boys, gawking at her just kills me. 

I would like to think that if I steer her in the right direction, now, then I will have a better chance later in life.  The problem is that is delusional thinking, because as she grows she will have way more influences then her father and I.  And those influences will weigh much heavier than her old and out of touch parents.  Hell, it is already happening. 

First, I would like to blame myself, a little.  As my grandmother did before me, I put magazines in the bathroom for, ahem, reading materials.  I mean sometimes you find yourself in there a little longer than you would like and it helps with a little something to keep you busy.  While my grandmother had Ladies’ Home Journal and Goodhousekeeping, I have the millions of catalogs that are sent to my home every month.  Well in that bunch a few Victoria’s Secrets will fall. One day, I found the swimsuit sale catalog opened and thrown back in the basket.  At first, I rolled my eyes and thought, Geesh! does the hubs have to look at swimsuits on the pot?  Then I realized in my horror that my daughter might have been the one.  This was later confirmed when she bounced out of the bathroom announcing that she was looking at it and how pretty all those “girls” looked.  So step number one, destroy Victoria’s Secret or, at the very least, throw away the catalogs.  There is nothing in there that is appropriate for me at this stage of the game, anyway.  The rest of the blame I will heap on society and the little girls at school teaching my daughter about being sexy.  MY! GOD! What is going on in some of these homes?

We looked through the Target selection of girls’ swimsuits and I chose 5 that I thought were acceptable and Amber agreed were “cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute”!  I was surprised at how many triangle bikinis with prints on the chest area I had to pass up.  I mean I agree that a swimsuit should be cute, but I think function is a little more important at this age.  I can’t tell you how many little girls I have seen jumping into the pool, while wearing their bikinis, only to come up without a top or the top pushed up to their neck.  Granted these little girls have nothing really to hide, but that can’t be comfortable.  Anyway, we tried on the swimsuits and I collasped on the floor with my daughter’s comments.

We choose one that had the sides cut out.  I hesitated about choosing it, but it was cute and when it comes down to it, I would rather her sides be shown then other parts.  It passed the other tests, meaning it covered the other areas find and it fit her remarkably well.  Amber maybe be 6 yrs old, but swimsuits seem to be huge on her, especially in the waist area.  What bothered me the most was when Amber squealed with delight when she realized that the side cut outs maybe her look skinnier, her words not mine.  I chose to ignore it and tell her that the suit was one of the better ones and put it in the maybe pile.  I am of the camp of not making a big deal out of some of the things Amber says, because she tends to focus on them, ALOT.  I would rather have her not dwell too much on skinny or not skinny at her age, considering the girl is 6 years old and her size 4Ts sag at the waist.  The next suit was more sports inspired and will be worn during PE at school, when school starts.

I think if I had to answer the question now or later for the more “sexier” of the little girls’ suits, I would answer never, but I know that is not reality.  I would rather my child not be sexualized at her young age and I definitely want no part in it.  However, I would be of the mind to completely cover her when she starts puberty and lock her in her room.  Again, not reality, but something I am sure most parents think of from time to time.  It is a double edged sword when dressing our girls.  We want them to express themselves, but we would rather they not try to rush things.  It is as old as time, when it was all new and exciting we wanted to dress up and flaunt what our mothers gave us, once we got hitched we hung up our heels and decided tennis shoes were better.  I guess in the end either way you look at men lose on all counts. :) 

If you think swimsuits are the only thing you have to worry about when dressing your little girls, how about getting them use to wearing heels at the tender age of infancy. 

A Southern Thang

There are a lot of differences between Southerners and Northerners, but who would have guessed children’s, more specifically boys’ clothing, would cause such an uproar. 

Us, Southerners, really like dressing our kids to impress.  It is not unusual to see kids at birthday parties, church and special occasions in smocked clothing.  Smocking describes the images stitched in an upper panel of a dress or shortalls.  I didn’t know that smocking was, also, on t-shirts and turtlenecks.  I guess that is a good compromise for the mom that likes smocking, but has older boys.  Personally, I am not a fan of the smocking on shirts.

What is the problem with Smocking for boys?  Well some may say it is a little on the baby side or just not appropriate for the rough and tumble life of a boy.  Add knee socks and saddle shoes and you better arm your boy for self defense on the playground, according to the moms on Babycenter.  Like most things in kids’ clothing, girls can be seen in these dresses long after the toddler years, but boys not so much.  It is not determined what is the age limit for boys, but I don’t think you would see many boys in Kindergarten in these outfits. 

These outfits are popular in the South, for one reason and one reason only, our heat.  Sure you can find these in long versions for the winter holidays, but they are best suited for the spring and summer months.  The material is lightweight cotton and seersucker, which makes it a lot more comfortable especially if you have to dress up. 

I have no opinion, really, on how long you keep your boys in smocking, jon-jons or Eton suits.  Basically, these items are formal wear for little boys and isn’t it nice to have more to choose from than khakis and button down shirts.  You, as the parent, are purchasing clothes for your child and what you say goes.  I may wonder why your 10 year old is still wearing saddle shoes and short pants, but really it is none of my business.  I would say that I think at some age the other boys may start to talk and that might influence his opinion on what to wear.  I have own several smocking pieces for Amber when she was younger.  They seem to be the perfect answer to comfortable formal wear for children.  Actually, she would wear them more than just on special occasions.  If I bought the dresses new it was from the consignment shop and never more than $35 a piece.  Sam only had one bubble suit with an embroider Fleur de Lis bib(the bib is attached to the garment).  I admit I was sucked into matching outfits and they were only used for pictures and one outing.  A little much considering they were $80, together, but what can I say I am a Southerner. 

A few examples of Smocking:

Isn’t that just the sweetest thing.  (This is a bishop style dress. 
More of an a-line, instead of a more fitted top.)  There goes my
uterus, again.   
There is no limit to what can be seen on smocking. 

Here is one piece that might have some moms all in a tizzy.
It looks pink, but closer inspection it could be a light orange.
I mean it has to be manly, it has construction vehicles on the front.

I understand that this is a passion for some moms, but it wasn’t mine.  Like all clothes, if I found a piece I liked then I got it.  I never stopped to think what does this say about my child or me.  I think that might be what some people have  a problem with.  These clothes are known as belonging to the upper class.  I think it has finally trickled down to the masses, but that is just my experience.  However, you do need some money to get these outfits, even used.  I think we should keep the fighting among the adults, because really the kids didn’t choose their clothes, they are just out for some fun.

Why God Made Little Girls

It is time to start thinking about spring time.  I know most of you are under a couple of feet of snow, but that doesn’t mean you can’t look through a few catalogs while bundled up in front of the fire.  I am not sure how I did it, but I have been getting some pricey catalogs, lately.  I look through them and dream of the days when little girls were little ladies and never considered running around or getting their nice clothes dirty.  These were, also, the times when women cross-stitched and wrote letters with wax seals.  These days I don’t have tea and rarely do I put pen to paper, but I can dream of how my little girl would look in these high-price nods to a day of prim and proper.

How lovely would any girl be in this cupcaketastic dress?
Apparently, this dress is perfect for the beach or if you are like me,
after you pay the price for this dress, you would only let your
daugther wear it if she sits still and goes no where near any type of food,
drink or dirt.

This is the perfect party dress, if your child
will be near nothing but water.
Seriously, I love this dress and I could see my daughter
wearing it, but not at these prices.
I wonder if they have a rent to own program.

This is the perfect petticoat to transform any dress
into a twirling dream.

Now for the dress that took my breath away, literally.
This is the dress that makes me dream of a time when
Queens begged us to eat cake and dresses were big, puffy and
every delicate color of the rainbow.
I am not sure how you would wash this dress, but who cares
your little girl can go to the beach in style.

All these dresses and more can be found at Chasing Fireflies.  Enter at your own risk your estrogen levels may sky rocket.

Diva in Training

You think she can work it?

I think someone is giving his sister a run for her money.

I think the homemade scarves are a hit.  I just think that maybe we should find a better color scheme for Sam.

Only in New Orleans

I love this shirt.  Sam got it from his godmother as a Christmas present.
However, I think it was more for me and it will be a shirt I hang onto forever.

Now, that is more like it.

This shirt was made by a local artist.  She had many more themes that only New Orleanians would truly understand.  I love these kinds of clothes, they are very special. 

Deck the Halls with Tulle and Cotton

As I promised, and maybe forgot, here are some more selections of holiday outfits for the little ones.  As usual, the girls have many options, whereas, the boys had 2, on a good day.  This time I bring you a selection from Gymboree, I understand that the store is not for everyone, but if you need a little help with putting things together then this is the place for you.  Gymboree is based on outfits and not just pieces.  They are more then happy to tell you what goes with what, from head to toe. 

Let’s get started with the boys, since they have the least amount of options:

 
This is my favorite out of the 2 that were on the website. 
You can’t go wrong with a good red sweater.

Truthfully you could go with any pants with the sweater.
Although, if you are going for dressy and maybe something to hide the stains,
black is probably best.  Corduroy gives a little more to the pants, than just basic
twill.  It definitely screams winter, especially if their thighs rub together.

Now, for the fun and more options, the girls:

How cute is that sweater? That bow screams I am more than a holiday sweater.
Okay, I think that was my audition for Queer Eye for the Straight guy.

And what else screams Christmas?  A plaid skirt, of course.
How I wish this skirt came in my size.  Well, it does, but not as twirling.
Big girls like to twirl, too.
Anyway, this skirt is perfect for the sweater and with black tights and black maryjanes,
you can’t go wrong. 

If you are looking for luxury and a little more elegance for your little Princess,
then this should fit the bill and not send you to the poor house, like say, a tiara.
I think the plaid sash makes this dress.  I think to add a little more to it, I
would go with red shoes.  Teach that girl from the start about how to accesorize.

This next selection is only for you daring mothers, out there, or those that don’t have such a fetish about keeping white, well white:

This makes me cringe just looking at it, but it is so pretty.
If I were to put this on my daughter, she would be informed that if she were to eat,
she would eat naked or, at the very least, with a tablecloth around her.
If you are looking for something trully different for Christmas pictures or maybe
if you are hoping to lose your child in the snow, then here is the dress for you.
Otherwise, I would put it in a frame and admire from afar.

All the above clothes were found at Gymboree on SALE.  See it pays to be a last minute shopper.  Now, go forth and be Christmassy like.

 

School Girl

Lately, Amber has wore jeans to school most days.  I can understand, because when you are 5 years old there are many things you want to do that are not easily done in a skirt.  Then there are days that require nothing but pants, like horseback riding and P.E.  Her closet is filled with cute dresses, skirts and shirts that all issue a morning tantrum when the suggestion of wearing them rears it’s ugly head.  Most times I don’t put up much of a fight, unless it is something that is totally inappropriate for school or weather, like say boots with stripe shorts and a sweater.  Somethings just don’t go together, EVER. 

I have found the answer to getting her to wear some of those tantrum inducing outfits, ignore my laundry duty.  Who knew that by simply imagining that mountain of laundry doesn’t exist would have such rewards?  It seems that all of Amber’s jeans were dirty or in some state of laundrydom that all she had to choose from was skirts or shorts.  Since wearing shorts to school when it is 50 degress out might look strange, wearing a plaid skirt with tights is very reasonable.  Surprisely, there was no fight when there was a mutal agreement on this outfit:

Cardigan, skirt, ankle tights, and socks by Gymboree. 
Shoes by Hanna Andersson
The cardigan and skirt were bought at ridicously low prices, last year. 

This is how I always envisioned sending my little girl off to school, but had come to realize may never happen.  And in case you are wondering, the skirt has built in shorts.  I am finding this more and more in little girls’ skirts, which is great.  Why can’t they look adorable and still have fun?  However, if you don’t have skirts with built in shorts, try some bike shorts.  I have several pair for Amber in white and pink.  She knows to wear them with all her dresses and skirts.  It says the inevitable occurence of “I see London, I see France, I see someone’s underpants”.
   

Little Red Riding Hood Never had it so Good

I am a big fan of capes.  Sure I get weird looks when I wear mine, but you can’t beat the feeling of being wrapped up in a warm blanket.  I think capes are easy and warm, but that is because our weather turns from cold to humid within 30 minutes.  It is easier to push a cape aside then a big bulky coat.  I passed this cape love down to my daughter.  I bought her a nice black velvet one when she was 2 years old and it has lasted her to this day.  It is a little shorter, but it still serves it’s purpose as a nice compliment to her Christmas dress. 

Then I saw this cape and knew that I had to have it for Amber.

And to know that it is reversible nearly knocked me over.  The solid side I could see for dressy days and the print side for jeans.

We never spend much on winter coats, but I could see spending a little more on a cape.  It says it will fit up to a 6 year old, but I know that it would fit my daughter well beyond that age.  Well worth the $68.