Baby shoes are so irresistible and cute- Claire and Audrey probably have more shoes than the average adult. I am no stranger to buying shoes, but baby shoes are a whole different world than adult shoes- some things I have learned:
-Don't even bother with shoes when your baby is less than 6 months old (unless you can take the pricey plunge and buy moccasins from freshly picked, more on that below). They won't stay on their feet. Instead, invest in some Trumpette socks. And no, I'm not crazy for suggesting that you spend $5+ per pair of baby socks- these are the only socks that would stay on the girls' feet, and are so cute you won't even miss the teeny tiny shoes.
-Think function over fashion. The girls own keens and crocs. I never thought I would buy either of those brands in my lifetime. The girls got the keens handed down to them, and they actually stay on the girls' feet! And they can run around and play. These are our go to summer time shoes.
-You probably only need 1 pair of casual shoes, perhaps 2 if the kids are in daycare and play outside a lot. Favorite brands include toms, sperrys, and minnetonka moccasins. I haven't been able to tank the plunge, but freshly picked has some of the cutest moccasins out there! Audrey has a pair of knock offs and they actually stay on her feet! Jane and GroopDealz both have offered similar moccasins, but I keep on missing out on the sales. Apparently one of the sellers is going to be offering them on Jane again soon, so I am going to stalk that website daily. Also, check out your local bait shop to get a good deal on the minnetonka moccasins.
-If you choose the color wisely, you only need one pair of dress shoes. I love metallics and colors! We've owned a few pairs of basic black shoes over the past 18 months, but I much prefer adding a pop of color- check out hanna andersson and crewcuts for inspiration. Baby gap has been our main source of dress shoes- I try to purchase them when they are on sale, but we also use our dress shoes for every day, so I don't mind spending a little extra for something really cute.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
random cuteness and favorite baby clothes
The girls have been up to all sorts of cute things lately:
-This weekend when we were driving home, Claire randomly started tickling her own feet, we noticed because she said "ticka ticka ticka".
-When the girls want to play outside, they go up to the patio door and say "wheee".
-Audrey loves to share with Claire- she gives her food, sippy cups, pacifiers, you name it.
-This morning, Claire took Audrey's hand and led her all around the house, it was adorable!
We had family pictures over the weekend, once again Amanda did a fabulous job! Here is a sneak peek:
And now that I am an experienced baby clothes shopper, I thought I would share a few of my favorites.
1. Hanna Andersson is hands down my absolute favorite. I think people close to me probably get sick of hearing me talk about my obsession! But seriously, the fabric is awesome quality, it washes and wears incredibly well. The sizing is crazy too- the girls fit into it forever! Claire is still wearing dresses from last summer. The only downside is that it is pricey- a set of pajamas runs about $40 and the site rarely offers free shipping. I'm hoping to scope out the sale section the next time we go to the city and also stock up during their Black Friday sale (jammies are half price then). I've also had some good luck on ebay- I've been able to get dresses from $5-$10.
2. Tea Collection has the most beautiful printed dresses. The girls have a handful of these dresses that I've scored at rummage sales and once upon a child. These dresses also wash quite well- the fabric is thick, but not quite as durable as HA. Thankfully it is fairly easy to find these dresses on sale- right now their website has a few choices for $15.
3. Baby Gap- this is where I find most of my bargains! Sign up for their emails to catch the best sales! I've found that my local store tends to have better prices than online, so it pays to stop by every so often. My favorite time to buy is when you get an extra 40% off clearance. I recently picked up some jeans for Claire for about $5 a pair, which is less than what they sell for at OUAC! I'm a bit mad at myself over that purchase though, there was a gap cash promotion going on- in the past I was awarded gap cash for the amount I spent pre-discount, but this time you actually needed to spend $50 to get the promotion (for those not familiar, you get $25 off a $50 purchase with gap cash). The only downside of the gap cash is that it can't be combined with other % off promotions. My way around this is to scope out the clearance section and only buy from there- that way I still get a double discount.
4. Target- some of the girls' most adorable clothes are from Target. I've found that these clothes tend to wear a bit quicker than the other brands I've discussed. My way to counteract this is to only buy things when they are 50-70% off. Most of the items I've picked up at Target have been $5 or less.
-This weekend when we were driving home, Claire randomly started tickling her own feet, we noticed because she said "ticka ticka ticka".
-When the girls want to play outside, they go up to the patio door and say "wheee".
-Audrey loves to share with Claire- she gives her food, sippy cups, pacifiers, you name it.
-This morning, Claire took Audrey's hand and led her all around the house, it was adorable!
We had family pictures over the weekend, once again Amanda did a fabulous job! Here is a sneak peek:
And now that I am an experienced baby clothes shopper, I thought I would share a few of my favorites.
1. Hanna Andersson is hands down my absolute favorite. I think people close to me probably get sick of hearing me talk about my obsession! But seriously, the fabric is awesome quality, it washes and wears incredibly well. The sizing is crazy too- the girls fit into it forever! Claire is still wearing dresses from last summer. The only downside is that it is pricey- a set of pajamas runs about $40 and the site rarely offers free shipping. I'm hoping to scope out the sale section the next time we go to the city and also stock up during their Black Friday sale (jammies are half price then). I've also had some good luck on ebay- I've been able to get dresses from $5-$10.
2. Tea Collection has the most beautiful printed dresses. The girls have a handful of these dresses that I've scored at rummage sales and once upon a child. These dresses also wash quite well- the fabric is thick, but not quite as durable as HA. Thankfully it is fairly easy to find these dresses on sale- right now their website has a few choices for $15.
3. Baby Gap- this is where I find most of my bargains! Sign up for their emails to catch the best sales! I've found that my local store tends to have better prices than online, so it pays to stop by every so often. My favorite time to buy is when you get an extra 40% off clearance. I recently picked up some jeans for Claire for about $5 a pair, which is less than what they sell for at OUAC! I'm a bit mad at myself over that purchase though, there was a gap cash promotion going on- in the past I was awarded gap cash for the amount I spent pre-discount, but this time you actually needed to spend $50 to get the promotion (for those not familiar, you get $25 off a $50 purchase with gap cash). The only downside of the gap cash is that it can't be combined with other % off promotions. My way around this is to scope out the clearance section and only buy from there- that way I still get a double discount.
4. Target- some of the girls' most adorable clothes are from Target. I've found that these clothes tend to wear a bit quicker than the other brands I've discussed. My way to counteract this is to only buy things when they are 50-70% off. Most of the items I've picked up at Target have been $5 or less.
Monday, August 11, 2014
party prep
I'm making preliminary plans for the girls' golden birthday. I fell in love with the dress the flower girl was wearing at my cousin's wedding last December. I'm not sure why I didn't just order the dresses from Gymboree last year, but at any rate they are out of stock now and I have been stalking ebay. I ordered Audrey's dress, it arrived today and is gorgeous! I haven't been having as much luck finding smaller sizes for Claire, but since I'm preparing ahead of time hopefully I will encounter one.
I have some rough ideas for the rest of the party- obviously I will be incorporating lots of gold! I also like mint and pink. I've came across some adorable invitations on etsy as well. I figure this will likely be the last year that I have complete creative control of the party, so I am going to take advantage before the girls insist on Dora and Doc McStuffins!
I have some rough ideas for the rest of the party- obviously I will be incorporating lots of gold! I also like mint and pink. I've came across some adorable invitations on etsy as well. I figure this will likely be the last year that I have complete creative control of the party, so I am going to take advantage before the girls insist on Dora and Doc McStuffins!
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
18 months
The girls are at such a fun age right now- it seems like they are learning new things every day. Audrey is really picking up on new words- recent additions are ears, duck, and quack.
Claire loves playing ring around the rosie- Audrey isn't as into it, and Claire gets very upset if Audrey refuses to hold her hand.
The girls are becoming more grown up everyday- they love using their forks! We went out to eat on Monday and Audrey insisted on using a fork. The girls are also very interested in whatever we are drinking! We frequently walk over to caribou for their happy hour. Last time we went Audrey was insisting on trying my drink- I figured she wouldn't like it so I could just let her have a sip and she would lose interest- that plan backfired! I had to put my coffee away and finish it after she went to bed.
Their favorite toys are little people, play food, and books. Audrey can't get enough of her books- she would be happy to have someone read to her all day long. Claire is a bit more active- she likes to run around, twirl, and dance.
The girls continue to be great eaters- they went on a bit of a banana strike, but after giving them a bit of a break they are eating them again. There really hasn't been anything that they have refused yet.
The girls are both getting molars- I'm not even sure how many teeth they have these days, it is hard to get a good look in their mouths! I know they have 10 for sure... maybe even 12? They insist on brushing their own teeth, but I'll have to investigate. Audrey has had a bit of a fever with this teething business so she has been alternating between irritable and snuggly.
We are going to start potty training soon! I ordered some basic gerber training pants, but then spoke with my cousin who is a cloth diapering genius and got a few other ideas. I'm going to bypass the whole pull up business- I think I'm going to order blueberry training pants and rumparooz diaper covers. I won't use the diaper cover when we are at home, but I think it will be helpful when we are out running errands and when we are traveling.
I'm also waiting for Hanna Andersson to have free shipping- they are one of the only places that offer undies in Claire's size, plus I am obsessed with HA- it is such great quality! They are pricey, but the girls are young enough that they won't know the difference if they get socks and undies for Christmas :)
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