Dressing kids with an opinion

I have always loved to dress little A. My theory is that just because he's a boy doesn't mean he can't be stylish. He had the matching socks in the fall and winter and the matching hats in the summer. It was fun to hunt down deals and choose his outfits in the morning. Then this fall he got..... AN OPINION! He refuses to wear most of his clothing opting for jeans, tees, and Gap underwear. He literally will have a melt down if there are no Gap underwear clean.

My favorite stores for him continue to be Gymboree, Crazy 8, Gap, Old Navy, Children's Place, Boden, and NEXT. Of course, we can't forget the Carter's and Oshkosh outlets too. It looks like this year he'll be coming with me though so we don't end up with a closet full of clothing he refuses to wear for summer.

The big boys are also jeans and tee shirt kind of guys. We're lucky if we can get a coat on them. They definitely have opinions, but refuse to go shopping. That means we do a lot of buying and returning. I think with them we're either going to have to start shopping on line or refusing to dress them unless they go.

They are very much into labels right now and want the brand plastered across their shirts. Hollister and Fox racing are the 2 biggies. I'm still trying to learn to get the best deal with those and it's not easy.

E I'm not sure what to do with. I really haven't found my girly style yet and she is growing like crazy. She's already 15lbs and not quite 4 months old yet! The 3-6 month sized spring stuff I have is not going to fit much longer so it looks like I'm shopping for more spring in 6-12 month!

Accessories are a challenge at the moment too. I love the headband and big matching bow look, but it's impossible to nurse with those on so we don't have many. Finding socks to fit her big feet is challenging as well. Hopefully by this summer we'll hit a stride since she's the only kid without an opinion on clothing yet!

I still love all the same stores I love with little A with the addition of two more; Pumpkin Patch and Tea. I really like the dress & leggin combo on girls and I'm lusting after this from Tea:



I love the colors in this dress and the pattern is so different from what you normally see on kids clothing.

Right now Dawn's Great Finds is giving away a $50 gift card to Tea Collection! It's the perfect amount for the outfit above. Maybe I'll get lucky enough to win it and E will have some clothes that fit! Then I'll just be on the perfect made to match bow.

Monday Menu - March 7

Happy first full week of March! We're into the spring months! E will be 4 months old next week. Hopefully her tummy will be stronger this month and I can start putting dairy and tomatoes back in my diet. The tacos last night were a test.

On to the menu for the week.

I've linked up this menu to Menu Plan Monday over at Orgjunkie.com.

Sunday: Lentil & Brown Rice Tacos, Corn Cake, Chips & Salsa

Monday: Maple Pork Chops w/ Pumpkin Polenta, Carrots

Tuesday: Take-out

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Open Faced Steak Sammies, Asparagus

Friday: Lasagna Burgers, Red Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans

Saturday: Parm Cracker Tilapia, Butter Herb Rice, Corn

Monday Menu - February 14

Happy Valentine's Day! B and I discussed what we should do for Valentine's Day. I thought we agreed on going to dinner and a date in a few weeks when E isn't cluster feeding at night. Apparently not. B dissapered for about 4 hours yesterday. When he got home he handed me a card and a steam mop! While a mop may not seem like a romantic gift I LOVE it. I've wanted one for years and mentioned it randomly a few weeks ago. Now I have one. Maybe I should have come up with a messier menu for the week so I could break it in. On to the menu for the week.

I've linked up this menu to Menu Plan Monday over at Orgjunkie.com.


Sunday: Potstickers, Egg Rolls, Rice

Monday: Loaded Potato Soup and Mandarian Salad

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Grilled Asparagus, Mashed Potatoes

Thursday: Burgers and Tator Tots

Friday: French Toast, Eggs, Yogurt

Saturday: MCL

Monday Menu - February 7

The big kids are still out of school from the ice storm that hit last week. Thankfully the little kids are back at daycare this morning. Have I mentioned I'm ready for spring? Warmer weather, kids outside, and the start up of the CSA and farmer's market. On to the menu for the week.

I've linked up this menu to Menu Plan Monday over at Orgjunkie.com.

Sunday: Italian Beef and Onion Rings (didn't get to it last week)

Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad, and Cheese Stuffed Bread Sticks

Tuesday: Enchilada Casserole (using lentil/brown rice mix instead of beef)

Wednesday: Tuna Melts and Potato Salad

Thursday: Sesame Chicken, Teriyaki Pasta, a Veggie

Friday: Left Overs

Saturday: Out to Eat

Icepocalypse 2011

Unless you live under a rock you probably know about the massive winter storm that has been sweeping the nation this week. Our area of the country got and ice storm. The news reported that we were the hardest hit county in the entire state. Thousands are still without power. The universities shut down for 2 days and universities NEVER closes.

Thankfully we only lost power for a few hours Monday night. I'm keeping my fingers crossed we don't lose it again. Since there's ice on the power lines and trees it's still a possibility even though the storm is over. After 2 days at home it was time to come back to work this morning.

B fell walking out to the garage yesterday and has a huge knot. I'm surprised he doesn't have a concussion. This made me nervous to take little A and E out to the car this morning since the garage is detached. Carrying the 8lb carrier with the 15lb baby tends to throw you off balance anyway. B had the best idea....

a sled!

I walked all of our gear out to the car and warmed it up. Then I put E in her carrier on the sled and pushed her to the car from the house. I put her in and went back for little A. E cried the entire way to the car. Little A yelled "weeeeee!"

Hopefully getting them back to the house goes just as well tonight. If so, I think this will be our system until the ice melts. (Which will be a few weeks since we're not getting above freezing in the next 10 days at least.)

Menu Plan Monday - Jan 31

Finally January is on the way out. Granted we still have February to get through and we're expecting a big ice storm this week. I'm praying it misses us since I only have 1 day of time off left after maternity leave. We can't afford for schools to be closed. Plus, I'm just over winter. I'm ready for spring.

I've linked up this menu to Menu Plan Monday over at Orgjunkie.com.

Sunday: Breakfast skillet burritos and yogurt

Monday: Turkey Goulash and salad

Tuesday: Italian beef and potato chips

Wednesday: Sausage & wild rice soup with grilled cheese

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Out to Eat

Saturday: Shake and bake pork chops, couscous, veggie

A Typical Day

I've been back to work for 2 weeks now and while I love it, it's exhausting. Here's a typical day:

5:00am - take shower and get ready for work
6:00am - wake little A and nurse E
6:30am - get both little A and E ready
7:00am - leave house
7:30am - drop kids at daycare
8:00am - get to work and start day
9:00am - pump
11:30am - pump and eat lunch
1:30pm- pump
3:30pm - pump
5:00pm - leave work and head home
5:30pm - be attacked by E and talk to little A and B about their days
6:00pm - start dinner (usually still trying to hold E and entertain little A) and wash diapers
7:00pm - eat dinner (yup, it took an hour to make pancakes last night with all the distractions)
7:30pm - nurse E
8:00pm - read books and put little A to bed
9:00pm - load dishwasher and wash bottles
9:30pm - nurse E and try to put her to bed
10:30pm - go to bed myself
12:30am - get up and nurse E
2:30am - get up and nurse E
4:30am - get up and nurse E

Are you exhausted yet? Remember that in each of these there are also 3 other kids around. Add in the fact that E can't tolerate caffeine and that makes for one tired mommy! The boys are usually with a friend or in their rooms as teens are apt to do. When they're at the house B is usually wrangling them or doing some other random task that needs done. Last night, S actually hung out in the kitchen w/ me while I cooked and played with little A so we got to talk.

I still wouldn't change it for a thing. I am not cut out to be a full time stay at home mom, but have immense respect and awe for women who are. I also wouldn't be as fulfilled just working. Things may be crazy but I love this life.