even though the weather is rainy...

There is a rule I learned very clearly last year. If you want to buy your daughter uber cute summer gladiator sandals, jellies and swimsuits you MUST buy them as soon as they come out. If not you will be subjected to always looking at them on the shelf in only one size that is not your daughter's size. This last week I was at Babies R Us and they got in their summer stuff. I was forced to get Piper two pairs of gladiator sandals and a pair of jelly shoes for the summer because I know they won't be there soon. Even the cashiers told me so. I am also shopping for her bathing suits now so I can have first pick of all the styles. We take summer shoe wear and swimwear very seriously in our house!

Places to check out now for good stuff: Babies R Us, Old Navy, Nordstroms.com and Baby Gap.

Don't forget to look for board shorts for your boys too!

cute addition to any outfit

I'm really into tights and leggings for Piper right now. So far I love the ones from GapKids/Old Navy and Target. I'm looking for more places to get cute ones so keep your eye out for me. I swear they make any dress extra adorable!

fun and cute

How cute are these Peanut Butter and Jelly Sushi Rolls? I saw this picture/recipe in an ad for Jif in FamilyFun Magazine. I would totally make these for a kids birthday party. Recipe below and you can also go to jif.com for more recipes.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sushi Rolls

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons jelly or jam

2 slices of bread

Directions:

Remove crusts from bread.

With a rolling pin or large soup can, completely flatten bread.

Spread 1 tablespoon peanut butter and 1 tablespoon fruit spread on each slice of bread.

Roll each slice into a tight spiral.

Cut each spiral into 4 pieces.

let's have fun!

This fav comes from my lovely friend Noel! Pretend City Children's Museum is located in Irvine, California. It represents a small interconnected city that "empowers children to learn about and meaningly connect with and expand their world." I have only heard great things about it from Noel and others. Noel said, "Cole LOVED it. We did not have a chance to do everything because Cole spent so much time on the first half! They have a market, a garden, post office, beach, house...and so much more. Cole had the most fun in the water area and the example of the trash system." Just looking at the website it looks like so much fun for the kids! I think we might visit it this weekend. Check it out here.

my kids love them

My dad got these CamelBak Kids' Water Bottles for the kids' stockings. We love them! Great to take anywhere, easy to use and BPA free. Only $14 each at L.L.Bean and they come in different colors and patterns.

cute!

Word of these new lunchboxes came from my friend Alison! They are the Yubo Lunchboxs. They are really cute and best yet they are dishwasher safe, antimicrobial, recyclable and bpa free! Plus they have little containers for the inside, a custom icepack, and you can change the faceplates. Wowzer! If anyone has one or tries one, let me know what you think!

potty time

We have these Kandoo Flushable Toilet Wipes in every bathroom of the house for our 4 year old. It's not easy for kids to wipe, especially with regular toilet paper! A must have for little hands.

cute stuff with Gwyneth's approval

Gwyneth Paltrow put these cute plates by Em Tanner in her newest GOOP email about personalized holiday gifts! They are so cute! Just went to the website and all of it's cute from the plates to the lunch boxes to the hair-clips, water bottles and backpacks. But the plates are my favorite.

Gwyneth also mentioned that she shops Chloe In Style to find handmade goods made by "mompreneurs." I just checked it out for the first time and can't wait to explore it more.

pretty little pieces

Oh man, Anthropologie has some amazing clothes for little girls. Looks like they only carry a few things. In person they are gorgeous with amazing attention to detail. Of course they are pricey, but totally worth it if you can afford it. Love, love, love! Sold in sizes 6 months, 12 months or 18 months.

adorable

I just came across these Juicy Ballet Flats online, they are sooooo cute! They only have them in 3-12 month sizes. Too small for Piper, so sad.

oh man

I'm sure you have heard, but Stella McCartney now has a line at GapKids/BabyGap. Love it, love it, love it. Simple and classic.

cute shoes

We love these toddler shoes from Target. They go with everything, they are comfortable and they are only $12.99. We have two pairs in Piper's current size and one waiting in the next size. Warning: they do scuff easily so either buy them knowing that they won't last forever looking perfect or just save them for special occasions.

hooray for ebay

My kids have just grown out of their summer clothes and have nothing to wear for Fall. No Fall clothes are on sale and we tried Nordstroms Rack with little success. We love Volcom for Brody and Juicy Couture and Roxy for Piper. Of course brand names are expensive and we can't shell out the big bucks right now. So thank you ebay! I have been buying brand new clothes for both the kids at great discounted prices. These prices are much better than Nordstroms Rack. So here are my rules for Ebay.

1. Don't bid on anything right away, "watch" them instead.

2. Track everything you are watching daily.

3. Wait until about 5 minutes or less is left of the auction to bid on an item. Give yourself enough time in case the person before you put a max bid.

4. Do not fall in love with anything! You might end up paying too much just because you love it, so what was the point?

5. Before you bid, have a set amount you will not go over and stick to it. You are suppose to be getting a deal. Stop bidding or watching an item if it goes over that amount. Make sure you include shipping in your total so it's not extra.

6. If you only want new items, make sure you only search for new or NWT (new with tag).

7. If you have an iPhone, get the ebay app (it's free). It gives you reminders when your items are almost over.

Happy bidding and buying!

thank you for the coupons

I'm not going to lie, I've never been a huge fan of Carter's. I had shopped at our local store maybe once and would sometimes buy their packaged onesies at Target. However, I received a gift card recently and went into the store and now I think they have the BEST pajamas. Hello! Plus, they have enough selection you don't have to buy something with a huge cow that says "moo" all over it, they have more subtle choices too. Anyways, my whole point to this post (besides loving the pjs I've been buying Piper) is that they also send you great coupons if you sign up online. I LOVE that. Every few weeks I get a promotional email that includes a discount coupon. I love companies that keep up on their coupons.

Another great place on top of their coupons is Babies R Us. I have the rewards card and I never forget to swipe it. I stay on top of my coupons I get in the mail and the ones you get after purchase. In fact, I never buy anything there without one of the 15% off coupons. On a lucky day if you can find something like a mattress on sale and use your coupon, you walk away happy. I just got a regularly priced $79 baby mattress for $35 after sale and coupon. Love it.

cartoon-free

Today was our 1st cartoon-free Monday. I have decided that every Monday will be a cartoon-free zone. Now I need a disclaimer for this- I have no problem with my kids watching cartoons. I am pro-cartoon. My son learns a lot from Noggin, it gives me a break and it's down-time that they need. But, something was just telling me that it was important for the kids to know that they can spend a whole day doing whatever they want other than watching cartoons. So from now on that will be Mondays. Another disclaimer- I will let them watch a half hour movie before bedtime, like a Halloween movie. Well, it went great! This whole thing is obviously for Brody (Piper is too small to get it). After preschool he did art projects, tried to catch bugs, rode his bike, played with toys and had a fulfilling day without turning the tv on. I hope I can make it last!

finally finished

We finally finished making Piper's toddler bed. I posted about it a few weeks back based on this one Design Mom did. Now I just need to decorate the rest of the room!

the best gift

I joined the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club before Brody was born. I honestly believe that there is no greater gift that you can give your child than the gift of books and the love for reading. Not only will your child do better in school, but having good reading skills will help them throughout their life. My dad had me reading out of the womb and sharing the joy I have for reading with my kids is priceless. I joined the club so that I could easily get all kinds of classic and new books for the kids at good prices. In fact, I have done the club three times over. Best part is that they have made it easier for you and less intrusive to get your books and fill your commitments. Our children's book library is amazing and I plan on making it grow even more over the years.

*Side note: I do love taking the kids to the book store to pick out whatever book they want too! It's so cool to see them look at all the books and pick out which one they like best.

fall clothes

I am loving the new Volcom flannel we bought Brody for Fall, we can't wait until he can actually wear it (since it's still so hot here). In fact, I can't wait to buy both my kids their Fall clothes. I love sweatshirts, pants, sweaters and tights for Piper. Hopefully Fall weather is right around the corner for us, I noticed Fall leaves on the ground tonight (too bad they were so dried up from the heat). But, the gigantic spiders are out which means October is almost here. My favorite time of the year!

veggies

At the end of the day, I feel like my kids are still not getting enough vegetables in their diet. I've got the other food groups covered pretty well. So I started buying the Trader Joe's vegetable trays. They are only $4.99 and I set it out on the table at lunch every day and let Brody eat as much as he wants. Usually I don't provide ranch as a dip for any of our meals, but you know what, he dips a small amount and I love the number of veggies he eats this way. I think the $4.99 is worth it because I don't have to do any chopping or storing!

finally!

We may not be excited about Paul Frank going to Target but we were excited to see Shaun White's new line at Target for boys. I really liked the button down shirts, hoodies and pants! I think the most expensive item is $17.99 for the pants. It's about time Target has clothes for boys that look as good as the girls section!