Time to Dress Up Baby!

Baby clothes are getting cuter and cuter these days! How many of you have not walked by the baby clothes isle in the mall and, had to just stop and, look? It seems that I have found even more adorable baby clothes online too! I could just sit back and, browse for hours for my little ones with all the choices for girls and, boys! I love these cool little summer dresses by Paul Frank! Perfect for swimsuit cover ups or for just about anywhere we go! Add, some flip flops and a hairband, and we are ready to go out for dinner! I think my little girl is getting into style just about as much as I am! She loves to get dressed up!

coolstuffcheap.com

coolstuffcheap.com has some really, REALLY neat stuff. I can think of many scenarios where their fog machines and lava lamps would be perfect: dorm rooms, a teenager's room, even my three year old daughter's room (well, the lava lamp). A fog machine is a great thing to have at parties, particularly themed and Halloween parties.

The company also carries neon clocks. These are things you don't see except in bars, retro restaurants and in music videos. If you like these clocks, definitely check out coolstuffcheap.com!

Save money when shopping for baby clothes

So, here is my secret for shopping for baby clothes for two toddlers without breaking the bank: shop between seasons. It sounds like a strange thing to do, to wait until the end of summer before buying summer clothes, but I promise you you'll save a lot of money, and here's why: stores push the season merchandise before the season begins. This means that by the time summer is nearing an end, the retailers need to get the fall and winter clothes out on the floor. So they clearance all of the summer merchandise to get it out of the way.

Shopping between seasons for baby clothes and childrens clothes works with retail stores, specialty boutiques, and online stores like sandboxcouture.com. They key is waiting for the right time. For spring and summer clothes, check out stores in July and August. For winter clothing, check out stores in March and April.

By shopping between seasons, you'll save as much as 75% on clothes! Here's an example of what I picked up last week: four pairs of toddler girls' shorts, four tank tops, and two pairs of toddler boys' shorts. Guess how much I spent? Ready for it? $30. That's right. $30! Thanks to the items being on clearance, I spent an average of $3 per item. These clothes are normally priced anywhere from $3.99 to $12.99 each. :)

He's almost two!

My son turns two on Saturday. I would be lying if I said that these past two years haven't gone by fast. I know a lot of moms often lament that the baby and toddler days seem to drag and drag, but for me they really flew. Of course, having a busy life and another child assisted with that. My son has a sister who is going to be four in October. I also work from home. And since my son's birth, we have moved twice, dealt with a lot of family drama and changes, and have kept busy doing family things. For instance, in the last seven weeks we have gone swimming at least a dozen times, gone mini-golfing four times, have seen three movies (Hancock, Wall-E and Dark Knight), celebrated three birthdays, went to an amusement park, and went on vacation to the NJ shore.

So, two. What do two year old little boys want for their birthday? That's the question I have been getting from family and friends, and I'm having a heck of a time figuring out the answer. I mentioned clothes and/or gift certificates to a few people, simply because my son is going to need fall and winter clothing. His age really hit me then: two. Two means no more baby clothes. Two means shopping in the little boys section, graduating from 4T and 5T to x-small and 4/5.

Moms, let me tell you: the baby and toddler years go by very quickly. Make sure to stop and enjoy the little moments of them!

One of these days

In April of 2004, I realized that my engagement ring was cracked. Specifically, the band at the very bottom, at its thinnest part, had cracked through entirely. I made plans that week to call up a jeweler to find out how much it would cost to have the ring repaired, but I never got around to it.

Oh hi. Four and a half years later, and the ring is still damaged. It isn’t an issue, except the one or two times I have managed to somehow yank the engagement ring, and the two separate pieces close around and pinch my finger. Do you have ANY idea how painful that is?! Let me tell you, painful. The one incident happened in June of 2005, and I still remember the pain quite vividly, heh.

So yeah, I need to get my butt in groove and call up a jeweler. There’s a local one that advertises free repairs for mens wedding bands and womens wedding bands, so maybe he/she does engagement rings too?

mamabebe.com

Whenever I know of someone who is pregnant, my first thought is of what type of baby gift to get them. I love giving personalized baby gifts, because personalized ones are unique and stand out from the rest. Diaper bags, high chairs, boxes of diapers and onesies are always nice, but what about personalized piggy banks and other keepsakes? Those are definitely unique gifts that won't be soon forgotten.

mamabebe.com is a baby apparel and baby gift website that has all sorts of baby things. You should definitely check them out!

Check out Smartee Pants Clothing!

Smartee Pants Clothing has some really adorable things. It's horrible when I have extra money sitting in my PayPal account, because then I start checking out sites like these and thinking about all of the cute things I could order for Alyssa or Ryan. Ryan in particular should definitely get a little something, since his birthday is just a week away. :)

So... money in my account, nothing to do but shop... what am I looking at? Well, I know that Alyssa would love their rhinestone tees, particularly the one featuring a crown and her name, or even Princess or the heart or cupcake. Their personalized children’s clothes are adorable, and I'm getting some ideas for Alyssa's birthday... I'm thinking a birthday girl t-shirt? I bet she would love that!

Moving on from Alyssa, there are some really nice baby gifts then I can picture as being perfect for a friend of mine who is due to deliver any day now (speaking of her, I'm going to call in the morning to see how she is doing!). If she wasn't so far along, I'd consider buying her some designer maternity tees to show off her baby bump with.

You know, I'm really glad I didn't know about sites like these when I was pregnant with Alyssa and Ryan! Otherwise I don't know how we'd have the money left over for baby gear and diapers and clothes. ;)