Style

Back to School with Boden

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Harlan starts kindergarten next week. It takes a lot for me to type that out without bursting into tears. I know that she is more than ready to go and she will be amazing, but deep down inside it’s so hard for me to grasp that she’s old enough to go off on her own to elementary school.

Harlan isn’t the only one headed off to school, Avery starts preschool in a couple of weeks. She is so used to following along in her big sister’s footsteps that this is finally her chance to shine. And I know she is going to be shining bright. She always tried to tag along when I dropped Har off at preschool, so now that she’s got a classroom that’s all her own, she is giddy with excitement. I’ll miss having her around all of the time, but I am so eager to see how she does with kids her own age.

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School isn’t the only thing that’s new for us this year, getting the girls dressed for school is something I am trying to prepare myself for. Harlan had a uniform for preschool when we lived in Manhattan which made for a super easy time getting her dressed everyday. There was no fighting or arguing over a pair of shoes. She knew what she had to wear and that was that.

This year there is no uniform required for either of the girls’ school, so that means that I have the task of picking out their clothes and getting them dressed in the morning. Avery isn’t so bad (yet) but Harlan definitely has an opinion on what she wears everyday.

I’ve slowly started my back to school shopping for the girls, but I know that I have to bring Har along with me for clothes so that I buy clothes that she actually will wear. She loves dresses and skirts and is not one to wear pants of any kind. Avery is quickly catching on to her sister’s opinions and let’s me know that she wants to wear a dress every time I go to her closet to pick out her clothes.

I’m still trying to figure out a plan to avoid any outfit drama every morning before school. If you have any tips that work, please let me know!

Thankfully I know I won’t have to argue with either of the girls to wear these gorgeous outfits from Boden. The second that they came in the mail, both girls took off their clothes to try them on. They’ve been begging me to wear them everyday since.

dresses

I love these Printed Tea Dresses  for the girls. They are the perfect “twirl” dresses  (as Harlan and Avery like to call them) because they are super soft and flawy. The bold prints and colors make it versatile for many different seasons.

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Harlan has been begging me for a pair of boots for fall and winter and these short leather boots are exactly what she was looking for. The are lined with sherpa on the inside making them super soft and warm. The zipper makes them super easy for the girls to take on and off, which will definitely help save me time in the morning as I am getting them dressed!

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Now that summer is coming to an end and fall is on its way, these cardigans and footless tights are just enough to keep them warm on those cooler days. Since neither of the girls really like to wear pants, I’m always on the hunt for thick tights for them to wear during the colder months. These cable knit tights were soft and thick enough to keep their legs warm.

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(I didn’t tell them to pose at all, but love that the way that they did is a perfect depiction of what their relationship is like. So much love for one another.)

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Harlan has already declared this outfit as her first day of school outfit. I can only imagine she’s going to want to sleep in it the night before because she is so excited.

If you still have some Back to School shopping to do for your little ones, Boden has such a great fall line! Use the code CHRP for 15% off + free shipping!

Great news! Boden is giving someone the chance to have a Back to School Shopping Spree by winning a $250 Gift Certificate! I’m excited to host this giveaway with 9 other awesome blogs! Be sure to visit their sites to see the great Mini Boden Back to School outfits they put together for their children. By visiting all of the blogs, you’ll have a chance to see over 25 ways to style the adorable clothes Boden has this season. 

Back to School With Boden Blogs: The Chirping Moms, A Mommy In The City, Blue Eyed Bride, Style Smaller, House of Rose, Your Modern Family, The Vanilla Tulip, The Little Style File, Bon Bon Rose Girls and I Love You More Than Carrots.

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{Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. We did receive the clothes compliments of Boden. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.}

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Motherhood

Doing What’s Easy

10590916_10104845482685703_1889041784_o Fifteen pounds.

That’s what Macks weighed at his six month well visit today. Like every well visit, I am always nervous about weight gain. It’s become engrained in my head that weight is always an issue with my kids. It started when Harlan was just four months old and continues to linger with every visit.

Macks was doing so well with his weight and was well above average in both weight and height. But these past two visits he’s started to taper off on his weight. This month he gained nothing. In fact according to the scales he lost two ounces. It could have been because we were at our new pediatrician and this was the first time they were weighing him on their scale (and as we all know scales can be completely different depending on where you are.)

The first thing that came into my head was that our new pediatrician was going to tell me he’s dropping in the growth charts and we should start to re-think how I’m feeding him. It’s the same speech that I’ve heard every time the girls started to fall off the charts.

They would suggest supplementing or adding rice cereal to a bottle to help them pack on the pounds. I tried it with Harlan and it made absolutely no difference in her weight at all, so when it came to Avery’s weight starting to taper, I was more prepared to be able to tell them no.

As the doctor came in this morning I had my guard up prepared to tell him that I was still going to nurse Macks no matter what, but much to my surprise he didn’t mention a thing. He told me that exclusively breastfed babies tend to stop gaining weight as rapidly as formula fed babies. Macks looked as though he was thriving and was meeting all of his milestones. With his activity increasing everyday, he’s burning a lot more calories than he was when he was just eating, sleeping, and pooping.

“Don’t worry,” he assured me, “You’re doing great.”

It was the first time that I felt like our doctor was not fighting or persuading me to do something that I wasn’t completely comfortable with. He trusted me.

It’s taken me a long time to get to where I am today. Confident in the decisions that I make for my children, including how I choose to feed them. With Macks, breastfeeding just feels right. It’s what works for us at the moment. I’m home with him all day, we’ve had no trouble latching, and it brings a sense of calm and comfort for both of us. It’s easy. And with three little ones, I need as much of the easy as I can get.

 

{Disclosure: I am working with Playtex as a proud member of the Playtex Baby Mom Trust program, a virtual network where moms can find common ground and support each other through sharing stories, tips, product reviews, insights and unique experiences of motherhood. As always, all opinions are my own.}

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Motherhood

World Breastfeeding Week: Looking Back

fb30a04a68dd11e2b52d22000a9f189b_7 This week is World Breastfeeding Week and while I feel that it is completely up to you on how you choose to feed your child, I am very lucky to have been able to breastfeed all three of my children. I never thought that I’d be so proud to celebrate this week, but I’ve come a long way in the past five years. My breastfeeding journey has been an incredible one and one that I’m excited to share with you later this week. For now, I want to share with you one of my all time favorite posts. Possibly the favorite.

This is a post that I just threw together in nearly ten minutes. I poured my heart into the post and the words just flowed through my fingertips. I am so grateful to have this to look back on and it’s a great memory that I’ll cherish forever.

Saying Goodbye to Our Breastfeeding Journey

Last week Avery unexpectedly woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back asleep. She just stood in her crib, calling my name. Rather than letting her risk waking up Harlan, I grabbed her and went into my room to nurse her. She nursed for about five minutes before getting distracted and simply uninterested in nursing.

We haven’t been nursing that much for the past month. Maybe just twice a day, if that. Avery lost all interest in it. I’d try to nurse her first thing in the morning and she would latch on for a couple of minutes before trying to get down off of the bed so she could go and play with her sister. That was generally our time to connect and cuddle, but it was slowly starting to fade away.

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