school mornings - part 2

So in this blog entry I shared with you my plan to ease up those nutty school mornings by requiring the kiddies to come dressed to the breakfast table. This has worked OK but the girls had way too much free time after breakfast. So I had to thrown in a few more gritty details: 

• clothes AND socks on AND hair done before breakfast
• brushing teeth occurs right after breakfast
• shoes are on feet immediately following teeth cleaning
• coat goes on next
• finally, play time can occur if there is anytime left...

 We actually only missed the bus once this past week! 

school mornings - the easy way

Monday can't come soon enough. Here's my plan to a scream-free, catch the school bus morning - girls only get to eat breakfast after they have their school clothes on and hair done. Very simple concept and will bring gobbles and gobbles of structure to very complex, time-driven hectic morning. Keep you posted. Please share your morning tips!

thredUP shoppin'

School starts in a few weeks.  On Tuesday night we went to the mall, 1 hour later we had two huge bags of clothes and I...this is very important...did not wait in lines or have to squash verbal blow-outs with my girls.

You could also just shop online, which is how I will complete my shopping.  My favorite sites - www.Target.com, www.OldNavy.com and www.thredUP.com - The last one has new and mostly gently used clothing at stealing deals.  Gotta love eco-friendly shopping.

You can also send your gently used, clean clothes to thredUP and get a clothing credit.  I've got 20 bucks sitting in my account as I type.  Check out this cute Justice jean skirt for $8.99 I'm getting for Janae.  The site filters are great and allow you to narrow your search easy pleasy.  Happy shoppin'.

Frightful Swap

The last thing I want is another landfill kiddie Halloween costume. That's why I have made a commitment to always buy a gently worn one or snag a freebie. So you can imagine my excitement when I learned through my Facebook friend Cory of Green Halloween that there's now a National Costume Swap Day to encourage eco-mommies to organize or swap out their kid's costumes. Here's more details. Back to planning mine...

clothes for play - kid tips

There's a bin of clothes in the girls' closet that's just for outdoor and messy play times. Each time a piece of clothing gets an untreatable stain or unrepairable hole, I throw it in the bin. Going outside to play? Grab an outfit from the bin, I say. Remember...this is the year of consuming less and reusing...and what a great way to salvage a cute outfit that still fits: let them sport it while they paint or create tasty mud pies. Here's and eco-friendly sprout smock and an eco-friendly sand set.

Repitition - Kiddie Tips

I'm tired of the sock ghost sneaking in and stealing my girls' socks. I can't seem to find sock mates. Ever. This was until I started buying the same brand, the same size, and the same style of sock. I shop Fred Meyer (one stop shopping - less traveling, less gas) and buy the Hanes brand girl socks with cute little pink, purple, green and blue polka dots. This store always has their undies and socks on sale. Always. Last time I bought two packs of socks with four pairs and paid ohhhh...$6.99. Hey, and I'm that kind of mommy who doesn't mind pairing an older sock to a newer one - they just need to be the same style. Here's some eco-friendly feet coverings.

thred up - kid tips

Speaking of consuming less...here's a fab way to swap your kiddie's gently worn, too small clothes with another kid's. And you don't even have to host a playdate. My friend Darlene referred me to this site Thredup a month ago. I'm hooked. Forget consignment stores, this is the new way to shop. Create your log in and grab some of your kid's clothes they refuse to wear or have outgrown. Do not, I repeat, do not take pictures. Post basic info on the clothes, like sizes, what season they are, click on three color themes of the set of clothes, and sit back and wait. If you find a box you like, pick it and pay $13. I got lucky and picked a box with 11 dresses, size 7/8. Yep. Just got them today and Janae about fainted with joy. This was cheaper than going to a garage sale! If someone picks your box, they will pay Thredup by paypal, and you will get a link to print out a free shipping label. Just throw the digs in a USPS medium flat rate box and the postwoman will pick it up from your casa. Check them out on FB and their parent site Shirts.Thredup where you can swap adult designer shirts online.