top 10 spring/summer fashion must haves for kids

By Brandy from Baby Blackbird


Spring is in full swing (for most of us), and summer is creeping up. I wanted to share with you ten must-have fashion items for your little ones this Spring/Summer.

The Summer Shoe

1. Native Shoes : These are not quite a sneaker and not quite a Croc. They are perfect for summer days when they need a little more then sandals but it's just too hot for socks.

2. Toms : You just can't go wrong with a pair of Toms. Not only are they uber comfy, versatile and cute, but with every pair you buy, a pair is given to a child in need.

Colored Bottoms

Color is HUGE this Spring/Summer, for us the colored bottom trend is back (but better then ever). For our kids it's hot fresh and new. Either way it’s super fun!

1. Zara boys red shorts 2. Zara girls ink pant 3. Crew Cuts boys aqua short 4. Crew Cuts girls pink short 5. IKKS boys red pant

Straw Hats

 

A summer hat is a necessity to shade those cute faces from the sun. Straw hats are the hot thing for both boys and girls.

1. Crew Cuts boys straw trilby 2. The Gap girls straw floppy hat 3. The Gap boys straw fedora 4. 77kids girls straw fedora

Rompers

The easiest all in one outfit. Your little girl can romp around in style this spring and summer.

1. Zara baby girls pink romper 2. 77kids girls jumpsuit 3. Crew Cuts girls military romper 4. Zara girls orange romper 5. 77kids girls 80's romper

Denim Shirt or Shirtdress

This Spring/Summer all you need to do is flip their little outfit, denim on top color on the bottom (the easiest way to wear the denim shirt). Or go all denim, just make sure the pants are a dark denim if the top is light, matching is not really a must have.

1. IKKS boys denim shirt 2. Zara girls denim shirt dress 3. Zara boys denim shirt

Mini Trenches

How cute would your little girl look wearing a shrunken version of your spring must have?

1. Zara girls red trench 2. Crew Cuts girls hooded trench 3. Witchery girls grey trench

Bloomer Shorts

The hot new short style for girls. Very vintage inspired, very cute.

1. The Gap girls floral bloomer short 2. Old Navy girls bloomer short 3. Zara girls bloomer short 4. Little Marc Jacobs bloomer short

Overalls and Suspenders

Overalls are always cool with kids, this spring there are so many options, all with a modern twist. Add a pair of suspenders to any pair of shorts or pants for a little geek chic must have.

1. Zara Shortalls 2. Witchery braces 3. The Gap dressall 4. Zara shorts with suspenders

Cargo Shorts

Comfy, cool, and super hip this spring/summer, which is great as I'm sure every little boy has at least one pair of cargo pants or shorts already!

1. IKKS boys cargo pant 2. Witchery girls cargo pant 3. 77kids boys cargo capri 4. Zara boys cargo short

Nautical Everything!

Nautical is everywhere. Jump on the ship and grab your little one something made for sailing.

1.Zara sailor stripe tee 2.Crew Cuts windbreaker 3.Crew Cuts sailor stripe flats 4.Zara sailor stripe dress

Saltwater Sandals

They are cute, comfy, and can literally be worn anywhere! Also they come in a rainbow of colors!

Saltwater Sandals

Now get shopping! :) And come by Baby Blackbird sometime, check out some cute kids street style and the hottest kids fashion trends.


###


Bio: Brandy from Baby Blackbird | The Kids's Fashion Destination, is a fashion designer by trait and a mommy too two little kids. Baby Blackbird is about all things fashionable for kids, fashion trends, kids street style, and so much more.


Dear friends, how great is Brandy's fashion sense?! I've already told her she's welcome to give me fashion advice any time... I will certainly listen. And on that note, please be sure to check out her blog and have a look around for yourself. She does not disappoint! Some of the things I'm loving most from this post are the Toms Shoes, the straw hats, the jumpers, and the overalls (especially that dressall!). Oh, and how can I forget the saltwater sandals that I wore as a kid?! What are your favorites?

eyeing those mini-toms,

Are you an expecting mom? Have you linked-up yet?

Join the Bloggin' Babes and Babies of 2011.

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

10 traditions designed to connect your family this christmas

By Lindsey Whitney of Growing Kids Ministry

The holidays are always crazy busy.  You don’t need me to tell you that.  However, in the midst of all the shopping, driving, celebrating, and running around, we often neglect to connect with our families in a meaningful way.  Here are ten ideas to help you slow down, even for a few moments, and cherish those things that mean the most to you.

1.   Hot Chocolate in Front of the Fire

Nothing causes you to slow down and reflect like a hot beverage in your hand. This winter, grab some of those specialty hot chocolates and make each member of your family a special cup of chocolaty goodness.   Gather together in front of the fire and just sip together.  You can chat if the mood strikes, but don’t feel like you have to. Comment on how tasty your drink is, and make sure you tell your family how much you love them.  Then just stare at the flames together.  No fireplace?  You can have your kids draw an imaginary one on poster board, or you can get one of those crazy DVD’s that put a crackling fireplace on your TV! 

2.   Storytime

Start the bedtime routine a half hour earlier and spend that extra time reading lots of Christmas books.  Little Star is a good one that’s out this year.  One family I know gets a different version of The Night Before Christmas  every year as part of their family tradition.

3.   Get Wrapping

Try to wrap presents ahead of time.  I know, you’re busy and this is one task that tends to settle to the bottom of the to-do list.  But seriously, it looks so nice to have those lovely gifts under the tree for a few weeks.  Plus, you don’t have to spend the entire month of December dreading the wrapping process.  Hire some youth group kids or nieces and nephews to do if you want.  I’m sure they would be happy for the extra Christmas cash.

4.   Appreciate What You Have

Spend a night together watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” (Do movies get any better than this one?)  Veggie Tales just came out with their own version, called “It’s a Meaningful Life” that you might opt for if you’ve got a house full of little ones.  After you watch, have everyone share something that they appreciate about their life and family. 

5.   Read the Christmas Story Before Christmas

Christmas is a great time to read about the birth of Christ, but Christmas morning might not be ideal.  Usually kids are anxious to dive into their presents, mom is busy cooking up a grand breakfast and dad is.. well, who knows?  Maybe getting the video camera ready or installing batteries.  At any rate, if you wait till the midst of all this to read through the Bible, it might get rushed or even pushed aside.  Take time Christmas Eve or earlier in the week to read through the passage and talk about it with your family.  

6.   Kid Friendly Nativity

Nativities are great, but don’t cause yourself undue stress by putting out Great Aunt Wanda’s heirloom set and then yelling at the kids whenever they come within three feet of it.  Instead, go for a kid-friendly version this year and let your kids actually touch it.   Here’s some great ones to take a look at: Little People Nativity, Learning Journey Nativity,  or Kurt Adler Nativity.

7.   Cookies! 

This is one of our family traditions.  Usually we do them all on one day (what a long day that is!), but you may want to break it up and do a different type of cookie every week.  Each year, when December comes, your family will know that Friday is cookie day!  Take those extra cookies to the neighbors to spread some holiday love.

8.   A Grand Entrance

I recently read this idea in Thriving Family magazine.  One family wanted to capture the “coming down the stairs on Christmas morning” moment, so they had their kids stay in their rooms until they heard Christmas music loudly playing in the house.  Every year, the parents picked a different tune and as the kids excitedly bounded out of their rooms, they were all able to share the first moments of Christmas together.  

9.   Remember Others

Samaritan’s Purse puts out a gift catalog every Christmas filled with gifts that you can give to others in needs.  For $4, you can give milk to a child for a week. For $20 you can give a family chickens to raise for a living.  There is a wide range of prices and gifts, and it’s a great way for kids to remember the less fortunate during the holidays. 

10.  Puzzle Time

Puzzles are another one of those activities that force you to sit down and breathe for a moment.  Find some Christmas or winter-themed puzzles and work together on them as a family.  You can do it all in one night, or spend a few weeks on an especially hard one.  Afterwards, you can glue it together and display it as a Christmas memory. 

Wondering how you’re going to remember to fit these things in?  Print off a calendar for December, and let your kids pick the days to do each of the above activities.  Post it on the fridge or some other prominent place so both you and your kids will be reminded to take time for family this Christmas.

Bio: Lindsey Whitney is a new mom of one adorable little girl.  She runs a Family Home Day Care and is the Children's Ministry director at her church.  Her blog is Growing Kids Ministry.




Dear friends, I LOVE these ideas and I'm a big believer in creating family traditions! We have a few Christmas traditions of our own, but now that we're parents we are open to adopting a few more that will be extra special for the kids. I love the child-friendly nativity idea as well as the cookie day! (And the grand entrance when the kids are older.) How do you and your family connect during the Christmas season? Will you try anything new this year?


enjoying my family this christmas,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

taking guest post submissions

I'm gearing up for a week-long work conference in Hawaii (I know, tough gig isn't it?) as well as a family trip to Oregon for a white Christmas (tra-la-la-la-la!) and I'm thinking about what to do with my blog amidst all the movement and time commitments and {gasp} sporadic internet access...


One of the things I'd like to do is have a week of Christmas-themed posts to kick off the first week of December (while I'm hard at work in Hawaii - grin). Specifically, I'd like to feature posts about creating family holiday traditions and teaching values through Christmas. So, things like: What are your special Christmas traditions? How are you intentional about celebrating? What are your favorite memories of Christmas growing up or with your own children? What are the values you hope to teach your children through the holidays and how will you do it? How do you keep your sanity during the holidays? What is your view on gift-giving? 


You see where I'm going with this, right? I hope to end up with a mix of posts (some light/fun, insightful, tips/how-to's, funny, etc.).


So, if you'd like to submit a post for publication during this feature week, please email me with an outline of your post idea (or an actual draft post if that's easier for you). I will pick the ones that I feel best fit with the intent and the feel of the Memos. All I ask of you is to let your blog readers know to come and visit the Memos on your day of publication!


Dear friends, please submit your interest by Friday the 19th of November. If chosen, I will need your finalized post with a photo and a short bio by Wednesday the 24th of November.

still dreaming of a white christmas,


P.S. To those of you who are regular readers (you know who you are!) I'd especially love to feature you and promote your blog. {smile} Please let me know if you're interested. x

I decided to jump back on the bandwagon. 
Would you care to vote for the Memos?




 Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

let's talk about sex, baby

By Morgan, author of The Little Hen House

I love getting together with my mommy friends. I think they are the sole reason that being a Stay at Home Mom has not driven me to the loony bin (yet!). We get together about once a week, let the kids run amuck, and get a chance to have actual adult conversation.

Of all the things we talk about, sex is NEVER a topic. It’s interesting. I can tell you exactly how many stitches my best friend had after her second baby, and I have held my other friend’s breast while she tried to get her baby to latch properly, but I can’t tell you when the last time we honestly talked about sex.

Occasionally, usually in a one on one conversation, a girlfriend will open up to me about her sex life. Anyone who knows me knows that I will pretty much talk about anything, so I’m always down for a good sex talk. Here’s what I have learned: Most of us really don’t feel like doing it a whole lot. And by a whole lot, I mean pretty much almost never.

Here’s the part where I have to ask you to refrain from telling me about how you can’t get enough of your husband and you practically attack him the second he walks in the door. Good for you. And him.

What I’m saying is- most of us don’t have the same sex drive that we did before we became mothers. Don’t worry. It’s totally normal. The best thing we can do is share our experiences and try to help one another. So.....

Here is what I think affects libido after childbirth:

1. Breastfeeding- your estrogen levels are very low. It's like your body is in menopause. Even the act of just holding a baby makes your hormones drop. It's nature’s little way of ensuring their survival by making sure that you won't do anything that will make a sibling for them any time soon. :) 

2. Lack of sleep. Sleep trumps sex. Period.

3. Post baby body. Even if you have returned to your pre-baby size, you may feel differently about your body- especially if you are nursing or had a difficult delivery. 

4. How involved/helpful your partner is. I tell my husband that doing the dishes counts as foreplay. Husbands need to step up and act like supportive partners. I've had it with man-children. Mothers don't feel like having sex with a partner who acts like a child. They feel like putting them in the corner for a time out. 

5. Where your baby sleeps. It's hard to have sexy time when you have the baby in the bed. 

6. How consumed you are with motherhood. Take time for yourself. Work on a non-child related hobby. Have a glass of wine with your girlfriends. Re-connect with your pre-mommy self. You were a person before you had children. And that person felt like having sex. Get to know her again. 

7. Date night. I know it's cliché, but it's SO important to get away with your spouse once in a while. Enjoy a great meal, have a glass of wine (or two!). I find that Friday nights are great for us. It allows us to reconnect after a long week and gear up for the weekend. 

8. Baby blues/postpartum depression. Enough said. 

9. Fake it till you make it. Sometimes you just have to make yourself do it. You will be glad afterwards. So will your husband. :) 

10. Finally, you may never feel like jumping your partner’s bones like you used to. That's ok. Having children changes everything about a relationship. You are both parents now and you need to re-discover each other in a completely new way. It's really, really hard and everyone goes through this struggle. It will take time, but you will get in your groove again. 

I’m no expert and I’m certainly not a doctor. If you think something is medically wrong with you, then I suggest you discuss it with a professional. I can only give you my advice, which is based on my own personal experience.

Having two babies in just over two years did quite a number on my sex life. I’m not perfect, but I’m trying really hard to get back in the game and I know you can too. 

Bio: Morgan is a Stay at Home Mom to Emma and Annie. In between eating Bon Bons and watching soaps, she writes about life, the adventures of motherhood, and the challenges of raising her two little chicks. You can read more of her at The Little Hen House.

Dear friends, do you have anything that you've learned and would like to share about post-partum libido? Just keep it at PG13 please... {smile}

opening up the conversation,

Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

editing tips for making your family photos frameable (part 4 of 4)

{mandy and her family}

Guest post by Mandy Chiappini, author of A Sorta Fairytale




We all have different cameras, editing programs, and skill levels. But there are some simple editing techniques we can do to make a photo just that much better.


Before you start editing photos, make sure you are familiar with your editing program. Whether it be a basic or a little more complex. Once you understand a little bit about the program you are using, the easier it will be edit your photos. Spend time reading about the different functions/tools/features your program has to offer and make sure to play around a lot in your program!


The easiest edits in the world are sometimes the best.

Cropping.
The very first thing you should do, is crop your photo. You are going to want to eliminate all of that extra area of clutter & color that will not be there in the end.


If your looking to create the most visually appealing photograph, most photographers will tell you about the rule of thirds. (it is explained very well in this website)


In addition to this, there are a ton of other cropping "rules" out there. You can throw those out the window, if you'd like. Crop the photo to what is pleasing to your eye. If you are going to be focusing on the scenery, crop it a little less. If someones smile is the focal point for you, crop it in a little tighter. But you can still use the rule of thirds, if you choose.

{here is my example of cropping, i just wanted to eliminate the extra clutter in the background, still sort of using the "rule of thirds"}


Brightness/Contrast.
A lot of times a photo can either be over-exposed or under-exposed. In the example below, that image is over-exposed. In other words, too bright. So I tweaked the brightness just a little bit to my liking.


Also, if you notice the image on the left is a bit "flat". There is no depth to it. So, by changing the contrast - it will add that depth to the photo and will really make him pop out.



Red-Eye.
This is the worst. Red-eye is often caused by using flash on your camera. And sometimes that is unavoidable. But the good thing is, most simple editing programs have a tool that can remove the red from your eye. Usually it is as simple as choosing the tool and clicking on the red and Viola! The red is gone.

{here is an example of removing red-eye. much better, right?}



Simple Black & White.
As well as the other tools mentioned above, you will usually find a tool that will convert your color photo to black & white. This give your photo a classic feel to it. If your program does not have a b&w tool, you can also accomplish this look by using your hue/saturation tools. If you completely de-saturate a photo, it will take all of the color out.



Another thing you can do if you change your photo to black and white is adjust the brightness/contrast some more. A lot of time when you take the color out of a photo, you also take the depth out of it. So by brightening a little and turning the contrast up, we can put the depth back in!

{very minimal change, but it definitely helps the subject to pop out, doesn't it?}


If you do not have any editing software and are on a tight budget, there is a free program for download called Picasa. This will give you all the tools you will need for your basic editing.


I hope that you found this helpful and can put it to use next time you are editing your photos!


Happy snapping! :-)

Bio: Mandy Chiappini is wife to a wonderful man, mother to a beautiful 8 month old boy, and a Lifestyle Photographer. She strays from studio photography and focuses on capturing the real person behind the photo in a natural setting. You can find her at A Sorta Fairytale, Mandy Chiappini Photography and as a contributor on Paper Heart Camera.


Dear friends, I still have a lot to learn about editing my own photos to take them from good to great. What about you? Did you find Mandy's editing tips and tricks helpful? Feel free to share a link of your favorite shot below and tell us how you edited your photo to improve it. What are you most excited to try next time?

practicing my editing,

Other posts in this mini-series:

• Part 1: Lighting - How to use light to take the best photos possible. 
• Part 2: Composition - How background, framing, and placement of your subject effects your photos.
• Part 3: Settings - How adjusting your camera settings can create different effects and feelings in your photos.
• Part 4: Editing - How using simple editing tools can help your photos go from good to great. (A guest post by Mandy from A Sorta Fairytale.)

Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

hey honey, why don't you stay home with the baby while i go back to work?

By Louise, author of Mommycrat

{This is part of the Moms Who Work series.}

Whether to work or not as a mom is a big decision.  But, when I looked forward to how I saw myself in motherhood, I always saw myself having a career.  Towards that end (and being the planner that I am) I spent some of my 20s getting myself into one that would suit motherhood.  My choice was the Canadian federal public service, which has good parental leave benefits, generously topping up Canada’s Employment Insurance, which provides some benefits for parents to stay home up to a year following the birth of their child. 

My husband is also a public servant, so we decided to split our year, given our jobs allowed it.  I took the first nine months, and he took the last three.  The “uneven” split was due to the fact that we wanted to breastfeed baby for more than six months, if possible (it was).  Obviously, only I could do that.

We knew early on that we were going to split the year as we both wanted the opportunity to be the primary caregiver and get that bonding experience.  We also hoped this would lead to each of us knowing the work required to care for baby, so we’d be better able to share those responsibilities once we were both working.

I'm still happy with the choice.  When we first made it, I had thought nine months was forever.  Heck - I could make a whole other baby in that time!  And I honestly thought I wouldn’t really like staying home.  I thought I might sometimes find it boring and isolating. I quickly learnt how busy it was. A different pace, but busy none the less. It was a break from my work life; but in no way a "break".

And it was a whole new kind of rewarding.  I loved it. In a different life, I now think I could happily have been a stay at home mom. So it was with mixed feelings that I returned to work.  I fought the urge not to regret the choice to split the year.

But now that I’ve been back about two and a half months, I don’t regret it.  Returning to work was easier for me in that I knew baby wasn’t going directly into daycare.  Also, my husband was so excited to start his time at home with her, that I’m glad our jobs allowed it.

In going back to work, I also learnt that some of the expectations I had of him as the “working parent” had sometimes been a bit off. For example, while I miss my daughter while I’m at work, I don’t always have the energy to be the parent “on duty” once I get home, which I’d often expected of him, given I’d been with baby all day and needed a break. 

And, while hubby adjusted really well and quickly to the stay at home role, he certainly now has an appreciation for all the work that involves.  Some amusing memories from my first week back at work involve him asking me if I was aware baby could sometimes take up to 40 minutes to eat lunch?  And did I know she sometimes just REFUSED to take her afternoon nap?

Seeing the roles from both sides has been really valuable.

Another thing I’ve learnt from changing roles was that it’s okay that our parenting styles are different.  After spending over nine months as the parent responsible for pretty much all decisions concerning her life, I had to take a deep breath, let go a bit, and be okay with things being done differently.  For hubby’s time at home, he’s been in charge (like I had been) of making and choosing baby’s food, planning her days, and setting any rules or schedules we both follow. 

Ultimately, I think having both of us have some time home with baby has worked well for us.  I also hope it will work to our benefit when, next week, baby starts daycare and we are both back at work.  I’ll be sure to blog about how that transition goes...

On a final note, the last thing I feared returning to work was that her life would happen without me.  The reality is that much of it does. But I don’t feel any lack of connection.  We continue to have special activities we do together.  For example, I still take her swimming twice a week and I am generally the parent who does the bedtime routine.  We still have “us” time.  And, finally, while ideally it would be better to not have to leave, the excitement in her face when she sees me coming home is one of the best feelings in the world.

Bio: Louise, aka Mommycrat, has been blogging since May 2010 at Mommycrat.  She lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and blogs about her thoughts on, and life with, her family and daughter.

Further reading in this series:

• All moms work hard 
• How to be a stay-at-home mom without losing your marbles 
• Mom on a wire: finding balance and sanity in a home with two working parents
• You have spoken: the best and worst of being a working mom (away from home)
• How I became a pediatrician turned stay-at-home mom
• The pros and cons of being a work-from-home mom
• From home to work or work to home: speaking up about the transition process
• Back to work: tips for how to prepare for the transition after maternity leave
• Are stay-at-home moms 1950ish? (readers speak up about the best and worst of being a SAHM)
• 4 ways single moms are thriving 
• 8 tips for running a business as a work-from-home mom 
• Mom hat, student hat: important tips for studying moms 

Dear mommy-friends, have you ever worked while your husband stayed at home with the kids? How did this work out for your family? While I was still pregnant with Levi, Ryan and I used to "fight" (not really) over who got to stay home with the baby. I won because I have the boobs... but Ryan would love his chance to be a stay-at-home dad for a while. And who knows... maybe one day it will be possible for a period of time. (?!) How about you?

love hearing about involved dads,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission