Happy Medium

It’s back-to-school shopping time.

I loved this as a kid and teenager.

Shopping for all the new school clothes, shoes, Trapper Keepers and Pee Chee folders!

{Trapper Keeper image found here}

The kids never have a shortage of clothes, but they need a couple brand-new pieces to start school as well as some new zapatos.

I took them to Ross yesterday and it was a nightmare.

Everything that I liked, she hated.

Everything that she liked, I HATED.

We settled on a few things, but nothing that I super adored.

I’m not going to lie. I LOVE shopping for kids’ clothes. I am the one that always gives some article of clothing as part of the birthday gift for their friends. To kids, this equals B-O-R-I-N-G!

For Elliott’s birthday I found a darling pair of silver sequined high tops. I was so excited to give them to her. Wrapped in zebra print tissue and a glitter gift tag…she opened them and immediately blurted out, ‘They look like clown shoes!”

I told her they would look so cute with knee highs and a ruffled skirt.

Then she saw something on iCarly or somewhere and changed her mind.

So, now the sequined high tops are back in the game.

Yay!

Again, not going to lie….I am pretty particular about what I put on my kids. And I don’t mean that ALL they wear is designer, boutique inspired clothing. That is not the case at all. I have no problem putting them in a $2 pair of pants or a 50 cent shirt ~ as long as it’s cute!

If the shirt is ugly (in my opinion) and it’s 50 cents, no.

Cute and 50 cents, YES!

Sometimes a bow is OK, sometimes the bow ruins it. Sometimes there is just one little thing that makes it look cheap and I won’t buy it (even if it IS cheap).

I get most of the kid’s clothes from Ross, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Target, The Children’s Place, Old Navy, Kohl’s, some hand-me-downs and occasionally Wal-mart. I refuse to spend a lot on their clothing. I almost always get their shoes from Ross. They have quality shoes like Stride Rite at great prices.

So, getting back to school shopping…I was so excited to take her this year, but I just won’t spend money on something that I don’t like for her. Is that bad?

What I think I’m going to do to come to a happy medium is shop for her stuff myself and then let her pick out her outfits (within reason). That way at least I will LIKE all the pieces she has to choose from if she won’t let me dress her.

Ugh! I can already see the writing on the wall each morning.

Have a feeling there will be a lot of Punky Brewster moments!

These are the times when I wouldn’t mind her having a uniform.

Holden, on the other hand, is still easy…

…that is IF I can get him out of his pajamas!