I’ve been experimenting with doing my hair in casual updos, and what has become abundantly apparent to me is that I need more clippy/pinny things (and also more strength/flexibility in the armular region, but one thing at a time). I have a large clip; and I have two smaller clips that together are just barely enough to hold up my hair; and I have a side-claw clip. Annnnd….that’s about it. Oh, and I have an assortment of barrettes and elastics, too, and some hairpins I’ve never successfully used for structural support.

I don’t want to go too wild with decorativeness. Or rather, I DO, but I’m worried it’ll take the look from “Casual Updo” to “Thinks She’s Going to the Prom.”

On the other hand, something fully practical like the Caravan Thick-Hair Tortoiseshell Barrette (photo from Amazon.com) in my shopping cart doesn’t exactly stir the soul. What I’d like to find is some clips that are sensible (i.e., hold up big chunks of hair comfortably) but also pleasing (i.e., PRETTY)—without overdoing it (i.e., PROM). It’s a fun challenge.

I noticed that Caravan hair clips were in general getting good reviews, so I browsed that section longer and found some good possibilities. The Tortoiseshell Flowers barrette (photo from Amazon.com) seems like exactly the sort of thing I’m looking for: the tortoiseshell makes it casual/plain and goes well with my shades-of-brown-and-blonde hair, and the flower shape makes it a little prettier than a rectangular barrette.
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Paul has started a new annual tradition of taking the two older kids on a road trip each summer. Here are some of the supplies I bought for them this year, when they were ages 11 and 13:

The Hunger Games trilogy (photo from Amazon.com). Both kids read the first book, but we’ve spent the rest of the summer on the library waiting list for the second one. This was the perfect moment to finally give in and buy the set. And there was no fighting over it, because one kid wanted to re-read the first book before reading the second one, and the other kid didn’t.

Brain Quest for the Car (photo from Amazon.com). We’ve loved these Brain Quest cards for littler kids; I hadn’t realized they had sets for older kids. I first considered the set for 7th graders (one child is going into 6th, the other into 8th), but this car-trip set seemed more fun. I worried it might be too young for them (it’s marked ages 7-12), and probably would have gotten the America set (ages 9 and up) if it hadn’t had a predicted shipping delay.
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Elizabeth, age 7, has realized that 2-piece swimsuits are unacceptable without skirts. I say “realized” instead of “decreed” or “decided” or “declared,” because that is how it seems to her: that she has become aware of a fact, not that she has made a rule or experienced an opinion. Luckily I bought her swimsuits on clearance last year for $3-4 each, so it doesn’t really matter that THEY ARE A TOTAL LOSS. Also luckily, this is the time of year swimsuits start to go on sale/clearance.

But this means I had a very particular quest: a 2-piece swimsuit that meets my guidelines for little-girl suits (the usual “It should look as if it were made for a LITTLE GIRL”) and also HER revised-and-updated guidelines for suits (the two pieces of the suit shouldn’t show much skin between them, if any, and the bottom needs to be skirted or to have a skirt add-on).

It spoils the suspense to go right to the one I bought, but so be it:

Xhiliaration 3-piece tankini set (photo from Target.com). Bonus: I think that skirt will go with one of the non-skirted 2-piece suits I bought her before I knew The Fact.
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The twins turned seven, and for me it meant not just “O MY BABIES ARE GROWING UP” but also “O MAN THIS IS A LOT OF PRESENT IDEAS TO COME UP WITH.”

One of the more surprising successes was a calculator (photo from Amazon.com) for Edward. He’d kept stealing mine, so I wondered if he might like to have one of his own—and although his first reaction was not quite the level of THRILL a person might be looking for in a birthday gift reaction, he’s played with it nearly every day since.

My parents bought LittleMissMatched socks (photo from LittleMissMatched.com) for Elizabeth. I had the fun of choosing, so I chose all from the buy-3-sets-get-1-set-free section, to reduce the pain of paying THREE dollars PER sock PLUS shipping. This was a great gift idea for grandparents, because I KNEW Elizabeth really wanted the socks but I was having a hard time getting over the hurdle of the price (and the SUPER annoyance of not being able to use a free shipping code on an order containing buy-3-get-1). My mom: “Pish! They’re perfect! Let’s order them!”
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Some of my kids (okay, just Elizabeth) like to wear outfits that coordinate with holidays. But it turns out that a shirt that says “Happy Valentine’s Day!” only works one day a year. So my favorite way to handle things is to buy clothing that can be used for the holiday—but doesn’t necessarily look holidayish after the day has passed. There are plenty of little-girl clothing items with hearts on them, so if I get heart tights and a shirt with a heart on it and a pink or red skirt, she’s dressed for the Valentine’s Day party but can still use those pieces on other days with other clothes.

Same with 4th of July: I like flag shirts TOO, but a “July 4th 2012!” flag shirt is not quite as fully wonderful on July 5th. Red shirt + blue skirt + anything with a star or stripe on it = sensible things that can go into regular rotation afterward.

For example, the Boden red/white/blue floral shirt (photo from BodenUSA.com). On July 4th or Memorial Day with other red/white/blue clothes, this is going to look patriotic as heck. On July 5th with jeans, it’s just a cute summer shirt.
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Do you play that game where you say, “What if I had $500 to spend at Target?” or “What if I had $200 to spend at Gymboree?” or “What if I had $100 to spend at Bath & Body Works?” or whatever? I love that game. And thanks to an aunt who gave us a gift certificate to L.L. Bean, I am playing that game FOR REALS.

I always start in Sale. ALWAYS. Even when it’s just a game.

Women’s Corduroy Belted Trench. Gorgeous. (Especially if we put ourselves into Autumn Mindset.) But I don’t think it would be gorgeous on ME. And I almost never close my lightweight coats, so then the belt would just be dragging, I guess? But it caught my eye. So pretty! This is what Non-Actual Me wears.

Mountain Laurel Fleece Jacket. Ah! This is more what Actual Me wears!
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One of my favorite things about Easter is all the beautiful dresses for little girls. And the way all those beautiful dresses go on clearance after Easter and I can STOCK UP.

Vintage Dress in Sailor Blue Flower Tile (photo from BodenUSA.com), in sizes 1.5-2y - 13-14y.

Tiered T-Shirt Dress in Lilly Pink (photo from LandsEnd.com), in sizes 2T - 16. This looks super-comfy as well as cute—like it might be dressy enough for church but then casual/comfy enough for school and play.
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I’m looking for a new pair of mary janes, and thought you might like to see some of the fun options I’ve come across while looking for something more sensible.

Miz Mooz Pax Mary Jane (photo from Amazon.com).

Dr. Martens Floral Mary Jane (photo from Amazon.com). INTO MY CART.
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Ha ha! Like I’d know!

It is very tricky to buy a Valentine’s Day gift for a guy. (Unless you don’t celebrate it, or think it’s a dumb holiday, in which case it’s not tricky at all.) I’m sure there ARE a FEW guys who enjoy getting flowers and chocolates and sentimental love notes. But in general I think a lot of us are stuck: it’s a holiday about sentimental/romantic love, and the established gifts are things that most guys are not keen on.

When we try to write them a hundred little love notes, or tell them what they mean to us, we’re giving them what WE’D want, not what THEY want—and that’s pretty much the opposite of romantic. (Many of us wouldn’t want the flowers or the chocolates or the hundred little love notes either, but that would be for another post.) I still remember the total failure of the Valentine’s Day symphony tickets I got for my high school boyfriend. “We get to dress up and go listen to romantic classical music with grown-ups!” He probably felt about that the way I would have felt if he’d gotten me a set of socket wrenches.

The goal, I think, is to find guy-romantic: not “Fine, let’s go make out in the car, then,” but something that actually shows some of the romantic spirit.
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What I like about Valentine’s Day clothing is that a lot of it can be worn all year. Many little girl clothes have “Love” or hearts on them ANYWAY, whereas only Christmas outfits have Christmas trees.

Heart tights (image from OldNavy.com), sizes 0-6m - 4T/5T.

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