My little cousin (well, she’s not little anymore, she’s in her mid-twenties. But to me she’ll always be little) had a baby girl just one month ago. Since this is the first new baby in the family in several years, we were all more than happy to get a head start on spoiling her rotten. When it came time to pick a baby shower gift, I wanted to get her something practical off her registry, but I also wanted to buy the fun things, like fancy newborn girl clothes that my cousin would be less likely to buy for herself.

Obviously I was eager to jump on SophiasStyle.com and start picking out cute baby girl clothes right away, but luckily my mom gave me a few tips first on how to choose clothes that are both adorable AND genuinely useful.  Here are some of her hints for picking out fabulous baby shower gifts that aren’t on the registry:

- Buy clothing at a variety of sizes.  New babies grow fast, and those 0-3M outfits will only last so long.

- If you don’t know the sex of the baby, look for options that aren’t necessarily just green or yellow, like these reversible sleeper sets by TwoTara.

- Find out what colors the mom likes.  For example, my cousin is a bit of a tomboy herself, so even though she was having a girl, she didn’t want a sea of pink clothes.  I opted for purple outfits and a cute little sailor dress by Bonnie Jean.

- Figure out what holidays are coming up and search for cute baby clothes for girls that match the theme, like girls Halloween outfits or baby Valentine’s Day dresses.

- Consider picking out a chic diaper bag, because it’s probably going to double as the new mom’s purse for the first year.  Little things like having a stylish bag will help new mommy’s feel good about their appearance during those hectic and exhausting first months as a parent.

- Avoid buying a ton of lotions, powders or baby formula.  Sometimes it takes a few different tries to find the brand that works for the mom and baby, so it’s better not to have a huge supply of any particular type in case it doesn’t work out.

- Diapers, diapers, diapers.  In a variety of sizes.  This may seem like a dull gift, but the parents WILL appreciate it.  Big time.

As much as I love shopping for baby girl clothes and newborn baby girl clothes, I also can’t wait to volunteer to babysit!  Which might actually be one of the best gifts you can get for new parents

My children grew up at a mall. I know that statement may sound odd, but it’s true. You see, I worked at a mall with an ice rink. My kids skated and skated all day long as I taught group and private skating lessons.

I must admit that it was quite a challenge to bring three little kids to an ice rink on a daily basis, but at the mall, every day was an adventure for my family. Not only did the rink provide a wonderful place to play, but after I was done teaching, I would put my kids in a sit-and-stand stroller and we would “hit the mall.” The children would eat, play, and explore! Of course, once in awhile, we did some shopping. The mall sold plenty of children’s clothing and cute girls clothes. The kids especially enjoyed going on mini shopping sprees.

I dressed my youngest daughter in cute baby girls clothes for those shopping sprees. I always had to have a change of cheap baby clothes on hand since I never knew what kind of “accident” might occur.

How to Take Young Children to a Mall:

Find parking as close as possible to an entrance with a handicap accessible door. Getting a stroller up a handicap ramp and pushing the automatic door to enter a mall will make things much easier for a busy parent.

Make sure to pack extra clothing, extra diapers, newborn girls clothes, wipes, tissues, and napkins or paper towels.

Bring some large tote bags with you to put in any items that you may purchase during your visit to the mall. The tote bags can be tied to your stroller.

Don’t plan on doing much shopping unless you come to the mall with your spouse or another adult. One adult can watch the children while the other adult shops.

Avoid escalators; use the mall’s elevators.

Call the mall in advance and make sure there is a play area at the mall. Kids love mall play areas. Play areas will make your children want to visit the mall over and over again.

Bring your own food instead of spending a lot of money at the mall’s food court. Food makes a mall visit extra fun!

Many malls have special events going on geared for children. Take advantage of those events.

Visit the mall’s pet store. That can be an adventure in itself!

Treat your children to a hot pretzel, an ice cream cone, or take a quick visit to the mall’s candy store.

Many malls have bookstores that host children’s activities or have areas where kids can cuddle up with their parents and read. Find those areas and spend a lot of time there.

Make sure you know where the family restrooms are located. Plan spending extra time there once in awhile…

Further Reading:

Taking Kids to the Mall: Make it Easy!

The author of this article is Jo Ann Schneider Farris, About.com’s Guide to Figure Skating and the mother of three children.

Today’s tips are all about the pageant dress – how to find a beautiful discount pageant gown and how to keep it looking amazing for her turn onstage. First (and easiest) things first. You can find a girls pageant dress from SophiasStyle.com with the greatest of ease. We have more than 400 styles of pageant gowns and dozens of them are $50 or less. You can find pageant gowns for the seasoned veteran or one for the little girl who’s just started to practice her smile for the judges. Sophias Style pageant dresses feature everything from loads of glitz and glamour to simple, whimsical designs.

Once you find the perfect dress you’ve got to keep it that way. No matter how you are traveling to the pageant – by car, plane, bus, taxi, train – you’ll most likely need to pack up the dress in a suitcase or bag. If not stored properly, this can mean wrinkles for the pageant gown, and that certainly won’t impress the judges. You won’t want to mess with a heavy clothes steamer or iron while you’re trying to prepare for the big event.

Here’s how to best avoid wrinkles:

For simple “natural” pageant gowns and dresses:

Roll the dress like a sleeping bag before placing it in a tote or suitcase. Once you arrive at your destination and begin to unpack your pageant goodies, immediately unroll the dress and hang it in a closet or on a clothes rack. Voila! – nary a wrinkle should be found.

For truly “glitz” pageant gowns:

These gowns are generally too big to be placed in a suitcase. Rather, they travel best on a hanger and covered in either a plastic garment bag or luggage garment piece. You can hang the pageant dress from the hook in the car or on any other available bar or rack.

If traveling by plane:

You can ask the airline if they have a closet or clothes rack to store the dress during flight. If not, another option is to place the dress in a large garment box (you should be able to find them at dry cleaners) Then you can carry-on the box and keep an eye on it during the trip.

No more wire hangers:

Joan Crawford was actually on to something here. Always hang her pretty pageant dress on a sturdy wooden, metal or padded hanger. A cheap wire hanger won’t give the dress proper support and could cause wrinkles.

If you still see a stubborn wrinkle or two, here’s a quick and easy fix, courtesy of Martha Stuart. Hang the dress on the back of the bathroom door, lay towels on the floor and run a very hot shower for 5-10 minutes so that the room builds up a nice layer of steam. Then wrap your arm in a white towel and run it up and down the dress to ease out the wrinkles.

Your child only gets baptized once, and for that occasion you’re going to want the perfect Christening gown.  After that special day, you’ll no doubt want to preserve the gown, and possibly pass it on for the next baby in the family to wear.  For that reason, it’s very important that her gown be preserved carefully.  You don’t want to pull it out of storage in four years only to discover the fabric has grown yellow and stains seemed to have appeared out of nowhere! 

So, here are some important instructions to ensure that your baby’s Christening gown is properly preserved:

Textiles need to “breathe” in order to last a long time without fading or turning yellow.  While many Christening gowns and Christening outfits come with a zippered vinyl bag, do not use it to store your baby girls Christening gown.  The chemicals in plastics can cause severe damage to your childs Christening outfit over an extended period.  Paper boxes and tissue should also be avioded unless you are absolutely positive that they are acid-free.

Also avoid bags with zippers or snaps as metal can corrode.  Do not use an ordinary wire hanger.  If you want to hang your Christening gown or outfit , use a plastic, rubber coated or stainless steel hanger.

The safest way to store your Christening gown or Christening outfit is in a 100% cotton bag.  A 100% cotton storage bag should be made of all-natural cotton, containing no dyes or other chemical treatments.

Before storing your Christening outfits or Christening gowns, make sure they are clean.  If the laundering instructions allow for hand washing, do so with a enzymatic cleaner.  If needed, rinse thoroughly with distilled water.  Be certain to store it without any soap residue.  Let dry completely and press before storing.

Where you store your Christening gowns or Christening outfits is one of the most important considerations.  Attics get too hot and basements can get too damp. The best place to store your gown is in a cool dry space, such as in a closet in the main part of the house. 

Make sure you stop by Sophias Style and check out our beautiful collection of heirloom quality Christening gowns!

My car’s radiator leaks like a sieve.  I put coolant (dillouted dangerously far past the strongly suggested 50/50 ratio) in it daily.  Multiple times daily.  Now, in the warmer months, if I have to pull over to the side of the road, some kind gentlemen always stops to help me before I’ve so much as had time to pop the hood and stare blankly inside.  However, it’s looking like gentlemen fly South with the birds, because in the winter I can freeze on the side of the interstate for 20 minutes while trying to pry open the radiator cap with numb hands and not a soul seems to notice.  I have learned my lessons:  1.  Chivalry is dead.  2.  It’s time to invest money in a decent vehicle, and 3.  It’s time to invest time in learning how to care for said vehicle all by myself. 

Well folks, I’m a lady of action!  I’ve mourned chivalry and I’ve found the decent vehicle.  Tonight I will drive my leaky car to the dealorship and make the trade.  No, I did not mention the radiator to the dealer.  Cross your fingers that it doesn’t overheat if he test driv- no, scratch that, just cross your fingers that he doesn’t test drive it.  Now, onto learning how to care for the new car (which I’m doing, regardless of the fact that spring is approaching and the knights will no doubt be migrating back soon). 

 

Here is an excellent list of links you should check out if you don’t know a thing about cars: 

Car Maintenance Checklist – Start with this list.  If you don’t know what or where something is, look it up. 

Check the Fluids in Your Car - Know how to check your fluids.  This How-To comes with pictures, yay! 

Check the Hoses and Belts – These guys are pretty often the culprit when you’re hearing weird noises coming from your hood.  Don’t be afraid of spending the money to get them fixed, a lot of times that expense is pretty minor, but the expenses incurred by leaving them until they break can be astronomical. 

Check the Tire Pressure – Because tires are pricey. 

Change the Tire Yourself – You can do it. 

Change the Battery – Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to leave this to the experts, but knowledge is power according to  Schoolhouse Rock, so read up anyway. 

There you have it, everthing you should know about your car!  Now, onto something we all actually want to hear about:  A Spring Forward Discount at Sophias Style!  If you purchase any girl’s spring outfits, enter the code SPRING10 at checkout and you’ll get 10% off. 

Have a lovely Tuesday!

According to Wikipedia, Valentine’s Day is allegedly considered a romantic holiday because of Saint Valentine.  Saint Valentine was a good man who somehow angered a corrupt Roman Emperor, and was imprisoned and sentenced to be executed.  Before being executed, he performed a miracle; he healed the jail keeper’s blind daughter.  Also before his execution (and this part is maybe made up, but it makes for a romantic story) he wrote a love letter to the jailer’s daughter, and signed it “From Your Valentine.”  Awww.  

I know Valentine’s Day isn’t always the most popular holiday for adults, but most kids really like it.  At my school, we all brought Valentine’s and/or candy for the entire class, what’s not to like about that?  

Anyway, February is only a month away (hopefully the snowfall will end with January) so I came up with a fun list of Valentine’s Day crafts you can do with your children! 

Heart-Shaped, Bonbon-filled Door Hangers:  These are so cute, and they’re surprisingly easy!  Plus, you can fill them with whatever candy you want. They’ll work as Valentine’s decorations around your house, or as Valentine’s gifts for friends and family!

Puffy Hearts:  These are super cute, and they make great decorations for February and can definitely be used as little Valentine’s gifts from the kids to family or friends. 

Conversation Hearth Wreath:  This craft is cool because you can use it as an opportunity to teach your kids to spell and write the words they see on candy hearts! 

Festively Filled Valentine’s Hearts:  These are so pretty, and you can fill them with whatever you want! 

Hopefully you and your family enjoy these crafts!  Do you have any February traditions at your home?

Also, Sophias Style has a sale on kids jeans today, enter 30JEANS for 30% off!

A lot of brides are really into finding ways to personalize their wedding with DIY decorations and embelishments.  This is an especially good idea if you’re looking for little ways to cut extra costs, and it has the added bonus of being completely unique- you can have all those special little touches that you did yourself, and no one will ever be able to replicate them.  Here are a few cool ideas we found:

Decorate the flower girl basket yourself - This video has instructions on some great ways to get your basket started.

Handmade Thank You cards – This may sound like a lot of work, and sending Thank You’s is already a rather daunting task.  However, these instructions are super simple, and you’ll score major Classy points with all of your guests for being so thoughtful. 

Wedding Chair Swag – I didn’t even know what a swag was before I read this, but now I think it’s a great idea! 

Make your wedding programs – This is one area where a lot of couples just go very basic, so make your original and stand out from the crowd!

Style your own hair – Getting your hair done at a salon you trust is a great idea, but not everyone has a regular stylist, and it’s a bit difficult to trust someone you’ve just met with your hair on your wedding day.  If you’re pretty good and handling your own hair already, why take the risk?  Practice ahead of time and DIY on the big day!

Wedding Makeup – This blog post has about a million great links!  I’m sort of a makeupphobe; I can do the most basic things for day-to-day (meaning mascara, and eyeliner maybe), and I know how to be extreme for costume parties to big events (think loads of glitter and red lipstick), but I don’t know how to do a photo-friendly happy medium.  I rather detest allowing others to touch my face (too many bad experiences with hurried makeup artists).  These videos are precisely what girls like me need. 

Self-addressed Invitations – My officemate is engaged and currently planning her wedding.  I asked her what kinds of personal touches she’s thought of, and she said her mom and future mother-in-law are adamently claiming that the invitations should be addressed by hand.  Honestly, I’ve never paid attention to this, so I don’t know what the standard is, but she and I both agree that this may be a DIY project to skip.  Save yourself the arthritis and send them to the printer.

What kinds of DIY projects have you tried or seen at weddings that you really loved?  Have you come across any that you didn’t like?

Also, we have new flower girl dresses in stock at Sophias Style, and you can check out a blog post on them at Trendy Girls Fashion Blog!

I just finished reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything is Illuminated last night, and I’m telling you, it’s incredible.  If you’ve never heard of Foer, I insist that you get on amazon right now and order two of his books:  Everything is Illuminated, and Extrememly Loud and Incredibly Close.  Both are fantastic, very post-modern, poetic, and brilliantly crafted.  Foer teaches creative writing at NYU, and he’s only in his early thirties.  I cannot wait for more of his books to come out.  I might even have a bit of a crush on him.

Ok, on to more pressing matters:  The fact that you’re reading a blog about Christmas gift ideas three days before Christmas sort of implies that you may be just a bit of a procrastinator.  Well, that’s okay, because the list of ideas with which you are about to be presented is, as stated in the title, entirely composed of items that cost $20 or less.  Which means that you’ll have money left over to pay for overnight shipping.  Christmas morning, consider yourself rescued! 

Idea #1:  Jewelry and Watches

Girls love jewelry at any age!  Also, watches are fun and practical- she can start learning to tell time. 

Idea #2:  Cute Tops 

She is always going to need and want new clothes.  You can’t go wrong with a cute new shirt.  I really like these faux-layered ones, especially with the floral chiffon peeking out at the bottom.  Honestly, I like about anything that involves floral printed chiffon.  She will too, it’s cute and girly and can be incorporated into any season’s wardrobe. 

Idea #3:  Trendy Leggings

If all else fails, go for the staples.  Girls need leggings, and we can never have too wide a variety of colors and styles to choose from.  I have five different variations of black leggings alone (capri length, stirruped, full foot, studded, and ankle zippered), and I use them all.  If nothing else, they’re great to layer in the winter for extra warmth. 

Idea #4:  Pretty Hats

Hats are one of those things that I always want, but never want to spend money on.  They’re only marginally necessary, so they sort of get last dibs on my paychecks.  Nevertheless, I love hats, I always want more hats.  I want them in all different styles and patterns and colors.  The fact that they are generally unnecessary gives them the power to make even the most drab outfit look interesting.  Hats have personality.  You can’t go wrong if you get a girl a few fun hats. 

Idea #5:  Hair Accessories

As with hats, hair accessories are always a great gift.  They add to an ensemble, and they’re appropriate in any season.  Also, Sophia’s Style has about the greatest collection of girls hair accessories that you could hope for; we have all different kinds of color combinations, headbands, clips, bows, you name it.  Most girls have a preference- for example, I won’t wear clips because my hair is too fine, but I love headbands, so check out what she prefers, then order as many styles as you think she’d like! 

Remember, order by noon tomorrow, and we can still overnight packages to you by Christmas Eve!  Have a fabulous Wednesday, and enjoy the holidays.

While I’ve never made it to Disney World, I did get to see Disneyland when I was 3 years old.  I have some great memories of the trip; I remember the teacup ride, the It’s a Small World ride, and several others.  I also remember leaning too far forward in my stroller to observe something on the ground, losing my balance, and falling directly onto my face- which is why my proud parents have a photo album full of images of me with a skinned nose and forehead standing next to various Disney characters and looking a bit frightened.  Oh, memories! 

Aside from the face plant, my brother and I had a fantastic time (in fact, I think my face plant may actually have added to my brother’s enjoyment), and I really think Disneyland (or World) is one of those vacations every family should try to go on, it’s practically an American family rite of passage.  The whole park was beautiful, the rides were so much fun, and it was without a doubt one of the best trips we ever took as a family. 

Naturally, Disney Parks- and theme parks in general- come with a number of challenges.  They’re not cheap, there are crowds to navigate, long lines for rides, food, and bathrooms, and you’ll be walking around in the sun all day- which is fun but exhausting.  So, in case you’re planning a family vacation and are considering the happiest (allegedly) place on earth, I’ve done a bit of research and found some great links you should check out.  Also, I’ve put together my own little list of tips to help your trip go smoothly! 

My Tips:

- Pack Snacks;  park food is overpriced, and the lines are unholy.  I recommend high energy things like walnuts and dried cranberries, PB&J sandwiches, and flaxseed crackers. 

- Bring a nice waterbottle.  Just bring one, there are plenty of places to refill it for free, so save yourself the extra weight. 

- Use sun block, not sunscreen.  There is a BIG difference.  Sun block blocks the sun, meaning it keeps the sun- UVA and UVB off of the skin- make sure it’s at least SPF 30.  Sun screen needs to be reapplied more frequently, and there are no FDA requirements about listing the level of UVA protection- so you never know if you’re fully protected. 

- Wear hats and/or sunglasses.  Your children have sensitive eyes, and UV damage can cause all kinds of problems (can you tell I’m a blue-eyed, fair-skinned, sun protection fanatic?). 

Links:   

Tips to Surviving Disneyland with Kids in Tow - I love this blog post because it includes tips for iPhone users.  I don’t have an iPhone, but I want one.

Disney Tips - This is a really cute guide, it includes a lot of things I wouldn’t have thought of, and apparently a lot of parents overlook. 

Surviving Disneyland - This blog is written by a Disneyland- loving mommy, and she has put together a really expert guide on surviving the park with small children.  If you’re going with kids who still need a stroller, this is a must-read.

If you’re lucky enough to be planning a family trip soon, have a fabulous time! 

Also, we’re running tons of great sales at Sophia’s Style this week- check out Trendy Girls Fashion Blog to find out how you can save up to $30!

Jessi

Omaha just finally got a Trader Joe’s, and I’m so excited about it!  Before this, our only organic supermarket was Whole Foods, which I love but can rarely afford.  Trader Joe’s is still pricey, but not as bad.  Plus, I’m really hoping the competition will help keep some of the more absurd prices a bit lower at both stores. 

Last Thursday, my darling boyfriend noticed that I forgot my lunch after I left for work, so he went to TJ’s and got me flaxseed crackers, cheese, a Kombucha tea, and flowers!  I forgot to take the flowers home with me on Friday afternoon, and came to work Monday expecting them to be dead- or at least wilted- and shockingly, they still looked perfect.  Now today, a full week later, the flowers still look fresh!  Very impressed with Trader Joe.  If you’ve got one in the area, I definitely recommend heading there for some grocery shopping. 

Now, I’m not strict about eating organic.  I do believe it’s safer, and it’s doubtlessly better for the environment, but I’m also only 24, my budget is limited and sometimes I want overpriced footwear more than I want overpriced groceries.  Anyway, I found a few useful articles about how to be smart about buying organic, and so I thought I’d share!

How to Shop Organic on a Budget - This article has tips for saving money while still eating organic, and also includes a chart that lists foods that you should always try to buy organic, and foods that don’t need to be organic.

17 Tips for Buying Organic Food on the Cheap - This article is exactly what the title says, 17 tips on how to save when buying organic. 

Organics 101 – Some really good reasoning behind why it’s important to buy organic, plus tips on how to do it affordably. 

What are your thoughts?  Is eating organic important to you and your family?  Do you think the cost outweights the benefits or not? 

Also, today is the last day of the Sophia’s Style outerwear sale!  If you enter WARM15 at checkout, you’ll save 15% on all girls outerwear and baby girls outerwear.