Back to School Fall Fashion - early edition!

At our house, catalogs have been arriving daily trying to convince me where to shop for my kids 'back to school' fall wardrobes.  And if I wasn't so fashion-obsessed, these companies do make it super simple to purchase an entire wardrobe for said child in one foul swoop.

But no, not me.  A little mixing and matching, price-comparing, and of course trend watching has me finding favorites in each catalog that my littles should wear.  And, I'm not one to go crazy each season.  I focus on what we've outgrown and how new pieces can make older pieces that still fit look fresh again.

So here we go - my 'top picks' from each catalog.  And this is not to say there aren't a bunch of other stuff I love from each place - but these pieces are my ultimate favs that I think will be super cute for Fall!

Land's End Kids - Girls

This chambray shirt with heart pockets is a little bit of a throwback to when I was a little girl - I love it!  

Girls' Long Sleeve Chambray Ellie Shirt, $29

Dying over this knit blazer - I want it for me, too!!  

Girls' Pattern Knit Blazer, $34

Land's End - Boys

These track pants might seem a little booooorrring....but they ARE what the boys like to wear, trust me!  And I like that they are colorful, pull on, and lined for comfort.

Boys' Mesh Lined Track Pants, $24

These hoodies remind me of Splendid, and are at least half the price.

Boys' Stripe Super Hoodie, $22

Tea Collection - Girls

How smart is this:  tea collection has packaged custom 'sets' you can buy.  Basically a couple tops and bottoms that all mix and match - Garanimals style!  

I love this set for the gals because of the moto pants and flutter sleeve dress:

Great Wall 5 Piece Set, $128

And for boys I am all about this set that includes pants with reinforced knees and a Dragon hoodie!

Daring Dragon Set, $118

Mini Boden - Girls

This dress is sweet yet with a little bit of a hipster vibe thrown in - paired with some stripey tights or leggings and a fun colored cardigan, it's perfect for school pictures.

Printed Tea Dress in Rose Quartz Vintage Birds, $56

Ok you will FOR SURE see Gemma in this set come Fall & Winter.  Obsessed.  

Novelty Knitted Set, $36

Mini Boden - Boys

Anyone who knows me knows that I have dressed Griffin in Mini Boden since he was tiny. It's one of my favorite brands for boys because it's colorful and fun yet still 'cool.'  Griff actually likes to pick out new pants and shirts himself when the catalogs arrive....#teachinghimwell

These pants hold up extremely well - we have bought them almost every season. And trust me - the pockets are key for boys who collect 'stuff.'

Rib Waist Cargos,  $46

I also love Mini Boden's mid-weight outerwear (i.e. fleeces, sweatshirts, etc).  They hold up beautifully and set my kid apart from the sea of North Face fleeces we see around here......this one with the stars is my favorite for this Fall.

Shaggy Lined Hoody, $54

Old Navy - Girls

While I sometimes have issues with quality, you simply cannot beat Old Navy for hitting the trends at the right price point.  Gemma and I will be twinsies in this cargo vest (I have an oldie but goodie from J Crew that I probably overwear I love it so much).

Twill Cargo Zip Vest, $19.94

Peplum for toddlers?  Of course, right?

Peplum Tee, $12.94

Old Navy - Boys

Old school Underoos, baby.  Come in Batman, Marvel Heroes, Angry Birds, and Superman.  We're an Angry Birds/Batman family here.....so cute.

Underoos 3 Pack Boxer Briefs, $14.94

What boy doesn't love a good character tee?  Old Navy is THE PLACE to get them.  Some I cannot stand (Angry Birds) but some aren't so bad.  This is my favorite:

Star Wars I Rule the School Tee, $12.94

Did you enjoy my list?  I hope so!  There are many more catalogs to arrive I'm sure......stay tuned for more kids fall fashion from this Mama.  In the meantime, I'm headed to the grand opening of the Neiman Marcus Last Call store tomorrow in Rosemont - SO EXCITED!  

Kohl's Fame

Normally I would not post about this, but I had to share this darling picture today.  My son, who is 4, does some occasional modeling through Ford Modeling Agency.  I hesitate to share this fact because I know there are people who may roll their eyes and think that I'm a crazy stage mom or something.  

But I'm not.  This is just something we do for fun, and the minute it isn't fun for him we won't do it anymore.  For now, the money he makes goes straight into his college fund.  

And the pictures are priceless for his wedding montage someday.  Ha!

Here he is in today's Kohl's ad.......(in the yellow shirt):

In Mom's (very biased) opinion, those girls are going to swoon someday!  

Janie & Jack(pot)!

After our Gymboree class on Wednesday, I wandered into Janie & Jack with miss G.  I love to see what's gone on sale (and if it's left in the sizes we need).  Needless to say, we hit the jackpot.  I am so excited about some of the new things we found for spring and summer.  

Also, all of their swim (all of it) is 30% off right now.  You can't go wrong!

Here are some of my fab finds......and what I love is that you can mix and match it all.

Poppy Dobby Top, was $34, now $15.99

Bow Poppy Top, was $34, now $16.99

Gingham Shorts, were $36, now $17.99

Pleated Scalloped Short, were $36, now $20.99

Ruffle Poppy Dress, was $69, now $37.99

Here are my swim picks - these red and blue lobster trunks look so cute next to the all red one-piece, G & G will be stylin' at the pool together this summer.......oh and there's a blue and white rash guard that matches these trunks, but for some reason I can't find it online.

Lobster Swim Trunk, was $36, now $25.50

Bow Ruffle Swimsuit, was $42, now $29.40

Warm Chicago Weather......

This warm weather here in Chicago (70's and 80's) has me thinking about the swim season.  Though it's typically a short season here, there were people laying out at the beach yesterday when we were there......maybe we won't see snow again and we'll be at the beach more this year!  Yay!  

One of my favorite swim lines for kids is Stella Cove.  They use the cutest prints for their swimwear, and I love that they use the same ones for boys and girls, so you can have brother/sister swim ensembles.

Here's what i'm eyeing for my two....

And here are a few shots from our 80 degree 'beach day' in March!  

Our brave dog Bella in ICY Lake Michigan!  Would you believe she's 9 years old?!!  Our first baby.

My 'real' babies playing in the sand

Momma trying to tan that ghostly skin

Miss Gemma Grace, notice the sand all over her face.....mmm I think it tasted good.  

My handsome boy in a serious moment

Really doesn't get much cuter, to me at least.

DVF Hearts Gap Kids

Short and sweet today but I'm REALLY excited about the DVF (Diane Von Furstenburg) collaboration with Gap Kids!  Debuting March 15th, it promises to be true to both brands.  The clothing will be for babies and girls ages 2 to 14 and will be sold in babygap and Gap Kids in 30 countries and online.  

Maybe Gemma and I will wear our DVF wrap dresses together this summer!  haha......

Click HERE to get to a quick 1 minute video of the photo shoot - gives you an idea of what we might be seeing in stores next month!

scrumptious new line

One new line we have coming into Wonder this spring is designed right here in the Chicago area.  

Mustard Pie Clothing.  I was turned onto it by a girlfriend who actually knows the designer (Shannon) well - and totally lucked out! Mustard Pie is one of the cutest most whimsical little girls lines out there right now.

Pulled from the Mustard Pie site, here's a little info about the line and how it came to be - a darling story.

When I was a little girl my mom was always baking.  I remember she made this amazing Lemon Meringue Pie that was just to die for.  One Mother’s Day, when i was about 5, I decided I wanted to try and make one for her instead to show her how much she meant to me.

She helped me get the crust ready, but I wanted to do the filling all by myself.  I searched high and low for that mysterious yellow filling that tasted so yummy and smooth.  Finally, I found what MUST have been the filling for her amazing Lemon Meringue pie.  I took the big jar of yellow mustard out of the refrigerator and squeezed and squeezed until the crust was full to the top! PERFECT I thought!

Starting as a young child I have always had a wild imagination and this was just one of the funny stories that reminds me how creative we are as children.  My hope in designing children’s clothing is to help them express some of that creative imagination in what they choose to wear and to make them feel like the UNIQUE and ONE OF A KIND individuals they are!

I have always had a love of fashion and my two children have reminded me of that child like creativity I had the day I made my first “Mustard Pie” and have been the inspiration for all my designs.

So without further adieu, here are some sneak peek pics from Spring.  Oh and if you want to 'like' Mustard Pie on Facebook it looks like there are some giveaways to enter from time to time....can't beat that. 

 I can't wait for it to arrive!