I knew it would happen...

At 19 months, B has his first sentence down. 

"No, Charlie!" 

I guess they repeat what they hear the most, right? And these words are heard often in our house.  

Charlie is our adorable but SUPER DUPER NAUGHTY Cairn terrier. 

Charlie pictured with his brother from another mother, Baxter the Wheaten terrier

I mean, honestly - it could have been a LOT worse considering some of the other things we frequently say to that poor, ornery dog. 

Poppin' Tags

It's spring consignment season around here, and if there's one thing I can't turn down, it's a bargain. Especially when it comes to new clothes!

I've always had a mild fashion obsession. I love wandering through Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's and drooling my way through the designer shops. Sadly, I've never had the kind of body that can pull off any old outfit - I shop for flattering cuts and concealment - so my personal fashion cravings have often been met with handbags, shoes and accessories (they ALWAYS FIT!). But with B? I've rediscovered the joy of buying actual clothes. 

The beauty of being a kid is that everything looks amazing on you (I mean, at least for a while. We all hit an awkward wall eventually, even the beautiful people, amIright Ryan Seacrest?). They can wear pajamas out of the house and turn heads. I may be biased, but I think B is extra adorable and charming. As such, I endeavor to dress him in extra adorable and charming ensembles. I like some of the higher end brands for kids - Janie & Jack, Mini Boden, Hanna Andersson, Tea, Peak, etc. They make supercute clothing that is totally hand-me-down worthy, and some of it even holds its value with active B/S/T boards on Facebook.

I mean, come on.
Baby Gap jeans, Baby Gap plaid shirt, Jaffa sweater, Zutano booties, handmade hat 

Easter Style

Ralph Lauren shirt, Baby Gap trousers, Osh Kosh shoes

No matter where you shop, or how much you buy, keeping your child's adorably kissable tuckus clothed can add up. Some of my coveted boutique brands charge upwards of $50 for one piece. Srsly, you guys. Maybe you have loads of disposable income for this stuff, but not I. Even buying $5 t-shirts from Target, this stuff fits for a matter of months if you're lucky. Even in B's short life, he's been known to blow right through a size, skipping over it completely. 

Enter...the consignment sale. 

You may have a consignment shop in your area, open year round. Also a good place to get bargains, but I like the thrill of a seasonal sale. Usually held in the spring and fall, and held over 3-4 days, these puppies are huge. They'll carry everything from newborn to juniors, boys, girls, toys, books, decor, gear, you name it. In my relatively small metro area, there are two big ones, and they draw crowds! Show up at opening time on the first day of the public sale, and expect to wait in line. 

I like to shop with a pre-sale pass. For most sales, these can be earned by either signing up as a consignor (bonus, you get to clean out some unwanted stuff AND get cash for it!), or as a volunteer (usually just a few hours of your time to help straighten racks). Some sales allow you to purchase a pre-sale pass. I'd weigh this option against how much stuff you really need and the size of the sale to decide if you'll still come out ahead. 

At my most recent sale, I scored some great stuff! Brand new Gymboree trunks and rash guard, two pairs of Baby Gap shorts, three Old Navy tees, an H&M striped tee, Janie & Jack pants, a Nike Cubs tee, two like-new Sandra Boynton books and a brand new Melissa and Doug train set, all for less than $60. 

Leave the kids behind if you can, you need to be ready for some serious hanger flicking. Bring a friend, drag your spouse, and have fun! A couple of tips - check prices - most are priced by the seller, and some people get a little bold. Sometimes you can find things new on clearance for less than they're trying to charge used. Also...check under the tags. I've seen people try to hide stains or holes with crafty tag placement. And don't just shop for current sizes. At these prices, you can take a risk and shop for the next few sizes. I may or may not have some Janie & Jack shirts and a  Baby Gap pea coat that won't come out of the closet until at least 2017.  

Finally, consider the timing of your shop. Most sales open at full price on day one, and then progressively reduce prices until the last day of the sale. Weigh whether you're looking for the best selection, or if you need to stock up on daycare play outfits for $1. 

Happy shopping! Get out there and pop some tags! You can come home with a lot of goodies, even with only $20 in your pocket.

A few of my favorite things....Hanna Andersson Pajamas

A regular post where I share some of my favorite things, a la Maria von Trapp. Just less singing. 

I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for an amazing pair of pajamas. Especially for babes, when it's still perfectly acceptable to wear Pajamas as Clothes in almost any social situation (lucky, lucky babies). The problem, I found, was that my tall kid outgrew his jammies SO DARN FAST, nevermind that so many of the cheap PJs I bought seemed to pill and look busted even in the short amount of time he wore them. 

Enter Hanna Andersson, Swedish kid clothing retailer extraordinaire. I'm not going to say they're high fashion, but in my experience, their clothing is well-made and very hand-me-down worthy. Classic stuff. I've never gone ga-ga for their clothes, but their sleepers? Pure awesomeness. 

Here's B hanging in one of my favorite pairs, featuring adorable Dala horses. 

The Night Night sleepers are made from supersoft organic cotton, and are sized just right to fit for a long time. So far, B has worn most sizes for about 6 months, which is practically a lifetime in baby clothing. They don't have feet, and are designed so that the cuffs easily fold (and unfold) to help with length. 

These aren't super cheap at $35/each for baby sizes (through 90cm), and $42 for the larger two-piece Long Johns, but it's one of the few things I'm willing to splash out on full price. That said, they often run sales (I recently stocked up on a buy one, get one 1/2 off sale), and there's a robust resale market on these since they last so long. There are even dedicated Hanna buy/sell/trade groups on Facebook. Also, if you're a Costco member, every year or so they seem to get a shipment in of special, made-for-Costco Hanna PJs! It's said they aren't quite the same quality, but they're still awesome. And I just bought six pair for less than $14 each!

This is my go-to baby gift for new moms in my life. 

A quick note about sizing - Hannas are sized European-style, by centimeters. It's all about baby's length. They have helpful size charts in store and online, so you can easily find that a 90 translates to roughly 3T (for example). 

Now if you really want to get festive, Hanna also offers PJs in adult sizes. And for dogs. Yes, dogs. You can fully outfit your entire family in Christmas jams, if you can get your dogs (and husband) to hold still long enough to put them on. 

I mean, this is normal, right? Right?

I can still blame the baby, right?

I'm fat.
I'm disorganized.
I forget simple things like who fed the dogs last.
I'm perpetually 15 minutes late.

But guys, I just had a baby.

11 months ago.

I still get a pass, right? I can claim baby brain until at least 2031, right?

Hang out with me as I document the life and times of a work-from-home-mom, trying to find ways to maintain some semblance of normalcy and sanity in a house with two dogs, a work-from-home husband, and oh yeah, that baby. The struggle is real.