Wednesday, April 1, 2009

spring cleaning tip


the arrival of spring means it's time to go through ellis' closet...shove all winter items to the back...or move them all to her other closet (yes, she has two rooms)...see what fits from last year and pack up everything too small...to store away in case we are blessed with another little girl in the future! it is quite a task. 99% (my best guess) of moms go overboard when it comes to children's clothing. at least for sure in the beginning...do you really need 5 smocked dresses for a 3 month old? no. they are either in a swing, in a blanket, or strapped in a carrier for 23 out of the 24 hours in a day. 2 people might see her in a dress she wore once that you spent way too much $ on. plus, they look silly. in a dress....just laying there. i can say this because i have been guilty of it all. ellis actually never wore the same thing twice to school this year...how bad is that?!?! i didn't mean for it to happen...it just did. i ended up buying something here, something there, things on sale after the season for the next year, etc. you don't realize how many things you have until you pull it all out...and yikes. oh well...you live and learn right?

sooo...here is a little something i figured out...don't pay too much attention to the sizes on the clothes...ellis still wears a dress from when she was 9 months old, 18-24 mo jeans, etc. kids don't really get much wider, just taller. the dress was from oilily...kinda pricey...but so damn cute. she wore it for thanksgiving when she was 9 months old. just once that year. i wished she had worn it more...but you know, you save those dresses for "special occasions"...you don't want them to get stained and gross. i was so happy when it still fit her the next fall! it was obviously shorter...so i just threw some tights on under it and she wore it a few more times. not for special occasions...just because. and then this year...it STILL fit...even shorter...but perfect everywhere else!! she wore it as a top with jeans. looked darling. so this dress that i spent too much $ on was actually worn for 3 years and totally worth it. and i still LOVE it.

here is another example...the dress below is a 12 month dress...and as you can see, as a 3 year old, she is still wearing it. i don't do this with all of her dresses...just the ones that i really like...or feel the need to justify the $ i spent on it!

she first wore it in new orleans...


bourbon street...and then with silver man...traumatized for life

and as an almost 3 yr old :)





2 comments:

  1. cute tip! hopefully, someday i'll have a little girl to use it on!

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  2. what a great idea, brandy! i'll definitely keep that in mind as kate's closet is out of control. there are so many things she has not worn, or only worn once! aaaahhh! as you know, it is so hard to resist those sweet dresses. and your right, kate hardly EVER wore any of her dresses when she was teeny tiny. it's a good thing she's a little runt and can still fit into some of her 3-6 mo. stuff even though she is now 9 months! love all of your posts...keep 'em coming!

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