Following up on yesterday’s shoe post, I’ve discovered the Plae version of “swim shoes” for my chunky monkey baby whose wide feet (and clinched baby toes) can’t fit into the hand-me-downs from the big boys yet. The tongue opening and velcro closure of the Plae MIMO style make them perfecto for opening up and slipping on the babe’s high arch (i.e. extra chubby feet) and would easily adjust to any foot size. I will say that the larger decorative holes of this shoe allow a bit more dirt in the shoe, but I’m trading that for the ease of use and cuteness. The marbled version look so cute! Go to https://www.plae.co/shop/kids or Nordstrom to find these!
Native Shoes
My boys LIVE in their “swim shoes” every summer (and by summer, I mean March – October). I love Native shoes and we probably have at least two pair in every size. The Jefferson style is my favorite and the one we’ve stuck to. They’re cute with every casual outfit, easy to slip on, and can be scrubbed down and hosed off (major plus in boy world). They only come in whole sizes and I think they run on the big end if you’re between sizes. Head to www.nativeshoes.com (or Amazon, Nordstrom etc.) to pick out some of the cute color options (girls of course get glitter…wish there was a boys version of glitter…glow in the dark may be as close as we get).
Lil Threadz Etsy Shirts
I love these cute, custom shirts from Lil Threadz Etsy shop. I’ve bought them for my kiddo’s birthday every year – sometimes customized to the birthday party theme – and we wear them all year long. The amount of icing rubbed into the shirts at this point is probably shocking. I’ve also bought holiday and other custom shirts (like big brother/little brother). I love the heathered shirt colors (which run true to size) and the cute fabric choices for the letters. I won’t focus on how I was tearing up looking for all of these pictures last night…or how confused I was on which child was which because all three boys look more alike than I realized 😉
Vivofit Jr. 2 – Fitness Tracker and Reward System
My son was BEGGING me to buy him a “fit bit” (a Garmin Vivofit Jr. 2) and after checking the $80 price tag, I won’t lie, I told him flat out NO. You can obviously tell how well that worked 😉 After researching it and learning about some of the capabilities, talking to other moms who loved it, and making him earn it, I caved.
It is a digital watch, a step counter, a fitness tracker (for tracking 60-minute activity goals), a sleep tracker, a responsibility tracker, and probably more that I don’t use 😉 It has a battery that lasts for around a year so it doesn’t have to be charged and the 2nd generation is waterproof for swimming! Yay for those last two details that make it super kid-friendly! I set chores on the free app on my phone for my son to get dressed for school, put his pj’s in the hamper, do homework, and unpack his backpack. You can set days that the chores are due, have reminders pop up with child-friendly icons, and reward them with virtual coins for completed chores. There’s an easy-to-use cash-in system so that you can set specific rewards for coins earned. For example, when my son earns 20 coins, he can exchange them in for a pack of Pokemon cards (insert eye roll if you too have an outpouring of Pokemon cards exploding from every possible crevice in your car, house, couch cushions, etc. …or is it just me?!). The app is really easy to use and the watch actually incentivizes my child to do things that he otherwise wouldn’t without me nagging.
You can buy these on Amazon with 2 day shipping and you just have to decide whether you want an adjustable band (which is what we ended up going with – and was a new option with the 2nd generation) or a stretchy band (which is basically a bracelet that they slip on). Various branded decorations are available for the 2nd generation (Minnie Mouse, Star Wars, Avengers) but if you don’t like those options, you can buy a replacement band that is a solid color instead.
Let me know if you end up buying one and how you like it! It would be a great reward for a good report card at the end of the year or a special present before summer vacation to incentivize your kiddos to MOVE…and do any other chores that may be driving you crazy! Good luck with that 😉
A Cute Bubble Set from Eliza James Kids
I can’t stand how cute this Eliza James Kids outfit is. I swear I’m going to stuff this last baby into bubbles and diaper sets as long as I can. He went to his first birthday party that was for a friend of his 😂 instead of watching the big boys at their parties. The party was at The Little Gym and he thought it was the best day of his life – running free, climbing, playing basketball, popping bubbles, and eating eating and more eating.
I have another cute Eliza James Kids outfit on the way that I’ll share soon but here are a couple other swoon-worthy boy outfits that I’m trying to refrain from purchasing 😍
Morning errand Peek-a-Boo!
Best part of running morning errands…peekaboo with the baby. This cute little whale Jon Jon is an older one that I found on zulily (love this site! If you haven’t looked through it before, sign up to see what you can find – they have great deals!) and the sandals can be found here easily on Amazon.
Zoo Day in Hanna Andersson
Today’s zoo day was so much easier with these Hanna Andersson SPF clothes – they’re my new summer obsession! The matching green t-shirts (here) and navy shorts (here) are SPF 50+ and make it easy for me to relax on a sunny day. Plus, my boys love that they feel like “sports clothes”. The shorts are actually way cuter on than they look in this picture – they look like golf shorts and could be dressed up with a cute belt or could be used for playing in the river – which is why I wanted them in time for a summer vacation we have on the books!! They run a little big though, so if your kiddo is between sizes, I might go with the smaller size!
Do those crazy hippos crack anyone else up behind his sweet, smiling face?!
Headed to the Zoo
Headed to the zoo this morning with our industrial sized sunscreen 😂 I lather my babes in this stuff anytime we’re headed outside. I swear their nightmares include me pulling out the sunscreen 😬🤷🏻♀️ But, I have one son with super sensitive skin and broke out in some crazy rash from a lot of sunscreens I tried, but this one was a winner! No breakouts and it’s pretty thin for easy application with wriggling, protesting children! It’s as good as it gets 😉
