Gift Guide For Children

— Toys and Other Fun Surprises —

1. Strolley Rose, Olli Ella 2. Bitty Baby Doll, American Girl 3. Pocito Ski Helmet, POC 4. Golf Set for Beginners, Golphin 5. Explorer 3.0 Go Kart, Y-Bike 6. Pewi Walking Ride on Toy, Y-Bike 7. Power Vehicle Set, Magformers 8. Essential Play Kitchen, Milton & Goose

Dressing up Boys

I admit that our family tends to dress a little more formal than others, it is just an inherent part of us that both my husband and I grew up with! With that being said, it is not for everyone!! I will say that more often than not, however, that people reach out to me to ask where I find these “formal clothes” especially for my boys! Darling clothes for girls are a dime a dozen! Even clothes for Baby and Toddler Boys are popping up much more frequently. Clothes for boys ages 4-14, however, are way more difficult to find! And then even when you find something, will your son even wear it!?!

My trick is finding and mixing in performance materials that are both lightweight and comfortable and most of the time are “tag free!” This is especially important ;-) My favorite brands for these items are Johnnie-O, Vineyard Vines and Peter Millar! All three brands offer performance material button down shirts and polo shirts that are not only nice looking, but incredibly easy to care for (wash and hang dry)! You don’t even need to iron them, although I usually iron the button downs for picture days ;-). They have also started offering performance pants which are also lightweight, easy to care for and usually young boy approved! 

Once I have a base layer that is performance, I will mix in different brands based on the occasion. In almost every formal look, my boys always have on a Johnnie-O Dress Shirt which are lightweight and incredibly comfortable! My boys have never complained about these particular button-down shirts. The next layer differs based on age, but my go-to look for little boys usually includes a sport coat.

Appaman makes great lightweight and slim cut sport coats. trousers and suits. The price is right and the look is timeless! When my oldest son was little, Oscar de la Renta had a boys line that made the best pieces for special occasions. You can still find a pretty robust selection on The Real Real and Gilt. They had classic rompers for little boys and great coordinating pieces for older boys ranging from sweaters and blazers to classic pants, ties and bow ties. To be honest, I am still looking for a brand that compares in such an offering from newborn to size 14. I will keep you posted if I find it.

For a walk on the luxurious side, Il Gufo makes the sharpest looking yet softest trousers for young boys. They are a bit pricey for boys pants, but you will never get a complaint for having to wear them as they are as soft as butter. Armani Junior also makes a nice boys chino trouser that has a nice lightweight formal material and slim fit design. For the boys in your life that really don’t care for a stiff sport coat, Armani Junior also makes a very handsome knit option that can be easily dressed up or down. And then there is always Gucci to elevate any outfit. From their unique ties and classic belts to their infamous horsebit loafers…you can rely on those styles to be passed down for generations.

My go-to shoe brand for little boys has always been Atlanta Moccasin. The shoes are handcrafted in Portugal and are effortlessly chic! Whether being paired with a suit or shorts and a button down, you can never go wrong with these shoes. My sons especially love the drivers and are their shoe of choice regardless of activity. They would even wear them to the pool if I would let them. I have also always loved Janie and Jack dress socks. They go up to size 10-12 and are comfortable and not too thick. We have drawers and drawers full of a variety of patterns.

In the meantime be sure to look into the performance materials. The best part…removing stains is a breeze! Butter, pasta sauce, mustard and chocolate usually don’t even require stain treating. Just throw them in the washing machine and out they come! It’s like magic!

I love creating win-win situations...and this my friends is win-win if I have ever seen it! 

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- Love List -

1. Mod Suit, Appaman 2. Bow Tie and Tie, Brooks Brothers 3. Dress Socks, Janie and Jack 4. Prep-Formance Button Down Shirt, Johnnie-O 5. Penny Drivers, Atlanta Moccasins 6. Performance Breaker Pants, Vineyard Vines

Nursery Reveal

Well it probably comes as no surprise as a girly girl that I always envisioned having a daughter! When we found out through a DNA test that we were having a girl, I almost could not believe it...especially after two boys! (You can watch our Gender Reveal on Instagram). Our odds were quite high for having another boy, and we had come to terms with that ahead of time. When it started to sink in that the DNA test only had a .5% chance of being inaccurate, the planning started to begin. Our nursery had already had two iterations of Navy and White for both boys, so now it was time for a major mix up!

One of my all-time favorite brands is The Beaufort Bonnet Company and they released a beautiful bow pattern pajama several years ago that was the same pattern as my childhood wallpaper. My first step was trying to find that wallpaper and I was in luck! Ralph Lauren was re-releasing that pattern...the bad news is it wasn’t supposed to arrive until the end of February and I was due the beginning of March. As luck would have it, the day I decided to have a painter come and repaint the navy and white striped walls to pink and white as I couldn’t wait any longer, an unmarked package arrived. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and there was my beautiful childhood wallpaper that arrived two months ahead of schedule! I had to politely dismiss the painter and call in my wall paper person!

The next step was finding the beautiful linens I had always imagined. Carol, of Lulla Smith in New York, was an absolute delight to work with and helped me on my way of creating the perfect pink and white bow bedding!

The changing table was the original Pottery Barn Kids one that we purchased with our first born and has proved to be an incredible system for functionality and organization!

The last piece was designing a bespoke custom rug with the ever so talented Ally Catherine of June St George! Who knew creating a rug would be so fun! The bow design was a no brainer, but the monogram was very difficult. You see my husband, oldest son and daughter all share the same initials. It was my goal to make sure I found the most feminine iteration of the letters I have had monogrammed so many times. The ladies over at Ellis Hill had created a custom pillow for the nursery and it was decided that we would match the rug and pillow monograms! It was a match made in Heaven!

I know this is reaching the upper echelons of a truly pink nursery, but after two boys I have no apologies! For all I know my sweet baby girl may rebel against pink one day, so I will enjoy every second of it for now!

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— Love List —

Custom Silk Bow, Lulla Smith 2. Wood Hat Stand, The Beaufort Bonnet Company 3. Custom Monogram Rug, June St. George 4. Acrylic Organizer, Container Store 5. Blush Ribbon Wallpaper, Ralph Lauren

Traveling with Littles - SLC

Salt Lake City, Utah

For most of you planning a get-a-way, Salt Lake City is probably not a front runner for a destination! But in the off chance you have to travel to a conference or you are looking for something different before heading up to the Mountains, I have your inside guide!

Our favorite hotel is The Grand America which is an institution in the area! It’s strong architecture and stunning lobby make it an attractive sight, but not necessarily screaming kid friendly. The amazing part is that it actually is and offers an incredible toy store/candy store within the hotel to rival those of Disneyland! Yes, I said Disneyland! To top it off their Christmas decorating starts in October and features a life-size Gingerbread House and spectacularly lit up gardens.

The interior courtyard is a great place to run around and they have an indoor and outdoor swimming pool that is great for both the hot and cold months of the year (it is early October and the high is 42 today). The light rail train has a stop right outside the hotel and runs into Downtown which is an exciting activity for a 3 and 7-year-old. They also have warm chocolate chip cookies in the lobby throughout the day, which makes for a fantastic reward for your little ones.

Our favorite restaurant by far is called Valter’s and while it is not a “kid-friendly” institution and definitely screams special occasion, you can get away with going on the early side if your children can handle dressing up and a “fine dining” experience! I won’t lie, our children were borderline but we enjoy exposing the children to opportunities like that when we travel to make them appreciative getting to dine with mommy and daddy and they for now are willing to rise to the occasion. Valter is there almost every evening and delights with his authentic take on hearty homemade Italian. The food is truly divine!

The Children’s Store, Jou Jou, is beyond fabulous! The toy selection is very well sourced and covers a wide range of ages and that candy display is one of the prettiest I have ever seen! Don’t forget to peek at their board game collection which features the most incredible wall display of original board games. One more perk for children and adults alike, is their pastry shop, Bonne Vie, featuring hand made French pastries that are sure to delight the pickiest of connoisseurs.

Luckily getting there is easy as most airports offer non-stop service to SLC with Southwest and Delta being the two airlines that operate most out of that airport. They redid the City Creek Shopping Center almost 8 years ago and you can find everything from an Apple Store to Nordstrom’s and they are conveniently located across the street from the Salt Palace Convention Center.

My favorite part about Utah is the skiing in the winter and I have a special spot in my heart for the darling town of Park City. We will be going there this winter and I will be sure to do a post about it then!

Halloween Party

Every year we host a Halloween Spooktacular for our Family and Friends! This year was our 7th year and I have learned a trick or two over the years for easy planning :)

Target is my store of choice for all decorations, games and incidentals such as plates and napkins. My party planning format is as follows:

Theme

This is easy for Halloween! We like to incorporate all aspects of pumpkins, witches’ hats and black cats!

Invitations

This is one of the only parties of the year that I use Paperless Post. It is the easiest way to track for an Annual party and allows people to forward on to Grandparents as we always tell our friends to invite their parents as well!

Décor

This is where Target becomes my best friend! They have the best Halloween decorations and activities at amazing prices!

Think..

Food

We live in California where taco trucks are a dime a dozen. One of our favorite traditions is to have a “taco cart” come to our house and to have a Taco and Quesadilla Bar for both the children and the adults. Most children eat their fair share of candy this one evening of the year, and my goal is to fill them up with some protein and carbs to prepare for their “sugar high.” I have also found that people love this quick and tasty option as they can stop in, have a bite to eat and then head back out for trick or treating!

Favors

Since the children don’t need any extra sugary treats, our favor is always to take a high-resolution family photo of everyone in their Halloween costumes and send it to each family. As busy moms, it becomes increasingly difficult the more children you have to ensure you capture a family photo with mom in it as well! I loved the campaign that came out a few years ago about getting mom in front of the lens, and it has become one of my favorite Halloween traditions to ensure this happens for every family in attendance! We also had lots of fun Halloween games to keep the children entertained before Trick-or-Treating commenced. Target has the best selection of low cost crowd-pleasing games like the ones below.

Hope everyone had a safe and special Halloween with their loved ones!