Have you all recovered from the holiday yet? We took some time yesterday to really relax and do nothing. That is quite rare for us and was really needed. Not sure we can pull off doing nothing for the two weeks the kids are home from school, but it was such a treat. We all know the bickering will ensue shortly. Just keeping it real. In fashion news, Nordstrom asked me to share about children’s clothes and I thought I would wait until I saw what my daughter thought about a couple of her Christmas gifts.
So you know you’ve hit the nail on the head when your daughter opens an outfit on Christmas day and almost immediately runs up to put it on. It’s not all the time that I get it right (in fact I normally get it very wrong). But this cute top and jeans were a success. She also received this jacket and LOVES it. Our son opened this Under Armour pullover from Grammy & Papa and loves it!
The distressed denim is perfect. Not too much and it’s reinforced well to help prevent it from getting bigger. I normally spend less on her jeans, but she is very picky and it’s hard to find the slim fit jeggings that she loves and will wear. There is nothing worse than having something sit in a dresser for the rest of eternity. The nice thing is that she basically has five pairs of pants and she will wear them over and over. These are another pair of Joe’s that are very comfy.
This top drapes really pretty in the back and the colors are beautiful. It’s soft and she likes the fit.
More Daughter Approved Looks
I’ve mentioned these jeans one million times, too, but she really does love them and I love the price for the quality. One pair lasts her the entire school year and they wash and dry really well. This top is one of her favorites, too. She ties it at the waist and it’s cute with all of her jeans.
I noticed this sleeveless sweater top is now on sale and it’s so cute on. The boots are $26!
Rounded up some of our favorites. Love those pants for boys because they are a step up from jeans but not a dress pant. It’s often hard to find that middle ground.
Favorites for the Kids
Major props to Grammy and Papa. They gave our daughter the most incredible art set and she has been here at the kitchen island drawing and experimenting with color combinations since she received it. After everyone had gone home from our house, she called me into the living room to look at it. She had opened the entire thing up and said that it has every color imaginable. For this creative soul, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Thank you to my sister for the beautiful floral arrangement. She brought it to me as a hostess gift on Christmas day. So sweet and thoughtful. It’s brightening up our kitchen all week-long.
And yes, that’s my son running up the stairs because he totally ignores the camera around here. Good ole’ California Christmas. Shorts and a t-shirt. Although I will say it’s gotten down to the 50s but he will rarely wears jeans. Drives this mama crazy but I’m learning to let it go. If he were cold, he would change. Right?!
A CHRISTMAS STORY
I have to share one sweet story from Christmas morning. The children had opened their gifts and we let them play with them for quite some time. About an hour later we handed them one more. It was a scavenger hunt that led them all around the house until they found a gift on our bed. My daughter opened a small Daisy stuffed animal and my son Donald Duck. They both squealed and said thank you sooooo much. They were so excited. Keep in mind they are 8 and 10 and not really in the stuffed animal phase. We were giggling and said, “Um. . .do you know why we gave you these?” Their response, “Um. . . because you shopped at the Disney store?!”
When we told them we were taking them to Disneyland they almost flipped their lids. It was the best reaction ever. Although we live super close to the most magical place on Earth, we have chosen to keep it a special event and can count on one hand how many times we’ve gone. As parents, we constantly worry about raising children that are appreciative and gracious. We are still learning how to do this, but it sure was reassuring to see them completely content and appreciative of their 8″ stuffed animal. We look forward to taking them to Disneyland even more now. Now if someone could give me the secret to knowing which day to go so we don’t have such long lines. Anyone? Anyone?
*Proud to sponsor with Nordstrom on this post. Affiliate links used.
Check out the crowd calendar at touringplansblog we are DW lovers as well and always use this site for our planning. They are normally right on. We love Disney too. I like your part about teaching them to be appreciative and gracious. I have unintentionally spoiled our kids and feel they need a lesson on this themselves!
Hope they have a great time! We are getting ready to head back into Softball starts January 2017! Mine got Jan and Feb off!
Thank you so much for the great tip!!! I dread the crowds so this is wonderful. And please know that we are a work in progress over here with not spoiling them. I know we fail far too often but it’s really been a focus and constant conversation with my husband and myself. We are all in this together! Enjoy your day. Oh, and mine go back to baseball and softball around then, too! xo
I’m a Disney fanatic. But we live in Alabama, so we go to Disney World. We use touringplans.com. It is a website that tells us which parks to visit when, but since you’re only dealing with one park, I think it will tell you in which order to visit each ride so that you are bypassing the crowds (or going opposite the crowds at least). My number one piece of advice is to get there BEFORE the park opens. Be there for rope drop! You will cover so much ground in the first couple of hours before the masses have arrived. Again, I’m just going on what we do at WDW, but I can’t imagine it would be that different. Have a blast!
I knew my readers would have all of the good tips! And love the idea of going before it opens. We did that with Universal Studios and it made all the difference. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and break. Thanks again for the tips.
One day, will you share your thoughts/tips on how to teach children to be appreciative and gracious? It’s so hard in the world we live in. My kids are really great kids with big hearts, but I do feel like it’s easy for them to take what we/they have for granted. They don’t “get” it yet. They are 7 and 9 though, and I’m starting to feel more pressure to find ways to teach them…because it’s only going to get worse the older they get. How do you do it? I thought the story of your kids being so happy about their stuffed animals was so sweet! Love it!
Love the clothes for your daughter, I am going to show our daughter (same age!) these darling clothes.
I love the red stripped flower container on your island? May I please ask where you found this and also the gold/brass circle ring tray? Love both! Thank you. 🙂
We too are huge Disney fans! However living in Canada we don’t get to go to often and so really try to make the most of our time when we are there. My biggest tip for you is to buy the “Extra Magic Hour” this is usually from 7-8 or 8-9 before the park opens depending on the season you go. You can purchase it along with your regular tickets and your basically get the park to yourself (and a few others doing the same thing.) We have early risers so this works well for us (and u too right?) Then we always take an afternoon break at the hotel pool an/or a nap when it get really crowded after lunch and head back re energized for the evening. My second tip is to “Fast Pass” the popular rides, then you wont have to wait in lines nearly as long. You can only fast pass one ride at a time per ticket, we send one adult runner to fast pass each ride after each one expires. This will save a lot of time in lines!! Have a blast when you go, I am counting the months until we can go again!
I would definitely download the Mousewait app on your iPhone. You can search the dates (swipe right) and it will show you the crowd index. It will show you the crowd for the future as well and I have found it is pretty spot on. Tuesdays and Wednesday have been the best recently. Anytime it says less than 60% is wonderful! If you hit California Adventure first you wont have as long of wait times- most people go there in the afternoon!
Goodluck! I hope they enjoy my kids love it!
One last tip-if your kids are into Star Wars like mine I recommend going to sign up for the Jedi training first thing, it books up fast and it was so special for my daughter!!!
I don’t know if this is true, but I have heard Super Bowl Sunday is the day to go. Check the app and see if that is true.
Hi Courtney. Tuesday and Wednesday are usually the best days to go to Disneyland and go before they open so you can get on the best rides in the morning before it gets crowded. Also take advantage of the Fast Pass for the most popular rides. Make sure you go on “Soaring” ride in California Adventure… it’s the best ride! Have fun!
Go on a slightly rainy day. People tend to stay home then & the lines are much more reasonable.
100% go when it rains — we have annual passes and if it looks like the weather is calling for rain, we hit the park. Also, plan to get there 30-45 minutes before the park opens. You can go down Main Street in either park, get some coffee and treats while you wait for the park to open. Once 8am hits, give someone in your party all the tickets and have them collect fast passes for the ride you want (Cars, Soaring Over California, Hyper Space Mountain, etc…). Then head straight for that ride so you can go on it twice in one day! We usually go on a Sunday morning and are able to hit 5-6 rides before leaving around lunch time. I have become spoiled and don’t wait longer than 15 minutes in a line. Remember you can bring in all the snacks you want, so that will save some money. Also, check out Pinterest for lists of the best places to eat….they are usually spot on. Have fun!!!
PS We’ve been on Super Bowl Sunday before. I would NOT recommend it. Everyone has the same idea!