Ethan was not with me, but because we frequent the store so often, he was able to sort of “list” items that he would/would not like me to pick up for him.  My grandmother was sort of shocked that I was taking E’s opinion into consideration and let me hear all about it on the car ride there.  In her eyes, children should not have a lot of say at his age and I believe that a child should have some opinion in the matter. After all, they will be the ones wearing these clothing over the course of several weeks/months.  Am I the only parent with this perspective?

Despite our clashing of opinions, the shopping trip was well worth my time.  I was able to snag up several good deals for both kids and save a bundle of money (as usual).  I was able to snag up several tops, shoes and accessories for both of the kids for under $90. It’s no wonder I love shopping this store, plus they seem to be the best fitting clothing for my oddly shaped children!

Ethan loves everything Lucas loves, which makes him easy to shop for, but breaks this mamas heart.  I used to love when my son requested sweater vests, polo tops and khakis.  Now he wants blue jeans, converse and “rocker” t-shirts (as he calls them).  Every so often you’ll catch him in urban clothing, depending on what Lucas thinks of the outfit.  I still have high hopes that my son will allow me to tweak his wardrobe just a bit, as I am not always fond of what Lucas wears.

Addison on the other hand is easy to shop for.  Look for anything girly!  She loves dresses, skirts, the color pink and fairies.  She’s a sucker for shoes and accessories.  Addison is the stereotypical girl and this mama is not complaining.  I love dolling her up, even if we are only planning on bumming around the house.

Hence the title of this post- I am looking forward to Ethan going away to pre-school this fall. I know he’s excited about going, but probably not nearly as excited as his mama. My hopes are that pre-school will help him curb his new found attitude. We spent last week (pre classes) shopping for some school clothes and new shoes. He has a new found love for all things “rock star” because of “Uncle” Lucas and has found pretty much every guitar/skull shirt available from the children’s place clothing line, right on down to the shoes. And though I swore I was done school shopping for him, I cannot seem to peel my eyes away from buy.com. I am always on the hunt for bargains and they have some of the most reasonable prices (thus far) on children’s clothing and shoes.

While she was asleep the other night, I decided to sneak the purse from her bedroom.  It needed a good washing after being covered in gallons of drool and Lord only knows what else.  As I opened up the purse, which doesn’t have a large storage capacity, I was amazed at how much stuff Addison crammed into that little thing.  She’s a hoarder y’all– filling that purse to the brim with everything she can find, no matter how insignificant.

Both her and her brother’s imaginations amaze me.  They can take the simplest things and turn them into something magnificent.  Two weeks ago, after spending the weekend with my grandmother, the kids came home with an arm full of goodies.  Ethan received a car tent, Addison a Disney Princess tent.  Ethan set it up to look like a little camping village, with their play kitchen in the middle, that he calls their “store.”  They will play for hours in their tents and running to the kitchen to buy food.  Addison will open that little purse of hers, pull out one of Ethan’s animal trading cards and away she goes.  She never actually walks away with anything, but has fun pretending she’s a big girl and paying for things.  Ethan will use one of his daddy’s old wallets, pulls out a quarter and drops it into his piggy bank to pay.

Watching them play melts my heart.  I hope that as they grow older, they continue to be the best of friends.

Skipping Hippo ponchos offers the perfect solution to parents who live in climates like mine. And I know that jackets/coats work perfect and have worked perfectly for my son in the past, but things have changed. I have a daughter- a five month old diva that loves to wear all things cute and trendy. Instead of putting my little “Queenie” into a jacket, I cover her up with an adorable poncho (or two) from Skipping Hippos.

Many of you may know about Skipping Hippos through Parents Magazine, Tot Trends, Baby Couture or several websites across the web. Skipping Hippos is most famous for their adorable ponchos, available in multiple colors and from sizes 6 months to 6 years. All Skipping Hippos ponchos are made from super soft fleece adorned with cute color coordinating pom poms and or ric rac. Every girl will love to get their hands on these, as will those passing by.

Creator of the Skipping Hippos poncho collection have offered consumers a bit of advice when they make the decision to purchase one of their ponchos (see below).

If you and your daughter are on an undercover spy mission, do not let her wear the poncho. If you and your daughter are hoping for a low profile, dash out un-noticed, errand, don’t put the poncho on her. People will stop you, and people will notice and people will talk about your beautiful little girl in her cute little poncho.