Erin Akin Carroll

summer clothes for boys!

Filed Under: boy mom, fashion, Favorite Products

Jun62013

One of the most frequently asked questions I get in emails and blog comments is, “Where do you shop for your boys?”

I have to admit that when I first found out that I was expecting a boy when I was pregnant with Hudson, I didn’t really know where to start. I’ve written before about shopping for a baby boy, which is really oh so much fun! You can read that post here. Most of my choices for baby boys have stayed the same over the last four years. (Four years! How did that happen?)

So I just thought I’d share some of my favorite brands and places to shop for my little guys. Now that Hayes is a full blown toddler (wearing a size 2T and 3T) and Hudson is a preschooler, my shopping choices have changed a little bit.

The most wonderful thing about when boys start to wear separates in the summer (as opposed to John Johns and bubbles), is that they can wear them for at least two seasons. Hudson is even wearing some clothes this summer that I bought for him when he turned 2! (When they lose that baby belly, the shirts can be worn longer and the shorts start below the knee and end up slightly above the knee, which I think is so cute!)

For swimwear, I have found some really cute things. Hayes wears Hudson’s hand-me-downs, of course. But Hudson has some suits this year from Vineyard Vines, Ragsland, and Shrimp & Grits Kids. I also found a pair of matching swim trunks from Zulily that I purchased with credits. Another great brand is Funtasia Too! They usually have really cute appliqué tees that go with the swim trunks.

I prefer shorter trunks for little boys, as opposed to board shorts or trunks that come past the knee. Just my personal preference.

Another one of my absolute favorite resources for shopping for my boys is Kelly’s Kids. I wore Kelly’s Kids when I was little and my boys wear it, too. I think the quality is absolutely fantastic. It’s a little bit pricey, but like I said before, when they’re wearing separates, they can wear them for at least two summers. And then Hayes gets Hudson’s hand-me-downs.

I love these matching brother outfits! Hayes still wears John Johns and shortalls for Sundays, but I mostly keep him in separates during the week.

Another couple of adorable Kelly’s Kids outfits for this summer. Those white shorts are one of my favorite things. You can cinch up the waist and let it out so they can wear it for a couple of years. And I love that I can mix and match the shorts with different color polos.

We just love Mini Boden. I love the big appliqué tees, the soft pullovers, the comfortable polos, and even the cute little soft shorts. (I like shorter shorts on little boys just because their legs are so short and Mini Boden does have a few options for shorter shorts for boys.)

I always joke that my boys wear a little uniform of white appliqué tees and gingham seersucker shorts. I also love little smocked tee shirts. It’s says “little boy” without being too stuffy and it’s easy for them to play. Ragsland has a fantastic selection of separates and absolutely adorable clothes.

Perhaps my absolute favorite place to shop for summer play clothes for my boys is Honey Bee Tees. Darby’s blog, Fly Through Our Window, is one of my all time favorites, and her shop is also a favorite. The t-shirts are so soft and I just love the sweet, simple designs. And that red crab hat has hardly left Hudson’s head so far this summer!

One of my favorites for Hudson has been Vineyard Vines. It is definitely pricey, but we got him a couple of button down shirts, a couple pair of chinos, and he just alternates those for Sunday mornings. I also love pairing the button down shirt with those awesome white shorts from Kelly’s Kids. And that Vineyard Vines Shep pullover is the absolute cutest thing! Hudson loves his VV t-shirts to wear to the pool and just around the yard on Saturdays.

Other Great Resources

I also love to shop through my friend, Ashley’s shop, She She Made. She makes the most adorable custom outfits for boys and girls, but I have especially loved the separates she has done for Hayes over the last year. So cute! (She also has a Facebook page where she hosts sales and you can follow her on Instagram @sheshemade.)

Another couple of great resources for basic polos, solid tees, and solid shorts (that aren’t too long) are GAP and Old Navy. I’m really particular about pants, but every boy needs a pair of comfortable khaki shorts and just some basic tee shirts.

I go to a lot of trunk shows in the spring and fall and that’s where we get most of our boys’ clothes. My favorites are Hannah Kate, Kelly’s Kids, Shrimp & Grits Kids, Blessed Be The Name, and Orient Expressed.

So I think I’ve successfully shared my favorites for shopping for boys. I’m super thankful that we have two boys and all the boys clothes make their way through two little guys!

Creating Pops of Color

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Jun52013

It’s no secret that I absolutely love to entertain.

But we had a little kink thrown into our plans when we sold our house a few months ago, packed up all of our things (included my tableware and serving pieces), and moved in with my husband’s grandmother while we are building our house.

I’ve had to get a little bit more creative when I want to host dinner or just have a nice family brunch.

Mother’s Day was coming up, and I was looking for some ways that I could add a little color to the table without having to go out and buy a lot of serving pieces or new glasses or new linens.

I looked around my husband’s grandmother’s house and was instantly inspired! Her pantry is full of mason jars. She probably has 50 of them in all sizes!

I had heard about the new Crystal Light Liquid, but hadn’t tried it yet. I thought this would be a great, pretty, colorful drink to serve.

I already had a white table cloth, so I started thinking of ways that I could bring some color to these ordinary mason jars. I cut fun circles out of regular paper and I found this fun glitter circle garland that I cut up into just single circles.

I put the circles on some string and tied the string around the jars. I filled the jars with flowers that I picked up at the grocery store.

I put the glitter circles around the mason jars, and the paper circles on the table, to kind of give the table a polka dot look.

I chose the Strawberry Lemonade Crystal Light Liquid and added two drops per eight ounces of water to get a fun, vibrant pink color. I filled the jars and the pitcher up with strawberries for little bit of extra color.

I already had some cute plastic straws that coordinated with all of the colors on the table, so I threw those in, too. My kids love drinking out of fun straws.

Colorful, fresh flowers always add something beautiful and new to any room or table, and I love just picking them up at the grocery store when we go.

All of the little changes cost less than $25! I had all of the containers, and I had all of the paper to make the fun, colorful circles. But I love all of the pops of color and the way it adds so much to otherwise ordinary mason jars and a boring white table.

You can check out all the new flavors on the fun and colorful Crystal Light Liquid website. For a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card, simply leave a comment below answering the question,

“How do you take ordinary items from around the house and spruce them up to add some color to your table?”

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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 5/14 – 6/4.
Be sure to visit the Crystal Light page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Happy 4th birthday, Hudson!

Filed Under: boy mom, Faith, Hudson

Jun52013

My Dearest Hudson,

At 4:39 a.m. on June 5, 2009, the most wonderful thing in the world happened. You, my precious boy, were born. You came into this world after a 25-hour labor and made your presence known with your loud voice. And then you just looked at me. When I looked at you on that first day of your life, and everyone left the room so I could be alone with you, I looked into your eyes and said to you then, “We’re going to learn so much together. It’s you and me.”

Yesterday morning when you woke up, you ran in to jump in bed with your Daddy and me. While I was snuggling with you, I looked at you and whispered, “You’re not allowed to be 4. You have to stay 3 forever.”

You didn’t really like that idea because you’ve been looking forward to turning 4 since a month after you turned 3. I can remember what it was like to always be wishing to be a little bit older. But my precious, precious boy, I am going to do everything I can for you to help slow that time down.

Every single day with you is the greatest gift. I could write a book about the ways that you have changed my heart and forced me to see every little thing with a little more detail and with more appreciation.

Hudson, you are the sweetest little soul. Your compassion for others always amazes me. You always want to know what’s wrong and how you can help.

You’re also so very observant. If anyone changes their hair or their shirt , you’re the first one to tell them that they look nice or ask why they changed. Your compliments mean the world to me. I love being your mommy! Especially when you tell me first thing in the morning that my bed head looks pretty.

Hudson, you just amaze us. You see things differently than we do. You look at ordinary things and you see shapes. You say, “That roof looks like a trapezoid. That window looks like a square.” You notice words that you can recognize and are often sounding out words and how to spell them. The things you associate together just blow us away. Nothing gets past you, and your Daddy and I know that you are watching every little thing we do.

You love to spell, love to write, and love to learn. You still know all your letters, states, and numbers. And you’ve been learning the Presidents this year. And this isn’t because we’ve forced it on you. You just like it. You love playing new games and you soak everything up like a little sponge. I’m so excited to see how much you blossom in this next year.

You are absolutely hilarious. You make the funniest jokes, and you’re like me in that you love making word and vocabulary jokes. You make up funny songs to be serious and to be funny.

You adore your grandparents and this just thrills us to no end. Your Daddy and I absolutely love to be around RC, PC, KK, and Poppie because it makes us happy, but even more so because it makes you so happy, Hudson. You adore them and they adore you, and we realize what a precious gift that is.

Hayes looks at you with such admiration. He is constantly watching you. For better or for worse, I know he’ll learn so much from you, and I pray that you always look out for him, too. Giving you each other is one of the greatest things your Daddy and I have done, but watching that relationship grow this year has been so much fun.

The two of you love to chase each other, and every once in a while you’ll say, “Hayes! Come get me! You’re my best friend.” And I have to tell you, anytime I hear you say those words, I could cry. Such a happy sound.

You take everything very literally. You’re not the most imaginative player, and things are very black and white to you. You see things exactly for what they are and can figure out a puzzle in twenty seconds. But it’s also so funny when we try to make some kind of joke or use some kind of cliche, and you always take it literally and act so confused. It cracks us up.

Another highlight of this year has been watching your friendships develop. You are always talking about your best friends and get so excited at the possibility of seeing them. You can still be very shy, but you love your friends and you are such a loyal friend. We’ve also seen the effects of too much “togetherness” with your best friends as there is the occasional preschool spat. And that’s okay. I love that even after a little spat, you can pick up where you left off being a good friend.

You get a little more mature every single day. You still have your very strong-willed moments, absolutely. And when those moments get mixed with the preschool-age moments, it’s a recipe for a meltdown. But your meltdowns are rare and are much less frequent as you have gotten closer to 4 years old.

These next couple of years are going to big for you. People are going to expect you to grow up a lot as you prepare to go to school. But, my sweet sweet boy, I’m holding on tight to every single day. Not in a mournful way, but because I know it does get better each day. I love you more each day. And we both learn something new each day.

When I look into your bright, deep brown eyes, I can see my journey through motherhood. And you, my precious Hudson, have been there every step of the way.

I adore you. I pray that God blesses you abundantly this year as you learn more about who He is and the kind of boy He would have you to be. And your Daddy and I pray that we can be that example for you.

I hope you always know that my arms and my heart are always open to you. Whenever you need me, I’ll come running to pick you up.

I love you,

Mommy

Erin Condren Life Planner Giveaway

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Jun42013

June 4 is finally here, and that means that the brand new Erin Condren 2013-2014 Life Planner is available for purchase. Purchase and personalization!

This will be my third Life Planner in as many years, and I am so excited to get my hands on mine to see the fun updates and new designs.

my 2012-2013 Life Planner

This year, the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday columns are all on the left side of the coil when the book is opened. I like to use each daily column to plan out my day. I list appointments and also include my to-do list for that day in that day’s column.

The new planner will have additional lines below each individual day for meal planning, exercise routine, or whatever you may want to put there. I plan to use it for exercise routine and meal planning. A little bit of both for accountability and planning.

In the monthly view section, I make sure to put the big things like soccer games, vacations, family visits… basically the things that involve the whole family.

Each page has a goals and notes section that I can use to carry over to-dos and goals from the previous week and other items that just need to get done.

The cover and monthly tabs are all laminated, which is great, because I carry my planner around in my bag with me and it needs to be as durable as possible. And the aluminum coil is also super durable and has held up great for me over the last twelve months.

I love the stickers in the back of the planner that I can put on specific dates to mark special occasions, doctor appointments, baby showers, or anything I want to use them for. This year, I’m super excited that we can customize our stickers!

I’m also super excited about the new Elastic Bands that can be used to keep my planner closed. Or as a hair tie when I’m in a jam!

Erin Condren has also made it possible to add on notepads, a pen holder, and brand new markers.

And then, there’s the brand new Erin Condren Life Planner Gold Edition! This is just so gorgeous!

10 lucky readers will win a brand new 2013-2014 Erin Condren Life Planner! With all the bells and whistles. You can customize it however you want to and add on any of the fun extras!

And 1 extremely lucky grand prize winner will receive $500 worth of prizes from ErinCondren.com. This could include the Life Planner, the Functional Family system, an iPhone cover, an acrylic tray, or stationery and return address labels. Seriously, y’all, everything at ErinCondren.com is just adorable and functional, and this one lucky winner will have the absolute best time shopping!

Erin Condren Life Planner Giveaway

All the Hostesses:

Nina Helleny from According to Nina, Erin from Blue-Eyed Bride, Kelly from Kelly’s Korner, Jessica from The Mom Creative, Katie from Marriage Confessions, Akemi from Mommy Guru, Kacia from Coconut Robot, Jennifer from Life in the Green House, Megan from In This Wonderful Life and Sheaffer from Pinterest Told Me To.

So tell us, how will you use your Life Planner?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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