Wednesday, September 05, 2012

This is for you Casey!

I love being a mom. I loved raising two boys together. I love having my totally unexpected little girl. But I have a few rules when it comes to motherhood -- whether it be boys or girls. And these rules go contrary to what most of my friends believe. One of those is my friend Casey. She and I like to give each other a hard time about my rules (and her lack thereof.)
 
So, without further ado ... these are rules that my husband echoes. Our rules include:
  1. Babies who cannot walk, should not be forced to wear shoes -- unless you are taking a quick picture for posterity purposes.
  2. No piece of a baby's attire should cost more than your first automobile. (Or if I'm being quite honest, it shouldn't cost more than a gallon of gas, either.)
  3. If I don't wear a designer label, they shouldn't either.
  4. Hand-me-downs and gifts are always acceptable and override rules 2 & 3.
  5. Little girls should not wear bows that are bigger than the size of their head either in diameter or radius. Posterity purposes must be very strong to overcome this established rule.
  6. Bows worn on little girls' heads are never allowed especially if they: (a) leave huge elastic marks; (b) cause aforementioned girl child to cry or try to pull the bow off; (c) are present prior to having any or very little hair.
  7. Sweater vests and pink shirts on male children are not legal under any circumstances.
  8. Prior to a child walking, onesies are perfectly acceptable attire and should be utilized to maximum potential. Especially when more than one baby is present at a time. This saves time and money both in diaper changing and laundry. (Comments like: "Do your boys ever wear pants?" should be ignored whole-heartedly.)
  9. Pajamas are completely overrated. Kids can go to sleep in whatever they like, whatever they are comfortable in, and whatever they are wearing before bedtime.
  10. Once a little boy wears underwear, underwear should be covered by shorts whenever possible. However, clothing on upper-half of body is completely optional. When referring to the female gender, the same rules apply. (Comments like: "Does Abigail ever wear a shirt?" should be laughed off easily.)
And now that the rules have been well-documented, I wanted to especially pay attention to the bow rules discussed in numbers 5 and 6 above. This bow, pictured on Abigail below, is legal. It is of appropriate size, and it is used to hold actual hair -- not bald heads. (And, I happen to think it is pretty darn cute.)

 

Shoes: $1 at thrift store / Dress: 75% at BX = $2.50 / Bow: 0.25 for pack of 4 on sale after Easter. Total outfit cost: $3.57. 
 
A view from the backside of the outfit. (By the way, Isaac's entire outfit was $2.00. Shirt was 75% off at BX. Shorts were hand-me-downs from cousin Nate. Total outfit cost in picture: $5.57.

9 comments:

Ryan and Sarah said...

Pink shirts are fine. Where is your Southern-ness??

That being said, your kids always look adorable, no matter what they wear :)

Jenny said...

What the heck is wrong with sweater vests on little boys? Look at my FB profile picture and just try to say that Nathan doesn't look handsome in his Easter argyle sweater vest! I dare you!!!

Frankly, I am surprised to see Abigail with any bow in her hair. I thought you were against them entirely! Progress!!!

Erin said...

I've definitely broken rules 2,3,5 & 6. I enjoy breaking rule 5 everyday! Lol! In Mississippi the bigger the bow the better-Zoeys become quite the southern belle!

Wendi Kitsteiner said...

Jenny, truth be known, I actually support you on the sweater vest statement and have tried, numerous times, to convince JB but he WILL NOT budge on the vest issue. He believes adults who wear them are a bit nerdy and thus kids who wear them are too. (Your son, however, is a complete exception.)

Brittny said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUR RULES!!!! And I agree with most of them. I don't dislike any of them. I just happen to have a weakness for pj's. Not sure why. I'm with you 100% on the whole bow and sweater vest situation too. Little boys just look hot and overwhelmed with that many layers on. Probably because down here in the South they are forced to wear them on Easter with pants and a long sleeve button up shirt that is tucked in with a belt and it's 85 degrees out. Throw a John John or a polo and some plaid shorts on the boy and let him breathe please!!!!!!! (deep breath) I used to have a problem with boys wearing pink, but I have recently accepted pink polos (and only polos) as looking cool. Now I've had enough distractions with helping my daughter dress up like Snow White (which I think is totally acceptable as clothing for the day, it's homemade, so not a cheapo one like the rest of her costumes are) that I can't remember what I was going to write next.

Marie said...

Right on, Wendi!

Patty PB said...

I like vests.
I love pink shirts on boys.
I ADORE Pjs (in fact, Troy wears the all day long).

BUT...

I HATE BOWS. Absolutely hate them and I think they should all be erradicated from the face of the Earth. PERIOD. (Can you tell I was one of those "screaming girls whose hair was being pulled by said bows, one 'too many' times? lol!)

However, only Abigail can wear them...she looks adorable. ;)
Miss u!
-P

TAV said...

Love this post. I hate bows on children (but Abigail's does look cute). Sweater vests (and cardigans, for that matter) should be forbidden for EVERYONE. Thrift stores are the way to go (for adults and kids alike).

Dana said...

I agree with most of your "rules" except the pink shirt rule! My 8 year old son's favorite color in the whole world is pink. It always has been, I remember once when he was 3 and in preschool the teachers asked everyone their favorite color. My tender hearted little man came up quite upset because every one called him "pink boy" for the rest of the day. He said through his tears "why is it bad for a boy to like pink? It's so pwetty!" I told him all of the colors in the world were beautiful and he could love any color he wanted! He still chooses pink as his favorite color and is totally secure in it! And in the South lots of boys wear pink shirts so it is not that unusual. BTW his second most favorite color is purple, then orange but that is the Clemson Tiger in him! LOL