As I mentioned, the Kindergartener started a new school this year.  It's a good school, where she has many friends and wonderful teachers.  However, we hesitated for a very, very long time before deciding to enroll her, and the number one reason for our hesitation was the "uniform dress" policy.

 

For the past three years (since she was about two), we've allowed our daughter to express her own creativity through her clothing.  She takes great pride in choosing her clothes (right down to the socks) and dressing herself.  She's worn Halloween socks at Easter, Christmas socks in the middle of summer, and dress shoes with shorts.

 

I know there are moms who would rather gnaw off their own fingers than have their children seen like this in public. I am clearly not one of those moms. 

Nonetheless, we're now attending the uniform dress school.  Granted, it's a little more flexible than a true uniform, because the kids can choose any solid-colored collared shirt, and they can choose from three colors of pants/shorts/skirts/dresses.  But I've spent the last couple of weeks explaining what a "solid color" is.   ("Yes, honey, pink is a solid color.")  To a girl who regularly mixes stripes and plaids with polka dots, it's a tricky concept. 

 

But the point of this whole post is this: I can no longer get excited about sewing. I'm having a horrible time looking at fabric and appreciating it. I can't even invision the wonderful things that could be made from it. Because right now, I can only think about solid colors. It's killing me. The navy, khaki and black are literally sucking me dry.

Even when I think about sewing, all I can think about it how to make a fun dress that won't get my daughter kicked out of Kindergarten.

About three years ago, a glorious thing happened here in the Heartland.  The fine folks in our state legislature declared the first weekend in August to be Tax Free. That's right friends, here in Missouri, certain back to school items may be purchased for the actual sticker price. No state sales tax is charged! (Some not-so-friendly areas still charge their own local sales tax...)

I know it sounds crazy, but I get pretty giddy over the thought of pulling one over on the government. I think our tax rate is around 7% which probably doesn't add up to all that much, but the idea of stocking my closet (clothing and shoes are tax free), my art cabinet (school supplies--aka paints, markers, glue, paper--are tax free), and upgrading the computer (which sadly, I had to do before the holiday this year) tax free is appealing.

So, this weekend, we shopped.

 

I found this really cute dress at H&M for the Kindergartener. It seems very European, which it probably is, and I just love it. It was on their clearance rack for $10.  I like it because it's simple, and if you didn't know it was from H&M, you might think it wasn't mass-produced. 

We picked up lots of other great bargains and cute clothes for the girls, but they tend to be your more typical back to school choices.  And no, all this shopping does not mean that I've abandoned my fall clothing goals.  I'll be sewing dresses and skirts for the girls, so our purchases this weekend were more of the jeans/pants/shirts type.  As soon as I get the summer stuff finished (um, started), I'll start revealing my fall creations.

Now, if only we can convince the state legislature to lift the tax on groceries...

          

It seems I've managed to spend our imaginary stimulus check on girly things, so I thought I'd devote the final stimulus post to the others who live in many of our homes. It seems especially fitting, given today's occassion. 

For Men: 

I  haven't yet met a man who didn't need a man purse. They all deny it, but they carry around so much stuff, wouldn't a purse come in handy? Seriously, with a wallet, cell phone, blackberry, I-pod, gum, change...wouldn't a purse just be easier? This one from Moop is very dignified. 

 

This tie from Sovereign Beck is cotton, which is supposed to make it perfect for summer. I think the fact that it's cotton makes it pretty cool, and not at all like the cotton ties from the 80's. Right?  

I discovered Sovereign Beck while browsing Supermarket, which I've also recently discovered. It's a great place to buy designer goods and art.  It's a little like shopping in a hip boutique, but with an unintimidating Etsy feel. Very authentic and original.  But unlike Etsy, it's curated, so they have to approve you to sell through the site.  I'm also very excited to discover Supermarket! So far it's, well, super.

I've browsed through Make magazine (it's actually heftier than a magzine, almost booklike) a couple of times, and I'd guarantee there's something for every man in there. It's like Martha Stewart for men.  Appropriately titled, it tells readers how to make random things.  For instance, the current issue has "wooden blocks that seemingly pass through solid objects, balls that float, pens that dance at your command, and more. You'll learn to grow a half-ton pumpkin, make an irresistible fishing lure for 3 1/4 cents, build an air-powered "boom stick," and fashion a baseball cap that can wirelessly turn off TV sets."  Just in case you happen to be needing anything like that...

For Pets:

This one of a kind hand-painted bed by Jakey BB is the perfect size for a small dog or cat, and it won't look unattractive sitting in your living room. 

 

This collar is a must for any sheepdog owner. How funny would that be? Maddie's Closet has tons of cute dog collars, including polka dots and sailboats, and you can order a matching leash.  And, if you've taken my advice and purchased this book, you can make your own dog collars. 

 

Felted cat toys, for cats who love to bat around balls.  And for those cats who require their toys contain catnip, I leave you with these adorable mice:

 

Sometimes I like to pretend that I have two dainty little girls who like to wear pretty dresses and bows in their hair.  These little girls do not have constantly skinned-up knees and ketchup stains on their new white shoes.  It's fun to shop for those dainty girls.

They would wear things like this:


But the truth is, while my girls do own their fair share of dresses and skirts, they don't get worn very often because most of them need to be ironed. And, frankly, I hate ironing. Not only do I hate it, I'm not particularly good at it.

I've also been thinking alot lately about making some simple summer dresses for the girls.  We do tend to wear more dresses when It's hot outside, and we don't have to worry about keeping those legs covered.



I'm thinking about heading out for some knee socks tomorrow.  They'll even help hide the tomboy bumps and scrapes on my girls' legs. 

These dresses were made by the ladies behind Sugar City Journal, two sisters-in-law who use their blog as a way to share their projects and ideas with one another.  They come up with some great ideas and their children are adorable.

And this from flora and henri is so cute:



A few weeks ago we were at the mall for some morning shopping. While my youngest rolled around on the overpriced toddler bed, I found this dress at Pottery Barn Kids:



I don't usually purchase things from PBK, but Easter had just passed, and I'd been inspired by all of the pretty dresses.  Plus it was on sale; so I bought it.  It has been worn a couple of times, but I don't iron it. I tell myself the slight wrinkling of the cotton adds a little something to the classic style of the dress.  I'm probably not fooling anyone.

I have become obsessed with toddler shoes. It's so difficult to find cute, but not obnoxious shoes once the babies are walking. Crib shoes, adorable. Toddler shoes, not so much. They tend to fall into one of two categories: Pure utilitarian or Way, way overdone and cheesy. I've been searching for a nice middle ground that doesn't cost a fortune.

For instance, these shoes…how cute are they?!



And you can feel good about them. They're made of organic cotton by Veja, a company that believes in fair trade. They ensure the people working in their factory are paid a fair wage, have good working and living conditions and aren't forced to work grueling hours. Best of all, no children work in their factories--or anywhere in their production/supply chain. A cute shoe with a good mission. What more could we ask for?

I also happen to like these.

All Livie and Luca shoes are handmade by factory workers who work only a seven hour day, earn more than minimum wage, and receive annual vacation in addition to national holidays. Each shoe will have a personal "mark" left by the individual who crafted it. How fun is that?! In addition to the mandatory health insurance provided to each employee, the company also coordinates and provides yearly medical exams for its employees.

Forgive me if my focus is on the cute shoes for girls. Problem is, that's what I have. In fact, almost everyone I know with a baby happens to have a little girl. Frustrating for me when I see shoes like this:


Now, we did try these shoes on yesterday at the mall. They were CUTE! But I just couldn't figure out how practical they were, given the bold colors.


Once I can coordinate a wardrobe around them, I may return to pick up a pair. The leather was incredibly soft, and unlike some of the less-expensive shoes, the soles were nice and cushiony. These also run a little wide, which was perfect my fat-footed baby.  In fact, I'd love a pair for myself!

I also wanted these:


And though I was trying to reject gender stereotypes, I'm still pretty sure they're inescapably "boy shoes."