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The
Clothing Chronicles ================================================
In This Issue: Hope all my American readers had a happy and safe 4th of July. We spent it with a friend of ours who adopted two small children from Russia a couple of months ago - they're too cute! Everyone's adjusting well, but Susan Ruth has come to the conclusion that having dogs does NOT, in fact, prepare one to be a parent. Truth be told, nothing does - So what's on tap for today's article? A look at how to clothes shop for yourself when you have small children - WITHOUT pulling out your hair! Enjoy!
Diana ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clothes Shopping With Small Children: The Ultimate Torture? If you have kids, you've probably wondered why some of the goriest aspects of parenting never came up in discussion while you were pregnant or "oohing" and "aahing" over baby clothes. Like labor and delivery, for example. Or that "I've been run over by truck" feeling you get after staying up all night with a sick kid. Or the mind-searing frustration of trying to shop for clothes with bored and restless small children in tow. Ever wondered why no one ever mentions those things? With your friends and siblings, I think it's a case of misery loving company. With your parents, it's a matter of payback. Just envision your children years from now dealing with THEIR kids in a frustrating situation, and note how sinister your laugh becomes. See what I mean? Now while I may not be able to help with the aforementioned labor and delivery or sleeplessness caused by illness, I can offer some advice on shopping with small children. Here it is: don't. Because what may start as a pleasant excursion to eye the latest trends and flip through the clearance rack will quickly become an exercise in frustration as your little cherubs play hide-and-go-seek in the dress racks, disrupt displays, and play peek-a-boo under the dressing room doors. Average time to boiling point: about twenty minutes. You'll give up and buy something you don't like, that doesn't fit, or that costs too much money. There's an easier way to go about it. Several, in fact. Depending on your budget and situation, here are a few options:
So what if you haven't had little ones in your home in a long time? Well, if you have teenagers who like to baby sit, you can drum up business for them with the moms in your neighborhood or social group who have small children and could stand a little time away to shop. If you have a devious streak, you could even get your teenagers to take the kids shopping, to give them a dose of what it's like to be a parent. Want to test the mettle of a future son or daughter-in-law? Have them take their soon-to-be niece or nephew to a toy store while their mom steals a few hours of "retail therapy." You'll laugh about it for years to come. See? Regardless of your budget, you don't have to put up with the stress of clothes shopping with little ones. All you need is a plan and a little imagination to get the job done. And once you grab a little "mom time," you'll not only get a better handle on your wardrobe, you'll also find your batteries recharged. It will do wonders for your attitude. Try it and see.
************** Until next time,
Diana Pemberton-Sikes
http://www.FashionForRealWomen.com ------------------------ Published by:
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