Two posts in two days – what the what?!!

I know. Crazy. There must be some kind of special moon or something going on because I’ve been wayyyyy more productive than normal today.

On a typical Wednesday (my work from home day) I am pleased with myself if I shower, feed Mia cold dinner leftovers, and finish 50% of my work before 6pm. Today, Mia slept until 6:20am (can I get a hallelujah?!), then we made Banana Bread Pancakes, survived a conference call, and did treadmill time with Harley + an outside walk.

Oh and I know the pancakes look disgusting but DON’T JUDGE ME because they actually tasted good, Mia ate an entire pancake, and I didn’t burn anything. So, success.

After getting a little more work done, we played with all the toys (no really, every single one of them) until it was nap time. During nap time I managed to answer all of my work emails, paint the living room trim and front door – and start this blog post. I’m feeling kind of like superwoman right now.

But anyway, back to the purpose of this post. Lately I’ve been sharing a bunch of pictures of Mia’s outfits on Instagram, and apparently, people are into it.

Even though I’m not particularly stylish when it comes to dressing myself (I’m all about the yoga pants), I LOVE dressing Mia. The only problem is my eyes are way bigger than my bank account. So in order to manage my toddler shopping addiction I’ve done two things.

1. Get really, really good at shopping the clearance section.

The one good thing about Maine taking FOREVER to transition from winter to spring is that by the time it actually gets warm here, all of the spring styles are already on the clearance rack and stores are rolling out their summer and fall lines. This makes it easy to save while still shopping in-season. I’ve also learned the sale patterns of some of my favorite stores like Gap and Old Navy – and trained myself to wait for the best deals. Gap online offers 40% everything (even sale items!) at least once a month. They also offer free shipping if you spend $50, and they calculate the dollar amount for free shipping BEFORE the promo code is applied. That means you can put $50 of items into your cart, then take 40% and STILL get free shipping. If you choose sale items, which are typically already marked down about 30-40%, than you can end up with $80 of clothing for $30. That’s more like it! If $30 is still too much to spend on toddler clothes – try the Old Navy in store clearance rack. It’s very hit or miss (some items are only marked down 10-20%) but every time I go I find at least one item between .50 cents and $3. That’s cheaper than buying second hand.

2. Start a Pinterest Wish List

Mia’s Pinterest wish list is like my virtual closet for her. I never actually buy 90% of the clothes or toys I put in it. But the idea that someday I (or one of her lovely, doting relatives) might is enough to satisfy my shopping addiction. Just curating all the cute styles for her online makes me happy, and I’m able to convince myself that if they’re in her virtual closet, they might someday end up in her real closet. It also makes birthdays and holidays so much easier, because when people ask what she needs, all I have to do is send them a link to her wish list.

If you don’t have kids this strategy also works really well for husbands. If you’re sick of getting Pandora beads every year for Christmas, all you need to do is pop a link into their email and HINT HINT, everything you’ve wanted all year long is just a click and a credit card away. The Pinterest Wish List strategy has actually been so successful for me that I now have wish lists for everything including Mia, myself, our house, and even our (imaginary) new kitchen.

So, without further ado (i.e. before Mia wakes up) here are some of my favorite toddler styles for Spring. I’ve only been shopping for Mia a couple times this season but my wishlist for her is already 10 pages long…can’t wait ’til all these adorable styles go on sale!

1. Straw Hat from Gap

2. Chambray Tie-front Shirt from Old Navy

3. Stripe Shorts from Tippi

4. Gold Moccasins from Freshly Picked

5. Young and Free Tank from Old Navy

6. Sweatshirt Tee form Gap

7. Grey Zip-Up from Old Navy

8. Jean Capris from Old Navy

9. Floral Sandals from Old Navy

10. Yellow Sundress from DreamCatcher Baby

11. Grey Beach Shorts from Lulu and Roo

12. Spring Pleated Dress from Gap

13. Madeleine Petite Necklace from Coral and Cloud