I was prompted to think about this from another blog that I enjoy visiting. Dressing modestly. It made me think about dressing my kids. In this day and age, I am finding it harder and harder to dress my kids. When they were little, it was easy and really fun. Baby and toddler outfits were just precious. I still pause to look at preschool sized clothes and think they are too cute. But now that my girls are officially out of little girl clothes, it is getting more difficult to find things for them.
Once you cross over into size 7-14 it turns into hoochie mama wear. To find something that is cute, appropriate, "with it" and not over priced is almost impossible. I often order things from Lands End to outfit my girls. Their clothes tend to cover and not reveal. And I love that I can get size slim for Tissy.
Now that summer is quickly approaching, I am starting to look at swim suits and beach wear. I want to start the trend now with my kids to find something that they like and I approve of. Itsy bitsy bikini wear is going to be hard to say "no" to in the future, if I allow it now.
Don't get me wrong, I don't desire to dress in such a way that makes us look like weirdos. You know what I am talkin' about. We have all seen "the homeschool look". (I hope I didn't offend anyone with that one.) We still want to look sharp and not like we just dressed ourselves from the mission barrel. (Though I am not saying NO to hand-me-downs, we love those).
What I would love to do is make some cute outfits for these girls. Oh...but I hardly have the time to get the needful done around here. So, blogging sisters, where do you shop for you kids? Give me some new ideas. Inspire me. =)
***also thought of CWD kids, I love their catalog, but haven't ordered from them before.***
Monday, April 7, 2008
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27 comments:
With girls, 9 and almost 7, I know exactly what you mean! As for swimsuits, we always buy Speedo one piece suits. They are made for athletic swimming not fashion, so they fit well and stay in place. My oldest is very tall so this year we had a hard time finding a one piece that was long enough without being too loose. We found a Speedo that is 2 pieces but the top covers all the way to the waistline of the bottoms. We found it at Kohl's but lots of places have Speedo suits. Lands End is great,too. As for other clothes, we seem to be stuck on bermuda short and cute t-shirts right now : ) Dresses for church are another problem for us, especially in the 12-14 size because my oldest is so tall. I'd love to hear other advice!
Sorry that I cannot be of help here since my boys prefer jeans and t-shirts. We are big fans of LL Bean because of their return policy. I will tell you that once you leave the "girls" clothes and move into adult (like we are) it gets even harder. I detest the t-shirts with all the sayings.
I have wondered about this as well for the future. I refuse to let my daughter wear those tiny bikinis they make for two year olds-in fact we found her a cute bathing suit at old navy last year that had a regular pair of bottoms with a little short sleeved surfer top. It was modest without being geeky. I have thought that I will end up making clothing eventually but that is actually pretty unrealistic for me. I can't think of anywhere to shop that is inexpensive and mostly modest. Hanna Anderson? -not cheap of course. I look forward to other's responses.
Not really new ideas for you I am sure, but Target-they do have some "hoochie" wear, but I opt for their more classic options! I get a lot of Ralph Lauren from TJMaxx and on sale at the dept stores. I just ordered some stuff from Kelly's Kids-very girlie and fun.
I get a few things at The Limited Too, it is a little pricey, but they usually have 25% off coupons, and they also have some "hoochie" wear that you have to sift through!
I was just thinking about y'all today! we've been praying for you guys! hope all is well. Love you, Kristie
Well, if you saw us at a pool you'd probably steer clear and we may even be WAY geeky...we're trying to moderate it so as not to overly draw attention to ourselves as being strange but yet modest. It IS hard. Ohana's swimwear is nice, I think. We have done way more modest, with attached shorts/skirt and it looks cute and feminine. I second Land's End. Right now they have a very cute rash guard shirt and skirt 2 piece which makes it easy for bathroom breaks.
Honestly, for every day clothes, I find GREAT things at thrift stores. I mean it. First of all, I cannot have my girls mid-drift showing and those very low waisted jeans just don't cut it. I find jeans in good shape, many time Gap, etc that are more modest. Shirts too. And the prices are right.
The Children's Place varies...sometimes I find great, not so hoocie mama-ish clothes there and then other times it's over the line. And they are affordable. I also like that I can matchy match ALL my kids...boys and girls, especially at Christmas.
I second the Speedo--my girls get a couple of their one pieces every year. I get most of my girls clothes at Target and my girls know the rules--no spaghetti straps, no short shorts, and no tummy showing.
It is SO refreshing to know there are moms out there who still care about what their kids are wearing. I don't know if it's the area I am from or what, but I every where you look there's a little hoochie mama... and they get younger and younger. Kudos to you for really thinking about this... And it's times like this I am thankful I have a little boy... lol.
I know what you mean....I have boys so I don't have to worry about it. But when I think about clothing for Selah- I have been thinking of the modesty issue and starting at a young age, so it becomes the "normal" way we dress.
Cris...you're sooooo funny! I love your humor!
My girls like to dress casual...very casual. With the exception of their school dances (I just posted about one) and if we are invited to a wedding they tend to go CASUAL. They love T-shirts and jeans. Makensie wears cowboy boots year round. My biggest problem is swimwear. It seems amost impossible to find swimsuits that are appropriate. We try to stay on a tight budget so for school we usually do two larger trips (one at beginning of school year and again beginning spring) to Target and Children's Place (gotta love CP as they have many two for ones) Other than that we don't really do BIG shopping...just a shirt here, pair of pants there. The girls both love the Tees at Old Navy and when they are on sale, or if I have to be out of town for work I will pick them up a couple of those. We are very blessed to have my parents though as nana is constantly bringing the girls (and boys) home with new clothes. They are very good to their grandchildren.
I find that since we have standards for Kendra age 10, it does take us a bit longer to find what we are looking for. I too buy Speedo smimwear for her. It fits great. We have had luck at Kohls buying Chaps for kids. It's quite modest and she looks her age. I wait for a sale, but it is well worth the money. I love that bermudas are in style because they are quite easy to find. I often buy her shirts a size bigger because it seems everything is made to fit tight.
No matter what store I go to, I end up sifting through it all to get what I want.
It's such a challenge, but I gladly take it on. If I have to pay more I will because I don't want to settle for just anything. Thanks for this subject Cris. It's refreshing to hear that I'm not alone in my thinking.
I like modest neck lines and long skirts myself. :) Not sure if its the homeschool look or not (but I know what you mean.)
My boys like long sleeves. You can see in the photo I have of my family--they are all in long sleeves (the layered look)in South Florida. When we swim, they wear wet suits. It keeps them warm (in cool water) and protected from the sun. A wet suit is great for girls too.
I just love hand me downs. :)
We are always a little SHOCKED when we go back to the States after several years of being away at how revealing all the ladies (Christians too at church) dress. I just read an article about frogs being clueless about sitting in the boiling water...American Christians just conforming and soaking in the culture without questioning what is right. So, from a mom of 3 boys (1 who is a teen going to a public HS next year - scary!)I have to say THANKS to all you moms who want to model and teach your girls to dress modestly. Three cheers for you! Hip Hip Hurray!
We only wear hnad me downs here, but thankfully we have some relatives and cousins with GREAT taste.
I am so with you on this post. We do not allow bikinis (maybe a modest tankini).It is hard to find clothes for sure. Now that Liv in in women's sizes... it doe sget a little easier because I buy her what I would wear in smaller sizes. I do know the kids clothes now are tough. Why would a 7 year old need a halter top and mini skirt?
The home school comment cracked me up. I know the types you mean. The ones who make all of their own clothes and have the matching long dresses with peter pan collars. That is not us!!!
I have ordered from CWD Kids - I have been happy with everything from them.
I have been dealing with this issue for a number of years now (Angie is 20!)..same problem when she was young also. I never feel quite like I have everything they need...always on a search. Keep wishing I was a great seamstress...but oh well God knows our needs!
Sherry...what (gasp) Angie is 20??!! When did she grow up?? I was married at 20. Wow. Time flies. I bet you can't believe it yourself.
I like the basic playclothes form The Children's Place, and love to stop in at their outlet in Orlando. Best buy yet: 2 colorful tired corduroy skirts, $1 each. The little girl wore the size 6 one 1-2 times per week all summer and winter, and it still looks brand new.
After reading the other comments I want to look for Speedo swimsuits.
Whoops! The skirts were "tiered," not "tired."
I will say that things have gotten better in the last couple of years. When my Lydia was preparing for Confirmation we could hardly find her an appropriate dress-up dress. The maddening thing is that if girls want to dress "athletically" they can be modest, but "Feminine" seemed to translated into "revealing and sexy", even for pre-teens! I notice now though, that with leggings and layering, and (thank heaven!) the end of the "reveal your midriff" style, things are looking up!
I'm with Christy, too. Except for sports teams, I won't even let the boys wear shirts with sayings. "You are not a billboard!" That's my motto!
I totally agree as far as modesty : ) As far as swimwear we have much skin cancer in the gene pool. So we have gotten swim shorts and long sleeve "rash guard" shirts this year from Lands End. It was a splurge, but I think worth it. I have also noticed they have swim shorts and tops at Target this season. It is sad to see girls sexualized so young. Modesty is undervalued by the world, so sick really.
I don't have too many problems finding cute clothes for school for my 8 and 11 year olds, but dresses for church and such -- that's a whole 'nother story. Yikes. And what's up with all the cheap polyester?
After sewing the girl's Easter dresses this year, I'm on a big sewing kick and I bought a bunch more patterns. We'll see how much I get done. It's funny, because when I was their age my mom sewed all my dresses and I HATED it. I always begged for a "real" dress. My kids: it's just the opposite. They are so spoiled with store bought clothes aplenty and the hand sewn dress is a new novelty. My 11 year old asked me if I would sew ALL her clothes, for school and everything. I said that my sewing was limited to special occasions only...but, perhaps I should take advantage while I still have influence, you know! (Before they WANT the hoochy mama stuff)...(which they're NOT getting, by the way!) :)
Hi Cris-
Well, I see you do not need a 24th comment but I shall humbly offer up my proverbial 2.
I would suggest the quick read "Christian Modesty and the Public undressing of America". It's a good thing. :0)
I prefer the long skirt myself and though we don't always adhere,
I like to meditate on the fact that being set apart is scriptural. We are not only to be set apart in word-in action-in love but also in appearance. The women of the bible adorned themselves with good works.
1 Timothy 2:9,10 ..."I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." Women tend to focus on the part about modesty in this scripture but ther e is so much more! The idea of clothes that are gorgeous, trendy, fabulous is NOT scriptural... I have had some amazing conversations about modest dressing but the deeper application than the modest part of dressing would be the realization that dressing for ANY kind of attention or bringing attention to one's clothing or appearance in any way is inappropriate. We all know the one...the suit that makes us feel "powerful" the jeans we feel "cute" in, the dress that makes us feel "sassy". Anything that draws attention away from our countenance, even if it is modest, is not Godly. Thanks for letting me stop by...I don't get to blog much anymore with the magazine but had to stop by my new guilty pleasure BIARS! Lol So I thought I'd detour here for a bit...
Hope to see you at Skate Wed!
My little girlie is only 4 yrs. old but I already think about this and the difficulties that are yet to come in finding modest clothes for her to wear. We have been lucky so far with hand-me-downs (gotta love them!!) that are mostly what I would have picked anyway. Good topic!
Hi. I was browsing through my friends list and this caught my eye as I've been thinking of it myself. I've got a 5 year old girly-girl who loves dresses so she's pretty easy. We put bike shorts (gymboree's are great on clearance) under and she's good to go. I am noticing how hard it is to find her jeans that don't fall off her rear but Gap usually has some and Gymboree if you can find it on clearance or thrift (lots of people sell it on ebay too!) We also have boy and girl twins and that's where I've noticed how early this society is sexualizing our girls! Starting at newborn sizes it's short shorts for girls and bikini swimsuits (granted when we were little it was perfectly fine for little girls to go to the beach in a diaper until 2-3 years old). And low rise jeans for babies? Who wants to see a diaper sticking out of the jeans? The boys ones are fine. I bought matching sweaters at CP this winter and the baby girls one I had to buy in a size bigger just because it is cut so much tighter! Anyway, if we as consumers don't demand a higher standard, we will continue to have a hard time finding appropriate clothing for our children, so I will continue to reward the companies that offer a better choice.
We are facing the same difficulties with our daughters who are 9 and 7. EBay is a favorite shopping place of my husband and I- if there aren't any hand-me-downs available here. You can go through options rather quickly and in the comfort of your PJs!
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