Toddler Hairstyles: Are bangs a necessity?

I love fringe. I have thicker side swept (almost straight accross) bangs, so I obviously like the way they look. On adults. I've not been a fan of them on children for the most part after seeing ad after ad of kids where their bangs are cut too high. I think they do not fit kid's typically chubbier faces. I never would've decided to cut Riley a set because of the style...but I couldn't deal with her pushing her hair out of her face ALL DAY anymore. So we took the plunge and chopped away. Hallelujah, her hair is out of her face and I don't have to mess with it all day. Sure there are kids out there who have straight hair that is easily pulled back and tamed, but not this girl- and I feel like a mom-revelation has clicked when I realized why so many toddler girls have bangs. They are totally a necessary evil, like taxes or social networking.

I think they look a little odd, and a little mini hipsterish, but they are growing on me. What do you think?

Clothes: Stella McCartney for Baby Gap. Gymboree boots. (lower) Marc Jacobs tunic.

Riley is a busy girl.....

You know, for a 3 year old she has some pretty big dreams.

When she's not busy trying to be the next T.Swift:

She's busy practicing ballet for her future with the ABA.

She's VERY professional and dedicated to that dream.

And when she isn't in dance class or frolicking around cornfields in a dream-like pixie state, she's dreaming about her "boyfriend" Alex, who moved across the pond.

Alex, this smile is for you.

Because you're the bribe that it takes to get a 3 year old girl to smile apparently. She was very adamant about the fact that this smile was for Alex, and not for Mommy in the slightest.

So apart from being obsessed with becoming a country music sensation/professional ballerina, she is also boy crazy.

Lucky me.

Join me later this week when we take one last look at Riley's summer wardrobe, a peek into the future diva's closet.

Brands worn in post: Little Marc Jacobs, Danskin, True Religion, Matila Jane, Little Beauty Boutique

What a Difference a Year Makes

I don't know what is more bizarre: The fact that this Mim Pi beauty still fits a year later, or the fact that I inadvertently put her in this dress for what I assumed would be the last time EXACTLY one year after the first time she wore it. I think I creeped myself out with that coincidence.

Worn: 5 times

Last wear: August 24, 2009

It is amazing how much one child can grow and change in a year.

Last year- This year:

Her hair just started growing- She has a whole mess of it that I have to trim

Her main activity was playdates- She has dance, cheer, and school coming up

She was bossy and dramatic.................well, I guess EVERYTHING can't change in a year.

The Fashion Misadventures of one Miss Riley Cadance/Snow Wipe/Punky Brewster Jr.

She has a maid, a chef, and a personal assistant all rolled into one person-- it really is no wonder that she truly believes without a doubt that she is a princess.

Sporting Dora and Hot Cocoa is never a faux pas for the fashion trendsetters. She does have to sport fashion for the upcoming season after all-- and if that means snowflakes in August, so be it. I won't comment on the fact that she rescued said outfit from the Goodwill pile.
One can never go wrong when wearing the fabulous Marc Jacobs.....except maybe when you forget to wear bottoms and put navy knee highs with brown cowgirl boots. *Shudder*

Paging the Wicked Witch of OZ..... I think the winds may have blown your stockings north to a little girl in Iowa. Black and white striped leggings are a must have this season. Paired with anything and everything of course. The busier the patterns the better!

.........I offer this post in lieu of an excuse. Pictures are worth a thousand words, after all.

New Gymboree for preschool-- woohoo!

Friday, July 30

Times now worn: 4
Last wear: Thursday, June 24
Line: Janie & Jack Sweet Coral Reef, bows are Twinkerbelles

Doesn't she look SO tall now? She's just a smidge under 42 inches, almost tall enough to ride rollercoasters. I remember when she wore this line at 1 year, where did my little chubby baby girl go?

Wednesday, July 28

The last few days we spent on vacation, in bathing suits. She wore Kate Mack for 4 days straight.

Now that we are home, Riley isn't really sure why she should have to wear actual clothes. Unfortunately, coming home from a trip means I have a bunch of stuff to catch up on and she had to put on something to leave the house.

She came up with this. She also wore her shoes on the wrong feet and had a boa, but threw them off before I could get a picture of the ridiculousness. I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle here, guys.

I knew that wearing a petti in public meant adding an extra 5-10 mins in every place we had to "run into". I was right. Riley kept asking why everyone was talking to her today, and I told her it was because she looked like Zsa Zsa Gabor. She laughed (as if she knew who I was comparing her to), and said "Noooo Mommy, it's because I look FABULOUS!"........Er, sure, Ri.


But I would like to say thank you to our wonderful friend Debbie who gave this princess shirt to Riley for her birthday, she loves it :) .....Maybe too much ;)

Shirt: Baby Gap Junk Food tee
Skirt: etsy pettiskirt
Hairstyle: Half up, bow by Sara

Thursday, July 22

I should probably be more aware of where I'm taking these shots. I just snap, without thinking of the pile of crap that just fell of the kitchen table earlier in the day, or the fact that my table has piles of Riley's clothes on it. Oh, well. I'm sure this paints a fairly accurate picture of our hectic lives, but I promise....sometimes my house is picked up ;)

Times now worn: 3 (1 not pictured)
Last wear: Tuesday, May 25
Line: Janie & Jack Flamingo Drive

Wednesday, July 21

So you probably think I'm slacking. That I have better things to do than take a daily picture of Riley's clothes for this blog. Well, that's only partially true- but the real culprit behind the lack of entries this week is Miss Riley. I'm fairly certain she declared it "Naked Week", avoiding clothes at all costs. She was pretty bummed when I explained (for the thousandth time) that we cannot go out in public in the nude, and forced this adorable Janie & Jack set on her. True feelings about this are captured in picture above.

Times now worn: 2 --TWO?!?!? That is absolutely ridiculous as this is my FAVORITE in her closet right now. I think the fact that we lost the first pair of pants to a rust stain halted wearing it for awhile, so thank you so much to my wonderfully generous friend Sara for sending us replacement bottoms!!

Last wear: Wednesday, March 31

Top is Janie & Jack, bottoms are Naartjie capris from last year. Thanks again, Sara. We appreciate your sweetness as always :)

Wednesday, July 14

Times worn: 4 (jaw dropping yet? :))

Last wear: Friday, June 4

Line: Little Marc Jacobs

Don't mind the straps, Riley wasn't having any of that prim & proper nonsense today.

Tuesday, July 13

Meet the Charli dress from Loves Me Not (Knot, I'm k/not quite sure since I didn't order from them directly). I fell in love with it when this dress launched on the website, but unfortunately since I have a life I missed out on ordering it. When that site goes live with new items, you have to literally check out with it in your cart the minute it comes up. It makes for a certain exclusivity, but is unfortunate since many customers would be head over heels to order a gem like this. I pouted for awhile and was bitter, but eventually I forgot about it. Then I found it in a listing on GF one day and bought it right away. It is so girly and gorgeous, my only concern is how well it will hold up in the wash. Keep your fingers crossed for me, Riley says it's her favorite dress now, so it's bound to get washed frequently!

Monday, July 12

Times now worn: 3

Last worn: Friday, June 25

No pic today, Riley spent the day with relatives. Thanks to Gymbofriends.com for the archive picture. This dress is from Gymboree's Tulip Garden line.

Thursday, July 8

Times now worn: 2
Last wear: Monday, March 29
Line: Janie & Jack's Spring Celebration

I'm embarrassed to admit this is only the second time she has worn this dress because it was lost in the nevereverland of my closet. It's absolutely stunning and has the most beautiful detailing. Riley loves it because it's one of the softest dresses she owns, and I lost it....for a month and a half. Shame on me. This will be worn a thousand (or 5) more times before summer is over, I love this dress!

......And for those of you who are curious, that hunk of haulage in front of her is for my beauty blog. Don't laugh, it's my other vain hobby.

Wednesday, July 7

This set is from Naartjie and she has only worn it once when we were in California visiting with Michelle, Sara, and their girls. It's a cute and comfy set, I just tend to forget about the comfy sets. The capris are the lawn ruffle capris and I don't have a clue what the top nor the headscarf are called but I love this set for lounging at home.

Sunday, July 4

Happy 4th of July!

Times now worn: 2

Last wear: Thurs., April 1

Line: Janie & Jack's Yacht Party

Saturday, July 3

Times now worn: 2

Last wear: Tuesday, April 27

I don't care to waste money on "holiday/seasonal" clothing, I'm a firm believer in making whatevers in your closet work. Is it really necessary to wear a red, white and blue dress with stars on Independence Day? Absolutely not. I think Little Marc Jacobs (skirt) mixed with Matilda Jane's Elaina (shirt) and a beautiful flower from LBB will suffice. This is one of my favorite outfits of the season, and the skirt is something that will definitely transition with us into fall.

Friday, July 2

Times now worn: 3
Last wear: Saturday, May 22
Line: Janie & Jack's Spring Celebration top, Target bermudas, bow from Pink Hippo

Monday, June 28

Last wear: May 21

Times worn: 3 (2 pictured)

Outfit: Janie & Jack's Flamingo Drive line dress & bow with Saltwater Sweetheart sandals in white.

Friday, June 25

New hair! New hair! New hair!

I finally gave Riley her first haircut. You probably don't notice a difference, but it's shorter now because I evened the back out. Until now, she had a lovely rat tail that went halfway down her back. It was thick too, and starting to become difficult to style in a way that didn't make it look crazy. It broke my heart to cut her hair since it took her about three years to grow it, but it needed to be done in order to maintain her gorgeous healthy curls. Hopefully it will be easier to do her hair the rest of the summer now!

The dress that is on backwards (she's a defiant little thing....) is from Gymboree.

Thursday, June 24

Oh, the cringe worthy poses. I invision these pictures to become part of a collage for her E True Hollywood Story someday (since Riley has decided to become a "fashion girl" and all). I think I finally miss the genuine smile shots. Yes, they were harder to come by....but this will just not do, girlfriend.

She is wearing her Janie & Jack Sweet Coral Reef dress for the third time this summer. The colors are just gorgeous, and I can't resist throwing her in it when we have such beautiful bows from Twinkerbelles to boot!

Wednesday, June 23

Riley is wearing a Baby Gap top that we picked up yesterday during the sale. I honestly can't even tell you the line name or anything else, it's shocking but I haven't stepped in Gap for months. I've really stuck to the x# of outfits for summer rule I placed on myself, and while I'm proud for not caving....I can't wait to shop for her fall wardrobe! I love the vibrant color, and apparently she is a fan as well, she picked the shirt out to wear today.....and just the shirt. Good thing we weren't going anywhere I guess!

Tueday, June 22

Here's Riley at Toy Story 3. She wore her Crewcuts dress with her new favorite Gymboree cowboy boots. Her hair is kind of a mess because I'm having a difficult time working around the stitches. Riley had an accident on Sunday and spent a good chunk of the day in the hospital which resulted in a few stitches. She's fine now, but that's why there is no Sunday-Monday posts.

Friday, June 18: For Lindsey

Braids, bows and hoola hoops- this post is for Nanny Lindsey. :) Riley has been carrying her new hoola hoop, a birthday gift from her nanny, everywhere lately. Hundreds of things knocked over later, she's still carrying it around like it's her best friend.

Today she wore a skirt set from Janie & Jack's Spring Celebration line. This set is absolutely adorable and still fits well even after an incident with the dryer, thank goodness. I made a first attempt at french braided pigtails, demonstrating just how much time I have on my hands lately....aka too much. I think this outfit brings out the sweet side of Miss R, if only in pictures.

Thursday, June 17

I wish I had my real camera out before I left today. While waiting for Nanny Lindsey to whisk her away to The Playground, I attempted a real quick fringe french braid. I LOVE IT. Yes, it's not perfect- but it keeps hair out of her face and is perfect for hot summer days. Clipped it back with a flower from LittleBeautyBoutique on etsy and threw on some loungewear from Naartjie and VintagePearl. Also, I don't know WHERE she found that binky....but I assure you, my three year old doesn't use a pacifier. ;)

Wednesday, June 16

Boring Naartjie dress, outfit 1/5 on stay at home potty training day 102478345934. Someone needs to invent potty training boot camp.

Monday, June 14

She refused to look at the camera today, she was too excited to get into the movie theatre to see Shrek Forever After (she loved it, btw). The shirt is a ruffled Ralph Lauren top, the jeans are True Religion and the shoes are Lelli Kelly. Is that casual enough for the movie theatre? :D

Saturday, June 12

Another jumper-overall-thingy, this time from Target, as are the shoes. The shirt is from Gymboree and the bows were made by Amanda, amccu1887- she's a wonderful bow maker, especially her marabou bows! This jumper is just so cute in person, and it was only $11! I'm glad that Target is on-trend, makes being fashionable affordable in these difficult economic times. (That kind of sounds like an ad, I admit.) I guess I'm on a jumper-thingy kick.

Friday, June 11

Before you point a finger and shame me, let me just say that NO I'm not slacking. Riley was naked for literally two days. Potty training. It's going to be the death of me.

We headed to the zoo, and what better time to sport some new(ish) giraffe themed Gymboree? This is not the best picture from the day, but I thought the real giraffe accented her belt so beautifully. I'm loving little rompers like this for humid summer days, but they are not conducive to potty training in any way.

I have no idea of the line name as I've been "off Gymbo" for the summer. During the warmer months, I usually gravitate towards Janie & Jack and boutique clothing- I just think frilly little dresses are the best for summer, but I am loving the romper look lately.

Tuesday, June 8

.................I promise it looked better in person. At least with the Chucks it did. But those are our park shoes, so that is what you get. :)

Stretching out a last wear on the Matilda Jane Damsel in a Dress using the Naartjie lipstick colored ruffle leggings. Besides the Elaina, this is probably our last piece of Matilda Jane.

Monday, June 7

This Baby Gap Rainforest dress from last year was saved by the Naartjie ruffle leggings in Crown(Royal? Some type of princess purple). They added the necessary length and took this outfit to a funky place. The colors are a perfect match, and the fabrics are so soft.

Friday, June 4

I wrestled her into clothes today, hooray! I think picking these Cowboy boots up at Gymboree made all the difference for her. It also completely changed the look of this Little Marc Jacobs dress. Threw her hair in braided pigtails and headed out the door. Eat your heart out, T.Swift.

Snow Wipe.

I've been losing the clothes battle for a week, sorry for the lack of updates. I WILL wrestle this stubborn child into an outfit tomorrow just for all of you though :)

Tuesday, May 25

Is it really obvious that I've misplaced my Nikon this week? Anyway, this dress is from Janie & Jack's Flamingo Drive line. This was one of the dresses she recieved from my mom as part of her birthday present from her. It is a lot cuter on than I anticipated, but still not a favorite. It's special to her though, and that is all that matters. :) We didn't leave the house today, so I threw her hair in a ponytail- which as you can see became quite the mess within minutes of pulling it back. I really need more ideas for hairstyles for her. She has super curly, poofy hair and I prefer to stay away from heat styling as much as I can. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Monday, May 24

Yes, I let her wear this all day. Even in public.

Saturday, May 22

Times now worn: 2

Last wear: March 24

Brand/line: Janie & Jack Spring Celebration top & headband, Target shorts.

Horrible picture, sorry. Changed the look up slightly with a pair of bermudas from Target as she outgrew the capris that were very similar from the last wear.

The shoes are Saltwater sandals in the Sweetheart style.

Friday, May 21

Riley recieved this dress as a birthday present from my mom, because she knows I love J&J and that Riley loves "flapinkoohs". Though it is not something I would have selected, the color is beautiful on her and she actually asked to wear it today.

The line is Flamingo Drive, from Janie and Jack.