The start of a new school year is right around the corner! As much as I love summer, I always look forward to back to school prep. Maybe it’s because I taught school for 6 years. Maybe it’s because by August I’m ready for a little more routine in our schedule. Or maybe it’s just because shopping for school supplies and new school clothes is one of my all time favorite things to do.
Yup. I think that last reason takes the cake. :)
My girls are getting older and long gone are the days when I could pick them out cute little matching dresses that would always fit and look adorable and they would wear without question.
Now they have opinions. (Strong opinions!) And they have totally different styles. And not everything fits right so they have to try things on. And usually they reach for the exact opposite of what I think would be cute on them. {sigh}
Nordstroms has become one of my favorite places to shop for my kids for obvious reasons. They carry such a wide variety of brands and styles and during sales like the Anniversary sale they are having right now you can find so many great deals! They have amazing customer service. Always. Plus you just can’t beat the free shipping and returns! They make shopping on-line SO easy and if given the choice, I’d rather shop on-line with my girls because this is what shopping with them in the store looks like…
Yup. Always a good time with my two. I was walking and all the sudden realized we were short one person and said “where’s Addison” and El said “over there” and I turned around to this scene. Seriously!? I about died. I said “Addison get down right now!” Then I couldn’t help but laugh and followed it up with “wait.. I’ll snap a picture first… K now get down right now!” So happy I caught that little moment with my phone so I can always remember what a trip to the mall with my girls looks like. I think this child of mine has been in one too many theatrical productions. ;)
We ordered some fun things on-line and also tried a few things on in the store and today I’m sharing what we came home with! Almost everything we bought was on sale (score!). Ad loved these overalls. So cute on her! We bought this striped tee to go with them (with a tank under). This pair (size 7) was a bit small and all they had left in the store so we ordered one size up. Love that overalls are back in style. I’m a fan. :)
You can see from El’s mudroom drawer (second one over) that she is obsessed with Converse shoes. She already has several pairs from Nordstroms in different colors so she really didn’t need any new shoes this year.
And the boots we bought from Nordstroms last year still fit! So my girls didn’t need new boots.
But I was kind of wishing they did when I saw these two pairs. (brown zipper booties and gray zipper booties) I’d take one of each in my size if I could! Love them.
My girls know I don’t love spending a crazy amount of money on kids shoes because their feet are growing so fast, but two years ago for Christmas all they asked for was a pair of Uggs. They wanted them so badly because they had tried on mine and knew how soft they were! Santa delivered and to be honest I was shocked at how much they wore them! ALL the time. Even in our not so cold climate. El’s Uggs are still in good shape and fit, but Ad’s were trashed so when I saw this pair on sale (and I saw her eyes light up) I told her that I’d pay half if she paid half. She has been holding on to some hard earned chore money for quite a while now and finally parted with it. :)
She also needed new dress shoes and we both fell in love with this pair.
On to outfit #1! Couldn’t pass up this darling denim dress! So cute with her new ankle strap flats. Snapped this picture after church Sunday. She couldn’t wait to wear some of her new clothes. :)
This pretty Lace Trim Peplum Tee was one of Ellie’s favorites. She is picky with clothes (they have to be comfortable on the inside!) so when I saw how much she loved it I ordered it in the white too.
Ahhh.. the life of a pre-teen. :)
Both of my girls need new tops and this Embroidered roll cuff tee is darling and fits so well. They are sharing this one! One nice thing about the Chestnut colored Uggs (or any boots in brown for that matter) is that they go with everything!
These two!
Serious isn’t a word in their vocabulary.
I knew El would love this shirt the second I saw it! It’s called the Shark Bite Hem Top and just look how soft and comfortable it looks! I already know it’s going to be one of the tops she wears over and over and over again and I’ll have to remind her that she has other clothes in her closet. (This happens with El on a regular basis! Especially with clothes that feel like pajamas.) :)
Ad loved this Unicorn graphic tee. Fits her personality well. :)
And this Waffle Knit Swing top is darling on her. One I would buy in my size if they had it!
She is taking after her mom and gravitating towards mint green! We got her these Asics (running shoes) for P.E. this year and love them.
El doesn’t love shopping for clothes as much as Ad and I do.. unless we find clothes she can also wear to dance. THEN she suddenly loves shopping. :) This Smile It’s Almost Friday tank is perfect for the rest of summer and for a hip hop or acro dance class.
El also loved this Zella tank for school and dance. The top is sheer and it’s darling on her. It also comes in a gray/yellow I love. There are so many darling Zella athletic clothes on sale for girls right now! Love that brand.
But forget athletic wear for this girl. She’s all about the dresses and this mixed print dress had us both at hello! On sale and seriously too cute for words!
My favorite (casual stripes) paired with Ad’s favorite (feminine floral). The two of us couldn’t love this dress more!
Also the top is separate so she can wear it with other things. I want to be 10 again and borrow this outfit. :)
These Stripe Racerback tanks are on sale for a great deal and El fell in love so she used some of her hard earned cash to buy 3 of them (purple, pink and blue). She’ll wear them to dance and around the house. We have hot weather through November around here so tanks are a staple! These have a really cute fit. Tapered at the top and then they flare out a little.
She has already been living in them! Caught a typical little brother moment with my phone last week.
He’s sporting his new Boys Will Be Boys shirt also from Nordstroms. Very appropriate for him. ALL the time.
Good thing she loves him so much. :)
One last cute shirt Ad fell in love with! A bit of a struggle here..
She was trying to find a pocket to put her hand in for this picture and we were cracking up because there wasn’t one in this pair of jeans!
After fumbling around for 5 minutes she finally decided his would just have to do. ;) This Plaid Ribbed Top will be so fun when the weather cools off. It comes in a gray/blue too but Ad loved the pink and mint. Can’t say that I blame her. We also bought this black skirt for the girls to share (a staple!), these striped leggings, these essentials, and these darling Polar Bear pajamas for cooler weather.
(Cracking up at Kole in this pic… is he still with us!?)
We scored these two new swimsuits when the sale first hit but they are both sold out now. You have to act fast with this Anniversary sale and it’s almost over! There are still some darling suits left for girls on sale. I love buying swimming suits this time of year when they are marked down. I’m tempted to pick up a couple more in bigger sizes for next year. We can never have enough swimming suits around here! #summerwardrobe
I have to say that back to school clothes shopping with my girls was a breeze this year! The Nordstrom sale made things pretty easy. Now we can sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of our summer.
{Is It Friday Yet?/Hello Friday/The Struggle is Real}
Because all too soon we’ll be back in school counting down to Friday.
The struggle is real.
;)
*HUGE thank you to Nordstroms for sponsoring this post! Such an honor to partner with a store I have shopped at and loved for so long.
Very Cute! Why don’t American schools have uniforms? I am so glad here in Australia we wear a school uniform, so much easier and cheaper!
Some American schools do have uniforms Amanda! It just depends on the school. I’m so torn on that! I’d love to have uniforms because it would eliminate a lot of clothes drama, time in the morning and money for sure, but I also love clothes and watching my girls develop their own look and style. Definitely advantages to both! :) xo
The outfits are so cute and your children adorable! I am the proud mom of a 25 and 21 year old daughters. We had some tough times shopping back in the day. Many good memories though.😄.
Thank you so much Beth! Oh you so know what it’s like! Lots of highs and lows for sure. Ha! But yes.. definitely good memories. :) xo
OH Erin! This post put me down memory lane! My daughter and I loved back to school shopping!. My son, not so much! To this day, my daughter, (now 35 and a teacher) could shop seven days a week! She just about does! She takes after her Mother :) She bought that shirt (is it Friday yet), and wore it every Friday for the last six weeks of school. I’m sure she will do the same this year!
Oh love it Nancie! You two totally sound like me and my mom! We could shop for days. :) Love that she has the Is It Friday Yet top! It’s so cute. I know I’ll live in it too. So happy you liked the post! :) xo
Oh my word, they so remind me of my two at that age. Never a dull moment. So cute!!
Thanks Lauren! That pretty much sums it up! ;) xo
Oh I have one girl that would go to the mall daily and the other not so much.. which is so their personalities too. One will spend every dime she has as fast as she earns it, the other saves every penny lol
I love back to school clothes shopping, it’s so fun to see whst they gravitate too. I am not a lover of back to school supply shopping ( like yesterday) lol. I wish nordstrom didn’t have such terrible international shipping. But since my in laws are in utah I shopped and shipped to them !.. ps I love the grey & floral dress… my fav
Too funny Heidi! That is exactly my girls! Oh my word.. isn’t that floral dress cute!? One of my favorites too. Wish you could come school supply shopping with me! I’d make it fun. ;) xo
Hi Erin! Love your blog! Just a head’s up, you might want to crop that photo of Ad in her overalls a bit to crop out the changing El in the background. She might disown you otherwise :)
Thank you Allyson! She isn’t changing in that pic.. she just has on her short dance shorts because we were heading to dance right after. But thank you for watching out for us! :) xo
Just stumbled upon your blog recently.. Love it! Your girls are beautiful and I agree Nordstrom rocks!
Thank you so much Nicole! What a sweet thing to say. So happy you found me! :) xo
Love all the clothes & shoes you picked… my favorite was the overalls, soooo cute! I’m still totally in the clear with my 7 year-old boy but my 4 year-old gal pal ALREADY has very strong opinions! Lord help me when she gets older!!
Oh my word Allison.. boys are SO much easier when it comes to clothes! I’m going to share my picks for Kole soon.. his shopping took all of 10 minutes! ha! :) xo
I hate that summer is coming to an end and I will have to go back to teaching soon! I do love the routine and clothes shopping that come with it! I showed my 9 year old those adorable Primigi shoes to see if she would like me to order them. She does want them and she started asking all kinds of questions about your blog and your girls. I showed her the pictures in the post and when I got to the picture of you with them at the end…she said “that mom looks like a teenager herself” :) Thought you’d like that comment!
PS- How does the mixed print dress run? She also likes that…but I would normally buy her a size 10 and they are out of it :( 8s are sometimes too tight across her shoulders.
Oh my word Katie! Could you give your sweet 9 year old the biggest hug for me!? Ha! Yes! Best comment EVER. ;) You two will love those shoes! They are absolutely darling on. I know how you feel about school starting. I always have such mixed feelings about it! Ready but not ready.. but ready..but not ready. :) The mixed print dress runs true to size but an 8 might work! Ad is wearing a size 10 (her regular size) but she definitely has room to grow. I’d order the 8 and just see! With free and easy returns you have nothing to lose. :) Best of luck getting back in the swing of things! xo
I knew that comment would make your day! I forgot about the free returns! I ordered the 8! I am sure the skirt will fit my skinny girl. I’ll just be sure to hang the shirt to dry and stretch it a bit if I need to. Ordered the shoes and a few other dresses! Enjoy your day!
Yea! Hope you love them Katie. :) xo
The Dress fits and has prompted me to order a few more dresses from the same brand! My daughter is one happy girl! Thank you!
Yea Katie! So happy to hear that! :) xo
Love this post Erin! You get to blog about shopping and I get to see darling pics of the girls! Yay! Ok, first, were you dying when you saw overalls coming back?! I couldn’t believe it!! I LOVED wearing overalls! it hasn’t even been that long!
Second, El is looking so grown up and pretty! I’ve always thought she looked like you and she is just getting so beautiful! She looks stunning in that blue comfy top, that’s a great one for her to wear all the time! And El is adorable in that dress!! SO cute! And love those shoes on her!
Madi is getting so tall (she’ll pass you up by the end of 5th grade I’m sure) and has 2 sizes bigger feet than me already!! So I hate shopping for shoes for her because I still want to buy her girl shoes and she has to wear a women’s, and that started in 3rd grade! Ok, that’s all. Enjoy buying the girls cute kids shoes for me!
Yes Josie! We used to rock overalls! SO funny they are “in” again. I swear I still have an old pair laying around somewhere.. ha! Thank you for your sweet comment! I know.. our girls are growing so quickly! It’s crazy. I can’t believe how tall Madi is! Women’s shoes in 3rd grade!? You two never got a chance to share! (I’m totally looking forward to that because half of the time my girls have cuter clothes than I do!). We need to get the kids together soon! xo
What a fun, fun post, Erin! Thanks for sharing all the fabulous looks your girls are rocking. I smiled really big when I saw the tee with “the struggle is real.” I have one who says that constantly!! She’d love that shirt. :) It is fascinating to see what each girl gravitates to and how they show their personalities. My younger daughter cannot wait for next year, when she’ll be in high school and no longer has to be limited in what she wears to school (polos, khakis, jeans). Certainly helps limit drama though. Anyway, your girls are beautiful and look fabulous in everything they wear. That yoga pose picture. Classic! Thanks for sharing, Erin. So much fun!
Thanks so much Jeanne! Oh my word.. it really is fun to see what they like! Sometimes I feel like it’s the stuff that I’d put on my definitely NOT list! Ha! But this year we actually agreed on almost everything! Win for all. :) xo
Your kids are darling and I love all the clothes you bought for them. I also love that you had them shell out some of their own money for items they really wanted. I do that with my kids, too. Can I tell you one thing? Nordstrom doesn’t have an ‘s’ at the end. I know this because I wrote about Nordstrom in a high school paper and was marked off for misspelling it. I thought the teacher didn’t know what she was talking about because I always called it Nordstroms. Well, I got in my car, drove to the mall to take a look at the sign (this was before computers & internet) and guess what? She was right and I’ve never forgotten it. ;-)
Thank you so much Tiffany! Oh my word! I think I did know that but I’m writing Nordstroms! Guess that’s how I always say it! Ha! I’ll have to change it. Thanks so much for letting me know! Loved your story. :) xo
Late catching up on your blog…but I LOVED this post! Your girls are so adorable (love their smiles), and I am jealous of all the cute clothes. Especially those ankle strap flats…wish they had them in my size! (I do have freakishly small feet, but they’re also wide, so kids’ sizes don’t usually work!) Back-to-school shopping is so fun, both for clothes and for school supplies (of course!).
Thank you cutie! I know right!? I love those ankle strap flats too! And yes.. back to school shopping is the best! I could get lost in the Target school supply aisle for hours.. :) xo
Man, I can’t believe how grown up your girls have gotten!
And it’s totally normal that as a 30-something I’m inspired by your 10-year-old’s style, right? :)
I know Jessica! It’s crazy how big they are getting! Time needs to slow down. I’m inspired by her wardrobe too.. ha! ;) xo