The Ceili (pronounced "kaylee") was a blast! Chicky was so cute and did a great job!
Tomorrow is her first Ceili (Irish dance recital). She went to bed with over 80 curlers in her hair (poor little thing!). 
Fingers crossed that this process worked! I will post an "after" picture tomorrow. We did a trial run earlier in the week (without the blow drying) and found that some curls were still damp and fell right out.
Chicky was a very good sport, but I can see this process getting old quickly. If she sticks with Irish dancing we'll be sure to purchase a wig next season.
Slainte!
A few weeks back I posted about how the Easter attire hunt was on. I was looking at top designer brands on ebay, scoping out the perfect matching outfits for the Minis. I searched and searched and found two dresses that I was about to bid on when the mission was prematurely aborted by Mimi Fashionista (aka, my mother).
Beige and cream-striped seersucker suit with white dress shirt and salmon sailboat tie -
on sale at Target for $22.49!
A little bird (aka "Mimi Fashionista") told me that the Red Wagon on Newbury Street in Boston is having a Primigi shoe sale starting tomorrow. I do not have any details about the length of the sale, but Mimi mentioned prices in the $35-40 range.
The Red Wagon
I was at a jewelry party Friday night at my friend "Martha's" house, when I heard some moms venting about the high prices and limited selection of boy's First Communion suits.
In stores the suits are priced around $75 (basic polyester) to $150 (light wool). Online, stores such as http://www.catholicchildrenscompany.com/ and http://www.theperfectpear.com/ offer basic white single-breasted suits (jacket, vest, pants, and tie) at the lower-end of the price spectrum ($73 and $78); 
However, those prices do not account for the additional $10 fee for sizes 10 and larger, or for the cost of shipping and handling.
Some other online boutiques make claims like "70% Off First Communion Outfits." Upon getting to their sites the suits are priced pretty cheap (e.g., $40), but they charge so much for each size over 5, that between the shipping and size charges, the price is still around $80.
Listed for $3 by My Monday's Child.
Listed for $3 by The Pickled Pumpkin
Listed for $5 by Aerochick.
What I've decided:
To stay under $30 per outfit per child.
What I've discovered:
There are lots of dresses in the stores for $30; however, I don't like any of them.
What I'm doing about it:
Scouring ebay for the following brands:
Florence Eiseman, Anavini, Biscotti, Strasburg Children (heirloom), Hartstrings, Therese, Susanne Lively, Sarah Louise, and Willbeth.
p.s.
Dear Children's Place,
Please stop bedazzling your girls' clothes.
Thank you,
Mommy Fashionista
Enjoy a Saturday morning comfy-cozy in your pajamas, sipping your favorite warm beverage, and shopping these great sales:
Happy Weekend!
Freshy and Chicky have spent our time away growing
together in friendship and brotherly and sisterly love. Ahhh...they're so sweet.
Brings a tear to their Mommy's eyes.
Freshy will be wearing his first tuxedo later this month as he makes his manly man fashion debut as the ring boy in Auntie Fashionista's wedding. We aren't sure if Fresh will cooperate or melt into a shriveled up screaming pile of toddler goo at the back of the church. One thing is for sure, he'll look very dapper doing whatever he decides.
Mimi Fashionista spotted classic black toddler tuxedos at Syms stores for just $19.99--what a deal! Toddler tuxedo rentals average around $70, and most places sell basic toddler tuxedos for $50-115.
Check him out!
Freshiola Freshworthy modeling his basic black 5-piece tuxedo Thought I would share the great coupon I received:
Through Sunday, May 17:
Take 30% off your entire purchase and receive free shipping at Gymboree online:
http://www.gymboree.com/
Enter Coupon Code: CFFRIEND
Enjoy!
Oh where, oh where, could they be?
First, I'll tell you where they're not: Macy's, Gap Kids, Gymboree, Sears, Children's Place, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, Target, and Dick's Sporting Goods.
I would like to thank Mimi & GG Fashionista who both helped me on a hunt for a spring play jacket for Chicky. We found many zip-up sweatshirts, rain jackets, and dressy jackets, but had a very tough time locating traditional windbreakers. I have heard from a few other moms (in various parts of the country) that they, too, were having a tough time with this mission.
What we found:
I've been to two different Marshalls this week (in different states), and found they both had adorable designer and designer-like girls' clothing.
Jenny & Me 100% cotton fabric top (looks like a light linen) with stretchy pants that have some gathering with bows on the ankles. $12.99
Easter is my favorite holiday. Okay, I admit it, I say that about Christmas and Halloween, too (three-way tie). In any case, besides the real meanings of the holiday, I also love the kickoff to spring fashion!
Master Freshington's attire includes: Shortalls, knee socks, and white leather or saddle shoes. NOTE: If Auntie Fashionista is reading this, I PROMISE he will be in long pants this year-cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in each eye.
Freshy's First Easter.
As you can tell, he didn't care for this beautiful Sarah Louise bubble.
These styles aren't for everyone, I realize, but my shopping strategies should work for most.
Shopping Strategies
Tip: for coordinating sibling outfit ideas, check out http://www.woodensoldier.com/.
...an awesome Valentine's Day gift idea for Freshy--a Batman cape!
Like many other little guys out there, Freshy idolizes Batman (or "Baht-Mon" as he says with a Jamaican accent). He is going to go batty for this present. ;)
Unfortunately, I didn't have this idea until yesterday and my sewing machine is in the shop until Thursday. What I was hoping to create was a black cotton cape with a yellow bat appliqué and a Velcro closure. Since I wouldn't have enough time to sew something like that on such short notice, I did some Googling. My results included a bunch of cheesy store-bought costumes that ranged in price from $20-60. The only stand alone Batman capes I found had tie necks (which are just plain scary to moms of rambunctious little boys).
I decided to check on Etsy, the website of all things handmade. LOOK at what I found by the seller Homemadeheroes:
If you're not familiar with Hanna Andersson, check them out if you like:
Hanna's full-priced items are expensive and their online sales are not that hot, but you can totally make out like a bandit if you go to the store and stick to the clearance rack.
To get the extreme (more than 50%) discounts, you really have to shop mid-season. It's fun to add a few new items to the mix, and for shirts and dresses you can always roll the sleeves and get two seasons out of them, or just buy a size bigger for next year.Mimi Fashionista (grandma to the Minis and the queen of bargain hunting) uncovered the most fabulous deals at the Burlington, MA store this week. Mimi reports that there was only one rack of clearance clothes, but it was stuffed with good deals. The entire rack was "take an additional 20% off" and the items were already marked down 20-60%. Here's a sampling of the goods:
Hai-ya! Kungfu Freshy
I am so appreciative that my mother found these jeans for Chicky. They are soft and they have a normal-height waist (no more bumby exposure when she bends over, yeah)!
Speaking of low rise jeans--why do they even make them for little ones? They are not comfortable or flattering, but actually, they're not flattering on many people (including me and my muffin top...but, who wants to wear Mom jeans? And thank GOODNESS the painted on 80's jeans are not back in their original form). That leaves me with one final thought...
Dear God,
Please do not let skinny jeans become the only fashionable option in 2009.
Forever Grateful,
Mommy Fashionista (& anyone who might potentially bear witness to such a horrendous sight)
Window shopping online, I fell in love with a chocolate brown and pink tutu:
Well, if I spend $60 on a tutu, she will have it forever, but if I spend $60 on, let's say, groceries, really, what do we have left at the end of the week besides wrappers...other trash....more recycling to do....fat cells....The kids never eat the food I cook anyway, in fact, they actually prefer pasta, which is also quicker to cook on a work night, leaving me more time to spend with them, which *is* what's most important after all...After snapping out of my tirade, I decide to poke around the web to see if I can find anything. My discoveries are tutu fabulous (I'm overdoing this play on the word "tutu" thing, aren't I?). On Etsy.com I searched for the word "tutu" and found a wide range of styles and prices--some as cheap as $5, some as expensive as $100.
Now, if you are ambitious, I also found many sets of do-it-yourself tutu instructions. This style of tutu is made up of many strips of tulle. This look can be achieved using the following no sew technique:
