Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Favorite Boy Buys for Warm Weather

Hello! I am so excited to be guest posting for Whitney today!

While Whitney is getting in some special time with her precious new baby boy Fletcher, she asked if I would write a little bit about what it’s been like to be a “boy mom.” I thought that was such a fun idea- as it has been a super fun adventure for me getting to know about all things “boy!”

I am a mommy to three little girls, ages 7, 5 and 3. We welcomed our 4th baby in July 2014 and we were SO surprised to find out he was a BOY! We do not find out the gender of our babies- but for some reason- I just thought I was having another little girl!
So- we brought home our precious, little James and it has been such a blast having a little boy in our home! We are currently expecting our 5th baby- who is due any day now (April 27 is the exact due date) and we are so excited to see if we will be having another little boy or our 4th little girl!  You can check out my blog over at Full Hands Full Hearts
 
  

Now that spring is here and summer is right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to share some of my FAVORITE items for James in the warmer weather months. We started from scratch as far as boy stuff goes- so it has definitely been a little bit of a learning curve figuring out what items/brands we like best for our little guy!

First up: Warm Weather Clothes! 

James has always had a great “base” wardrobe- thanks to all the amazing hand-me-downs my sister-in-law has given us! But since James is quite a hefty little guy- we have needed to buy him clothes here and there since he grows at such a crazy rate! Walmart.com is my go-to place to shop for James. Their prices are so affordable, they have REALLY cute little shorts and shirts as well as nice items such as colored, button down shirts and khakis pants for places like church!
One of my recent favorite outfits from Wal-Mart is this 3-piece set- you get two shirts and a pair of shorts for just under $13!

I also get James’ swim trunks and rash guards from Wal-Mart. He wore the same rash guard and swim trunks almost every day last summer and they held SO great- despite being in the pool and getting washed every day!

This rash guard is only $6.44 and it comes in short AND long sleeves!

So while my girls have waaayyyy too many pairs of shoes- James does not.  We decided early on- instead of spending money here and there on several different pairs of shoes- we would invest in one good pair of shoes for him- and once he had worn them out- we would get him a new pair. And boy does he WEAR them! Ha! He is ALWAYS on the go and definitely puts his shoes through A LOT. Because James is a total chunker- we had to find him a shoe that came in a wide size. We settled on these sneakers by Saucony and LOVE them! They come in so many fun color combinations, wide and regular sizes and the Velcro actually stays put!

And while I think flip-flops are SO cute on little toddlers, they don’t always stay put. So our “go-to” pool/splash pad shoe for James is a good ol’ pair of Crocs! They stay put, they are easy to get on and off and they can get wet!

And finally- I thought I would share a couple of James’ favorite toys. I have to say- as far as “inside” toys go- blocks are probably his favorite- but really- he is just into dumping all our toy bins out and making a huge mess! Once he gets outside- it is a whole different story!

For his first birthday, last July, my in-laws got him this Step2 Push Around Buggy and he has LOVED it! He was never a huge fan of going for walks in the stroller- but he has always loved going for rides in his “car.” Now that he is bigger, he loves to push his buggy on the sidewalk and around the backyard. I think this is SUCH a great toy to get a little boy OR girl! We have gotten so much use out of push buggy and it is still in excellent shape!

Another toy James absolutely loves playing with when we are outside (although- you could technically have this inside too- if you wanted!) is the classic Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. James LOVES getting in and out of his car, pretending to drive and pushing it around our driveway and yard.


Where you will really find James the happiest is in a big ol’ pile of mud or dirt. He LOVES to explore and the bigger the mess he can get into- the happier he is! HA!
(And just FYI- this little boy is NOT James- I have not been brave enough to let him get that dirty! HA!)


And there you have it! Just a few things we have found we really love and actually use for our precious little boy during the warmer months of the year!
Being a “boy mom” is SO much fun- I am so blessed to get to be one!!

Congratulations, again, Whitney on the birth of Fletcher!! I am so excited for you to get to experience the wonderful world of all things BOY!

 

14 comments:

  1. Being a boy mom is wonderful. My son is 11 and it really does feel like yesterday he was 3! Most days he acts like he doesn't even like me, but I know he is a true Momma's Boy!!

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    1. Having James was such a big, pleasant surprise- I am so thankful I get to be a boy mom!! :)

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  2. I am a very happy (all) boy mom and theg are so fun! My youngest sure wears his shoes out too! His dad is the same way. But I think it's more important for boys to have quality shoes for that reason. I hope your new baby is a boy too- brothers are so fun!

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    1. Yes Aja! That is what we have already found out with James- definitely quality over quantity in regard to the things we buy him!

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  3. Being a boy mama is so joyous...they sure do love their mamas! I recently went to JCP and got several Arizona shirts for Jack where you buy one and get one for a penny. I love a great deal! We have a pair of crocs that are our go to outside shoe.

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    1. Oh my! There's a JCP right by my house! I need to go there ASAP! :)

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  4. Those Saucony shoes are amazing! Great post!

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    1. Hi Becky! We love them and the colors they come in are so fun!

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  5. These are all great ideas. My son is 12 now, and still basically has one pair of shoes. He is just a down-to-earth kid and likes to wear his tennis shoes every day. We did get an inexpensive pair of black loafers for his choir performances and church, but other than that it's the same old shoes every day!

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    1. Thanks Tanya! It's funny how different shopping for James is versus the girls. It will be interesting to see if that changes as he gets older...his daddy has quite the running shoe collection! Ha!

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  6. Haha - I totally thought that was your son in the mud. I was like - brave mama! Or your back turned for a split second! :)

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    1. Hey Kelley- no way am I that brave!! I try to be fun like that- but have never let it go that far! Ha!

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  7. Great list! I always forget to check Walmart for boys basics. Good ideas!

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    1. Walmart is my go-to place for all of my kids' clothes- the prices are unbeatable and they are really cute!!

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