I knew that the Munchkin needed some new board shorts.   It just so happened that a fairly well-known surf brand was having a sale, so I did a little reconnaissance.

Sure enough, they had a bunch of styles, all at a pretty good price.

I was by myself, and I was tempted to get him the style that I normally buy for him, which tends to be colorful and include some sort of Hawaiian-related floral element. Children Fashion

Because, duh, I’m a girl.

But then I thought to myself that perhaps a nine year old boy would not appreciate flowers on his shorts, and tried to remember that he is definitely at the age where his clothing is being judged, especially by his peers.  Not that there is anything wrong with flowers on board shorts, in my opinion, but they just aren’t really in style in my area of the country right now.

I wound up choosing instead a green-gray  plaid, which also had a very subtle camo element going through the fabric. Normally I despise camo on “civilian” clothing, but ever since my husband took him here, my son has been very pro-military. Which, fine, I’m technically pro-military myself.

He loved them.

He then told me that he was very relieved that I didn’t get him any with flowers, as one of his older friends had been making fun of his other board shorts.  You know, the ones with flowers on them.  And while I am very aware that it was just teasing, and truly kids will tease other kids about pretty much anything, I was glad that for that one moment, I wasn’t THAT MOM.

You know, the one who buys their nine year old boy shorts with flowers on them.

My daughter is tosser/turner/flipper type of sleeper.  She also has pretty much no body fat and gets extremely cold at night, but won’t sleep under covers due to the tossy/turny thing.  My solution so far has been to have her wear footed pajamas at night.  Well, that worked well until we got to size 3T, when the manufacturers apparently made the decision that they could suddenly stop placing the piece of fabric over the top of the zipper which helps to keep the zipper from digging into the neck.  So, her zipper tends to annoy her, which in turn annoys us.

Do you know that in all of the vast Amazon, I could only find ONE  2-piece long sleeve footed pajamas? ONE!  Come on now, I know that there are two year olds that are quite big for their age that could totally still be wearing footed pajamas but are ready to start potty training.  And do you know what will hamper potty training? Yup, a 1  piece footed pajama!

So clothing manufaturers, what is so hard about making a 2 piece pajama set where the pants happen to have feet?  What, I ask?

Also, when my son was about three or four, zip-off pants were everywhere.  And I loved them unconditionally.  There was nothing not to love, and they especially make sense in the climate we live in, which can be warm in the day, but darn cold at night and in the mornings.  But I was only able to buy them for about two years and then, poof! Gone!  Never to return!

Sure, I could buy them at a specialty clothing retailer like REI, but I’m not willing to pay that much.

Why do clothing manufacturers hate me so much?

Courtesy of Levi’s.

Yeah, because a sweatshirt with a fake denim jacket screened on the front of it is SO COOL!  Because everyone knows that denim in the front and sweatshirt material on the back is the new mullet!

Listen, they make ACTUAL denim everything for toddlers, so I suggest simply going that route if you are really into that type of thing.

And Jesus Christ on a stick, they want almost thirty bucks for this crap?

Just say no, ladies, just say no to the newest version of the mullet.

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I’ve got an eight year old who has always been on the taller side for his age.

Reliably, I could buy one size up and it would always fit him.  Maybe a tad bit too long, but nothing to cause anyone to point and stare.  Sooner rather than later, he would grow into them, and all would be well with the world.

Except this fall I go to buy him some cold weather pants (he prefers fleece cargo pants) and I blithely order a size 10/12 online, because he’s already got 8’s and they are beginning to look like high-waters.  I inadvertently used the term “high-waters” in front of him, and he looked at me like I was a creature from another planet. Mother, what is this strange language you speak?

Anyhoo, the 10/12’s arrive and they are about three inches too long, and falling off at the waist, even with me trying my darnedest to shrink them.  Shrinking never works when you want it to, does it?

So I start looking for the obvious thing, a size 9.  If a size 8 is too small and size 10/12 is too large, then size 9 it is!

Except nobody really makes a size 9 in boys’ clothing.  Oh a few do here and there, but they are mostly jeans, and my son refuses to wear jeans.

Do clothing manufacturers have some sort of problem with the number nine?  Do they think that boys suddenly stop growing at a size 8 and suddenly shoot up three inches overnight?

He hates the long ones more than the short ones, so he’ll just have to go around looking like Pee Wee Herman for a while.

Insert deep sigh here.

It had been a while since I had been to one of my favorite shopping malls, and I happened to finally stop by a couple of weeks ago.  They have done some remodeling and taken out some kid-friendly features in order to appear more “upscale” so I hadn’t been in a really big hurry to go back.

But, a new store that I’d never heard about had popped up in my absence, and I have to say I was really, really impressed with the quality and design of the clothing. I know y’all like to see the goods before buying, but there aren’t a whole lot of these stores in brick-and-mortar form, so online is the way most of you will be able to access their stuff. 

And what wonderful stuff it was!  I liked many, many things, but here are a few of my favorites:

Little Peanut Dress

The fabric is soft and lovely, the garment itself well-constructed.  I adored all of their “little peanut” line.

Stinson Polo

The ultimate in surfer cool, I liked a lot of their shirts for boys.

Frida Skirt

The picture does not do this skirt any justice.  The embroidery is absolutely beautiful, and again, the skirt is well-made.

Junglie Elephant

Their whole line of Junglie and Bunglie animals were some of the softest, cuddliest I’ve ever felt.

Oh, and I always award bonus points to stores who emphasize books, and they had a large and impressive book display in the very front of the store.

*I am not affiliated with Peek…, nor am I receiving any sort of compensation for this review.  Good clothes are hard to find, and I wanted to pass the info along.

In their infnite wisdom, Italian design house Gucci has decided to introduce their first clothing lines for children in the spring of 2011. Because nothing celebrates a double-dip recession like a Gucci-logoed bib!

To be honest, I have a “thing” about paying to have my children be walking advertisements for clothing companies.  In short, I try really hard not to.  Although I have to say as the Munchkin is getting older, that is getting harder.  But those wanna-be Vans? No way.   I cannot see any boy over the age of 5 wearing those without some sort of bribe being involved.  And the muti-colored belts? Really?  Those look exactly like the ones that come free with off-brand cargo shorts. 

But, if this preview is the best that Gucci has, you’ll have to excuse me.  Because I can’t stop yawning.

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For great prices on polos, tees, jeans, and more, go here!

For bargains on backpacks and lunch pails, go here!

I recently bought my son some board shorts, and asked him to try them on.

“Mommy, we need to give them something to do.”

“Huh?”

“Mommy, they’re bored shorts.  Get it?”

Ah, the pleasures of the seven year old sense of humor.

But really, what is the difference between board shorts and swim trunks, anyway?  Board shorts are designed for surfing, so usually they are made out of sturdier material than regular swim trunks.  Also, swim trunks usually have an inner lining, whereas board shorts won’t.   But, I have seen clothing that claims to be one or the other, yet has design elements of both.  So, buyer beware.  However, the shorts below are all made by reputable surf companies, so board shorts you will get.

Here are some awesome choices for your young wave rider this summer.

Hurley Kids Mic Wave Boardshort (Little Kids)

Quiksilver Kids Avalanche Boardshort (Big Kids)

Quiksilver Kids PB & J Boardshort (Toddler/Little Kids) 

Volcom Kids Dingo 2 Mod Boardshort (Big Kids)

Quiksilver Kids Tropiskull Boardshort (Toddler/Little Kids)

O’Neill Kids Hyperfreak Boardshort ’10 (Big Kids)

Hurley Kids Boardwalk Boardshort (Big Kids)