Anyway, I wanted to share a few things that we did to help ease her transition into her new school that I think were really helpful for her! I’m proud to say that she absolutely loves school. So these are my tips if you are planning on sending your little one off to preschool anytime soon! And kids start preschool all throughout the year, so this is not necessarily only relevant at the beginning of the school year (aka September). Plus I also want to give you an update on how she is doing at school!

1. GREY COAT/CAPE | 2. COWBOY BOOTS

1. Classes at the School

When we were looking for a preschool to send Molly to, I noticed that the majority of the schools offered a toddler and me program to go to before actually sending your little one off to school. Definitely reach out to your local school to see if they have one! What’s great about signing up for one of those classes is not only do you as a parent get to spend time at the school seeing how things are done, but so does your child! I really feel like Molly’s transition to school was so easy because she had already spent so much time there. Every time we went to the toddler and me class I would say “Are you excited for class today? Let’s go to school!” And then when the day came for her to really go to school, she was already used to it. Also, at Molly’s school the toddler and me teacher is also her preschool teacher. So she got to know her while mommy was around for the class and then when real preschool started, she felt comfortable with me leaving because she already knew her teacher. And I felt more comfortable leaving her because I knew the teacher! I saw how she was with all the kids during the toddler and me class and she is absolutely wonderful! Sometimes dropping your kid off for preschool for the first time can be just as hard on the parent as it is on the child. Lucky for me and Molly, we really prepared ourselves and it wasn’t hard at all!

1. A CUTE WHITE TOP | 2. MOLLY’S ROMPER | 3. MY SWEATER | 4. MY LEGGINGS | 5. MY BOOTS | 6. BANDANA

2. Family Picture

Send your kiddo to school with a picture of your family. Molly’s teacher required that we send her to school with one, and I think it’s such a great idea! Every time we walk into class and Molly sees it on her cubby she gets excited. For instance, the other day when I dropped her off she got upset for the first time since starting school. But I was able to distract her by showing her the picture of our family and she immediately got excited to see her little brother’s face in her classroom! And when you leave and you’re little one has a hard time with you not being there, the teacher will be able to show them the picture and help give them some comfort.

1. GREY COAT/CAPE | 2. COWBOY BOOTS

3. Confidence in the Form of Clothing – Give her (0r him!) a Cape!

Hear me out on this one. At Molly’s school, she’s not allowed to bring any toys. So when I drop her off in the morning sometime she can get upset that she has to leave her favorite book or stuffed animal in the car. So the other day I had an idea to put her in this super cute poncho/cape she wears. She has a book about a little boy named Danny that believes he has superpowers and wears a cape. So I told her that this poncho was her supercape! And that it gives her superpowers! So if she’s ever feeling nervous or alone at school she can just put it on and use all her superpowers to feel better! And I honestly think it helped her! Now when we’re getting out of the car in the morning to walk into school, I get really excited about her poncho/cape and tell her how lucky she is to have her superpowers at school! I honestly think it will come in handy to help her be brave for a lot of new experiences in her life while she’s little. Plus the poncho is just so stinking cute! Don’t you think?! It starts at 2T and goes up to size 8 for big girls! It’s from Nordstrom where I not only buy all of my clothes, but most of hers as well! They honestly have super cute kids clothes so if you haven’t checked out their kids section you totally should! Her poncho and cowboy boots are both from there. And when she wears these cowboy boots to school I always get at least one or two parents asking me where they’re from. They’re just the cutest!

1. GREY COAT/CAPE | 2. COWBOY BOOTS

And while I’m on the topic of the clothes, her romper in some of these other pictures is also a favorite of hers! She loves the little hens/roosters on it. She loves to point at them and yell “cock-a-doodle-doo!” Adorable! And if any of you were wondering about my outfit, it’s all from Nordstrom too! I love my sweater because it has a pretty bell sleeve and it’s long! Really I love any top that covers my booty and hips! Plus it’s super cozy and soft! And affordable! I wear it a lot when I drop Molly off at school in the morning. It’s cooler in the mornings, so it’s easy for me to throw on with a pair of leggings. My leggings are only $29! They will be one of the best leggings you ever buy! I mean it! And they’re such a good price that you really can’t beat it. And I linked the bandanna that I’m wearing in one of these photos, I wear it all the time in Instagram stories and a lot of you have been asking me where I got it.

OK OK, back to why I started writing this blog! Ha! I get sidetracked because I get so excited about clothes – can you tell?! Ha! Anyway, if any other parents out there are transferring their kids into preschool anytime soon, or even in the next year, these are all things to consider! And I’ll end this by saying that Molly is doing so great at school! She honestly loves it and only once in the last month did she shed a few tears when I dropped her off in the morning. Otherwise, she can’t wait to go to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays! When she gets home she’ll say “I can go back on Thursday right?” It’s so cute! And really for the first time since she was born, she’s starting to learn things from people other than me and Kevin. Which is so important for her development! I get so excited when she sings a new song that I’ve never heard. I’m just always so proud of her! In fact, I’m going to go give her a big squeeze right now! I encourage you all to do the same with your kiddos! Or your furry kiddos! And if you don’t have either of those things, give yourself a little squeeze because self-love is just as important! Love you guys!

Leave me comments below about how you help you little one with transitions! I’m always looking for tips for other types of transitions (aka – leaving school or the park!)

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Thank you Nordstrom for partnering with me for this post today!!!!! I looooooooove you! No really.

The post Sending Your Little One to School with Confidence! appeared first on Ali Manno (Fedotowsky).

1. MY SUNNIES | 2. MOLLY’S KIDDO SUNNIES | 3. HEART NECKLACE | 4. FLORAL TOP | 5. JEANS | 6. SANDALS

MATCHING SUNGLASSES

I have to say, my favorite matching items by far are these sunglasses by DIFF (Use code ALIF for 25% at checkout btw!). You guys know I love their sunglasses because I’ve written about them before. Not only that, but I love their mission. Every time a pair of sunglasses are purchased on their site, they donate a pair of reading glasses to someone in need. I just think that’s really cool and I’m proud to get behind a company like that. But completely separate from that, their sunglasses are just the cutest ever!

You might be wondering how in the heck hot pink sunglasses are gender nuetral? Well, they also come in a grey lens too that would be perfect for matching with your little boy! I might actually have to get the grey lens ones for me, Kevin and Molly too so we can all match as a family! I can see the future family photoshoots now!

1. MY SUNNIES | 2. MOLLY’S KIDDO SUNNIES | 3. HEART NECKLACE | 4. FLORAL TOP | 5. JEANS | 6. SANDALS

I also have another pair of DIFF aviators with bright blue lenses that you can see me wearing below in the jean jacket pic. And once I saw these pink sunglasses with the matching kiddo version, I couldn’t help myself! In general, I love the pink ones for me because they’re super girly, fun and pretty. But I think Molly might love hers even more. It was so funny because when I first gave them to her a few days ago I was hanging out with my friends Kim and Ashley and she legitimately started breaking it down. Ha! So we ended up playing music on our phones and she had her own little dance party on our balcony. I posted a video of it to Instagram story that you guys have to check out because it’s just the cutest thing ever. I’m telling you, this girl is going to be an entertainer somehow because she loves to perform for people! It’s the cutest ever!

If you guys get the sunglasses! Make sure to use my code because you can get them for 25% off! My code is ALIF!

1. MY SUNNIES | 2. MOLLY’S KIDDO SUNNIES | 3. HEART NECKLACE | 4. FLORAL TOP | 5. JEANS | 6. SANDALS

MATCHING JEAN JACKETS

The next mommy and me items I want to tell you guys about are our jean jackets. I’ve worn and written about them on the blog before. Actually, I’m just realizing that last time I wrote about them on the blog I was also wearing my blue lens DIFF aviators. How funny is that! I didn’t even realize that until just now. I must just love wearing my DIFF sunglasses when I’m matching with Molly!

1. DIFF AVIATORS | 2. MAMA JACKET | 3. MATERNITY TANK | 4. MATERNITY JEANS | 5. BRACELET | 6. CHUCKS

Anyway, I have the “mama” jean jacket and Molly has the kiddo jean jacket that says “babe.” The reason I love these jackets so much is that they’re not the typical matching outfits. Normally, you see two matching dresses or bathing suits. These are gender nuetral and just cooler than matching dresses in my opinion!

MATCHING ROBES

The last thing I want to talk about that I just adore are the matching robes that Molly and I have! Really if any of you have a white robe, all you have to do is buy your little one a teeny version of it and you have matching robes! For example, the robes Molly and I are wearing in the photo below aren’t actually matching. They just looks similar. Again, this mommy and me combo is gender-neutral so you can do it with either your little girl or your little boy. And it’s just extra cute! If you have older kiddos I also love the idea of doing personalized robes that say “mommy” and “daughter” on the back for a special occasion like a spa visit on Mother’s Day. There really are a bunch of options for matching robes! And at first I thought if I put Molly in a white robe, maybe she would realize it’s time to relax and chill out for a little bit so mommy would get a break. But that didn’t exactly work out. Wishful thinking! She still looks super cute in it!

Well there you have it. My favorite gender neutral mommy and me matching items! If you guys get any of these things PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share with me on social by tagging me in your pics! I am dying to see all of you matching with your cute kiddos!!! And please share any cute mommy and me things you love in the comments below! I’m always looking for ideas! Ideas which I’m sure will embarrass my children one day. He he! That’s what mama’s do though, right?!

More pics of Molly dancing below because they are just too cute not to share!

The post Mommy and Me Favorites! For Daughters and Sons! appeared first on Ali Manno (Fedotowsky).

Anyway, let me tell you about this dres – Pink and Blue!s! I want to start off by saying I absolutely love it and think it is so gorgeous for a $20 dress. However, I want to be realistic with all of you guys and honest about some of the challenges of the dress. First, I did have to put double stick fashion tape on my shoulders to keep it in place. It’s hard to explain but it kept sliding forward on my shoulders and I need it to stay put. But for $20 I don’t mind using a little fashion tape when I wear it. Also, please know that the fabric is very thin. I personally felt the need to wear a slip underneath it to make sure it wasn’t sheer. But in general, if you don’t already own a good quality slip to wear underneath your clothes that are on the sheer side, then I definitely recommend investing in one. You’ll find yourself using it again and again with different dresses. I know I do with mine!

But other than that, I think this dress is worth every penny of the $20 I spent on it! The details on the sleeve are just so beautiful. I posted a close-up picture of the sleeve below so you can see for yourself. It only comes in one size so if you’re on the petite side it might be too big for you. But I love it because it’s not maternity but obviously works great with my bump. I got it from Shein. I’ve written about this website before and I always warn you guys that I don’t recommend buying anything that I haven’t reviewed for you myself! Just because I can’t speak to the quality of all the clothes, I can only speak to the quality of things I review on here. And I will say that I have had a few misses in the past. But if you go to the search bar on the right hand side bar of my website and search Shein you will see all my posts from them and hopefully be able to order multiple things if you decide to get this dress! It’s a good way to save on shipping. (If you’re reading this on your mobile phone the search button is at the bottom when you scroll down.)

And how adorable is Molly‘s little dress?! As soon as I saw it online I knew I had to get it for her! I honestly don’t even have anywhere planned for her to wear it right now. She’s wearing a size 18 months and she’s 19 months old so the sizing is pretty perfect.

Anyway, I just want to share the super cute pics with you guys and share details on these two dresses since I think they’re both just perfect! Also I’m just now noticing that her dress is blue and my dress is pink! Boy or girl?! What do YOU think we are having?! We plan to announce soon! Hopefully

Oh my gosh! And Happy Valentine’s Day! I love you all and you are all my Valentine’s!

1. EARRINGS | 2. BLUSH DRESS | 3. NUDE HEELS | 4. MOLLY’S DRESS

1. EARRINGS | 2. BLUSH DRESS | 3. NUDE HEELS | 4. MOLLY’S DRESS

1. EARRINGS | 2. BLUSH DRESS | 3. NUDE HEELS | 4. MOLLY’S DRESS

The post Dress up with Molly – Pink or Blue? What do YOU think?! appeared first on Ali Manno (Fedotowsky).