Since last Fashion Friday was a holiday and a manicure post, today’s will be a fashion post!  I love the feel and femininity of this Michael Kors tunic.  On a typical trip to Marshalls to find a gift, this top caught my eye.  Because I am a fool for tunics…I thought I would try it on for size.

It immediately got a permanent spot in the cart next to my son who was shopping with me.  On the occasions that I do go shopping, I take all 3 kids with me.  What?!  Am I crazy?  While I do like to shop without my sidekicks, it’s a rarity.  These kiddos keep me accountable (just ask my oldest daughter) and help me to make thoughtful choices with my purchases.  I feel that they too are learning how to shop and spend wisely.

Tips for shopping with kids:

1. Have a purpose in mind when shopping.  You want to be wise with your time and be sensitive to the children’s attention span and their patience.
2.  It doesn’t hurt to have healthy snacks on hand.  From when I only had one child to now with three, I’ve carried Cheerios to trail mix in my purse.  Sometimes you just need the extra few minutes to make a purchasing decision.
3. Give yourself and your kids a timeframe and store limit.  And stick to it.  It can be easy to get caught up spending the day shopping, but not so fun for the kids.  Give yourself a time limit on your shopping…say only an hour or two.  Even if you are doing fun shopping that the kids typically enjoy (for example: Michael’s, my kids love this place!) limit the number of stores you visit during this timeframe.
4. Set an expectation.  I remember when my daughter got into the talking age and she started expressing what she would like.  Some families allow their kids to pick out something when they shop, but I make this a rare occurrence.  I do remind my kiddos when we start our shopping time that they should not expect something to be bought for them, and remind them of the purpose of our shopping excursion.  If we do leave the store with an item for them, it is because it was purchased with money they earned, they received a gift certificate, it was one of the reasons we were shopping, or that rare occurrence to bless them.    

These pictures were actually taken while we were enjoying an outdoor mall visiting with my mom, uncle, sister & her kiddos.  Do you shop with your kids?

Appropriate: for an afternoon of shopping

Affordable & Accessible:
Top: Michael Kors via Marshalls (similar)
Jeans: Ross (similar)
Purse: Coach (gift from my husband)
Shoes: Target (similar)
Watch: Movado
Sunglasses: Dolce & Gabbana via LensCrafters (gift from my husband)

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Blessings!