Thank you to Schoola for the adorable clothes- the opinions of Schoola are all my own! Referral link included. If you make a purchase from this link, there is small financial benefit to me with no additional cost to you.
Moms of two (or more!) kids, maybe you can relate: You have your first kid and you take tons of photos, you do playdates and enrichment classes, and you buy great clothes, toys and products (all brand new). And then there’s the next kid: You take some photos that never get organized, they attend the playdates of the older kids (and hang out in a carrier or stroller), and you don’t do classes because your schedule is full with your older kid’s activities. And new “stuff”? Well, if you have the same gender kid and kept your clothes and gear from the first baby, chances are your second child isn’t getting anything new. At least not around here!!
So, I’ve been feeling a bit bad that N, my 8-month old doesn’t really get anything “new” for himself. He did get some things at Christmas and will for his birthday, but in general, he tags along in his brother’s hand-me-downs and plays with his brother’s old toys. And honestly, this is completely fine and we’re very lucky that we don’t have to buy much for this second kiddo but sometimes I feel a little bad.
Really he really doesn’t need anything new and there is no point in spending money just to spend it, so we usually just use what we have. And if we need a few clothes because we don’t have what we need, I’m all about buying things second-hand because after kid #1 I realized there are so many great ways to get great deals on kid’s clothes and kids grow out of clothes SO fast.
I was thrilled when I heard from Schoola about collaborating and helping prepare us for summer. So what is Schoola? It’s an online thrift store that sells clothing (babies, kids, teens and women) BUT their goal is to give back. 40% of all the proceeds go to benefit children’s education. You can designate US Schools to receive funds and they also support Malala Fund internationally. Many schools use Schoola as a way to fund programs such as music, art and P.E. Pretty cool right?
How does it work? People donate clothes to Schoola who then sells them on their website. You can browse by size, style, etc. just like regular online shopping. It’s super easy and best of all you’re giving back while you get a great deal. Even if you prefer to buy new, request a donation bag. They pay the postage so there is literally no cost to you. You can request a bag here. (They’re super cute bags too- check out the photo!)
So as I was looking at the really cute clothing for N that Schoola sent, it reminded me that I need to prioritize experiences for N that are all his own. This summer I’m going to be sure to create memories with N that are his and have experiences that our older son got. Okay, he won’t remember them but I am going to take lots of photos!
Here is my version of a summer bucket list for N:
- Have a play date every other week that includes a baby his age. The older kids can come too, but I need to make sure I’m planning to get together with friends who also have little ones.
- Get outside with N while E is at school (going to Starbucks doesn’t count). We can do things like hang out in our patio backyard, (like the photo above where N is rocking his awesome outfit from Schoola). We can also walk to the swings near our house or going for a swim at the neighborhood pool.
- Take N once a month to a place that has space specific for kiddos under 1. Now that he can scoot on his belly and sit like a champ, we should be taking him to places built for his age.
- Complete N’s newborn album. I’ve taken a lot of photos and the least I can do is get his newborn photos together. Maybe I’ll get the rest done when he and E are in school full-time (Yes, I know that’s 5 years away!).
- Finish N’s birth record cross stitch. I am a crafter at heart and completed E’s while I was on maternity leave. Each one has their name, birthday and birth stats, and I pretty much have done nothing on N’s. I’m going to get it done this summer!
- Get N out of our room and into sharing a room with his big brother. While this is about having our space back, it’s also about N having his own room and space (even though he’ll share it with his big brother).
So there you have it: my goals for N for the summer (since he can’t set goals for himself!).
It’s kind of funny that a box of clothing from Schoola would help me realize that I can do a bit more for my little guy, but I’m glad that it did. And, he’s going to look really cute while we’re checking things off this list!
If you’re interested in giving Schoola a try, here’s my referral link (https://www.schoola.com/stitch?ref=cp-3XaioyGDJ). This will give you $10 toward your first purchase. You can then get your own referral link to pass along and earn credit toward shopping.
If you’d like to donate, visit https://www.schoola.com/stitch/requestbag/ and shop at http://www.schoola.com/.