Scotch and Soda is a company from Amsterdam. Their clothes range from ages 4-12. Take a look. 
I like the combination of ethnic, tropical, folklore, and big graphic prints. I wish they had the toggle coat in my size (top picture). The boy’s outfit (6th picture from the top) would look so good on my ten year old. If he would still let me dress him…
Happy St. Patricks day! Have you been pinched yet?
-Sofija
Have you had God’s gift to the world, also known as Gelato? The owners of Frost Gelato had in on their trip to Italy, fell in love with it, went to Gelato University (yes there is such a thing!), opened up wildly successful stores in Arizona, and now in our city. We had some fine samples when my husband’s co-worker brought some over on super bowl Sunday. He brought about 8 different flavors one better than the other. Yesterday the husband and I finally made to the store.
Goodness, look at that presentation!! I just wanted to eat my way through the whole store…and you kind of can; they let you sample the flavors. I know one thing for sure, I’ll be back soon!
Have a great weekend!
-Sofija
Here are some recent pictures I haven’t shared with you.
On Lucy: Tea dress
On Tasha: Gap dress
-Sofija
Friends,
Tent Rocks is one of our family’s favorite places. It has all the right elements to make it a fun family outing: a 1.2 mile hike through a beautiful, otherworldly canyon, a challenging climb, and rewarding views at the top. We have gone with our kids ranging from baby to teenager and it was always very doable. For instance I typically carry the baby or toddler (whatever we had at the time) on my back, and my husband would assist/carry the second youngest. I would say kids aged 4 and older can pretty much most of the hike with some assistance. Be sure to bring lots of water especially between May and October (it gets hot once you are out of the canyon).
Here are some pictures I took when we went with friends last year.
We went in March. It was cool at the bottom of the trail, but once we were in the canyon it got warmer. So we left some of our jackets and hid them behind some trees. Below is our friend Jenna at the beginning of the trail. You don’t need special shoes, comfortable walking shoes will do.
Our older children typically run ahead and get to the top way ahead of us. The trail is pretty easy to follow, not many opportunities to get lost. However the last part is steep, so I suggest having kids 10 years or younger with an adult or a teenager.
My two oldest making a rare appearance on the blog…
The canyon is pretty narrow in places, so strollers don’t work.
Here is the top with miles and miles of views…
Our friends, Craig and Jenna. Love the pose…
David with Tasha on his back hiking down. I’m not sure if there is a loop. We always come back down the same way we go up.
Lucille was 4 years old when we did this hike. She needed some assistance at times but did pretty well overall.
Tent Rocks is about 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe. You can find updated weather conditions and more info here.
Have a great day,
Sofija
I’m always thrilled when I find out about a new to me US children’s brand. Neige was founded in 2004 and is based in Southern California. Here is their new spring line. The photo story was done for the online shop Ladida.
I like the combination of fun prints with classy lines. The baby outfit with the bloomers is so sweet.
Have a great day,
Sofija
All pictures taken by Gretchen Easton for Ladida.com
Via Smudgetikka
A couple of weeks ago I took the kids to Style America on $10 Tuesday. We monopolized all the stylists for about an hour and I’m pretty sure they are now updated on every detail of our lives.
What surprised me what a difference this had made. Sometimes little changes can safe a lot of time in a large family. Bath time is so much faster now that I don’t have to wash 3 heads of long hair anymore. Going to church , or going anywhere, is so much easier without having to worry about combing and styling all that hair. They can pretty much comb it themselves now. We have cut out a lot of complaining about pain and discomfort. Don’t get me wrong I love long hair on girls. I love when my 12 year old does pretty hairdos on the three youngest. But I am just not that kind person. I never spend much time on my hair and I sure don’t do it on the kids, either. Sometimes when I see my friend’s six kids perfectly groomed at church I know it is possible. But oh my, do I love those hair cuts! I think I’ll keep them short until they are old enough to do their own hair…I love looking at them now without fussing over knots and tangles.
How about you, have you found little things that made your life a whole lot easier and more enjoyable?
-Sofija
Have you seen these around the web? A French father of six kids started taking pictures of their everyday life in the French countryside. So inspiring…
I need to take more pictures of the kids playing…
Have a great day,
Sofija
All pictures by Alain Laboile
Friends,
I have missed a couple of posts here. My mind has not been clear enough to write anything. When wrestling with some heavy issues, posting about children’s fashion does not seem genuine.
Please be patient with me.
Sofija
Picture taken by my daughter this weekend. When you live in a place where the sun always shines, rain is a welcome help to reflect, to be sad, to grieve.
One of my favorite field trips we have done in the past is visiting the little town of Lincoln, New Mexico.
Lincoln is a small ghost town in southeast New Mexico, with one main street, and lots of little houses. The whole town is like a walk through museum, nobody lives there. There is a court house and prison, where Billy the Kid escaped from pretty spectacularly. There is the town store, a church, a doctor’s office, a hotel, little gift shops and places to eat for the tourists. It is really fun to walk through and see what life was like back in the 1800’s. What people could buy at the store, what a typical kitchen looked like, the sizes of beds… The doctor’s office’s instruments looked pretty scary.
Here is the my son Shane (about 2 years old at the time, how cute is he!!) in the court house.
My kids with their cousin (left) in front of the courthouse.
Houses like this are lining the street, you can wander in and out of stores.
Next the museum telling of Billy the Kid’s history and the Lincoln County War, he was in the middle of.
4-6 Museums are open 7 days a week, depending on the season. To plan your visit go here.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
Remember the Valentines shoot I did with Emily two weeks ago? Here are some more pictures of Tasha I haven’t shared with you.
Dress: the Gap
Blanket: Ikea
Flower: Gerbera from Trader Joe’s
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
All pictures taken by Emily Mulder from Lonely Mountain Photography
Styling by Sofija Burton
Teach Where You Live 