There are still plenty of 60% off items on Clearance to check out, but if you’re shopping new, keep in mind the sales will get better.    Here are a couple of my favorite Winter to Spring transition items your child can wear now.

This Week Only! Place an order on bodenusa.com for the chance to get your next order for free. Shop Now!

Honest products include a line of toxic-free household cleaning products, shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, lotion, diapers and chemical free wipes with trendy designs and all safe for babies and the environment.  AND, you can sign up to have them automatically delivered to your house every month.

“When I became a mom, I finally became the person I am, that I always should have been,” said Jessica. “It’s the most satisfying job in the world. But, it can also be overwhelming and confusing. I created The Honest Company to help moms and to give all children a better, safer start.”  The website states, “We tried to think of all the qualities we would want in a dream brand – savvy style, sustainability, and extraordinary service & convenience all wrapped in a passion for social goodness, tied with a bow of integrity and sprinkled with a little cheeky fun.”

If that’s gotten your attention, it’s easy to get started with the product line by taking taking them for a test drive with a free trial.  It takes just a few minutes to answer a few simple questions to personalize your needs and your products will arrive at your door.  If you decide you love the products, orders are delivered monthly so you’re assured you’ll receive the eco-friendly products you need that are healthy choices for kids and convenient for busy parents.

We think this is a good thing!  So long as the amount of product delivered is a good fit for your needs.

Have you tried Honest products and service?  Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.  If you haven’t tried them, would you?

If you are looking for eco-friendly choices in attire there are numerous options out there.  Below are 6 ways to add a little green to any wardrobe (big or little) without sacrificing style.

1. Look for Sustainable Materials:  Items made from sustainable materials such as cotton, bamboo or hemp are grown in soil that hasn’t been treated with pesticides.  These are natural fabrics which are breathable, kid friendly and are nice staples in any wardrobe.  Since sustaiable fabrics are treated with low impact dyes, they are typically found in soft and neutral tones which makes them easy to mix into with current styles and colors.
2. Wear Recycled Wool:  It is still cold in many parts of the world which makes it the perfect time of year add a recycled wool scarf, gloves, sweater or socks to your winter esssentials.  It’s naturally warming and can be found in a rainbow of colors to please everyone in the family.
3. Denim is always green:  You cannnot go wrong with recycled denim! It’s always in fashion, wears like iron and gets better with age!  LoobaLee has some wonderful kids denim options from skirts to shorts to classic jeans.
4. Fair Trade:  When shopping for eco-friendly items, be on the lookout for Fair Trade Certified Apparel.  The sale of these items directly benefit the farmers who grow the cotton and the workers who sew the garments, offering consumers an unprecedented opportunity to positively impact lives. Find Fair Trade Certified Apparel here
5. Repurpose:  There are numerous ways to repurpose worn out clothing in to other wearable and/or usable items.  Make pants into shorts, turn old t-shirts into a blanket, Make puppets out of old socks, the list is limited only by your creativity.  Repurposing doesn’t have to be difficult, it can be as simple as using old fabrics as cleaning rags.
6. Donate or Resell:  If the items are still in great condition and you hate to repurpose them, donate or resell on LoobaLee.  This is a great way to give your old clothes life with a new owner and that is always good for the earth!

You don’t have to replace your entire wardrobe to show your Eco-conscience side.  It only takes a little attention to detail and Mother Nature will thank you.

Lilly Pulitzer is an excellent children’s clothing investment.  Resale is typically high on Lilly items, especially girl’s dresses and especially on spring/summer prints.  It wears very well.  And, it just never goes out of style. While the clothing styles change slightly, the consistent print designs keeps each piece going year after year.

Learn more about Lilly P. on their “colorful blog”. See what’s new for kids at “Little Lilly’s“

If you have a boy who is perfectly content sleeping in the clothing they wore all day, we have a few ideas to get him to re-think his night time duds.

Re-Purpose: Consider taking a few of his favorite t-shirts (especially those that should no longer be seen in public) and turn them into sleep shirts.  He still gets to wear his favorites and you don’t have to fight with him to not wear them out of the house.  The same concept can be applied to an old pair of sweat pants.  If his tried and true sweats are tattered or have holes in the knees, cut them off just above the knee and viola… instant sleep shorts.

Renew: If he’s gotten too big for his britches, how about a pair of dad’s old pj’s? If you’re a sewer, you can always take them in a the waist and take them up at the hem.   Dad’s old t-shirts also make nice nighties for pre-teen girls (if that doesn’t gross them out that is).

Upcycle:  Instead of buying a brand new set of pajamas, just purchase pajama bottoms or sweats to pair with the re-purposed tee’s mentioned above.  Size up in the pants so he’ll have room to grow and don’t skimp on quality.  Your return will be higher when it’s time to resell if they are well made.  Pajamas always sell well on resale.

If you are a savvy parent, you can change your son’s outlook on sleepwear ensuring he’s comfortable and well rested and so are you.  Who knows, he might actually wear the pj’s at the next sleepover with his buddies too.

Your thoughts?  Do you like your son to wear designated sleepwear to bed every night? 

Astonishing!!  Since Moms make up a large percent of the population, apparently a lot of us are contributing to the problem.

I literally do not throw away clothing (at least not intentionally).   And, maybe you don’t intentionally either.  But, its inevitable that even in our best efforts to donate and recycle, receiving organizations will dispose of things that can’t be used.

The best way to avoid this downstream affect is up front by buying, wearing and caring consciously.   The clothing that most quickly ends up in our landfills is that which was cheaply made in the first place, and doesn’t hold up to a lot of wash and wear.

Then, don’t be part of the statistic. Be part of the solution. Trade, donate, resell, upcycle, and/or recycle your kids old clothing. Help prevent unnecessary waste and teach your kids the value of buying second hand and the ingenuity of resale.

LoobaLee is proud to be a resource to help you reap the rewards of buying and selling online and get the most out of your children’s apparel.

So, the first place I look when its time to de-clutter their room is their closets.  Helping kids’ keep their rooms organized and uncluttered is a great step towards getting your children to actually help you and want to keep a “conscious” closet.

And, as you can see, I don’t have beautiful, perfect built-in closets to show off.  I don’t have walk-ins or large closets with a lot of space, so I make use of every nook and cranny with everyday helpers available at low cost.

I have used relatively consistent methods to stay organized through each stage of my girls’ growth: baby, toddler, preschool, and school-aged children (I even have a tween, now!).

Here’s a few things I do to keep clothing clutter in their closets under control (and their closet doors usually wide open!):

1. Stacking Bins.  I use handy stackable bins (like this) across the bottom of the entire closet.   It’s a better use of space than hanging short things on the bottom rung.  They are reachable by kids and encourage them to dress themselves.  They also keep miscellaneous things from being thrown onto the closet floor.   I designate a bin for each type of item, and teach the kids to respect the folded clothes.
2. Drawers.   This is the same concept as the bins, but are used for small things:  Socks, underwear, leggings, etc.
3. Small Bins & Organizers.  These work wonders for collections of hair accessories, nail polish, collectibles (like my daughter’s latest obsession with Bath & Body Works “pocket bacs”)
4. Hooks.  I can’t afford to waste any space, so I use the 2-3 inches of space I have remaining to hang belts, small purses,  scarves  on hooks within easy reach from a hanger.  The 3M Command Strips work great (and they’re available in a lot of fun colors).
5. Hanging Organizers.  Great for a variety of things, like jewelry and small things (a large portion of my daughter’s is dedicated to her Squinkies collection — seriously!).  But, hanging organizers can be a life saver.  Try the larger ones if you need more shelf space, have no place shoes, etc.  And, they are fabulous if you like to lay out a week’s worth of clothes.
6. Step Stool.  Essential for kids who still can’t reach higher hanging items.  Without a step stool, they will try anyway.  This results in calling Mom for help all the time, or a mess at best (at worst, torn clothing).
7. Shoe Storage.  Again, squeaking out space here.  I only keep slippers and dressy shoes in my girls’ closets.  They fit perfectly under the the stacking bins.
8. Too small, too big, rarely worn.  At the rate kids’ grow, its inevitable there will be things that don’t fit to deal with.  I keep them in the far reaches of the closet, out of site/reach and ready to be rotated soon (see Quarterly Review tip, below)

And a few general tips:

• Quarterly Review.  Sort out the unworn, too small, and out-of-season clothing quarterly.  Twice a year is not enough.  I do Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall rotations.  This keeps things manageable.
• Out of season  – out of closet.  I completely remove out of season clothing from their closets.  How I sort and store is another post!   If you don’t have this luxury, be sure it is pushed aside and not mixed in with in-season clothing (hanging dividers might help).
• Size Dividers – For young kids, size dividers work great since babies grow so fast, and you’ll usually have a collection of outfits on hand to grow into.
• Laundry System. Even toddlers can be taught to put their dirty clothes in the laundry hamper.  I also do their laundry once a week, on the same day.   I stumbled on this one, and learned as my children got older that a consistent laundry day helps them to feel organized by knowing when things are coming out of the hamper and back into their closets.

Need ideas for a really small closet?   Check out this inspiring organization post from “Your Home, Only Better”, by Susan Jensen Smith.

How about you?

Are your kids’ closet doors open or closed all the time?  What do you do to help keep them from getting out of control?

Check out Little Miss Matched where you currently can purchase a drawer full of socks, an outfitted Little Miss Matched doll or a Fiat full of socks.  Yes, I said a Fiat!  This sure would brighten up the winter in my gloomy little town!

Purchase 3,333 socks for $15,000.00 and LMM will throw in a 2012 Fiat 500 with customized Little Miss Matched decals for free.  If that’s too pricey for your pocketbook, how about 99 socks for $133.33 or save $26 on a  sweet doll with several outfits, which will thrill any sock lovin’ little girl.

Or, what I did … I bought a bunch of kids’ sale socks to have on hand for birthday gifts.  Stock up on socks for $5.12 during the Zany sale at LittleMissMatched!

Feeling lucky?  Enter to win a 20 inch bike miss matched style and a $100 gift certificate.   One lucky winner will be chosen on February 28 to win the bike and $100 certificate and five second prize winners will receive $100 gift certificates.

Another reason to love the fun at Little Miss Matched!

What will they think of next!?

Dig out those capris, spring dress and Easter duds that your kids no longer fit into and list them on LobaLee. Selling on our site is quick, simple and always free!

Don’t miss out on prime Selling season. Buyers are already looking for Easter outfits and spring jackets. Recycle and make a few dollars to help build your children’s wardrobe for the upcoming season. It’s good for the planet and good for you!