Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Why We Dance Every Day: Girls Dancewear Find

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Special thanks to CostumeSuperCenter.com for providing the dance costume for review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own, as always. 

Every single parent has experienced the tension between playing with your kids and getting some much-needed housework done. I’m not talking about general upkeep stuff. I’m talking about, “If I don’t get these dishes washed we won’t have anything to eat on for dinner” or “If I don’t do a load of laundry, the kids will be wearing their birthday suits to school tomorrow.”

When I find myself in that situation (pretty much daily), I almost always turn on some really fun music (like my Disney Pandora channel) and let the girls start singing and dancing. I will join them for a few dance moves, and then dance back over to whatever chore I’m working on. It feels more seamless to the girls for me to be singing along even if I’m not right next to them, and to have me there every few minutes dancing beside them. It also gives me a little boost of energy and seems to help me work faster.

dance costume toddler 1

Putting on some music is nearly effortless for me, and the girls just love it. There are many great benefits to dancing, and I feel good about the exercise they are getting by running around in circles and leaping through the air (or hopping, in Layah’s case). Dancing also seems to be the activity that causes the least amount of frustration between the two girls; they play beautifully together when they are dancing!

I do keep a rather full costume box so that the girls can play dress up during their dancing sessions. Layah has been having to make do with her sister’s costumes that are too big for her, but now she has her own dance costume. And she adores it! While it doesn’t look a thing like Elsa’s outfit from Frozen, she still believes that she is Elsa when she puts it on, and she sings, “Let it Go!” at the top of her lungs while she twirls around. She even does the “throw off your crown” move!

dancing to let it go

So what about you? Do you ever think to just turn on some music and let the kids sing and dance around the house for a little while? And do your kids like to play dress up any time they are putting on a show? We run the gamut here, from Pink Swan Princess to super hero, and sometimes both at the same time. All set to music. And I always take a moment to look up from my chores and watch my girls loving life and just being kids. It’s one of the most beautiful parts of my day.

toddler dance costume

Easter Bunny Costume for Toddlers

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Oh. My. Word. I can barely contain my excitement about Easter this year. I can’t believe that it is so late into April! That just gives me all the more time to plan for it, though!

This will really be the first year that Darah will grasp the concept of an egg hunt. SQUEAL!!!! Easter egg hunts in my family are serious. I wish there was a special “serious” font I could use to convey my meaning. The adult children, myself included, still hunt eggs. I honestly had no idea that this was not normal until I got to college. And you know what? Who cares?! We love it! And this is coming from the world’s WORST Easter egg hunter. Just ask my brother. I’m terrible. He is also an egg thief, but that’s a whole other post!

Easter Bunny Costume for Toddlers

Anyway, so back to Darah. For her first true egg hunt, I’m going all out in terms of the outfit. Will it be her Sunday best?! Well, it depends on how you look at it. She’ll be wearing this!
Easter Bunny Costume for Toddlers Oh yes she will! Little Darah is totally rocking the bunny costume! I could die just thinking about the pictures that we will be taking. They will be absolutely priceless. She’s just such a doll, from her floppy ears all the way to her cotton tail. The costume even comes with bunny feet and a carrot!

After I got Darah in her costume, she spent a good amount of time laughing at herself in the mirror. She just could not believe that she had been transformed into a bunny. I’m not so sure that it would have occurred to me to get her a toddler bunny costume for Easter, but now that I have one, I have to tell you, this is an AWESOME idea! The body of the costume will probably be outgrown within 6 months, but the headpiece has a lot of give to it (let’s just say a certain grownup in the house might have tried it on, herself….). It will last for a long time and be such a great element in the dress up bin!

So, where does one find such cuteness? Amazon has a great selection (including the one showcased above). I also really loved this one at Target!

easter bunny costumer toddler

Don’t limit yourself to Halloween for costume shopping. The possibilities are endless!