Made For Play - Penny Pincher Fashion

When my son was born, he had a lot of health problems right off the bat. It was heartbreaking to watch him suffer as they ran test after test with no answers. When we finally received a diagnosis (severe GERD), I felt so relieved because we finally knew how to help him. But because of his rocky start to life, I find myself being so much more protective of him than I am with my daughter…though I can be a mama bear when it comes to them both!

As they get older, we’ve tried to be more purposeful about setting aside one-on-one time to spend with each of our kids. It’s so important for maintaining open communication & continuing to strengthen that bond. When we get mother/son dates, he almost always asks to do something outdoors. He is by far the most active one in our family and I’ll admit that sometimes it’s hard to keep up with him!

After we returned from Mexico, he went through a massive growth spurt that seemed to occur overnight. Suddenly all the spring clothes I had bought for our vacation didn’t fit him and we had to go shopping again (we donated the things he had barely worn to refugee families in our area). With the warmer weather we’ve been having & him becoming more active, he has practically refused to wear any shorts (or pants) that don’t have an elastic waist.

If I let him, he would basically live in activewear and nothing else. But, I like to have some nicer casual options for church, BBQ’s and dinners out. This soft henley tee & striped linen shorts were the perfect compromise – comfortable & non-restricting for all the playing he does, but still appropriate for summer events (I also plan on having him wear this for a family photo session on the beach).

And I have to talk a little bit about these white jeans – if you’ve been searching for a great fitting non-distressed non-sheer pair, then these are your answer! I found them to be true to size (I’m wearing a 4 regular) & I loved that the denim is slightly thicker than the other brands I own, which creates a flattering smoothing effect.

On me:

c/o French Laundry Chambray Top, c/o Levi’s Skinny Jeans, c/o LC Lauren Conrad Sandals,
c/o Olivia Miller Saddle Bag, c/o Kohl’s Earrings (similar here or here)

On him:

c/o Jumping Beans Slubbed Henley,
c/o Jumping Beans Linen Shorts (also in denim),
c/o Adidas NEO Sneakers

We are a big fan of NIKE (probably due to my husband working there for 7 years), so that’s his brand of choice when it comes to activewear & athletic shoes. He loved this baseball plate tee and these comfy shorts so much that he asked me if he could sleep in them! We bought these a little big so they’ll still fit if he goes through another growth spurt this summer (the doctor said he is going to be 6’3″, so we are trying to prepare ourselves).

If you’re a mom to a boy, I encourage you to be intentional about spending one-on-one time with your son. It’s good to be active & play outside together, but I also like to take Nolan on more formal dates – to teach him how to be a gentleman, to hold the door open for a lady & to treat women with respect. I want to continue to foster the sweet sensitive spirit that he was born with & my hope is that he will carry these lessons with him as he grows into a young man.