Well, here we are again - me in very very very deep denial that the holidays are a-coming and retailers very very very aggressively reminding me that Thanksgiving is THIS WEEK and Christmas is 4 weeks.  It happens every year.  And yet every year I find myself at this very same crossroad - to suck it up and give into the fact that if I don't start now, I'll be pulling my hair out in 4 weeks or to continue to live in denial.  Either way, I thought I'd kick off my gift guides this year with some picks for the kiddos in your life.

Gifts for kids tend to get more and more tricky as the years press on.  First, can we all agree we have enough plastic crap in our households, but that sadly the great juxtaposition that is life as a parent is that kids WANT the plastic crap? Moreover, the uglier the better.  Don't get me wrong - there are some lovely sets out there and I envy the people who have playrooms that are filled with muted tones of beige and pastels.  This is not my reality and I've found that at the end of the day, my kids really dig those bright, primary colored filled plastic toys.  The other thing is that as the years go on, I find myself trying to be more purposeful with our gifts and gifts to our little friends.  Generally gifts for kiddos fall into several buckets for me.

Books: I love a good book.  Though, depending on the kid, it might not be as appreciated by the recipient than the parent but there are some crowd-pleasers that work for all.  The Illustrated Harry Potter series is one of those.  If you think your kids are too young for them, this is a great way to introduce them to the Wizarding World and when Liam was younger, we read the individual chapters as mini-stories.  For younger kids, we really like the BabyLit series which introduces classic pieces of literature in tangible ways for kids to learn about counting, colors, animals, etc.

Games:  Our family loves a good game - from Uno to Monopoly to Chess - we are all in.  Granted the girls are a little young to partake just yet, but they'll be indoctrinated soon enough.  In the meantime, you'll find us playing Race to the Treasure, Sneaky Snaky Squirrel, or Trouble.  They are great ways to give a fun gift that brings the family together intentionally and spend some good 'ol quality time together.

Toys: Refer back to the top of the post as to my feelings on toys.  I get they are by far, the more fun gifts to give, kids love them, and they are the most exciting.  If this is the route you are going, we love the brand Green Toys.  Legos, and Baby Einstein. 

Other ideas: If you know someone who's dress-up game is strong, try a superhero or a princess (Did you hear that Disney is doing a Princess subscription box?!).  If you know a kid who is into learning about the world around them, check out Little Passports and gift them something that gives year-round.  Outdoor or sports activities are always big in our household - we love both this scooter and this indoor basketball hoop (you'd be shocked how much use this gets).   If you have a newer little friend you are buying for, we love a good stuffed animal (jellycat is our favorite).  And last but certainly not least, the 'dreaded' electronics.  As much as everyone loves to feign hate of tablets, we love the Kindle Fire.  It really is the best one out there and CRUCIAL for our survival during trips.

When I think about dressing through the holidays, whether it be for Christmas or through the new year, I think about bold textures, fun hemlines, and the right amount of sparkle.  If we are being honest with ourselves, this is a year-round MO, but I especially love to play it up this time of year.  The good news is that holiday collections in stores are chock-full of these details and they are incredibly easy to incorporate regardless of the event.  Without further ado, I've put together a definitive list of must-haves for the holidays.

Sequins: They are pretty much a no-brainer this time of year and are in no amount of short supply.  Whether you are rocking a fully sequined dress or want to casually slip a little into a look, it a sure fire way to spruce up your holiday attire.

During my first pregnancy, I was able to leverage more of my pre-maternity wardrobe further into my second trimester.  This go-round with it being the second and there being two of them, I have less options of my non-maternity wear to leverage.  Enter, this dress.  I had planned to wear another (albeit similar, non-maternity) dress for our seasons of parties but two nights before our first event, I had Scott attempt to zip it up and even a stretchy dress would not give me the space I needed.  So frantically, I ran over to Nordstrom the next morning where I came across this lovely dress, in petite no less.  Granted, it's not a maternity dress either, but I was able to size up enough where the stomach area fit me and I could have it altered post-pregnancy to rock after - wins all around.  Which is my basic mantra for dressing in pregnancy - leverage what you can non-maternity.  I'll be sharing some of my must-haves later, but by-in-large I find maternity items to be less than flattering and more expensive that what they are worth.  If you can buy some solid staples in maternity and they get supplement with other non-maternity items, you tend to be in better shape.  But talk to me when I'm much larger and I might have a different opinion.

This time of year is always my favorite: the music, the weather, the food, the decor, and most importantly the gorgeous pieces that grace the shelves this time of year.  I've haven't been exceedingly festive quite yet, but in thinking about what I'm going to wear for Thanksgiving and Christmas get-togethers, My favorite looks this time of year include rich colors, a lot of texture in materials, and always an ounce of warmth.  I couldn't help but share some of my favorite options for this time of year.