High Fashion Tots for Winter

Flipping through a few magazines I was really surprised to see what some of the trends were in kid's fashion for this weekend. For one thing some of the styles are quite grown up. Your kid is supposed to be in clothes that are as tailored as yours.

For example designer Philip Lim showed a collection that was all mustards, burnt oranges, and bone and tan colors. Kids were outfitted in little riding pants, cropped fifties style jackets and trenchcoats. Big bulky suede boots in milk chocolate brown complete the ensemble. This is a wonderful look if your kid likes to ride horses! I would probably only dress up my kids like this if I had to take them to wedding or a funeral. These are not every day looks even though celebrity moms insist they are.

Another interesting trend is the footwear for kids. There are a lot of gold and silver shoes on the market to buy for kids. The only problem with this idea is that once again, they are not really for every day wear unless your little girl is very neat.

Another trend is to make your kid look like a bit of a flower child. This is a much happier and more comfortable look especially for teenagers.

Everything that is tie-die is in including tie-dyed T-shirts and leggings. This is paired with long johns and shirts with tiny Victorian floral prints like violets or roses. Many girls are wearing short wool skirts or jean cut offs over this get up.

Straw hats worn with vintage sweaters with pictures of reindeer on them are also popular as are recycled corduroy skirts with floral inserts.

The key to a successful hippie look is to wear many layers including vests, belts and scarves as well as a perky wool artist's tam. In terms of footwear think Frye boots in a tam color and Jesus sandals for slogging around at home. Mocassins worn with socks and bright and shiny satin style leggings in a neon color are also in style.

Looking like a little jailbird is also cool. Gray flannel shirts, pants and dresses with lateral stripes are also considered to be very cool.

One look at this fashion trend tells me that it is probably a great idea to take my kids right to the used clothing store so they can mix and match their own look. It is a good way to teach them to put an outfit together on a budget!

Parenting Tips
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Should You Open a Home Day Care Center?

Many moms who need extra money often think about opening their own daycare center. However this is not as easy as it seems even if you are thinking of opening up a very simple operation in your home.

The first thing you need to do is write a business plan. This does double duty as a guide as to how you will conduct the business as well as a document you can also show investors.

You also need to include your rent or mortgage costs plus the cost of making this business legal. There can be many permits and regulations that come with costs, fees and dues that must be paid for before you can even open the doors of a day care center. This is why more stay-at-home moms do not do it more often.

The bottom line is though it seems like anyone can do it, childcare is actually serious business. The licensing requirement of opening a daycare center really do vary state to state and you need to go to individual state websites to see what they are. Usually it is a Department of Health or a Department of Health Services that outlines what you need to do to open a home-grown child care neighbor.

One real selling point of any daycare is the nutritional quality of the meals that you offer. The more organic or progressive the food is that you offer the more you will be able to charge parents. As a rule of thumb children's meals usually adds between $8 and $25 per week to the bill of any kids you are taking care of.

Another reason that more moms do not open day care centers in their homes is that most states and cities have real restrictions about where one can be located.

When you do decide to launch a home-based business like a day care you need realize that it is a little more expensive and a little more high maintenance then most businesses just simply because there is such a liability involved whenever you are dealing with children.

Keep in mind that it is a business where laws govern everything and that your doors can be closed within minutes due to one silly little violation. You have to watch out for things like a member of your staff disciplining a child in just the wrong way and you have to be very mindful of how you discipline your charges. The fines for violating any part of the fire safety code and that the insurance required to run it can also be quite expensive.

Parenting Tips
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