Advice

An Easter tip...

If you find yourself tempted to spend a large amount of money on Easter clothing for your children, first consider the following:

1. 1. You live in the Northeast...no matter how much you would like to deny it, there will be snow/rain/hail or raging winds on Easter Sunday. Sleeveless dresses, lace anklets and ballet flats are not appropriate.

2. Child #4 will not enjoy the crisp-starched stiffness of his new Ralph Lauren button-down. You will have to chase him around your bedroom to try and get it on his body. In the end, you will compromise. He will don the offending Easter-wear if he can eat 10 jellybeans, watch Wonder Pets and sport a non-scratchy turtleneck underneath.

3. This same child will deliver a springtime surprise in his training pants during Church Nursery. Although it may slightly resemble a chocolate Easter egg, all similarities end there....

4. The well-meaning lady sitting next to you at church will thoughtfully give each of your children huge bags of chocolate Easter sweeties right before the meeting begins. These will be wrapped in the crinkliest of cellophane and messiest of foil wrappers. Before you can hide them away, child #3 will sniff out the goods and emerge a cocoa-coated mess before the opening hymn.

5. Child #1 will not wear anything new, since he has become addicted to his post-baptism uniform: white shirt, clip-on tie and CTR tie-tack (thanks, Auntie Stie)!

So, instead of drooling over the petticoats & pinstripes in the children's section...save your money and head over to women's shoes. Go ahead and splurge on the red peep-toe espedrilles. Lady, you deserve 'em!