Before I was actually a mother I used to dream of crisp white polo shirts, khaki pants and white eyelet dresses for my children. In those dreams my children would also have perfectly manicured hair, no bumps or bruises (ALL OVER) their legs and of course they would have perfect manners and always behave exactly as they should.
Fast forward five years to the life of a real mother of two that works full time and just doesn’t have the strength to argue, desire to push or expectations of children and here you go….
How to Dress the Kiddos for a Dinner Party!!
1) Give them a choice! Narrow it down and let them choose together what they want to wear. My 2 1/2 year old, Hayley, loves to do eenie meenie miney mo (she catches a pirate by the toe) and typically picks whatever is on the left. Yes, then I put the one I hope she will choose on the left!!
2) Try and let go of your hatred towards characters and let them wear their superhero or princess garb if they want. A happy content child is way easier to entertain at a dinner party then a grumpy, uncomfortable child
3) Blend…Since I have a boy and a girl we can’t do exact matching outfit (unless it’s batman shirts see above ..) so I like to try and get a color and go with it! Like this dress below of Hayley’s had green dots so I put Derek in a green shirt
4) Let them add their flare!! Derek likes to “pop” his collar and Hayley loves to add bows and jewels to her outfits. I let them do whatever they want
5) When all else fails…..give up, given in and get them there alive!! You can always bring matching PJ’s!
To get the full Progressively Perfect Virtual Dinner Party blog hop experience, click the links below in order:
Appetizers
- Diapered Daze and Knights- Tuna Salad Rolls
- The Fabulous Food Fairy- Roasted Tomato Caprice in Garlic Bread Bowls
- Worthington Lower- Chili Layered Dip
- Chockababy- Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings
Salad
- Life at the BAT Cave- Chipotle Shrimp Salad
- Life Without Pink- Homemade Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
- Look What Mom Found- Dad Too!- Veggie and Pasta Summer Salad
Drinks
- Real: The Kitchen and Beyond- Blackberry Melon Lemonade
- Giggles, Gobbles and Gulps- Moscow Mule Beer Cocktails
Entrees
- The Vintage Mom- Kale & Zucchini Meatloaf
- Souffle Bombay- Lettuce Wraps
- the whole-y grail- Family Friendly Grilled Pizza 5 Ways
- Whatever Works- Spicy Sausage & Arugula Pasta
Coffee, Tea & Dessert
An Opera Singer in the Kitchen- Dark Chocolate Cream Pie with Berries
Will’s World- S’mores Frozen Coffee
- A Grande Life- No Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
- The Naughty Mommy- Key Lime Pie
- Legos and Lattes- Vanilla Spiced Chai Lattes
Late Night
- The Turnip Farmer- Vodka Gummi Bears
Decorations, Outfits and Music
- Crafty Garden Mama- Eco Friendly Entertaining
- Finnegan and the Hughes- Dressing the Kiddos
- Honey Badger Mom- Progressive Party Playlist, Playa!
Hope you have as much fun reading through the party as we did planning it!
Heather says
This post CRACKED ME UP.
Sarah says
Oh the realities of children!!
O'Boy! Organic says
Parenthood is nothing like we thought 🙂 LOL
Sarah says
Nothing at all!!! Amazing but just not as neat and perfect as I thought
Cindy says
This is awesome! haha! My kids usually just throw on whatever they find that is not crumpled in the corner of their bedrooms. haha! Thanks for being a part of the blog hop!
Noelle (@singerinkitchen) says
This is awesome. I love the pairing. My MIL keeps me them looking alike with their holiday clothing. Hi 4th of July dresses! 🙂
Linda @GigGobGulp says
Super cute ideas! I love kids with good style – even if it is their own 🙂
Reesa L says
This post is great. Love the pictures! Parenthood is NOTHING like I’d imagined or dreamed it would be like, starting from trying to conceive LOL!
Becky says
Cute ideas for getting the kids all set for the party. I like the coordinated color idea.
Jo-Lynne Shane {Musings of a Housewife} says
Precious pictures and great tips!
Beth says
Oh, I dreamed of white eyelet dresses once upon a time too. I’ve always just been happy that I had a little girl who loves dresses. When she was little, the frillier the better. Now I lament over how hard it is to get my boys in a collared shirt.
The Naughty Mommy says
Loved this post! Your kids still always look cute- they have great fashion sense!
carrie says
Love the cute kiddos! My favorite party attire is definitely the spiderman pjs.
Melinda@LookWhatMomFound...andDadtoo says
I’m on kid 3 and tired of worrying about what they wear, as long as it’s clean I claim a win LOL