No thank you...I'd rather not shop at "Tarts R Us"

I'd love to meet the people who design clothing for little girls.  Cuz they clearly have never MET a little girl.  They're just taking adult "Fredrick's of Hollywood" clothing and shrinking it to fit the 4T crowd.  Since when is it acceptable to have the words "Perfectly Juicy" written on the back of a little girl's sweatshirt?!

Well, I have news for these designers...my daughter is not a hoochie-mama-crack-whore-in-training.  She's an active little 4 year old who doesn't understand the importance of sittin' all lady-like with her legs crossed.

Sometimes, just for kicks, she has a tantrum and rolls around the front lawn.

 Sometimes she plays basketball with her brothers.

She also likes to ride her scooter....climb the swing set ladder.....slide down the twisty slide....hang from the monkey bars....do somersaults in the grass.....swing as high as her legs will pump her.....

You get the idea.  She doesn't sit still.  Her clothes need to be comfortable.  And *squeal!* "BEAUTIFUL!"  And all of her various body parts need to be covered up.  (Call me a prude, if you wish.)

After repeatedly wandering around the stores and shaking my head at the silliness of Daisy Duke shorts in a size 2T (cuz really?  nothing's hotter than a diaper peeking out the bottom AND the top of the shorts), I've boiled her wardrobe down to some must-have items.

1 - Any kind of pants or shorts that have an elastic waist and are made of a stretchy fabric.  If they are shorts, they must be long enough to touch her kneecap (bermuda shorts).  Last summer, both girls wore mostly capri and palazzo pants.  I avoid buttons and belts...potty breaks are much quicker and easier if there are no buttons or buckles to fuss with.

2 - Smock-style shirts.  They're longer and more loose than a regular t-shirt, so if she has a growth spurt, she won't grow out of them immediately.  I prefer they be patterned, which is helpful in disguising stains.

3 - Dresses.  Again, it takes awhile to outgrow a stretchy, cotton dress.  With a pair of shorts or leggings under the dress, it just looks like a long shirt.  A sleeveless dress can even be worn all year 'round....simply add a sweater and ankle-length leggings.

She loves these options because they're all comfy and pretty.  If, heaven forbid, I try to put her into a pair of jeans?  Oh, the wailing and gnashing of teeth!  "I WANNA WEAR STRETCHY PAAAAANTS!"

This is currently my favorite outfit on her:

All of it purchased at Target!  And now that the weather is warming up, I'll swap the long sleeve shirt for a tank top or t-shirt and the socks/sneakers for a pair of sandals.

It's taken a bit of patience, but I think I've finally made peace with some of the Issues that come along with dressing a girl...for now.  Yeah yeah.  I know.  When she becomes a teenager, all of the clothing problems will begin anew.  "You are NOT leaving this house in THAT."  But for now, I'll enjoy my small victory.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to break out the smelling salts for The Husband.  He fainted on the couch sometime after reading the words "crack-whore-in-training."