Sep
19
For the last couple of months I’ve been doing some community management work for Cherokee USA, which is a fancy way of saying I’m in charge of the stuff that appears on their Facebook page. For all my complaining about Facebook (seriously, would it KILL them to add an edit function? Does this not exist because of the fear that someone will post “I LOVE puppies, don’t you?” and 10,000 likes later, swap out puppies for “child pornography”? Because okay, that WOULD be sort of funny, not that there’s anything funny about—anyway, all I’m saying is I hate that I can’t fix a typo without deleting the whole thing and starting over), I’ve really been enjoying the gig. I’m basically just there to try and make the page a non-sucky place for parents to visit, so it’s pretty low-key and conversational—much more fun than the sort of corporate brand-bot weirdness where the writer attempts to pretend they actually ARE the product, not that I’m pointing fingers, BIZARRO-LAND MIRACLE WHIP TWITTER ACCOUNT.
Cherokee and Cozi have teamed up to offer up some Target gift cards to blog readers, and today I’m jumping on the giveaway bandwagon. I’ll get to that part in a minute, but just so everything’s all up front and tidy: not only is this a sponsored post, it’s sponsored by a client of mine. I’m just saying, if I was selling out any harder right now I’d have to launch an eponymously-named fragrance.
The general topic for the giveaway is back to school clothes—specifically, first day of school outfits, and how parents choose to capture the moment. This isn’t a subject I’m much of an expert on, frankly. On Riley’s first day I mostly looked for an outfit that wasn’t wrinkled or stained, and while I’ve seen plenty of inspiration for first day of school photos, I sort of phoned it in with a last-minute printed speech bubble:
So I didn’t exactly knock it out of the park creativity-wise for his first day photo, but I think I’ll try this idea from Kim (aka Miss Zoot): I’ll take the exact same photo—same outfit and all—on his last day, too. Check out how Kim’s first day/last day photo of her daughter turned out:
Cool, right? I would love to have a photo like that to see how Riley changed over the year.
I’m not super fussy about what he wears to school, but I do set out Riley’s outfit the night before. It makes things easier in the mornings, and also ensures that he’s not heading out the door in a pair of swim shorts with a Spiderman pajama top. My standards may be low, but they do exist.
Here’s my question for you, if you’ve got an opinion on the subject: what do you care about more, your kid’s outfit for the first day of school, or their first school picture day? I see by our calendar that our picture day is on October 21st, and I suspect I’ll be in a tizzy the night before trying to find a photogenic outfit for his FIRST PICTURE DAY OMG. Hopefully they have a different backdrop than the Infamous PenisTurtle Theme of ’07.
And with that unsavory image, on to the giveaway! The prize is a $100 gift card for Target, which you can of course use to buy a stack of new Cherokee clothes—or, you know, whatever else captures your fancy. To enter, leave a comment on this post (any comment will do, just be sure and include your email address). Contest ends . . . let’s say Wednesday morning, okay? Two days from now on the 21st.
Good luck!
PS: there’s another big giveaway going on where you can win a $1000 shopping spree from Cherokee and a $300 smart phone from Cozi. Contest info is here.
PS part deux: if you’re a Facebook user, I’d be super honored if you would visit Cherokee’s page and maybe even hit that Like button—only if you want to! No pressure!—if you’d like to see my updates appear in your, uh, stream-hole.
*** Contest now closed, winner to be announced soon ***
Comments
-
My product review site:
[
The bus stops right at the end of the drive way so I always get a picture of the boys lined up waiting for the bus.
I’m just proud of the fact that my son was wearing pants…seriously, there are some days that I double check to see that he is clothed.
My son is only 1, so I haven’t had to worry about school pictures yet. However, I feel like I totally phoned it in for his 1st birthday party.
I don’t have any kids, but I have received lots and lots of school photos from nieces, nephews and friends. My only advice – avoid busy prints. Thanks for the chance to win!
You are just the funniest. Seriously. PenisTurtle? Tears are streaming down my face. Also, $100 gift card would be rad.
I took the obligatory first-day-of-school-picture-by-the-door. I let my daughter dress herself to avoid the battles that ensue if I demand that she wear pants. She has worn a summer dress with a long sleeved cotton shirt underneath with loud plaid tights for the past four weeks.(Washed, of course, and we own multiple pairs.) Yeesh, I think some fall shopping is in order.
My daughter is in the third grade this year and with the whole new world of coolness that she is now aware of we could totally use that gift card!
I ask my daughter to think about what she wants to wear for the first day of school and usually she picks out a new shirt. But it’s not a big deal around here. I do take pictures, though. And I usually forget picture day. So far we’ve had decent pictures taken (1st and 2nd grade), this year I’m determined to remember and get her to wear something nice! And I have to get my Kindergartener’s hair to behave, too.
My kids are still too young for the school photo situation, but I’m sort of in love with planning their outfits every day, so I think that both occasions will be fun for me!
Oh I don’t know. I like a first day of school pic but try to get something decent from about midway up for picture day because that will likely be looked at more down the road as the kids recall what they looked like.
Honestly with 5 kids the whole perfect outfits idea kind of has gone out the window. I did have matching clean outfits for them on the first day of school. Picture day….not so much. Well they were clean but that is as deep as I went into it. I asked one of the older kids to pick out something for the younger kids. I actually like school pictures to be more of an actual representation of what they are “like” at that moment in time. Weird outfits, bad hair, bad attitude whatever… Those are the photos you look back at and remember fondly. Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to possibly win in your giveaway. My email is scrapwithstacy at gmail dot com
PS I love the idea of taking a photo of my kids in the same outfit on the last day of school. I will have to remember to do that. Thanks for the idea!! It will be perfect on a layout!! Stacy H-W
My second grader had his picture day last week. The first day pictures I take make me feel better about the train wreck that comes home in that crinkly-windowed envelope. ;)
To this day I’ve not seen a more sad first-day-of-school picture than the one of me heading off to first grade (before kindergarten was mandatory). My own kids were chomping at the bit to go!
That picture of Riley makes me crack up every time I see it, poor thing, so miserable and who wouldn’t be with all that crazy shit surrounding you. Anyway – I put my twins in the same outfit for the pictures last week as they wore on the first day so I guess they are both just as important to me. I am not as worried about their shirts as I am about what the look on their face will be – natural smile? forced smile? scared smile? no smile? Ah, the joy of prepaid unpredictability.
I’m on the first photo day boat… I’d like to care more about what my kids wear to school on a daily basis, but I sometimes can’t muster the energy and I feel like they’re expressing their creativity by being able to choose their own outfits. I want to foster that, as long as they’re dresses appropriately for the weather. If something’s terrible, I’ll veto, and I’m trying to help my daughter be creative and matching at the same time… good luck with the first photo outfit! I’ve begun considering options too, as that is one day I DO choose what they wear to school. :)
I don’t have kids, but. . .um. . don’t most of them grow so much in a year that they don’t fit into the same clothes at the beginning of the year that they do at the end?
HA. I’m an adult and I still can’t seem to get the outfit right unless I lay it out the night before.
I have to enter your drawing. The bright colored shirt looks nice on your son.
My son’s an adult now, but, looking back to when he was in school…Holy Cow!! I must have been asleep when I dressed that boy…
My husband would dress our DAUGHTER in swim shorts and a spiderman pajama top if I didn’t pick out her clothes for each day that I’m going to be unavailable for getting her ready for school!
Oh picture day- I am a preschool teacher (which means I have to endure having my own photo taken, too- they give us a “complementary package” so I have a pathetic-looking 8×10 of myself every year, along with a handful of wallet-sized photos- to hand out to all my friends??) and we always hedge bets on how many terrified looks vs smiles will come out. No matter how kindly and non-creepy the photographer is, terrified looks always win.
I could so use that gift card, and more importantly, that second pic of Riley makes him look like a teenager!
ka_hartman2000@yahoo.com
I’d say I place equal importance on first day of school and picture day. But I’m photo obsessed. :)
Definitely school photo day!
Definitely picture day. Even though I hardly BUY the pictures the school offers, I want them to look good…you know, in case the photographer is judging me.
School Photo day for sure. Those pics get sent to all the family and live on forever on mantles, walls and dressers all across America.
I feel compelled to buy the pictures, even if they aren’t all that great. Like, if I’m rejecting the pictures, I’m rejecting my child.
I have never bought the pictures, my kids are in sports and dance and I prefer to have those.
I love the pictures you posted! First day of school pictures are great. :)
Love all the picture ideas – I like being creative, but the ideas don’t come to me on my own, I always need a little help :) With that said, PICK ME PICK ME!!!
First day of school picture – a must do!
I think they are both equally important, but I hate that school pictures always focus on kids wearing their “best” clothes with their hair combed perfectly. That’s not what your kid looks like 99% of the time so why are you preserving an artificial memory? I say let the kid pick out the clothes (within reason, so there’s no historical record of sponge bob jammie tops) and be who he/she is NORMALLY!
As I just experienced a photo shoot with our toddler, I can appreciate Riley’s turtle photo up there. While our child didn’t cry, there’s no way she got a picture of him not moving. He would not sit still on the ground, on our laps, in our arms – OMG.
Anyway, we definitely need new clothes around here!
I guess I care more about the picture day. Elliot just started VPK this year so I haven’t done any “real first day” pics. I want him to at least look like we THOUGHT about his clothes before he left the house. :)
Love the first day/last day idea!
Both, definitely. But when did the price of cheesy school pics become nearly as high as taking your kids to a REAL photog?? These people have lost their damn minds.
I remember that pic of Riley. Poor guy. Anyway, school pics are WAY more important than first day clothes. I know because when I go back now and look at the clothes I wore for MY school pictures, well, it isn’t pretty.
My child hasn’t started school but I still like to shop for “back to school clothes” for her. I can not wait to pick out first day and class picture outfits.
I concentrate more on school photo day. And now I’m to the point where I only make sure it’s a nice, clean shirt and that their hair is nice. WHY put my girls in big, poofy dresses when the photo is just chest up? So! Nice shirt and jeans. Nice hair. Hopefully no ketchup flakes from their lunch that day (more a concern with the boy). Done!
caquincy@yahoo.com
Whee, contest! That’s exciting. Around here in preschool land, the “first day of school” is pretty much just like the week before, except that tuition gets a little higher. We’re not in grade-school land yet, so I do not know that awesome sense of relief that comes from packing them off to school after a summer of cobbled-together camps, grandparent visits, and missing workdays…
Well, my daughter wears a uniform to school, so that takes care of the whole “What are they going to wear on the first day” problem right away. I will tell you that Jessica insists on the blue Cherokee shorts and skorts ONLY. (I swear this is true). They fit her the best, they have a hook thing rather than a button, and she’s happy, so I’m happy. I’d also be happy with a $100 gift card!
And just in case you need it in the atual post, cla517(at)yahoo(dot)com
First day photos. They look natural. The posed school photos (of our kids, at least) always had that deer-in-the-headlights look. We rarely bought them.
I clearly will never need this advice because my children are never getting old enough for school, ever.
I found your site just wondering around som blogs, couldnt tell you how I actually ended up here. LOL. I love your blog, I love the first and last day picture idea. I have a 13 year old step son and a 2 yr old son. Hopefully soon we will have one on the way.. I would love to win the gift card! It would so help us out right now!
yes please!
First day photos are wonderful for seeing the growing. Seems like when you are around them everyday you don’t notice as much as when you compare last year to this year!
They took school pictures two weeks before school even started here! It was crazy.
I’m not a mom, but an Auntie who lives away from her five beautiful nieces. On the first day of school, I love seeing the photos my sisters post from the bus stop or school.
I’ve always been horrified at my school pictures. I’m going to take much more care with my boy when he gets into school.
My daughter is two so we haven’t had to venture into this territory yet!