girls clothes

Best Clothes for Your Baby Girl: Basic Guide - LA Progressive
One of a kind: Late Natick gymnastics coach Rusty Rogers was full of life, flair - Milford Daily News
Alabama Girl Scout makes dresses for Honduran children - AL.com

Best Clothes for Your Baby Girl: Basic Guide - LA Progressive

Posted: 09 Apr 2020 12:00 AM PDT

When it comes to outfits for girls, it seems there are no bounds to designer creativity. The range is endless. Aside from styles, parents should pay close attention to materials and durability. If you are not ready to splurge on a trendy set, there are ways to find cool outfits at affordable prices. With modern baby clothes, dressing up is easy and fun.

How about an elegant polka dot romper for the young fashionista? Not only is it adorable and comfy, but it also allows effortless diaper change. Just look at this selection of cute baby clothes and see for yourself. From jumpsuits to pom pom cardigans complete with warm headbands, there is a set for any occasion and weather.

Preferable Materials

In terms of fabric, the most popular choice is cotton. This soft natural material is also good at absorbing, and it will not irritate the skin. Look for the organic type, as it is cultivated without fertilizers or pesticides. Steer clear of any synthetic materials with a rough surface, as well as heavily dyed fabrics. These may cause or exacerbate allergies and irritation, and they do not provide breathability.

Decorative elements, such as ruffles or ribbons, add visual appeal, but they may easily tear or fall off completely.

Other preferable options include Jersey Knit, Bamboo Rayon, Minky, and Argyle Block. Outerwear made of fleece ensures your baby is warm, while water splashes or stains are no problem. The material is also suitable for homewear.

Clothing That Lasts

Whichever style you choose, you should make sure the garment is durable. Decorative elements, such as ruffles or ribbons, add visual appeal, but they may easily tear or fall off completely. To verify the honesty of manufacturers' claims, search for feedback from customers.

How to Find a Bargain

Saving is part and parcel of rational consumer behavior. If you are looking for bargains, try the following options. You may be able to find fantastic outfits with modest price tags.

1. Seasonal Sales

At the end of each season, retail stores slash prices. Reduced items are normally displayed at the back. If there is a brand you particularly like, keep track of their markdown schedule. When shopping, focus on the sizes your girl will grow into. Discounts often start from 30%. Remember to keep the tags intact, so you can sell the garments on eBay if they do not fit in the future.

2. Consignment Shops

If you do not mind purchasing clothes that have been used (often briefly), this is your gateway to bargains. At the same time, you will be able to sell items your girl no longer needs. This translates into even higher savings.

3. Yard Sales

The early bird catches the worm, and morning arrival guarantees the widest choice. You may find cheap trendy items that have barely been used. Pay attention to any small defects, such as holes or stains.

Overall, the outfit should be comfy, durable, and made of organic materials. There is a broad range of models, styles, and colors to choose from. Choose, mix and match as you like!

Julia Smith

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One of a kind: Late Natick gymnastics coach Rusty Rogers was full of life, flair - Milford Daily News

Posted: 02 May 2020 10:15 AM PDT

If life on his own terms was Rogers's passion, gymnastics was his favorite pet.

Rusty Rogers was like no one they had ever met. There are witnesses galore, ready to testify.

"He was one of a kind. There were a lot of different parts to his life," Cathy Jo Oteri said.

"Every day he lived like you don't know what life is going to bring," Tara McDonald said.

"He was a free spirit, crazy, so fun to be around," offered Natick sophomore Mikayla Henderson.

"He always wore crazy shoes and clothes," said Natick sophomore Alexa Cohen. "His outfits were really out there."

So there.

Rusty Rogers died last summer of a rare heart defect. He was 44.

If life on his own terms was Rogers's passion, gymnastics was his favorite pet. For almost 20 years, he taught it at Natick-based Gymnastics Express. Mostly, he worked with boys. At Natick High, he became head coach of an all-girls team.

You could say the memory of Rogers inspired the Natick girls to a solid 6-3 record this winter, but it was more than that.

"It was like he was watching over us," said Cohen, a standout on the vault.

"He was always on my mind," said Henderson, the uneven bars are her specialty.

The high school team wasn't the girls' first introduction to Rogers. Almost all of the 16 girls had been introduced to this intriguing coach at Gymnastics Express. They had, in effect, grown up with him. Since they were five, six years old.

Rogers could coach, and he could entertain with a Broadway flair. Colorful, you say? "That would be an understatement," said Oteri, who worked alongside Rogers at Gymnastics Express

Rogers embraced 'the whole world's a stage' aphorism. After a season at Express wound down, Rogers would put on his choreographer's hat and, well, put on a show. "There'd be 60 kids in it," said Oteri. "Rusty came up with the costumes and the music."

And there was Rusty's hat. The story goes that he'd wear this hat, which covered a mat of hair, except it wasn't Rusty's natural-born hair, and upon the finish of a gymnastic meet, he would off his hat and present his completely bald dome. It got a big laugh. This was not a shy man.

McDonald was Rogers' assistant at Natick High and took over after Rogers passed away. She knew him well.

"My first impression was that he was crazy, but in the best way possible," said McDonald, Natick High's library media specialist. "He was small in stature but big of heart. He cared about family, friends, students. He gave everything (he had). We played well off each other."

OK, so they weren't always in sync. "I'm more structured, Rusty was more seat of the pants," McDonald said. "I'd be on the (team) bus; he'd be late. Always." Bottom line, "He was a great mentor, friend and coach," she said. The things that mattered.

Rogers' parents were both ill, so he was going to cut back on his coaching to care for them.

"That was very moving," said McDonald.

And if Rogers could do anything, it was move people, move them to think, to laugh, to grab life. To do the very best you could, so no regrets. He could live with a gymnast's limitations as long as the effort was put in.

"He didn't care if you fell off the beam. He'd encourage you to just go for it," recalled Cohen. "He pumped me up before competitions. He had such a strong personality. He could put a smile on everyone's face."

"I'm sorry if I start crying, but Rusty was my rock," said Henderson. "He believed in me."

And they believed in him, no matter what crazy hat he was wearing that day.

Lenny Megliola can be reached at lennymegs41@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @lennymegs.

Alabama Girl Scout makes dresses for Honduran children - AL.com

Posted: 29 Apr 2020 09:21 AM PDT

MiKayla Cain is a Girl Scout in Mobile, but she thinks well beyond her hometown and state.

She had heard about girls her age in Honduras who can't afford decent clothing, and she decided to do something about it.

She sewed dresses by hand out of pillowcases and sent them to girls in impoverished Honduran villages. But she does more than that. She makes sure that every dress she makes and sends has been blessed and prayed over.

For her project, called Sew for Honduras, Mikayla was awarded the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve – The Gold Award. The Gold Award recognizes scouts in grades 9-12 "who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects," according to the Girl Scouts.

Only five Girl Scouts in the southern Alabama region earned a Gold Award last year, and only 6% of Girl Scouts nationwide have earned one.

The beauty is, the dresses don't just fill the need for clothing. If a Honduran family doesn't have to scrounge for money for clothes, it allows them to spend what money they do have on food and hygiene and other basic needs.

"The main thing I love about my project is that the dresses don't just affect the girls that receive them," MiKayla said. "Every person that encounters these dresses all have a special touch in this project, from the first cut to packing them in boxes to delivering them."

Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama CEO Karlyn Edmonds said earning the Gold Award is " truly a remarkable achievement" that exemplifies leadership "in all its forms."

"Mikayla saw a need and took action," Edmonds said. "Her extraordinary dedication, perseverance, and leadership are making the world a better place."

Shelly Haskins writes about points of pride statewide. Email your suggestions to shaskins@al.com, or tweet them to @Shelly_Haskins using #AlabamaProud