Linley Diane

Mom Help for a Happy (ish) Home

Categories: Mom-ing, Photography

Fall Dresses For Family Photos

This post is all about affordable fall dresses from Amazon that you will love for yourself for your family photoshoot in 2020!

Raise your hand if you’ve ever tried to get your family photographed professionally. Keep your hand raised if you like to do it in the fall with the dreamy light, crisp weather, and gorgeous colors in the leaves. As a professional photographer for 10 years now, I can tell you that this is 100% the most popular time of year for outdoor family photoshoots.

While fall is perfect for photos, picking out what to wear for them is not so easy! In my experience as both a photographer and a mom, I know that if mom doesn’t think she looks good in the photos, it won’t matter how anyone else looks. Even your cute kids!

PRO TIP: With that in mind, I always recommend that mom picks out her outfit first, and then coordinate everyone else around that.

We have our fall family photos coming up in October and here are some affordable outfits I’ve found on the web that would pair beautifully with the fall landscape. (I actually wore a different color version of dress 2 for our photos last year!)

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.)

Related Post: GETTING FALL FAMILY PHOTOS YOU WILL LOVE

Click on any of the links or photos below to see more and purchase. All are affordable and will ship quickly with Amazon Prime!

1 A-line pleated floral skirt This skirt has such pretty fall colors and is on sale for less than $20 right now! Pair it with a white T and fitted jean jacket, or try it with a suede hat, baggy/chunky cardigan sweater, and cute suede booties…it’s very versatile! (In my next post I will be going over ways to get the most of your photoshoot outfits with quickly changing up the accessories you wear.)

2 Floral Maxi Dress I LOVE this dress and as mentioned above, actually wore a different colored version of it last year for an August family photoshoot. My friend borrowed it too and it looked great on her as well, (and we don’t have the same body type). It’s just really flattering, comfortable, and there are several beautiful prints available! Click through the link to see them all!

Photo Credit: Sarenae Photography

Related Post: Everything You Need to Bring To Your Fall Family Photoshoot

3 Mustard Polka Dot Dress Mustard is one of the best colors to wear for fall photos! This dress is so cute with its polka dots and subtle ruffle at the bottom and leg slit.

4 Plum/Mauve Wrap Dress If you are looking for something that you can really add to with accessories and jewelry, this simple wrap dress is a great option and the color is gorgeous.

5 Wine Off The Shoulder Dress If you are someone who gets their family photos taken often (like me!), you may be finding it difficult to come up with unique looks each time. The off-the-shoulder dress is a beautiful change-up to what you may have done in the past! (I am guilty of always going with a floral maxi dress!)

6 A-line Floral Skirt This is the same skirt as look #1 but in a lighter shade and print. I included this one for those of us who are doing family photos more towards the end of summer/beginning of fall. The tones in this one will compliment the green that is still in the landscape. Pair with cute leather sandals if it’s early enough in the year.

7 Short Off-The-Shoulder Dress If you love your legs and want to show them off, this dress is a great option with it’s earthy tones and floral print.

8. Floral Maxi-Dress with 3/4 Sleeves What can I say? I love a floral maxi dress! This is similar to #2 (my favorite) but with longer sleeves and different print options. These floral dresses are just so perfect because they can bring in so many different colors which makes it easier to coordinate your family members outfits!

Which dress is your favorite?

Related Posts:

Everything You Need to Bring To Your Fall Family Photoshoot

How To Get Fall Family Photos You Will LOVE!

Categories: Mom-ing

5 Easy Ways to Survive the Heat of Summer Sports

There is nothing better than watching your kid have fun with the friends playing their favorite sport. For many of us, those sports take place outdoors in the middle of summer. It’s HOT! I’ve personally spent nearly every weekend of July and August baking in the sun at my son’s travel baseball tournaments.

This year is so different. Friggin Covid! Many of the ballparks don’t have concession stands open (and the icy drinks you can get from them) and of course you can’t congregate under any shaded structures that are already in place. Stay 6 feet away people! So, basically we are left on our own to figure out how to keep cool. Here’s the best ways that I’ve found to beat the heat in 2020.

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.)

1. Easy to set-up tent. We made the mistake of getting a not so easy to set-up tent, lol. After an embarrassing half hour of trying to get our janky tent to stay up and 2 people tripping over the strings, we ended up just trashing it and left it at the field’s garbage can.

Another family on our team has this tent. It’s awesome! It’s quick and easy to set up and take down, big enough for several chairs, strollers, and kids to be under, and, the best part- it comes with a shade sheet. This is KEY. The sheet adds so much extra shade when the sun isn’t directly overhead.

(It comes in different sizes. I highly recommend the 10×10 size so you can share the shade with other families on your team.)

Note: If you don’t want to share your shade, or if you want something easier to carry, these dual chairs with umbrella and cooler is a great option!

Now, if you REALLY don’t want to sit close to anyone, at the every least, get yourself a chair with built in shade!

2. Cooling Towels.  These are sooo awesome. You just pour some water on it and it then put it on your body- neck, head, shoulders, etc. As the water evaporates, it cools you down. They are lightweight and easy to carry around with the little bags these ones come with. I keep one in my sons baseball bag for him and I keep some for myself and the girls to have while we watch. When it dries out, just pour some more water on and it’s cool right away.

3. Large water jug.   This is for your player but I wouldn’t hesitate to have one for yourself/family in the stands too. Fill this baby right up to the tippy top. Put plenty of ice in there too. On these long, hot tournament days, you will need soooo much more water than you think you will! And with Covid, many snack shacks aren’t open for drinks. In fact, you may want to bring a couple of these! (You can also use it to pour some water onto your cooling towel!)

Bonus Tip: You can personalize these with a Cricut! I recently got one and I love it. I have made a few team shirts already. If you don’t have one, I guarantee some other mom or dad on your team does.

Bonus Tip #2: Pretty much all of these items can be ordered in different colors options. It makes it fun to have everything in your team colors. You will be the ultimate fan!

4. Fan. (Haha, speaking of fans, amiright?) This has been a huge lifesaver for me on days when I can’t sit still and stay in the shade. I am linking the exact one that I have (originally bought for my daughter’s stroller when she was a baby) but there are a lot of great options out there. Just make sure you get one that doesn’t need plugged in.

5. Spray bottle (with or without fan). I’m linking one with a fan because that’s what my kids prefer to play with. So, this one is as much for you as it is for any of your kids that are being lugged along to their siblings games. My girls and their friends will play with these all day long. It keeps them cool and it’s good for yourself too. (This is something else that you may want to get more than one of. Definitely get one for each of your kids unless you want to break up fights over it all day.)

I hope that helps you if you are planning a season of summer sports! Good luck to your team and send me a message if you think there’s anything else I should have included!

Related: How to keep your kids and their teammates entertained while you wait out the rain

Categories: Mom-ing

How To Keep Kids Busy And Quiet For Hours (and it’s easy!)

Do you want to keep your kid(s) busy AND quiet? And without a mess?!? I know I do. Especially with online school coming up next week. If you have kids of different ages or basically want to be able to get ANYTHING done with them at home, you’re going to need to keep a kid or two busy while you help another one with school work, do your own work, cook, clean, etc, etc, etc.

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.)

Enter the bracelet rubber band kit. Yup, you heard me. Rubber bands! Like this:

I bought this exact set for my daughter’s 6th birthday last year. She has made a lot of pretty bracelets, chokers, keychains, and necklaces since then. She enjoys giving them to her friends and family, and it also has really helped her work on her patterns.

So I already knew it was a great little craft and for less than $20, you really can’t beat it.

Fast forward to this past weekend and we are at a rained out baseball tournament in WV. Stuck in a small hotel with no where to go and endless hours to kill. (It’s a team of 8 and 9 year old boys plus all their siblings). If you’re thinking that sounds terrible (as a parent), you’d be correct. The boys had the time of their lives.

Anyway, someone brought this same kit. Prior to this being brought out, the boys were running amok. Then this happened. They sat down, crafted, and included the little siblings. Even the dads were making them! One of the coaches joked that if they practiced hard for an hour next week, he’d let them play bracelets afterward, lol.

For reference, here they are after the rubber bands were put away. Tackling each other, running, and wreaking havoc on the hotel conference room (and the nerves of every parent there). You can also see my little one in the corner playing with one of the necklaces they made, haha. Fun for all ages!

We all know there are plenty of ways to keep kids busy but here is why these rubber bands are awesome and my favorite:

  • They don’t make a mess! No spilled paint, no sticky glue, no impossible to clean glitter, etc. Just close the plastic case when you are done. That’s it!
  • They are extremely portable. They come in that plastic case, pre-sorted by color, and they don’t require any other tools! You can do them on long car rides too.
  • Your kid can do them alone or with lots of other people. There are so many rubber-bands in the case that there are always plenty to go around.
  • It’s good for boys, girls, dads, moms, etc. I actually enjoy making these with my kids. Not something I can say about a lot of crafts.
  • The kids can be creative with the colors. They can make the bracelets in the colors of their favorite sports teams, to match a new outfit, for the current holiday season, etc. It helps reinforce patterns too.
  • It makes a great gift! Either to give as a whole set to someone for a friend’s birthday or have your child make a bracelet or keychain for someone special. I bet any aunt, uncle, or cousin would be happy to get a bracelet from their niece or nephew.

Are you convinced yet? Bottom line, at less than $20, if you have a child anywhere from age 5 and up, this is a great option to have in your rainy day toolkit!