So…..have you stocked up on your summer wardrobe yet?

Has anyone else realized that Target is a bit early on the summer clothes? I appreciate their positive thinking that winter will eventually end and summer will eventually arrive…..but this may be pushing it too far.

In case you are new to Target, which is highly unlikely, they are, for some odd reason, at least a season, if not two, ahead. You must purchase your boots and coats in the fall and your shorts in the winter. I appreciate the planning ahead nature here, but I'm not really in the mind set to be looking for good deals on summer clothes while also planning when I will unbury my driveway, sidewalk and mailbox from the snow they are under. I would consider myself someone who plans ahead, but this amount perplexes me a little.

    On that perplexing note, I bought 4 pairs of shorts and some coordinating shirts tonight at Target for Elaina this next summer. I made the mistake of not buying shorts smack dab in the middle of winter a few years ago. I thought to myself, "self, you have lots of time left to get shorts for Elaina. Let's wait awhile and save up some money and decide what she can use, see what gets passed down,etc." The problem with that was that when I actually went to buy shorts in May or early June, Target had no shorts that were of a decent length in her size. You see, in February, Target has cute, LONG Bermuda type shorts out. By the time that summer actually arrives, the shorts are closer to the Daisy Duke variety. Now, I know that clothes fit different girls differently, so perhaps these aren't so bad on some, but on Elaina, they were super short. I spent days and days looking all over for reasonably priced shorts that were long enough… all to no avail. The shorts that I could find long enough were just way to out of the budget. She ended up wearing some pretty short shorts most of that summer. By fall, they were really pushing it. Now, granted, she was like 4 or 5 at the time and they weren't really immodest, just not the precedent we want to start.

    Now, in fear of that very thing happening again to my now almost eight year old daughter, (can she really be almost eight????) I purchase shorts in February. Every year I feel a little guilty spending money on shorts in February….but I do it. Tonight the long Bermuda shorts were on sale with matching t-shirts on sale too. So…Elaina now has some shorts for summer. I just have to remember where I tucked them away when it comes time to actually wear them.