Five On Friday- Cold Weather Gear Edition!

Oh HAPPY DAY!  It is Friday!  

My husband had to work last weekend and he has to work next weekend too...so I am so excited for this weekend when he will be home and we can all be together!

I am linking up with Darci, April and Natasha for Five on Friday!

Well the precious little groundhog saw his shadow, which means we have at least 6 more weeks of winter.  Insert some major whining on my part.  I am NOT a fan of winter and CANNOT wait for warmer temps and sunshine!  I wrote a post about getting through the winter blues earlier in the week...apparently talking about my dislike for winter is a favorite topic as of late! HA!  

For the past 5 years, we lived in COLD, SNOWY Northeast Ohio.  This past May we moved to central Indiana- and while the weather here is nothing like NE Ohio...it is still pretty darn cold and we have had our fair share of snow and ice.  

Luckily, having lived in a really cold climate, we have found cold weather gear that we really like and that keeps us warm (and looking cute)!  

Here are 5 of my favorite winter clothing items for my family:

Hunter Boots. Enough said.  I know so many of you already have them and love them.  I got mine about a year and half ago.  I have to be honest and say that I was quite mortified to pay $150 for rain boots.  However, they are SO worth the investment.  Especially if you live in an area where it is rainy, snowy, cold or a combination of all of those things.  

During the Fall and Winter, I pretty much wear my Hunters 5-7 days a week.  

They are SO sturdy, they keep my feet warm and dry- and the best thing- they look super cute with leggings and jeans!  They seriously are the best.  

I wear this vest at least 4-5 times a week.  When I am running around with my kids, going in and out of stores, and lugging around my 21 pound baby, I can get super hot really quick.  So- what I do is wear a layering tank, a lightweight long sleeve tee, a tunic style sweatshirt and this vest. I stay plenty warm- but I am also not sweating profusely in the checkout line at the store :)  I really love the stitching on this vest- it is super flattering!  

It washes beautifully- which is a HUGE plus for me!  I usually always some spit up or dirty fingerprints on me from my sweet babies :)

FYI: This one is also SUPER cute and is on sale for such a great price! 

This vest is my husband's most worn winter item.  

Which I love- because I think he looks super handsome when he wears it :)

My husband is very hot natured, so a lot of the time he doesn't want to be bundled up in a big coat.  He will wear an Under Armour Cold Gear long sleeve shirt, like this one and this vest and be totally good to go.  This vest is definitely an investment- but we have found it is better to invest in a few, high quality pieces for winter versus having a bunch a coats/pullovers that aren't very functional. 

This is the coat my precious baby wears.  He has it in turquoise:)  We got it a little big and I am hoping he can wear it again next winter.  It has a super soft jersey lining- which keeps him super warm- but not overheated like sherpa or fur lining.  I love that while it is a "puffer" coat, it is not super puffy...which makes for an easier time when we buckle him into his car seat or the Ergo carrier.

This is the coat my two big girls have.  It is from WalMart and was originally $18.00.  

There are a few sizes and colors on sale now for $10!  There are several reasons I love this coat.  1) It comes in a ton of fun colors and prints.  2) It washes and dries beautifully! I wash my girls' coats weekly since they are at school and there are all sorts of special germs floating around :)  It comes out of the dryer looking brand new each time!  3) The coat is lined in a super soft fleece.  It keeps my girls really warm- but they don't get overheated.  

4) The price.  Come one. $18 for a winter coat?! I will take it!  We definitely plan to invest in a higher quality brand coat (e.g North Face) when my girls get older and have stopped growing so fast, but for right now- these coats have worked out great and kept my girls looking cute and staying warm!

While I know everyone (including ME) is ready to start buying pieces for Spring and Summer, now is a great time to pick up winter outerwear for great prices!  

A lot of things are going on sale- so you might be able to find a great deal and just pack it away for next Fall/Winter!

What are your favorite winter outerwear/clothing items for Winter?? 

Hope you have a fabulous weekend and that you STAY WARM! :)