This week I’m taking my oldest daughter on a super special mother daughter NYC trip! And I thought I would share with you some of the fun things I’m bringing along!

Have you ever heard of a golden birthday? I hadn’t until a few years ago. Well, this trip was originally supposed to be a girls trip for my college roommates and I. When we couldn’t coordinate our busy schedules I decided I still really wanted to go. I had recently been inspired by a friend who took her daughter to NYC. It was sort of a coming-of-age pre-junior high mother/daughter trip. Their pics looked so fun! So it totally inspired me to take Penelope for her golden birthday on her very own mother daughter NYC trip! She’ll be 10 on November 10th!

I invited my mom along for part of the trip as well. She was a Pan Am flight attendant back in the glory days, and used to live in Manhattan. That’s actually where she met my dad. They had their first kiss on the Staten Island Ferry! I could tell she was super excited listening to all of our plans- so naturally when I invited her along she jumped at the chance! 😉 I haven’t done a trip with just my mom since college. So I’m super happy to soak up all this time with her as well.

A trip with a purpose.

This isn’t just a fun mother-daughter trip. This is also an opportunity for me to have Pen all to myself for some very important “girl time.” There will be some big changes that will happen to her body in the next couple years. So, I want to be able to have a conversation about all of that when it’s just the two of us. I feel it’s really important to have these “awkward” conversations with our kids. The more we talk openly about all the issues the less weird it will feel for them. A woman’s body is something to be proud of, and what it goes through to make babies should never be something to be ashamed of. I have three daughters, and I want to normalize this as much as possible for them.

Our Mother Daughter NYC trip Clothing must-haves:

We love to match, and I got so excited thinking about all the fun things we are going to do. How cute would it be to match for some of those things?! I’m picturing it all in my mind and hoping its as cute as I imagine! Ha! We have coordinating shirts, headbands, jackets and shoes! Cheesy? Maybe, but as long as she’s down to match mommy I’m sooo all over it!

1. Leather Moto Jacket: Leather moto jackets are a MUST for New York! I even found a mini one for Penelope from Target that matched mine with gold zippers!
2. Cross Body bag: I have this bag in the desert suede and have been waiting for a chance to get it in black. This little bag is so soft and can fit SO MUCH!
3. Jeans Black jeans are a must for a mother daughter NYC trip, especially high waisted with a frayed hem. These look cute with just about anything. Sneakers, boots, high tops, and flats.
4. Neon Pink scarf. I’ve linked this scarf before in a favorites post here, and I can’t say enough good things about it! The color I have is gone, but I did find this pink that would look beautiful with just about any skin tone. The vinyasa scarf can double as a pashmina too. In fact, you can wear it 7 different ways! It’s so great for travel, and its nice to have a pop of color with all the black we’ll be wearing. 😉
5. Sneakers I love these Nike sneakers! Not only do I think they look cute with an all black outfit but would be cute with dresses too!

Our Accessory must-haves:

1. Fuji Film Instax Mini 9 Camera: I had this idea that it would be so fun for Penelope to take pics with one of these cameras and then decorate our day in a little scrapbook each night! My mom actually gave this to her for her birthday.
2. Scrapbook: I bought this scrapbook for each of us so that at the end of each day we can document a couple pages. I thought this would be a fun and meaningful activity we could all share together. This little book comes with blank pages so there’s plenty of room to make notes. It also comes with pens and stickers!
3. Polaroid Zip Wireless Mobile Printer: My hubby actually gave this to me for my birthday YEARS ago, and I have yet to use it… until now that is! My mom and I can print our photos straight from our phones to use for our scrapbooks!
4. Mother Daughter journal: I found this journal on Amazon and loved the idea of it. This is a journal you share with your daughter. Inside there are questions you fill out, and then you leave it for the other to read in their own time. With a daughter on the cusp of her pre-teen years I thought this would be a beautiful way to start some conversations that might otherwise be difficult to have face to face.
5. The Care & Keeping of You: I’m taking this opportunity when its just us on this trip to give Pen this book. I’m hoping to answer any questions she might have about what kind of changes her body will go through when she enters puberty. This book has been recommended to me by sooo many friends and I’m excited to read it with her.

Our Mother Daughter NYC Playlist!

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Thank you for joining us on this journey! Do you have any good books for daughters you can recommend? Let me know below! I need all the help I can get! ha! 🙂

XO,