I thought we would start having a weekly feature called “Our Week in Snapshots.” Not every week will be as exciting at palm trees, the Grand Canal, and giraffes but I think it will be fun.

Here we go…

We had such a wonderful time in FL with my Mom. We are very lucky to have such a beautiful place to come visit. Nothing like watching dolphins and manatee play in your back yard. Can’t wait to come back!

Happy Weekend Everyone!
Wish me luck on our flights home tonight!

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Do you Remember Rachel Antonoff’s Fall 2011 Lookbook? Well, it was the most darling thing ever. The clothes were of course beautiful, but I couldnt get enough of those cat tights! I have googled “cat knee pads,” “cat tights,” and “cat knee pad tights” like a hundred times. I never found what I was looking for! So, I just decided to make my own…

1. Find a pair of tights you want to use. I picked a nude color. I recently bought some knee pad tights from asos and loved the nude color they came in with the knee pad. I also decided to paint a pair of white tights as well. Put on your tights and find where your knees hits.

2. Make a cat stencil out of cardstock. Stick some left over cardstock inside each tight leg. Stretch out and tape down each tight. Roughly stretch the tight to be the same length as when you are wearing them.

3. Trace your stencil. Make sure you center it around your knee marks.

4. Start painting. You will notice how much paint the tights suck up. It kind of take a bit to paint each one.

5. Let them dry and you are ready to go!

I also made a pair for Rowan. I cant wait to wear them together. It will be so nerdy yet so awesome at the same time. Twinsies!

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I don’t know why as mothers we feel the need to create this fantasy image that everything is so sunshine and rainbows all the time. I think it is a load of crap. There I said it. haha. I got an amazingly sweet email today from a friend that really made my whole week. In that email she shared with me this article from the Huffington Post titled Don’t Carpe Diem. This article had me laughing, than crying, than laughing again. All I could think about was how I heard that exact line “cherish every moment, they grow up fast” like 3 times today. I also carried a screaming, head butting, smacking me in the face Rowan out of 2 stores and a restaurant this evening. I don’t know how well I seized those moments.

Parenting is not easy. Staying at home is not easying. It erks me to no end when people who don’t have kids make some kind of mean comment about how easy it must be. Boy, do they have it coming to them when they have kids. When I write my monthly posts about Rowan, I choose to focus on the good because it is all true stuff, she is the joy of our world. I love Rowan with every fiber of my being, but that doesn’t mean that I dont count down the hours, minutes, seconds until it is bedtime sometimes.

So, what is the point of this post? I am not really sure. I guess I just wanted to tell all you moms out there that you are doing a great job! That no matter how you choose to raise your kids, you are doing a great job. It is ok to think it is hard. It is ok to think everyday is not laying in a bed full of kittens (wouldn’t that be nice?)

The thing we should remember, are those precious moments though. They are what help me move on from the bad ones. The love that I feel for her is real and even on the worst of days, a flash of her smile can change everything. On days when I find myself counting down the minutes till bed- it never fails that as soon as she is down I want to go back in to cuddle her a little more. She is my little baby and I am her mother. Motherhood can be tough but honestly I wouldn’t want it any other way. The worst of days are what really change you. You grow. You stretch. You become a better parent for your child.

And on that note, I am going to show you some cute pictures of Rowan, lay in bed and drink my beer (Kona Brewery Koko Brown with Toasted Coconut!!!) and watch Arrested Development because today was one of those hard days for me.

Go read this article!

p.s tomorrow I have a diy project that will have you meowing!

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Did you ever have one of those heart friendship necklaces that were broken into 2 pieces and you each wore one around your neck? I did. I have always loved friendship necklaces and bracelets. They always seemed so special no matter what they were. I got a package in the mail the other week full of christmas goodies for Rowan and inside was also a little gift for me. They were what I know refer to as my grown up friendship bracelets. They are just so beautiful. Punky sent them to Julie and I. I love them!! When I packed this dress for the trip, I knew my bracelets would match perfectly.

I would also like to add this dress into my ever growing “favorite dress” collection. I love this dress. I feed a giraffe in this dress today and this dress has amazingly deep pockets. So, yeah. This dress is kind of kick ass.

Outfit Details:
Dress: c/o Ruche (last Summer)
White Button Up: American Apparel
Belt: Charolette Russe
Boots: American Eagle
Beaded Bracelets: Gift from Punky
Other Bracelets: Stella & Dot and forever 21

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On January 12th, Rowan turned 16 months old. 16 MONTHS OLD! umm, what? How did this happen. Every day she is more and more a little girl. She makes it very clear she is not a baby anymore, nor does she want to be treated like one. She is Miss Independent. I followed her around Target for like 30 mins yesterday before she even turned around once to see if I was there. She drags her ride on toy around the house to stand on top of when she wants something she can’t reach. She is a smarty pants for sure!

She talks all the time. She just wanders around all day chit chatting about everything. I have no idea what the heck she is saying, but it cracks me up listening to her. Sometimes she comes right up to you and with such intention states something and then walks away. haha. Oh to know what she was telling you! Her newest word is shoes. She likes to pull out all my shoes in the closet and show me each pair of “shoes.”

She still signs “all done,” but now she signs “more” which she uses anytime she wants to eat. It is really cute and she also signs “please.” We have taught her where her nose, tongue, belly and feet are. We are working on eyes and ears. She can twirl, jump, and dance on command. Also, I don’t even know how this came about, but when you say “awwww yeeeah” she folds her arms and tilts side ways like an 80′s rapper. It is especially funny when you put a baseball hat on her backwards and she does it. Haha. We very much enjoy teaching her tricks.

She still goes to sleep like a champ. We are down to one nap and have been for quite sometime. Her naps last anywhere from 45mins to 2 hours. She goes to bed anywhere from 7:30-10 depending on what we have going on that night and wakes up on average at 7:30am. This little one is just like me, she seems to not need a lot of sleep. We stopped giving her snacks throughout the day in an effort to get her to be a better eater at meal time. It has helped a lot. Instead of crackers for a snack if she wants something I will give her fruit. She is getting better about eating veggies, as long as she is doing it herself of course. She is getting really good at using a spoon. Breakfast is our best meal.

She is just the sweetest little girl, but boy does she have a temper. She is stubborn just like her momma. We are getting to that stage I have been dreading… discipline. Ugh, I hate that word. I have no idea where to start or what will even work. My fingers are crossed we figure it out. She still waves at everyone and if she is walking and passes any little boy or girl, she runs up to them gives them a hug whether they want one or not. It makes me laugh. I love that anytime you get down to her level and open your arms she comes running (even from rooms away) to give you a hug. She is still head over heels in love with her Dada. He is her world. She is seriously the most social baby I have ever met.

haha. Ok. I wont go on and on anymore. Can you tell I am a proud mom? Sorry if these post get too long. I write them for myself to remember too. When the next one comes around I am going to love looking back and reading them.

Oh how we love our little cheetah!

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Not going to lie. I am totally enjoying every minute of this high 70 degree day. I wish winter was like this in NY. Taking a little break from layers with a pretty skirt and sandals today.

Hope you’re not blinded from my pale, no sun in months legs.
Have a lovely day friends!

Outfit details:
Striped top: h&m
Skirt: Thrifted
Belt: Thrifted
Sandals: Blowfish
Bracelets: Stella & Dot, Forever 21

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Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! On friday, Rowan and I decided we should head down to FL to visit my Mom and Dad. They have been down here enjoying their vacation home since New years (lucky them) but last week on a bike ride my mom fractured her foot. Then yesterday, my dad tore his meniscus. The luck, right? Anyway, we hopped a plane yesterday and came down to help them out for the week.

The weather is just beautiful! A nice change from the frigid cold in the Northeast. Today we got to watch the dolphins play in the canal, go for a walk in bare feet, catch some geckos, and lay around reading books in the sun. It will be a good week! Although, we do miss Kev terribly. We do get to facetime with him every night which makes it a little easier. Rowan just loves it!

We made it through the plane ride which was my biggest fear in getting here. Rowan doesn’t sit still, like ever. So, I was pretty scared about making it here in one piece by myself. Here are some tips that I learned along the way…
1. Get the extra seat! Using the lap infant ticket when that lap infant is the squirmiest baby around is not a good idea. We were lucky and on both of our flights just happen to have an extra seat on the plane. It gave her some personal space and a little area to stand. I think from now on if I can afford to pay for the extra seat I will. So worth it.
2. Get an ipad. We loaded up the ipad with a bunch of Yo Gabba Gabba, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and Phineas & Ferb.
3. Buy stickers and a plastic folder or sticker book they can peal stickers on and off from.
4. If you are traveling alone, get your husband a security pass to come to the gate with you. We just asked at the counter and Kev was allowed to come with us all the way to the plane. So freakin’ helpful!
5. Have lots of small, new toys in your carry on. Rowan’s attention span is short. In the time we got on the plane, to the time we took off we had made our way through almost every toy. Have lots of options.
6. Get this little Crayola Dry Erase Activity Center. Rowan loved it. She colored and I drew her about a million kitties.
7. Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm. Kiddos feed our your stress level.
8. Special snacks. Things you might not normally feed them on a day to day basis.
9. Favorite books
10. Bring a blanket. Hopefully your kiddo will eventually fall asleep on the plane. Most likely it will happen with the calm vibrations and loud white noise. It is nice to have a blanket to cuddle them up in. It is cold on airplanes! and you can wrap it up around their ears to block out all the seatbelt announcements that will most likely wake them up. Grrrr!

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Nothing makes me happier than watching this!

I swoon big time for Wes Anderson movies (and Jason Schwartzman + Edward Norton)!!! I also wish Bill Murray was somehow related to me. Just saying.

So excited!!

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Do you have a “Mom” outfit? I guess this doesn’t have to be called mom outfit, more so your go to outfit when you are just spending the day at home? This would be my outfit. I wear it a lot when I am home for the day. It is easy, comfortable and I kinda just like it a lot. Rowan is taking a nap right now and I figured I would share a little peak into what I am doing & wearing at this exact moment. haha

Nap time means some down time for me. I usually make some tea, sit and relax. I usually blog, read blogs, paint or spend way too much time on pinterest. Lately though, I have been making stuff. If you follow me on twitter you may have seen a little family portrait I was painting for Rowan’s room. I finished it this morning and it came out pretty cute.

What is your favorite thing to do at home?

Hope you all have some down time in your day today to do what you really enjoy!

Outfit Details:
Jeans: Urban Outfitters
Minnetonka Slippers: Christmas Gift- One of my favorites! (find here)
Chambray Button Up: Forever 21-old (similar and nicer here)

p.s. dont mind my cord in one of the pictures. Cords don’t make a nice picture.

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The new year always makes me look back and reflect on a lot of things. This past weekend, Kev and I were able to spend some much needed time alone together. It was the first time in…I don’t know how long. We dropped Rowan off for a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa’s house on Friday night and picked her back up around dinner time on Saturday. It is always hard to part ways with her but I wont lie, I very much enjoyed my alone time with Kev. When there is a little one around (and no family close by) date nights very quickly vanish away. You don’t think much about it until you realize that the lack of one-on-one time, plus the stress and chores of daily life can create a distance between the two of you.

That is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far as being a mom; not to neglect your marriage. Marriage takes work and when it goes unchecked, it can fall apart. It takes time and effort on both sides. Rowan is our everything but before she was around we were our everything. I don’t want to forget that. It’s important to make your husband feel like he is still your number one. That he isn’t second to your child. I honestly think the greatest gift that we can give Rowan is a strong, loving marriage/home. I want to model the kind of relationship I would want her to look for when she gets older.

In just one evening I feel like I totally fell head over heels, crazy,madly in love with Kev again. haha. Not that I wasn’t already, but just having that special time to go out to dinner together, ride bikes, go to the movies and actually spent time together without being distracted was something we both desperately needed. It is my goal this year to make more time for that. I don’t need to be away from Rowan a lot. I LOVE our little family and I LOVE doing things with Rowan, but a grown up date night every once in a while has got to be in the cards this year! I am making it a priority.

When we were out last weekend we saw the movie The Descendants (excellent movie!) and it brought back so many memories of living in Hawaii. It has been a long time since then, but it will always be a special time to me. It stretched us, it changed us, it defined us. We are not a couple that likes to be comfortable, well… Kev might argue against that. haha. I like to think of all the things we have gone through and how they have changed us for the better. They have molded us for a stronger marriage and family. The road has been long and fast for us and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon, but that is ok. The joys that come out of growth and change far succeed any plateau of life. As long as I have Kev by my side things, will always be ok.

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