Whoa! Can you believe it? It’s a good ol’ fashion outfit post. Woot Woot. It’s been awhile huh? Life since Orion’s been born has been all comfort as far as clothing goes. Jeans, tees and sneakers usually- my daily uniform if you will. So you can bet I was intrigued when my friends over at Zappos challenged me to look at “comfort differently” by trying some super cute and fashionable Born sandals out. I haven’t worn a high heeled/wedged shoe in forever. I was a bit skeptical if I would be able to last longer than 5 mins in them. But let’s just say, I wore these all day, chased around the kids and still felt like they were supremely comfortable at the end of the day. Born sandals for the win!! And of course ordering from Zappos is the best. We honestly order all our shoes from there all year long. They offer free shipping that is super speedy, they have a 365 day return policy, and their customer service is the best!
In case you couldn’t guess we’re not in NY anymore. We hopped a plane last week and headed down to FL for a bit. We’re actually boarding a cruise today to celebrate my Mom’s 60th birthday with my whole family. WE ARE SO EXCITED!!! I am pretty sure the girls are going to explode from excitement when they get on the boat. I bought this dress to wear on the cruise but I loved it so much I couldn’t wait.
It’s Easter Week!! Yay! There are 2 special occasions every year I look forward to buying a new outfit for the kids. Christmas and Easter! I try to not go crazy and keep it to a reasonable price but I am always on the look out for really special and cute items. It’s an extra bonus when those things go hand in hand! That’s why I love T.J.Maxx and Marshalls. They have the cutest Easter dresses for the girls (and outfits for the whole family!)- like we could hardly narrow it down. Rowan had a bit of a meltdown because… “I can’t choose between all the beautiful dresses” she said. hahaha. Poor girl. Plus! Look at our handsome little Easter man. He kills me in that outfit.
We are laying low for Easter like we usually do. I have to decorate for Good Friday and Easter services at church. We have been making time to do a special Holy week devotional with the kids this week. Today we made a cute palm Sunday craft (even though it was yesterday) that the girl’s hung up in their room. I am also hoping to make them something for their Easter baskets. We don’t do a lot of candy- just a few items. This year I got them a book, a new Klean Kanteen, some Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops and fingers crossed, a homemade stuffed bunny. Butttttt realistically not sure that will happen. I can dream right?
Our sweet little Orion is falling into his big sister’s foot steps and refusing a bottle. I seem to grow stubborn little babies (I wonder where they get that from?? Definitely not me! Insert winky face here) It’s been hard to create one on one time with the girls when I am attached at the hip to the little man. However, now that he is getting a bit older and on a tiny bit of schedule, I am making more of an effort to take the girls on dates. Girls Night Out! Or well afternoon, or morning or whenever we can fit it in. Nothing big or over the top yet. We only have about 2-3 hours before we need to be back home again, but we have fun and I love the time with them. Their all the sudden super grown up to me now that Orion is here. Ahhh how are they so big?!?!! They’re my best little buddies. For this particular date we just headed out for some frozen yogurt. We got out of our pajamas (because let’s face it, we’re always in our pjs if we’re at home) and put on our new favorite items from Abercrombie. They have some of the best denim I’ve ever tried. The perfect skinny leg, with the perfect amount of stretch and the perfect high waist. My favorite jeans by far ( I do size up just for reference!). I also LOVE the abercrombie kids line. They have some of the cutest sweaters and denim for the kids too. I mean look at how awesome that skirt is that Rowan is wearing or that little chambray shirt finely has on… *swoon. SO CUTE!!
Did you hear about the new Pantone colors of the year? I am not quite sure why they do that each year but oh well, it’s kinda fun right? This year the colors are Rose Quartz and Serenity. Both are very pretty colors, although I would lean more towards Rose Quartz if I had to pick a favorite. So when T.J.Maxx and Marshalls asked if I wanted to team up and create an outfit based on the new colors, I bet you can guess which color I went with. They had tons of beautiful designer options to choose from in both colors. This very soft pink sweater was the perfect addition to my closet!
And guess what? Woot! I am down 6 pounds. I am not dieting but just working at eating real, whole foods (and staying away from sugar) and working out lightly when I can. I know you hear a lot “it took 9 months to put on the baby weight so expect at least that to come off” and I agree. I am trying to be safe, healthy and not obsessive about it. Although seeing the weight come off does make me feel good. It can be a bit of a weird mental game to be at a weight you just don’t feel like yourself at. Anyway, I started back at the hot yoga studio in town and goodness, I missed it!
How’s your new year going so far? Anyone have any resolutions they want to share? I’d love to hear.
Do you guys remember this post about our christmas tree mishap? Like seriously! we are doomed every year with bad Christmas tree experiences. EVERY YEAR! Hahahah. Well last year we ended up deciding to forgo the “cutting of the tree” and just go to a lot. It worked out. I mean how much trouble can you get into in a 15 mins max christmas tree getting experience? Since I felt like we sort of broke the curse last year, this year I wanted to try a farm again. This time with no expectations! It’s hard though, I mean you are getting your christmas tree! How do you not have expectations for this annual holiday tradition? I seem to instantly picture cute dressed, well behaved children skipping and holding hands, joking and telling me how much they love me for bringing them to do something so fun and magical. There is of course christmas music playing and hot chocolate, and reindeer to pet, and definitely no one is whiney, or has to go to the potty when you get the furthest point away from any potty and no one is complaining they’re cold and best thing of all… you get that one perfect christmas card photo to capture such a joyous occasion. That can happen right? Well I tried my hardest to push those thoughts away and let the day happen how it may. We did dress cute and we were actually trying to get a photo (which could have gone sooo wrong) but if it wasn’t working I wasn’t going to force it. And guess what guys? It almost, almost all happened! It was like the Christmas stars aligned for us that day. Hip, hip hooray!
There of course was whining about being cold and having to walk so far and you better believe that there was a peeing out in the bushes incident because doh! of course someone had to go when we were about as far as one could have gotten from the potty. But other than that- we did it! We had a really fun time getting our christmas tree! Even little Miss Fin looks happy in most of them, that in and of itself is an accomplishment. Hallelujah!
We teamed up with Abercrombie and Abercrombie Kids to pick outfits for our Christmas card photo this year. Did you know they extended their kids sizes down to 3T now? Let me tell you that Finley in that little puffer vest is about too cute for words. Loved how all the outfits came together. I am not one for matchy, matchy in family photos so I really appreciated all the great options they had for everyone in the family. Kev is looking pretty darn handsome if I do say so myself. And a long flannel tunic top that is loose, soft and comfy is this 8 week postpartum, nursing mama’s best friend!
also don’t get me started on Rowan’s leggings. Love them!
also best way to make sure there isn’t just one person with a silly face in the picture (because of course there will be with small children) is to just all go for the silly face.
also this is like my new favorite picture! How am I the Mom to these 3 kids? Blows my mind.
and since our Christmas stars aligned I was able to get like a billion photos which I couldn’t narrow down because I just love this gang so dang much!
I can stay in my pjs for about a week after having a baby and then I need to start getting dressed to help my own (mental) recovery. Nothing fancy, but I at least need to feel put together. Something that really helps with that is buying a new pair of jeans that fit my current 3 week post part body. I’m not talking designer jeans or anything, but jeans that fit good, sit higher up on the waist, pretty inexpensive (because they will most liking not fit in a few months as I work towards pre-baby weight) and make me feel good about myself. I am trying not to stress about the 20lbs I would like to lose to be back to my pre-baby self because 1. it’s only been 3 weeks 2. look at that beautiful baby boy!! and 3. I know it takes time to loose that baby weight. I don’t plan to go on any diet or whole 30 or thing but just get back into being little more strict about clean, whole foods. We’ve let things slide a little around here lately as we adjust to new baby Orion. Anyway, this was my “look at me! I am actually getting dress” outfit the other day for an outing to Mom’s group. Don’t you love dressing for the fall weather. It’s my favorite!
Guys! I only have 2.5 weeks left. Holy cow. Well, I am sure it’ll be more like 3.5 weeks left but I am trying not to think about it like that (stupid always being late baby arrival). I thought since I was nearing the end of this pregnancy, I would share my must haves that’ve gotten me through the past nine months. These are staple items that can help you build a fun and successful maternity wardrobe. You don’t need a ton of maternity specific items but a few make life easier (and more comfortable) if you do invest in them.
1. Vim & Vigr Compression Socks: Totally helps with swelling and they look cute too! I would wear these almost every night before bed to help circulation after busy days on my feet chasing the girls around.
2. Maternity Tights: Especially now that fall is coming around, every pregnant lady should have a good pair of black maternity tights. Don’t try to fit into a non maternity pair- ugh! They will not be comfortable. I love that these sit up high over my belly. Thick and soft!
3. Honest Belly Balm: My skin gets so itchy when I am pregnant. Does yours? Love this belly balm from Honest.
4. Belly Bandit Post Pregnancy Wrap: Now this is something I actually haven’t tried but I did just buy it for after the baby is born. I never tried anything like this after Finley or Rowan’s birth but thought I would give it a go this time around. I’ve heard good things. We’ll see!
5. Belly Bandit Support Band: Now this! This is a life saver! Whenever I would be active (walk, hike, etc…) ooooh that round ligament pain would set in. This support band would allow me to continue exercising without much pain at all. Totally helps distribute the weight of your belly. I would wear it under my tank top so you wouldn’t even know I had it on. I’ve used this thing so many times!!
6 + 7. Speaking of working out! This active wear from Old Navy was hands down my favorite. There are some really expensive maternity active wear items out there but ultimately wasn’t something I decided worth the hefty price tag. These maternity pants and tank from ON were perfect though. Not bad on the wallet and perfect for what I needed. I wore the same size (medium) the entire pregnancy. So it’s worth the purchase.
8. SHAPE WEAR!! Ladies. Get yourself some pregnancy shape wear. You won’t regret it. I wore mine all summer long under tank dresses, skirts and tighter fitting maxi dresses. Just helps round out your already beautiful pregnancy curves. I’m telling you, you’ll love them!
9. Tank Dress! Get yourself some kind of neutral tank dress whether thats grey, black or striped. I promise you’ll wear it all summer, fall and winter. So comfortable and so easy to layer as seasons change. Make use of the non maternity clothes in your closet by throwing on a denim vest in the summer, an open flannel in the fall and a chunky and warm cardigan in the winter. Here are some other styles I love (HERE, HERE and HERE)
10. WORLD’S GREATEST LEGGINGS!! I’ve tried a few of the more expensive maternity leggings this time around and I have to say without a doubt that the Blanqi Maternity leggings are by far the BEST. Like seriously! THE BEST. Don’t even mess around trying out different brands. Spend the money- you won’t regret it! While you are at it… love their support tank as well!
11. So these are not maternity but I just love a good bralette. These ones from Aerie are by far my favorite. So comfortable and easy to wear. Looking for a little extra support while you sleep? These fit the bill perfectly!
12. JEANS! One of my top pieces of advice for pregnant ladies is to invest in good maternity jeans. You don’t need a ton. 1 or 2 pairs will do but seriously it will make all the difference. I am a big fan of the over the belly panel, extra skinny leg, with a lot of stretch kind of jean. These Joe Jean’s have been my go to’s. I wear them almost everyday. They are on sale right now and there is a sale on sale!! Buy one, get one 50% off. That is a pretty good deal on designer jeans if you ask me. Love this pair as well!
13. This Target white V-Neck has been my most favorite. So perfect to wear on it’s own or layered under something else. I like the fit and material of it. Its a rayon/spandex jersey knit so it’s thin and stretchy. Sometimes the cotton maternity tees seem so thick to me. I really like this one.
14. The perfect Maternity top. I would tell everyone to go get at least 1 or 2 nice maternity tops that aren’t just a cotton tee or tank. Something that makes you feel special and not frumpy or huge. I just got this lace one on sale and every time I wear it I get so many compliments.
15. The Maternity Midi skirt: I really didn’t find a whole lot I loved from asos maternity this time around. I really kind of hated the fabrics of everything but I did LOVE this skirt. It worked so perfect paired with all the cute crop tops that were out there this summer. The skirt goes up over the belly and then the crop tops would be the perfect match.
Welcome to my personal lifestyle blog. It features topics such as motherhood, family life, fashion, cooking, and all sorts of adventures. I hope you enjoy what you find!
