Recent Mommy Outfits

Just to preface this post, I only get dressed when we leave the house. Our week is full of errands, play dates, reading time, and the park and getting pulled together helps me feel accomplished.  It's nothing fancy or groundbreaking, but I always like to see what other people wear on their day to day basis.

 Tunic // Shorts (old, similar) // Purse // Nails

I wore this for a day of errands and doctor appointments for the girls. Immunizations are no fun and both girls had to get them, I definitely could have used a large slurpee after that appointment, it was tough to get through! In this post, I talked about this plaid tunic I had to go back and snag and I'm so happy I did! It fits really well and will be great to layer once the weather cools (if that ever happens!).

Top // Skirt (old, similar)

We made it to church for the first time since having Emma and it felt so nice to fit into a pencil skirt! I haven't worn one in months and it's perfect to nurse in since I just have to untuck my shirt. That's one thing that's hard when you're breastfeeding, most dresses won't work. It's so hard to find dresses that button (or have sleeves for that matter). 

Striped Tee // Shorts (old, similar here) // Necklace (c/o)

This outfit is worn weekly, it's just so easy to wear. This boyfriend tee is super comfortable and so easy to throw on and head out the door. The necklace is a teether and I'll be doing a full review soon!

Top // Hat (similar here too)

This hat has been one of my favorites and I'm so glad my aunt talked me into it! I was on the fence about buying it since I can't wear hats to work, but I've worn it a lot so far during my leave. I'm sure it will die down once I'm back to work and only have the weekend to really wear whatever I want (i.e. sweats). 

So that's what I've been wearing during my leave while we're out. Once we get home, I always change into jammie bottoms and a tee. I like to be more comfortable when I'm home and I'm playing with the girls and relaxing. I'm pretty sure nearly every human being in the world does the exact same thing when they get home too. 

Fall Beauty Inspirations

MAC Rebel // MAC Pure Zen

MAC Richly Revered // MAC Softly Lit

MAC Beauty Marked // MAC All That Glitters

MAC Purple Times Nine // MAC Amber Times Nine

MAC Stubborn // MAC Stay By Me

Every season calls for a shift in your makeup, a small change that can make a big impact. In the summer, I tend to wear less makeup and need a little more in the cooler months. One of my favorite colors to incorporate into my beauty routine each fall is a rich plum or wine. It's a beautiful color that's great for day or night and can be so easy to wear. A bold lip, some color in the crease of your eyelid, a darker blush, etc.

Neutral is always good to wear all day, any day, year round. Even with neutrals, I love trying new shades as the seasons change; rich golds, hints of pink, or soft camels. Nothing groundbreaking, but something new to wear. In today's post, I've included items that are all on my wish list (except All That Glitters, that's my Holy Grail eye shadow) and plan to check out this season. I've been wanting some new lip sticks and blushes this year I think I'm gonna save the palettes for my Christmas list!

Do you change your makeup with the seasons? What are you looking to try this season?

Emma's Nursery

When we bought our home, we knew this room would be the new nursery when the time came and used it as a guest room in the mean time. We miss having a guest room, but always referred to the room as "the nursery" from the day we moved in. I couldn't wait to turn the so-so room into something special for a very special baby. Boy or girl, I knew I wanted to paint it a soft white with a gray undertone. Shopping for white paint is so much harder than I expected! There's so many undertones and I didn't want it to be too bright or harsh. I really love the color we chose, it looks great in every corner of the room that gets different sunlight throughout the day.

When envisioning the room for Emma, I didn't have any particular direction to start. I wanted it to have pastels and be calm and feminine. When browsing Target, I found the floral crib sheet and I knew then I wanted to do a floral theme. What could be more soft, gentle, and girly? I like to keep both of the girls' rooms simple, they have a play room that's busy so I like for their rooms to be a place they can unwind and relax and fall asleep quickly in. I really love how Emma's room turned out, I think it's just perfect for her!

Paint: Glidden Raindrop White
Crib

Sheet

Crib Skirt (from Ellie's set, similar here and here)

Quilt made by my Mother in Law

Lamb

Glow Worm

Elephant (no longer available, similar here)

Glider (hand me down, similar here)

Throw Pillow

Throw Rug (draped on back)

Laundry Basket (Home Goods, similar here)

Dresser

Lamp (out of stock, similar here) // Shade (out of stock, similar here)

Sound Machine

Changing Pad Cover

Pad Liner

Monogram

Hand/Foot Print Frame

White Frames

Mirror

You Are So Loved (Home Goods, similar print here)

I Am Because You Are (Home Goods)

I Am A Child Of God Print

E Letter
DIY Diaper Genie Post 

Bring on the Leggings!

Tunic // Leggings (c/o White Plum) // Booties (old, similar here)

October means legging season is upon us! Soft, comfortable, and easy to wear, I welcome leggings season with open arms! White Plum has some of my absolutely favorite ones, they are so incredibly comfortable and honestly some of the best quality I've seen. I nearly live in them when I'm outside of work and throw them on first thing when the temp drops.

These camo ones are super fun and I'm excited to wear them again this week to the pumpkin patch. I'm also loving their cable knits and these black and white pair. Right now, White Plum is offering 20% off your entire purchase through 10/17 using HD20 at check out!

Don't know how to wear bright or patterned leggings? Check out White Plum's guide for some great tips!

Feeling Fall

Scarf // Jeans // Sweater // Boots // Purse

Last week we had two glorious days of rain and it was awesome! Mostly, because I had no where to go and got to stay inside with my girls. Everyone is so over the moon about fall, but living in CA, I won't get to really wear fall clothes til Halloween, so I have a few weeks left to enjoy the heat before it's gone. 

Those two days last week really got me thinking about my fall wardrobe (especially after my closet purge) and what outfits I'm excited to wear...which led to looking online for new stuff. I'm dying over these accessories and I'm so in love with the scarf and purse (both under $40!). The two things I seem to never have enough of and wear all the time year after year is a good crew neck sweater and a great scarf. My scarf game is on point all year long and this one will definitely have to find it's way to my collection.

Why I Talk, Read, and Sing with my Children Every Day

Growing up, I was always an avid reader and still am today. My mother always took me to the library and read to me every night. One of my favorite memories of my grandmother is sitting on her lap and having her sing silly songs to me. Naturally, this is something that I do with my own children and love the memories we've created and time we spend together.

Although these are simple things, did you know how important they are for your children? Did you know that 90% of your child's brain is developed by age 5? Recent research even shows that more than 80% of a child’s brain is formed by the age of 3!! These first few years are critical for your children and you can set them up for success in easy and free ways! First 5 California has lots of creative and simple ways to incorporate talking, reading, and singing into your lives. Doing activities with your kids helps you to bond with them, create memories, but more importantly it stimulates their brain. Your child's brain is growing at such speed, it's important to take advantage of this precious time and help them absorb language skills, fine and gross motor skills, and help their brain develop!

One routine we've picked up recently, on top of reading 3-5 stories each night at bedtime (along with several songs), is reading time at our local library. Being on maternity leave, I was looking for different ways we could get out of the house each day and reading time is one of the biggest hits with Eleanor! Each week, we head to our library where we're read three books and then do a related craft after.

It's so much fun to watch Ellie get involved when asked questions about what's going on in the books and making a craft afterwards really helps her connect messages from the book. We've read books about colors, mysteries, and opposites so far.

This week we read stories about cows and afterwards made a really simple cow puppet that Ellie loved! She loves showing it off and can't wait to go back next week.

Another activity we love doing together is singing. We sing all kinds of songs (lately it's been ones from Annie), but our favorites are ones that have coordinating hand/body movements. It's really helped Ellie's motor skills, it's been amazing watching her try to mimic my movements to be able to copy them completely! Some of our favorite easy songs to sing is "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "If You're Happy (and you know it)", and "Wheels on the Bus".

First 5 California's site has amazing ideas based off your child's age- babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. There's something for everyone and has given me some new ideas for Emma to help stimulate muscle strength, motor skills, and emotional growth. I love the idea of gathering different textures around the house such as fabrics or kitchen utensils to help her sense of touch, visual tracking, and hand-eye coordination. This will also be a fun activity to get Eleanor involved with and help them bond.

Be sure to check out First 5 California for ways you can incorporate Talk.Read.Sing ® to your children each day and check out the Video + Downloads Tab at the top right for ways to turn every day tasks into fun exercises for kids! 

Dining Room Inspo

I've never been a huge HGTV watcher, but since being on leave I have become OBSESSED with the shower Fixer Upper. I love Chip and Joanna, their style is perfection, and I'm amazed at what you can get in Texas vs. California. If we ever move to Waco, I am getting on the show and telling them to just buy me whatever home they like and go to town, sight unseen. I would trust them fully and blindly and know I would just love it.

One room I haven't bothered decorating yet is our dining room. We have a nice sized table with a bench seat that I've grown to dislike. It's just really dark, it has a dark stain top with black legs and the chairs match. We've been wanting to get a new table for some time now, but Ellie makes such a disaster at meal time I would hate to ruin a new table. I want to sand and repaint the table, I just need to find the time to get it done. So, the dining room is on my mind to decorate and start pulling together.

I love a farmhouse look with a bit of glamour and an industrial touch. When you walk into the room, I want a relaxed, simple feeling where people want to stay and linger after each meal as we talk and laugh and build memories in our home.

Here's some of my inspiration pics I've found on Pinterest and from Fixer Upper :

Some items I want to decorate our dining area is some wooden shelves, a nice clock, some pretty dishes to display, wall decor, and a China buffet. Matt and I have been on the hunt for a buffet for over a year now. I've found two I loved at Home Goods and they were sold within minutes of seeing them and I missed out on them both times! I'm thinking about checking out thrift shops for a dresser and then having it upgraded with some glass or open areas. We're just keeping our eyes peeled for now.

Clock // Shelving // Topiary // White Pitcher (I bought this and LOVE it!) // Berry Basket

Count Your Blessings //  Server

Matt and I have planned out our space and totally have a vision for it, it's just about finding the right pieces for it. Finding the buffet will be the biggest key in pulling the room together, but that will come (one day). I'm ok with having everything else set up and ready and just have the one blank wall waiting to be filled with our wedding China. The items above I love how they add character and color to a space, we can switch them around with the seasons and from the buffet to the shelving, or to be used as a centerpiece. The tiered server is one of my favorites! I can't wait to get my hands on it and set it up with treats and decorations.   

What do you like in a dining room? What are your favorite pieces to pull the room together? Do you have any tips you're willing to share?

Baby #2 Faves

One of the best things about having a child after your first, is that you know what you're doing (for the most part, I mean you kid is still alive and well taken care of right?). You also know what you like and what you didn't. Granted, every child is different and may prefer one paci or bottle over another, but you can navigate the aisles of any baby store like a pro to find what will work.

Most of what we used with Eleanor has been working with us, we purchased a few of the same things that needed to be replaced or bought the updated versions of them. That's another plus for the 2+ child is that you own most of the baby items you need!

Rock and Play : Ours is one of the OG styles and is no longer available, but now there's so many options and patterns to choose from! Ours is in perfect condition, but I would love the one I linked to that rocks itself, how magical is that? Me and all my mommy friends all swear by this and it's the first thing I tell new mommies they need to get. When checking out of the hospital with Emma, the baby doctor came by and had a picture of a Rock and Play and said that if we didn't already have one to stop on the way home to pick one up! I'm telling you, they're a must-have!

Zip Swaddler // Velcro Swaddler: We love swaddles for sleeping, both naps and overnight. I prefer these swaddles that make it super easy for me and hard for the baby to escape. We don't really have a preference for one over the other, the biggest differences is the zip is pretty tight whereas the velcro has some more wiggle room for Emma. The zip swaddle will be great when we start to transition out of swaddling since it opens on each side to let an arm out (I'll have to get a larger size when Emma is ready for that). She is actually outgrowing these right now and I'm going to pick up the next size this week for her.

Swaddling Blankets (first two, the next four, last three): One can never have enough blankets! I love them and went a bit overboard with Emma. We use them at home, when we're out, as a nursing cover, to throw over the carseat, to lay down for playtime, etc. There's so many uses and Ellie still uses hers all the time- for her babies, as a lightweight blanket for herself in the summer, and in the car. The top two blankets aren't as big, but the fabric is thicker. I like that they're a heavier fabric for cooler days and make a good transition blanket for the season. I also prefer my blankets to be large, over 40 inches each way.

Boppy (I have this and this slipcover): Anytime I nurse at home I use the Boppy. It's just the most comfortable way for me to nurse and it was the same with Eleanor too. I also brought it with me to the hospital for both babies, it was great for me to use and for visitors who wanted to hold the babies.

K'Tan: With Eleanor, I tried several carriers before finding this gem. It's super easy to use, I can put it on really quickly and by myself. With Ellie I used it mostly because it kept her calm and my hands free, but with Emma it's a whole new ball game. This is the only way we can go shopping! I put Ellie in the shopping cart and wear Emma at every store. It makes errand running so much easier! I'm thinking about picking up the breeze version too.

These are my tried and true favorites that worked for both our babies. I swear by these products and have been so happy with my experiences with them. It's only been two years since my first baby and so many of these items have been updated with new features, colors, or prints. I thought about getting some new items just for the updates, but I'd rather just save that money for college...or headbands.

What are your favorite baby items? What worked best for your growing family?

Recent Purchases: Mama and Ellie

Being home on maternity leave means I have way too much time on my hands for shopping. We go to the mall weekly, the grocery store and Target way too many times each week, and my nightly nursing shopping habits have returned. Oh my goodness, don't even get me started on how much I want to demo my house thanks to HGTV. Here are a few things I picked up the last couple of weeks I wanted to share for the Eleanor and I:

 
Chambray Shift
I picked up this dress for Ellie for when the weather drops a bit. It's has a nice thickness to it making it more fall appropriate and I can't wait for her to wear it with some cute tights or fun printed leggings this year.  I also loved this dress, but they didn't have her size so I'll have to pick it up online.

 

  These tees were too cute to pass up and I would love that Home one in my size. She has a pair of black and white striped leggings I think will pair really cute with the Happiness top.

Frozen Hat // Polka Dot Jeans
Ellie has been wanting a hat lately and when she saw this she fell in love. She was so excited about it that I had to get it for her. She also needs some new jeans for the season and I love how cute these polka dot ones are.


Heart Leopard Dress
How cute is this dress?? It even has pockets! It will be so adorable on it's own, over tights, or with leggings.


Kitty Shirt
 LOVE this kitty shirt for Ellie. In the back it has a little open area with a bow detail that's absolutely adorable.


Bunny Shirt
We all know my obsession with Alice in Wonderland and this shirt just sings to it. I love the colors, the tea cups, and the bunny. My little bunny just had to have it. 

Plaid Tunic

I'm mad for plaid every fall season and this tunic is so cute and I love the cut. It's a bit more "dressy" and will be perfect paired with leggings and boots. I saw this one at Target that I want to go back for, it's super cute.

Striped Tee // Necklace

I love a good striped tee and would like to find another one that's more fitted and have stripes closer together to also add to my closet. This tee is super soft and is so easy to just toss on to run some errands and was the perfect top for the weekend. One thing I definitely need after my major closet clean out, is some just basic tees for the weekends and this fits the bill.

Essie Ballet Slippers // NYX Lip Primer // NYX Narcissistic Illuminator // Maybelline Primer

For my sister's wedding, I picked up all these goodies. For my nails/toes I wanted a lighter pink than my usual go-to Essie Fiji and was all out of Ballet Slippers so I picked up a new bottle. Of course, I left it at the salon so I had to go back. I didn't want to have to buy another bottle when I just bought one! Sheesh.

For my lips, I also needed a primer so my lipstick and gloss would stay on. I would be talking all night with everyone and didn't want to have to keep reapplying my lips and this primer was the bomb!! I really like it a lot and gave my lipstick some major staying power!

 I was on the hunt for a new highlighter (did you catch my highlighters post last week?) and really wanted to check out Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator and Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector, but they were sold out of both at the mall! Ugh. I didn't have time to order it online so I snagged NYX Narcissistic and it's amazing. It has a light peach sheen to it that looks fantastic in the sun! I still want both those highlighters, I've heard so much about them from everyone.

Finally, after Meg's post, I picked up this face primer as well. My sister's wedding was outside and it was going to be a hot and humid day and I could just picture my makeup melting right off my face. Since I've only used this once, I can't do a full review, but so far color me impressed. Meg never steers me wrong though! My makeup looked amazing at the end of the night still and I had cried like a freaking baby. I really like the texture and how it feels on my face and once I've used it more I'll definitely be doing a full review! 

What goodies have you seen lately? What are you on the look out for? Any suggestions for my makeup bag or closet? Hope you're all have a fantastic week!