lifestyle Archives - Page 7 of 29

summer picnic vibes with janie & jack

July 27, 2016 2 Comments

stopping in on a hot summer day to share a few photos of my littles. edie is already three months old, and adam turned two and a half earlier this month! seeing them together like this, i can’t believe what a big boy adam has become! it’s almost more than my heart can bear. they’re both dressed up for summer in head-to-toe janie and jack, but adam is kinda stealing the show with his too-cool-for-school attitude. if i had to choose one photo to commemorate summer, this would definitely be it. these two kids are my whole entire world.

if you’re looking for some cool summer clothes, janie and jack has tons of timeless classic styles to choose from. adam has a slightly nautical vibe with his chambray, linen, and boat shoes while edith is working on her tomboy vibes in a classic baby boy outfit that works just as well on little girls. shop their looks below:

edie’s look:
gingham one piece | saddle crib shoe | bucket hat | plush giraffe rattle

adam’s look:
chambray shirt | linen blend pant | classic boat shoe | tortoise sunglasses

this post was created in partnership with janie and jack.

my style, kids, maternity

4th trimester: the jersey dress

July 26, 2016 4 Comments

hard to believe it, but my little baby edith is three months old today! we’ve made it through the “fourth trimester,” and i can no longer call her a newborn. she has been good to me so far, happy and healthy, growing and developing right on track. she’s an excellent sleeper at night just like her big brother, but she does make up for it during the day. i have to fight her pretty hard to get her down for naps because apparently she did not get the memo about the importance of sleep. she would much prefer to hang out and give her mama smiles, or practice tummy time. she can already hold her head up and roll over, and she is desperately trying to sit up already! yikes!

needless to say, babywearing has definitely come in handy not only when i need to get things done, but also when i need to get her to sleep! so i thought i’d share this really simple outfit just to give an example of what to wear while babywearing. it varies depending one what type of carrier i’m using, but i really love to pair my sakura bloom linen ring sling with simple dresses like this maternity t-shirt dress from storq. it might not come across in photos, but this dress is seriously amazing. it is a super soft and stretchy modal jersey, which i highly prefer over cotton because it tends to maintain better shape and is somehow a million times softer. and if you’re anxious about wearing something that clings to the body, don’t worry, it is not flimsy or sheer in the least. i actually wore this dress to the hospital the day edie was born, pulled it on for my first walk around the maternity ward after she arrived, and wore it a ton in the first few weeks after we brought her home. the scoop neck makes it easy to pull down for nursing, so you can even breastfeed while babywearing if you’re feeling up to it!

if you’re looking for more tips, you can check out my guide on what to wear when you’re expecting (which includes this same dress!) or take a peek at some of my 4th trimester outfits.

lifestyle, kids

along for the ride with maxi cosi

July 20, 2016 4 Comments

having a new little addition to our family means we’ve had to acquire a few new things to accommodate her. one super crucial item was a car seat. in california, you literally can’t leave the hospital without one that is properly fitted for an infant, so it was pretty high on our list of essentials. unfortunately, i was feeling pretty immobile towards the end of my pregnancy, so you know i breathed a huge sigh of relief when maxi cosi sent us two brand new car seats for the big day! the timing could not have been better because adam was rapidly growing out of his (and destroying it with cheesy crackers and juice in the process), and of course, edie had to have hers for her very first car ride home.

so the day before edie was born, i unwrapped these beauties from their packaging. i picked out the mico max 30 for edie, and adam got the pria 85 in matching black. call me boring, but i wanted something subtle that would fit in with the grey interiors of our car, but they also have a ton of bright colors from navy to green or even pink and purple! the infant car seat is great because it works for babies from 4 – 30 pounds or up to 32″ while the convertible car seat will work for a child from 14 – 85 pounds or 52″ tall. adam is a really big kid for his age, so this is really great because we literally won’t have to buy another car seat for adam at all! and hopefully edie to take his place once she reaches the limit in hers. and it makes me happy to see them both sitting in the back of the car in their little matching seats!

lifestyle, press

bitte tastemaker talks

July 19, 2016 No Comments

so excited to share that i was interviewed by bitte as part of their tastemaker talks series! this is especially awesome because bitte is easily one of my favorite online children’s boutiques, and the place where i get a lot of the cute toys and clothes you see around my house. the shop was started a few years back by maia mcdonald (of pinterest and rue magazine fame) shortly after her adorable daughter was born. together with her mom as her partner, she’s managed to create a beautiful shopping experience filled with ethically made and aesthetically pleasing toys, books, and clothes for kids of all ages. but enough talking, you should go see for yourself! read my interview here and take a look at my collection of favorites here!

lifestyle, home

my new workspace with hp spectre

July 12, 2016 15 Comments

since getting my new hp spectre, i’ve been feeling inspired, and itching to put it to good use. it’s literally the thinnest laptop in the world and it weighs only 2.5lbs, so it’s been super easy to tote it around wherever i need to get work done: on the sofa while adam eats breakfast, laying in bed while the baby naps, propped up at the coffee shop when i head out of the house for some fresh air. but most-importantly, at my brand new dedicated workspace. i have an office, but with life as busy as it is these days, it’s more important than ever for me to have an inviting workspace that can still function while fitting in with my busy schedule. having my spectre laptop ready at my standing desk has become my new secret weapon for getting the job done.

like i mentioned in my last post, a lot of behind-the-scenes work goes into maintaining this blog. i’ve been doing it for eight years now, and i’ve had a lot of people ask me for advice on how to make it as a professional blogger. a lot of people talk about strategy and social media, but my number one recommendation is almost always to make sure you have the right tools to get the job done. i remember when i decided to start taking this blog more seriously, the first thing i did was go out and invest in a brand new computer, a professional camera, photoshop, and a host of other essentials necessary for independently running my own self-hosted wordpress site. strategy is certainly important, but without these essential tools, i never would have been able to launch this blog into a full-time career. and as time moves on, it’s been more important than ever for me to evaluate my technical needs to make sure i can be as productive as possible, especially when i’m pressed for time.

so here’s my new setup. a lot of the usual suspects: computer, software, a stash of chocolate bars hidden in my drawer. but things have been upgraded with my new standing desk and some clean and simple decor for a calm and inviting workspace. it makes it so that i’m able to stop in at any time of the day to type out a few emails or edit some photos. and it’s where i’m standing right now as i type out this post. it’s really important for me to have a beautiful space to work, and love the way my spectre fits in perfectly with my setup, while still being able to do some seriously heavy lifting. it comes with windows 10, up to 512gb of pcie-based ssd storage, intel® core™ i processing, up to 8gb of ram, and three multi-use usb type-c™ ports. so while it may look pretty, it’s also helped me to change the way i approach my work, and to reinvent my obsession with this blog so that i can continue grow and evolve this ever changing space.

lifestyle, kids

adam and edith

June 30, 2016 1 Comment

it’s been a little while since i’ve shared some photos of my little ones, so i thought it was time for a quick update! edith is two-months-old now, and adam will be 2-and-a-half in july! adam is still completely infatuated with his little sister, asking to kiss her or to hold her about 100 times a day. she doesn’t particularly love being handled by a toddler, but they actually do pretty well together. now that she’s growing out of the newborn phase, she seems to be pretty fascinated by him. and thankfully, he enjoys singing her songs or shushing when she cries. and he get better about being gentle with her every day. edie is still pretty new, so she doesn’t do too much besides the usual. she smiles a lot and coos, which is darling. and she’s discovered her hands and toes, even reaching out and grabbing just a little bit.

and when i look at these photos, pretty much any of the stress or exhaustion of having two little ones just melts right away. these moments are so brief that i just want to do my best to soak them all up!

adam and edith are both wearing the most adorable rabbit caps by tortoise and the hare. edith is also wearing a kimono top by imps and elfs and the softest little organic wool diaper cover by lana care. and adam is in his petite soul tee, which happens to be on sale!

lifestyle

new tools: the hp spectre

June 28, 2016 4 Comments

part one: introducing the new hp spectre

here’s a rundown of a typical morning: i wake up around 7am with a rambunctious toddler running around the house and an infant ready to be fed. i get adam dressed and ready for nursery school, then i attempt to pull myself together so i can head out to the coffee shop with edie in tow. it’s a quick walk for some fresh air, and then it’s time for business. once the baby is asleep, i start my work: answering emails, negotiating sponsorships, planning my editorial calendar, brainstorming new content. at the same time, i’m usually going down the list, checking-in on social media, and browsing the web for inspiration. and that’s if i’m lucky! most days, this can be a lot easier said than done if adam isn’t in the mood to cooperate or edie just won’t fall asleep. and up until a few weeks ago, my desktop computer was in my converted studio — in a detached garage. it’s a really great space in theory. but to be entirely honest, i don’t know how i’ve actually continued to get any work done since the baby was born.

needless to say, i have been desperate for a change. tools to help me get inspired enough to get the job done. enter the spectre. i’ve teamed up with hp to try out their luxurious new laptop. this carbon fiber beauty with a glossy copper trim weighs-in at only 2.5lbs and just 10.4mm thick, making it the world’s thinnest laptop, while still boasting a full hd display with three usb-c ports and full intelcore power. and it could not have come at a better time. it arrived in a beautifully curated box full of goodies to help me get started, so i’ve been playing around with it, downloading some new software (hello, photoshop!), and enjoying my new treats while i gear-up to create more.

i think what surprised me most when it arrived is that it doesn’t look like your typical laptop. it’s a subtle ash-colored matte aluminum with copper trim and architectural details that make it look like it would be at home in a department store. then i noticed that it’s thinner than my moleskine notebook! and then i realized that it actually packs a powerful punch when it comes to performance, which is what i really need when i’m blogging. for a computer to work for me, i need to be able download raw images quickly, browse through and make selects in bridge, and then edit them in high-resolution using photoshop before uploading them online. if you don’t have a quick processor and lots of memory, that can slow things down to a snails pace, which is the last thing i need when i’ve got a looming deadline and a baby threatening to wake up from a nap at any moment.

but so far so good! things are moving along really well and i’m feeling a renewed excitement at the prospect of churning out some of the ideas that i’ve had on the back burner, just waiting to get off the ground. and i’m excited to share more of what i’ve got up my sleeve with my hp spectre, so stay tuned!

my style, lifestyle, kids

babywearing

June 16, 2016 5 Comments

it’s been a pretty busy week, so i didn’t get the opportunity to take any proper outfit photos, but if you follow me on instagram, then maybe you’ve seen a few peeks at what i’ve been wearing. and speaking of wearing, i’ve been doing a lot of babywearing. edith just turned seven weeks, so she’s right in the middle of her “fussy stage.” i’ve read that it starts at around 2-3 weeks, peaks at 6 weeks, and subsides by 3-4 months. which is pretty much in line with our experience when adam was a newborn as well. she’s generally pretty easy going and sleeps most of the time, but i find that she’ll have a fussy time of day either right in the middle of the afternoon, but usually in the evening before bedtime. it’s completely normal, so i try not to let it worry me or stress me out, but i do hate to hear her cry. one of the easiest ways that we’ve dealt with it is to alternate between nursing and carrying her in a wrap or sling until she chills out and falls asleep.

in fact, that’s pretty much where you’ll find her if she isn’t napping, having tummy time, or engaged in stimulating activities like listening to us read or sing, or hanging out in her baby play gym. just as important as it is to fill their little brains with information, it’s important to avoid getting them overstimulated or overtired. holding her close to my chest in a wrap is kinda like having her swaddled, but we both get to bond and share those feel good hormones.

so yes, i’ve been inducted into the cult of babywearing. i wrote this post about it last year when adam was still small enough for me to carry in a wrap. and this time around, i’m having even more fun collecting a little stash. so far, i’m using a very lightweight happy baby wrap in ivory, which is really nice for the super hot weather where we live. and i have two beautiful linen sakura bloom ring slings. i have the classic sling in maple, which is a heavyweight linen. and the chambray sling in twig, which is a slightly softer, lightweight linen. and now i’m on the hunt for a really nice ivory woven wrap. i like woven wraps a lot because there are a million different ways that you can wear them, many of which are able to evenly distribute weight across your back, which makes a huge difference when baby starts to get bigger. and of course i have a lot of fun coordinating them with my outfits, haha!

anyone out there as obsessed as i am? do you have any favorite wraps or slings?

food

taco time

June 8, 2016 1 Comment

this post was sponsored by ALDI as part of influencer activation for influence central.

you may remember a couple of weeks ago, i shared my ALDI grocery haul. so today i thought i’d follow-up and show you what i made! i went shopping ahead of memorial day weekend, but i wasn’t in the mood to celebrate with the typical bbq fare. instead, i opted for something a bit lighter: organic ground beef tacos with chips and guacamole, and a white wine sangria filled with fresh fruit. as i mentioned in my previous post, ALDI has just opened 26 new locations across southern california, and this was my first visit to one of their locations. i had a vague idea that they sold products at an affordable price, so i wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. but as i started to browse through the aisles, i was really surprised to see that they had lots of fresh produce, and a really great selection of organic products. one of the ways that they’re able to offer such affordable prices is with their own ALDI-exclusive brands like SimplyNature®, which includes usda certified organic and non-gmo verified items, liveGfree® gluten-free products, and NeverAny! products that are free from added antibiotics, hormones and animal by-products.

i was able to cook this entire spread in about 15 minutes and the cost was probably 50% less than what i normally spend at the grocery store. what’s even better, is that i didn’t have to compromise on the quality of any of the ingredients and was able to cook a fresh, healthy meal.

traditional tacos.

16 oz. SimplyNature® Organic 100% Grass Fed Ground Beef
1/2 cup diced Curry & Company Yellow Onion
Stonemill Essentials Salt and Cumin to taste
Pueblo Lindo Corn Tortillas
1/2 cup chopped Queen Victoria Cilantro
limes

start by cooking 1/4 cup of the onion in oil for 1 minute or until translucent. add the ground beef with salt and cumin to taste until it is cooked through. warm the tortillas, top them with beef, and garnish with cilantro and the remaining diced onion. serve with lime slices.

guacamole.

4 Mission Avocados
1 TopLine Farms Tomato, diced
1/2 a Curry & Company Red Onion, diced
1 Pueblo Lindo Jalapeno, diced
1/4 cup Queen Victoria Cilantro, diced
Stonemill Essentials Salt and Cumin to taste

mix together all of the diced ingredients, then scoop the avocado into the mix and mash to desired consistency. add salt and cilantro to taste. serve with SimplyNature® Seedy Rolled Tortilla Chips.

white wine sangria.

Earth’s Harvest Chardonnay made with organic grapes
2 Paramount Citrus Oranges
4 limes
1 Rainier Fruit Company Apple
3 Ripe N Ready Nectarines
16 oz. club soda or Summit Ginger Ale

pour the wine into a large jar or pitcher, slice the fruit to bite size and squeeze the citrus juices into the wine before adding the sliced fruit to the mixture. before serving, pour in the club soda. if you prefer something a bit more sweet, add ginger ale instead.

lifestyle, home

a fab entryway upgrade

June 6, 2016 7 Comments

slowly but surely, over the past year, i’ve been pulling together this little house of mine. and while things have been shaping up in many parts of the house, there are still a few spaces that could use an upgrade. and despite the fact that the entryway is obviously a pretty important focal point in my living room, it’s mostly remained sad and empty. i have a big round mirror and a nelson-style bench, but other than that, we just throw off our shoes under the bench and let piles of mail collect there. so when fab asked if i’d like to upgrade my everyday with some new decor from their site, i jumped at the chance to spruce-up this sorely neglected space. if you’re not familiar with fab, they offer a massive selection of unique and stylishly functional objects from home decor and women’s accessories to tech gadgets and kid’s toys.

i was obviously focused on finding some bright and interesting objects to transform this barren space to something more warm and inviting. i really love that they have such an expansive selection of items, including a lot of handmade goods by independent designers. i decided to go for a mix of mid century and ‘bohemian’ to match the decor in my house, and was able to choose items from a non-profit organization that donates 100% of their profits to the economic empowerment of women in rwanda, in addition to some really cool mid century inspired, nelson-style pottery. the packages arrived in a few days and i was able to turn this lonely little corner into a proper, inviting entryway. in fact, after everything was set up, adam was so intrigued by what i was up to, that he asked if he could pose for a picture with me in our newly decorated space.

i’ve also learned that fab is hosting a massive giveaway, so make sure you head over and enter to win a $1,000 fab shopping spree!

a very bare “before.”

a little peek at the mini eyelash catchall by indego africa. the perfect tiny basket for keys or change or little trinkets.

fueling my basket addiction. the two in the back are vintage. the pom palm tote bag by indego africa and mini eyelash catchall by indego africa.

the perfect large and medium nelson planters by shiraleah and the basant block print pillow by shiraleah hanging out with some vintage throw pillows.

the nelson gourd vase by shiraleah sitting pretty.

don’t be fooled by that face, this little guy insisted that i let him pose for a picture with me in front of our newly decorated space. he’s such a sweetheart!

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