moment of peace
Every once in awhile, I have that rare moment of peace.
The house is cleaned, laundry is done, dinner is cooking in the oven, work is done for the day.
Everyone is playing quietly…
And I can take a moment to breathe.
To sit.
To smile.
And to be thankful.
growing pains
Sometimes it hurts to watch my kids grow up.
To watch them fail. To watch them learn lessons that need learning. To watch them have to take responsibility for a poor decision or forgetting homework or hurtful words or even a lost library book.
I know they need to learn about consequences and taking responsibility now when the stakes are low. I know that protecting and shielding them isn’t what is best for them. This is all part of growing up.
But it hurts. It hurts to watch them hurt. It especially hurts to show tough love when all I want to do is wrap them in my arms and make everything all better. Instead, I need to dry their tears, dust them off and throw them back out there in to the bad bad world.
Just have to pray for them and do all I can at home to get them ready for it.
Parenthood is getting tricky.
fashion friday: fall faves
Yay!! Its falllll!!!!!!
What am I MOST excited to pull out of my closet this fall?
I found this cashmere sweater by Lilly Pulitzer on consignment over the summer and I’m dying to wear it!
And I got these boots from Sorel that I am COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH and am wearing whenever the temp is lower than 60.
and have I ever mentioned how much I love coats? Oh I could have a pea coat in every color, couldn’t you?
And cozy sweater coats. YUM!
corolle picks: 2-in-1 carriage and tidoo baby dolls
I’m so very proud to announce that I’ve been recently named as a Corolle Ambassador!
We just love Corolle in our house – I’m sure I’ve mentioned them several times here already! We’ve had several dolls that are just favorites of my girls – they have outlasted other dolls like you wouldn’t believe! Corolle is a premium doll brand designed in France, whose faces are sculpted in the likeness of real babies.They are life like, adorable, sweet and all the dolls have a fresh vanilla scent – its just lovely. For the next few months, Gracie and I will be covering tons of Corolle’s products just in time for the holidays!
Two of our favorite Corolle products? The 2-in-1 Carriage and Tidoo Poppy!
The 2-in-1 Carriage ($100) is just darling. It makes me want to go for a walk in Central Park! Its the nicest, most well made doll carriage/stroller I’ve seen! It converts from a carriage to a carry bed so its like two products in one. It fits up to 17-inch dolls, folds for easy storage and is very easy to assemble, taking us less than 5 minutes to pop on wheels and add the sunshade.
We just love the Tidoo line of dolls ($40). Unlike most dolls, they don’t end up moldy because they either don’t empty fully or they are really not meant to be immersed. But Tidoo is specifically designed for bathtime as it’s filled with polystyrene beads that dry quickly. Not only that, but Tidoo floats, has a little pacifier and sucks its thumb. Tidoo comes in several versions: four pink, Tidoo Candy, Tidoo Raspberry, Tidoo Grenadine, Tidoo Suce-Pouce in Pajamas, more gender-neutral Tidoo Turquoise and Tidoo Poppy, and the African-American Tidoo Graceful (also in pink pajamas).
Disclosure: I’m a brand ambassador for Corolle this holiday season. These samples were provided to us to facilitate our reviews. As always, all thoughts and opinions are our own.
photo shoot sneak peek…
Remember our photo session I was stressing over?
Well, it was… easy. Those of you with kids know how miraculous this is. For us, getting all three kids smiling at the same time and looking not fake and looking vaguely in a similar direction is virtually impossible. We get one maybe once every two years or so.
So when Kate contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in a photo shoot, I said “Sure!”
But it was followed with a stern warning: “Other photo sessions have not gone well. Kids are grumpy, they have horrible fake smiles and we all end up annoyed.”
Kate laughed and said, “No worries. I got this.”
And boy did she.
The pictures are incredible. Go check out Kate’s blog and see a sneak peek of our shoot! I can’t wait to share more with you!
Kate is offering Stylized Petite Sessions with a local event planner for the Get Well Gabby Foundation. 15% of all money spent will be donated to the foundation. The sessions will be held on October 21 and 22 in Phoenixville. If you’ve been looking to get family pictures done, its a great deal! Kate’s personalization and talent can’t be beat!
you can’t refreeze meat and other food myths
Have you ever thrown meat in the fridge to defrost only to have plans change? Then I feel like I have to either throw it out or hurry up and cook it. Cause its not good, right? Well, apparently it IS okay to refreeze raw meat! But only if it has been defrosted in the fridge (the safest way to thaw meat.)
The USDA just posted this infographic that debunked quite a few food myths that I was living by…
I was glad to see that I don’t need to stress about bagged lettuce anymore! I almost never wash it and I’m glad I don’t have to feel guilty about it anymore! Do you wash bagged lettuce?
We’re you following any of these myths?
go union!
We just love the Union!!
fashion friday: photo shoot
Tomorrow we have a family photo shoot with Kate Giovinco Photography and I am totally stressed out about what to wear.
Naturally.
Its going to be outdoors and perfect fall weather, so I’m thinking sweaters and jeans?I want to coordinate, but not be matchy-matchy. Here’s a few tips that I’m going by…
Color-Blocking
Group photos can bring one of the season’s hottest trends, color-blocking, into action. Arrange your family in different bold hues for a stylish, runway-ready look! Recommended color choices this season include jewel tones like rich purple, cobalt blue, emerald green and lipstick red. We went with reds and pinks paired with neutral gray!
Get Comfortable
Cozy knits, specifically in shades of ivory or chocolate brown, will be trending this holiday season; and the textures of sweaters can play beautifully in photos. Pair with similarly colored bottoms for just the right amount of coordination. How cozy is this?
Accessorize
Opt for one large statement piece and one small accent piece per person, such as a hair accessory or scarf – minimal accessories with maximum impact.
I’m leaving towards cozy knits in grays and blues… what do you think?
Have you ever done a family photo shoot? What did you wear?
fashion-y week!
I’m on a roll, guys!
Last Friday, I walked in a fashion show for Old Navy. It was SO SUPER FUN!! And not just because the Backstreet Boys were there. (Yes, I like the Backstreet Boys. Shut up. You know you like them too!) I got to hang with some fabulous bloggers and had my big runway moment – you’d think I’d have the hang of this by now. NOPE! I was shaking in my (awesome) boots, peeking around the stage to see everyone waiting out there. The cameras, the people… YIKES!
But – aside from a few butterflies in my stomach – it was super fun. Jenny McCarthy, who was hosting ended up walking down the runway with me, chatting, which made it less scary!
Then, yesterday I walked in a show for the Fashion Forward conference. I LOVED my dress – a cute little colorblocked dress by AB Studios – and the colored tights. It was perfect for fall and so super cute.
It has been such a fun fashion week this year! Clearly my professional modeling career is taking off 😉 Watch out, Heidi Klum! (NOT)
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disclosure – both of these events were part of campaigns i did with all things chic. check over there for more details!