24 weeks pregnant & learning to relax

chambray button down: similar || denim maternity shorts: similar ASOS (shout out to awesome friends who loan you cute & perfect summer maternity clothes!:) || tank top: target || glasses: Oliver Peoples

well i am now 24 weeks along with this little pumpkin and she has really made an appearance this past week!  talkin' helloooww baby bump!  still no complaints over here excluding my bulging veins (which i briefly mentioned in my last post) in my legs which sometimes hurt quite a bit after being on my feet all day. so i've been trying to make more of an effort to sit down and prop my feet up, while wearing my ultra chic compression socks(!), a few times a day but i'm not gonna lie, it's hard.  and it's not just because of the two kids who come over immediately once they see me sit down demanding i hold one of them, play with the other and then continue to climb/kick all over me... this is how i imagine it goes in their heads-- "look! mom's sitting down! hey from this angle she looks like she'd make the perfect playground!  quick, lets go climb/beat up all over her!" thanks kids.. it's no biggie, really haha.

but honestly, i think too often i end up feeling guilty for taking just 5 minutes to myself sitting down and resting when i know there are SO many other things i need to/should get done instead.  and it doesn't help that once i'm actually sitting on the couch it makes me realize just how tired i actually feel, which then makes me realize i should make a coffee to get through the rest of the day and as i've mentioned before, it's a whole family affair when it comes to making mom's coffee... Sooo long story short, i'm working on letting myself rest more and telling myself that it's just as important as cleaning the kitchen, putting away the laundry and fetching individual snacks 1,000 times a day.  i think  i'm making some pretty big strides!  the other night i went to Aldi and got a large frozen pizza that we all had for dinner and didn't allow myself to feel one ounce of guilt about it.  i mean- i did steam some broccoli as a side so it wasn't totally unhealthy ;) but still-- little to no clean up, full bellies and time to relax/play after dinner with the kids was pretty perfect.  #itsthelittlethingsinlife

congratulations everyone, we made it through monday!  thank goodness for afternoon target trips which include coffee, cake pops & strolling the toy aisles with friends :) 

-A


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a lesson on staying humble

shirt: francesca's|| tank: target|| leggings: target|| shoes: keds

the day after thanksgiving we broke out the Christmas boxes and began the task of decking the halls, helllooo all things Christmassy!!  we have almost all of our decor up excluding the outside lights, we'll see if those ever make it up...  and it has actually been chilly this week! Our high tomorrow is only 56!  oh yes, we're gonna freeze ;) i did make it out black friday shopping with my sister and scored some pretty sweet deals, this shirt being one of my favorite items.  but first a little back story to give you a laugh-- 

the conversation I had with my sister thanksgiving night:

me- "so i'm thinking we'll get up around 6am and then leave shortly after we're done getting ready." 

sis- "okay sounds good!"

me- "sooo, are you gonna need me to wake you up or will you set an alarm?" 

sis- "oh no, i think i'll be fine just using my alarm.  no need to wake me up"

me-  "are you sure?..."

Sis- "haha yeah, i think i'll be okay"

Me- (thinking to myself, she wont be up that early;) "alright if you say so..."

fast forward to friday morning-- most of the night was spent dealing with both kids horrible sleep schedules (or lack thereof), woke up at one point and realized my phone was on my chest.  odd, put it on the nightstand and fell back asleep.  woke up a few hours later and checked my phone thinking it was super early-- nope, almost 7:00am!  kinda freaked out but then thought "eh, no big deal, sis probably isn't awake anyways." got up to go check, made it out to the living room and there she was-- almost 9 month pregnant woman all dressed and ready to go, passed out asleep on the couch.  i felt horrible.  especially because i was giving her such a hard time about getting up on time the night before.  it suddenly made sense why i woke up with my phone on my chest that night, i fell asleep as i was setting an alarm... sigh.  thanks for keeping me humble, Lord. ;)   

so, there's your daily dose of humor for the day.  on to better/comfier things! 

this shirt!  it is sooo soft and comfortable!  i could live in it, and i totally would if i didn't get food, drool and other such lovely things on my clothes on a daily basis (those are due to my kiddos, by the way, just wanted to clarify that.).  my absolute favorite part about this shirt is that it's totally nursing appropriate!  I love when i find normal & cute pieces that'll work for all of the different stages in my life.  my only complaint is that i couldn't find any other colors in my size, if i had i probably would've bought one of each... 

 i got these stirrup leggings from target a couple weeks ago and they're so fun!  my husband says it looks like i'm wearing two pairs of pants or leg warmers over my leggings but i don't care, i still like them!  they fit really well, have a fold down option around the waist and are perfect for working out or just everyday use.  

the shoes: I scored these keds for around $17.00 at our Stridrite due to the store closing, everything was 60% off!  i'm not sure if it's a nationwide thing or if it was just ours but if you have one near you it's worth checking out for sure!   i got zo some of the cutest litte Sperry duck boots, I figured with how much it rains out here she'll (hopefully!) get some good use out of them.  back to my shoes though-- these are super comfy and i wear them basically all day every day.  obvious moral of this post, the comfier the better.  

i hope everyone had a wonderful start to their December & the holiday season!  it's time for me to go change into pjs, make myself a Moscow mule and get to work on Christmas crafts/gifts. 

cheers! 

~amy

p.s
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from playground to date night

after having kids your style is bound to change (unless you were all about leggings & t-shirts before. if so, good on you for always being comfortable).  i didn't realize how much mine would change till my daughter hit toddlerhood.  suddenly i went from strappy heels & cute dresses to tennis shoes & yoga pants as my daily go-to outfit.  not that i'm complaining, 'cause one style just so happens to be waaaaay more comfortable than the other and practicality is key for me nowadays.  trying to chase after my 2yr old while holding my 6 month old & wearing heels is like begging for a trip to the ER.  i can just imagine tripping and breaking my ankle.  although i'd probably be given orders to lay down & rest if that actually happened... hmmm.. #mamastired 

where was i going with all of this?  Oh yeah.  even though my style has changed i still try to keep my daily outfits to more than just a t-shit & leggings (who am i kidding, that's my usual look).  oh and in my opinion, as long as my top covers my bum, leggings count as pants.  so for this post i thought i'd share a simple way i took this outfit from "mom mode" to "date night mode" without having to change too much about it.  cause trying to pick out a whole new outfit at the end of the day is just too exhausting #mamastiredforreal 

i started with a casual look--black leggings, a summer sweater (cause it's still waaaay too hot for actual sweaters around here) over a gray tank & vans. this is a perfect playground outfit (where we spend most of our days) but also still stylish. 

sweater, loft(similar)  | tank top, target| leggings, target| shoes (well used haha), vans|

for our "family date night" (meaning we went to dinner with both kids in tow, which is still lots of fun!) i simply rolled my leggings a bit, changed my shoes from vans to cute ankle boots, teased & pinned my hair and added a wrap around watch to dress it up just a bit.  (I would've added a necklace as well but who am i kidding, peter would've ripped it off within a matter of seconds).  and that's it!  isn't it crazy how changing just a few small things can make such a difference?!  now i know that these booties do have a heel but since we were spending the majority of our time sitting in a restaurant i wasn't too worried about the possibility of an ER trip...  also, i'm really trying to pretend it's cold enough to wear boots around here!  

boots, top moda (similar) | watch, La Mer|

do you have any tips for taking your look from "mom mode" to "date mode"?  be sure to comment if you do & don't forget to subscribe by email to stay up to date on all of our recent happenings! 

happy friday!

~amy

friday favorites: lush edition

this post is in no way sponsored, i'm just obsessed with Lush and many of their products so i thought i'd put together a list of our favorites in case anyone out there is looking to jump on board the "lush addict" bandwagon but doesn't know where to begin. your first trip there can be slightly overwhelming considering the amount of products they have to offer, i know the first time i ventured inside i wanted to buy just about everything and didn't even know what most of it was. i just knew it looked awesome & smelled amazing.  i saw a funny photo the other day that said something about how being inside a lush store while it's flooding would be the most enjoyable flood of all time, and i'd have to agree.  so, without further ado, here are our lush family favorites!

we'll start with my favorites! first up--Ocean Salt: this came in a gift box my husband got for me and this was my favorite product in the set. i love the way it makes my face feel after using it and to be honest, it kinda tastes like a margarita.  not that I'm eating it or anything, I just notice the taste when the water is running down my face while I'm washing it off...*insert monkey with hands over eyes emoji*

-Dark Angels: after i ran out of the ocean salt scrub I decided to try this one to see how I liked it. I do like the ocean salt more but this is a good one for a nice deep cleanse.  and it's kinda fun to see yourself covered with charcoal...

-Grease Lightning : hands down, my favorite product i have tried so far is this tea tree cleanser.  i started using it when i was pregnant with peter due to my skin breaking out horribly and i was so surprised to see how effectively it worked at clearing it up!  i now use it nightly and if i put it on a blemish before i go to bed it's almost always guaranteed to help clear it up, sometimes even just over night!  seriously, this stuff is amazing. 

-Kalamazoo : I bought my husband this beard wash as a Christmas gift a few years ago and since then it has become a staple for him.  eventually i had to up the jar size I was buying cause he uses it so often!  highly recommend it for your bearded man. I also buy him some of the soap bars on occasion, this one has been his favorite but I really enjoy this one!

okay, their bathbombs are amazing. and this is coming from someone who still hasnt had a chance to use one yet due to not having the time to take a nice relaxing bath these days.  BUT- back when zo was around a year old she was going through a sleep regression. we just so happened to be christmas shopping at lush one day when an employee mentioned that we should get a bathbomb for her.  we laughed and were like "um she's a baby and not gonna get any use out of that." she then showed us this one made with chamomile & lavender and said it helps to really knock you out!  we were desperate so we figured what the hey, we'll try it. that night we broke it into a few pieces and let her throw one in the tub (she got a kick out of watching the bomb fizzle in the water) and if you haven't already guessed it, she slept like a rock that night! now every time I go it's almost impossible for me to leave without her requesting to smell every single bomb and pick one out for herself. and since she doesn't use as much water in the tub as a normal sized adult, we can typically get 2-3 uses from one bomb by braking it up. these also make the perfect gifts/stocking stuffers (holy cow, I'm already thinking about christmas!)!  i'm so looking forward to the night i get to use the one that i've got hidden away for myself... 

-the other three products are ones we don't use as often but are still really nice.   Whoosh: a super fun gelly like soap, zo cracks up when I let her touch it.  Dirty: this is a hair styling cream that I was hoping could replace the need for hairspray with zo but it makes her hair just a little too difficult to work with due to the matte consistency. i really like using it in my hair though and I'm pretty sure it'll really come in handy once peter's hair finally decides to show up! Lemony Flutter: this cuticle butter is soooo nice and I love the way it makes my fingers feel after using it. 

I hope this post has been helpful for anyone that's been curious about lush's products. i'd love to hear if you have a favorite one in the comment section & don't forget to subscribe by email for all future blog posts! 

xo, amy