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


*this post contains affiliate links which means by clicking these links i may receive a small commission on some items at no extra cost to you :) 

ramblings about patience

•my children are both obsessed with "helping" me make my morning coffee.  i love that they want to help but some mornings, on the outside i'm giving them an encouraging grin and dancing along to the sound of the coffee being poured into my mug, but on the inside i'm screaming that they do everything just a taaaad quicker so i can feel somewhat awake & alive after being up since 5:30am.  thank you motherhood for teaching me the need for endless amounts of patience ;) 

 

mug: Amazon

•if you didn't see my Instagram post-- surprise, baby #3 is a girl!!!
  i went and bought the first of many impulse buys for baby girl this past week from the cutest little children's boutique.  zo was obsessed with the sales ladies and warmed up to them faster than i've ever seen her warm up to strangers!  the whole time i was thinking "umm who's child is this?!" we got her a pair of adorable little Native shoes that she's been wearing ever since we got home!
p.s. how cute are those kerchief bibs ?!  

 

kerchief bibs: Amazon | Hedgehog romper: Amazon

•summer time in Texas means never going outside past 11:30am unless water and endless amounts of sunscreen are involved.  thankful for the creative engineer that came up with this adorable little splash area at a local park.
 

•gorgeous peonies, an ever growing bump & curious little hands begging to please buy the "very pretty flowers!"  

 

oh, and any tips for dealing with seriously bad varicose veins (notice my left leg) during pregnancy?? 

•taking a quick popsicle break before getting back in the pool & sprinkler on July 4th.  notice Zo's lid AND towel, she absolutely hates when her popsicle starts to melt & drip.   ahh the problems you face as a three year old...  

chairs: Target

Monday is over, yayyy!  The hardest day of the week is done!  Praying that your remaining days are filled with nothing but happiness, love & lottttsss of patience.

    

-A

*this post contains affiliate links which means i may receive a small commission on some items i have listed at no extra charge to you :) 

20 weeks pregnant & my daily fuel

helllooo 20 week baby bump! and woah, already half way done!!

dress (non-maternity): target

so i thought i'd start sharing some maternity style posts in the event that it inspires any other pregnant ladies out there that are struggling with dressing this new little (or not so little!) baby bump.  something i've learned since being pregnant now 3 times over: you do not have to sacrifice personal style when it comes to being pregnant.  it's all about what YOU like and what makes YOU feel beautiful.  after all, your body is doing something absolutely incredible--making a tiny little human life! but, i obviously know the shock of seeing the changes that happen to your body while this awesome process is going on.  it can be uncomfortable (if you're not there yet just wait, it'll happen ;) and sometimes even the teeny tiniest bit saddening (thanks hormones!) to see the way your new body looks.  but one thing to remember is that the whole process is SO worth it.  like 1,000 times over worth it.  or in my case, 3 times haha.  in the end, the only thing that matters is a healthy baby & a healthy mama. So on that note, lets get down to business!
("to defeat, the Huns!"--Mulan reference, i couldn't resist)

this sleeveless shirt dress is the perfect summer time maternity staple piece!  it's so lightweight & flowy, which is what I'm loving and basically living in right now (excluding my everyday morning/afternoon ensemble of workout shorts & tanks;)  due to scorching outdoor temps.  and I just love the simplicity of it, its one of those dresses that doesn't really need anything added to make it look complete.

mug: world market || heart pendant: similar

well, that's not totally true...  my only add-on would be a mug of espresso, or three, to make it 

through the rest of the day ;) 

happy weekend all! 

-A

early to bed early to rise

top: Francesca's similar, similar, similar, similar|| jeans: Francesca's || moccasins: Minnetonka || bracelet: Bela bracelets

fun little story to go with this weeks fashion post:  the other day i took my car in to get the oil changed.  took both kids with me and got there around 3:30, didn't end up leaving till about 4:45... yikes.  but, this car shop is nice y'all.  it has a cute little coffee station set up, iPads you can play on while you wait and the absolute best part?  they have a whole separate toy room that's closed off from the rest of the shop!  genius, right?!  why doesn't every store have one of those?? the kids LOVED it!  who ever thought that going to the auto shop would be fun for anyone, especially with kids?!  zo loved it so much she actually didn't want to leave once the car was finally done...  but back to my story-- as we're waiting one of the mechanics came in just to chat and as we got to talking about the kids he starts telling a story that has to do with his children.  he started it off with "so my wife and i are getting ready for bed it's like 10:30ish, oh and this is what happens by the way, you turn into an old person who can't stay up late anymore due to kids."  that's when i stopped him and was like "um don't wanna brag or anything but i was in bed by 9:30 last night..."  sooo basically if we were having a competition for who feels older/is in bed the earliest, clearly I won ;) #whatshappenedtome  #upallnight #notbychoice 

so anyways, enough bragging about my early bedtimes--On to this outfit!  i've clearly been on a Francesca's kick lately cause i feel like the only outfits i post these days are pieces from there...  

i love these grey washed destroyed jeans and guess what?  They're on sale for $14.99 right now!  highly recommend them.  i bought this top pretty recently but it must've been a hot seller cause it's unavailable now, I've linked a few similar options though. all of them would be perfect for valentines outfits, just sayin ;)  and these deerskin moccasins are seriously the most comfortable shoes ever.  i bought them years ago (like pre-kid, pre-married years ago) and they are still in great shape!  if you've been on the hunt for stylish & comfy moccasins i highly recommend this brand.  

happy Friday y'all!  Hope everyone has had a good week so far!  don't forget to subscribe (in the upper right hand corner!) to stay up to date on all of our recent posts & happenings! 

glasses: oliver peoples

I think the kids will happily go back to the car shop at any moment now....

~amy 

DIY toddler apron

if you're on the hunt for a last minute gift for a child or toddler you may not need to look any further than your kitchen!  did you know that kitchen towels make perfect kid/toddler sized aprons?!  i didn't, but when i found tutorials for them on Pinterest i knew i had to make one for zo since she is obsessed with playing "make dinner". i actually have more in the works for my little nieces as well!  all you need to do is search "DIY kitchen towel apron" and you'll find countless tutorials available.  i used this one  from the adorable blog One Little Minute.  these are seriously so easy to make and if you have a sewing machine it'll probably take like 20min tops. I don't have one though so this took me a bit longer since I had to hand sew it all. 

i happened to have a pack of new towels i got on clearance from target like a year ago and they worked perfectly for this project! then i just used some extra ribbon I had laying around for the waist & neck ties.

and for the pocket i actually used the pocket from one of my husbands old shirts that had a stain on it.  i added a stitched heart into it as a way of saying he'll always be close to zo' heart.  he is her favorite after all... 

 It definitely isn't perfect but it was made with lots of love and i don't think zo will notice any of the many mistakes for years to come... 

i hope this helps if you've been looking for a creative gift for your little bakers! 

Merry (almost) Christmas!!

~amy 

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
don't forget to subscribe (in the upper right hand corner) to stay up to date on all of our latest posts & happenings! 

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