Here we sit in the final month of summer and I’m only left questioning: How is it all flying by so fast?

It’s been quite some time since I’ve done a little life check in so I thought I’d share a few updates on life lately.

As you know, we welcomed Hugh in to the family last month and it’s been one big love fest since. It was quite scary on week 2 when June sadly gave us all RSV {a very scary cold for infants to get}, but Hugh seems to be fighting it off like the little champ he is. He tested positive and has been in and out of the urgent care but hasn’t had to stay overnight which we are incredibly thankful for. Even though we were all sick the first few weeks of his life, it was also a very nice reminder to never take our health for granted and we hunkered down and rested together as a family of four.

During the in between moments, I have been plugging away on Wyeth. Wyeth is a new brand that we are launching in October and while I haven’t talked too much about it here, I am going to start to share more and more in the weeks to come. I have been designing a full collection and helping our team with the store build out, branding and marketing strategy, building our e-commerce and popping in and out of showrooms for multi-label wholesale. It’s all been so fun and I love flexing the creative muscle that I’ve been slowly building through this blog over the past 10 years.

In other news on the Homefront, we are thinking of moving June’s room into the playroom. We’ve been exploring the idea of welcoming an au pair into our family this fall. I only recently started researching this and I really love the idea of bringing someone into our lives that can offer a different cultural perspective on a daily basis. I truly want my children to experience different languages and cultures throughout their upbringing and what better way than to become a host family for someone. We are narrowing in on criteria and I’ll have more information on that soon.

But (the fun stuff) that also means redesigning the playroom to suit June’s needs and making her room and space for the au pair. I’ve been eyeing new beds and started a new Pinterest “toddler beds” folder. That’s a little project that’s been keeping me busy at night.

We also finally did our house shoot just before Hugh was born so I’m hoping to share some images with you soon.

Side note: I need to re-order these AMO denim in a size down because I loved them when I tried them on in the above photo.

Here are a few other things that I’ve ordered and loved lately:

I’m sorry to say that these $$$ pair of denim are sold out but if you can hunt them down, they’re definitely a favorite purchase of the season!

I saw this Jenni Kayne sweater on a fellow influencer and have loved it since day one. While I’m on it, a lot of you asked about the cable knit sweater I wore in the hospital and it is also Jenni Kayne.

This white dress was also a fan favorite on IG and the top 5 sellers on Amazon last month were: My favorite white swim cover up, my all time favorite socks (set of 3), my husband’s favorite undies, the only bike shorts I will wear, and this incredibly soft and easy to wear comfy set.

On a splurge bend I pulled the trigger on these Roger Vivier slingbacks and boy am I happy I did. Order a 1/2 size up and thank me later. The leather is incredibly soft!

This was one of my favorite purchases of the month!

Toward the end of August, June goes on summer break and we are planning to take her to Idaho with our friends. I’m looking so forward to one last summer trip as this year felt a little more low key than past years for us. In no way am I upset about it because we got the best gift of all which has made us truly sit still and soak in these long summer days.

I’m really hoping to stretch this month out in to one final crescendo to celebrate balmy summer nights, BBQing with friends and daily swims in the warm pool. However, I’m also looking ahead towards fall and the turning of a season on the calendar with excitement and anticipation.

Firstly, I have a few updates from last month’s post.

In February of “Eyeing & Buying” I mentioned a Grainine Morton necklace that I pulled the trigger on and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. The necklace is one of my new favorite pieces and I’ll be taking her with me on my trip to Cabo. Absolutely obsessed!

Outside of that necklace, I ended up forgoing the jelly sandals trend which I’m happy about. But here are a few new things I’ve been eyeing (and buying) lately.

An Incredibly Affordable and Chic Cover-Up

My friend Grace Atwood posted about this cover-up that she’s had, and loved, for years. I pulled the trigger on purchasing it and I’m so so so obsessed. It reminds me of a cover-up by Eres. Talk about a great look for less!

Deep V Dress

I love everything about this deep v number. In fact, I ordered it! I haven’t gotten it in yet but I’ll keep you posted. I’ve been really feeling darker tans and browns lately as opposed to my usual neutral fix.

New Chairs for Playroom

We desperately need to new chairs for the playroom and I’ve been keeping my eye on this pair by Lulu & Georgia. I love a good swivel chair in the playroom so that wherever your kiddo is running off to you can rotate around to keep an eye on them.

Khaite

Just generally eyeing all things Khaite because I’m so crazy obsessed. Like, obsessed obsessed.

Merlette

I’ve been a fan of Merlette for years and every time I wear my dark Burgundy dress on Instagram you guys seem to go nuts asking where it’s from. I’ve been keeping an extra close eye on her pieces as of late after I met her in New York during market week. She’s the nicest person and I’m the biggest fan of all of her newest pieces.

Is there anything you have your eye on this month? Share a comment below!

We’re getting closer and closer to June 7th, which is the day my book will finally release.

I couldn’t be more excited to share this incredibly vulnerable piece of my life with you all. I was having coffee with my mom this morning and she said, “Why don’t you just wait until the book comes out to sell it?” While this does make sense, pre-ordering a book will 100% guarantee that you have a copy on the day the book is released (June 7, 2022). It also sends a very big signal to the bookstores that are buying my book that they need to stock up!

Readers are the most interactive and influential component in book publishing. My book will only be a success if it is purchased and by pre-ordering a copy, it’s the first “gold star” my book can receive.

Lastly, to put it frankly, debut authors such as myself especially need to show a solid sell in preorders to prove to the publishers that they have a place in the market. It’s the first shot at landing on any best seller lists.

It is a very easy way to support my book (thank you in advance).

Where To Order:

Nowhere Bookshop in Texas – Order a very special copy for a signed copy!

Target

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Apple

Bookshop

Rakuten

Libro

I always have a few dresses in my closet that feel season-less that I can just throw and go at a moments notice.

Often times when an event or night out, or even a last minute trip, pops up on the calendar it will feel like I have “nothing to wear” which is the exact moment these dresses come in handy. Thankfully I’ve learned over the years to always, always, pack a dress when traveling.

My favorite staple “go to” dresses are easy to layer over and easy to pair with a variety of shoes. For example, the A.L.C. dress I wore in New York for a last minute dinner was something I had originally purchased for a birthday party in Los Angeles. However, it was really easy to pop on a pair of knee-boots and a heavy coat over. You could even wear tights if you needed an extra layer and button it all the way up to the neck.

What I’m Wearing: A.L.C. Dress (I’m wearing a size Medium), Dress also available here

I also love: This jersey dress by Ganni, Obsessed with all things Normal Kamali, Speaking of…this long dress is stunning, When in doubt a sweater dress is always a good idea (size up)

Photos by Molly Zacher

This seemed to be a fan favorite last month so I thought I’d give it another stab.

Here a few items, style trends and things I’ve been eyeing (and buying) for February.

Jelly Sneaker Trend

Vogue.com did a piece on a new trend of Jelly Sneakers. Okay, okay, before you cancel me: They aren’t half bad! Sometimes I feel like I’m behind the eight ball on trends because I’m not much of a trends kinda gal. But you guys know how much I love wearing sneakers. I found a pair of Nike’s that feels like a safe way to pull this look off. We’ll see how they look when I get them!

All Things Raey

I’ve had my eye on this brand for many, many months but for some reason always hesitated on pulling the trigger. With more “basics” type of stuff, I usually like the try it on and feel the material. Buying online can be tough. But I finally pulled the trigger on this bralette and matching cardigan, plus these cropped jeans. They’re a pricey investment but I had a gift card to Matches Fashion for a partnership we’re doing together soon. I’ll keep you posted if I think they’re worth the $$.

New Jewelry Designer (new to me)

My good friend Heidi was wearing a pair of beautiful earrings on our trip to St. Barth’s and I couldn’t stop drooling over them. Ever since I have been eyeing all things Grainne Morton and have zeroed in on this Pearl & Shell necklace. Each heirloom piece is hand-made and ethically sourced. Strongly considering pulling the trigger on this unique necklace.

This Khaite Bag

Let’s be honest, I want anything and everything that’s in “Lauren’s Closet” to be in my closet. She has the best taste and impeccable style. I went through her most recent edit and I keep coming back to this bag by Khaite. It feels like a fresh take on the ever-popular Bottega Veneta. I really love the little knot on top. I mean I honestly just want everything on this page.

Is there anything that you guys are eyeing/buying this month? Share in the comments below!

January still feels like such a blur.

With that said, I did feel like I got a fresh start to the new year because I spent most of the month cleaning around the house and taking new inventory of what I have in my closet and what I actually wear.

There were a few new pieces I scored off Amazon that I’m sure you noticed I’ve been wearing non-stop.

Sweater Pant

I’ve been living in these pants. I’m obsessed and need every color! The picture shows them a bit on the cropped side, but if you wear them lower they’re long enough to touch the ground. I like how you can pretty much pull them on to whatever length suits you best.

Cozy Sweater

The quality and lightweight feel of this sweater is everything. It’s the perfect length and shockingly feels super soft. I’m usually not a turtleneck kinda gal, but this one feels loose enough to pull off.

Workout Cropped Sweatshirt

I already had one of these little cropped tops and had been wearing it so much that I ordered another. I take a size Medium and love throwing on this loose fitting cropped sweatshirt before yoga in the mornings.

Oversized Cardigan

I just ordered this chunky knit and I cannot wait to get it in the mail. I’ve really been in to oversized cardigans. I ordered one from Toteme that you guys said you loved but wanted a good “look for less.” I’m hoping this was fits the bill as a strong recommendation I can make.

Coffee Measuring Scoop

This sounds crazy but I noticed the other day how long it takes me to scoop coffee into the machine. I stood there trying to figure out how much time in my life I waste doing this simple task. Then, I got smart and ordered a new scoop. I’m also embarrassed because we’ve had our older one for way too many years.

Tennis Shoes

I’ve been playing a lot of tennis again and I was on the hunt for some new court shoes. Asics are always so comfortable and I’m pumped to try these out!

The Best Socks

I had to buy another pack of these socks because I love them so much.

Winter Tights

These are a purchase that wouldn’t suggest at all. I didn’t love the outside material and the color was way off!

Smiley Face Slippers

The most popular slippers on the internet right now, and I finally know why! They’re so cute and make my loungewear pop.

Did you score anything fun from Amazon this month? Leave a comment below!

I am itching to travel somewhere warm.

Here are a few things on my resort ready purchase list!

I feel like everyone I know is craving to wear nothing but neutrals lately.

Is it just me? Perhaps it’s a way to mirror our neutral attitudes towards the new year. Or, it’s just really “in” style at the moment. Either way, I’ve been loving busting out all of my simple natural colors to ease in to the new season.

I’m kind of rolling my eyes as I typed out the word “tips” because I’m still thanking my lucky stars that June did well on our flight from Aspen to LAX.

She had a complete and utter melt down on previous flights to Texas and the only other time we’ve really flown with her {insert: Covid baby} was when we flew with her before she was walking, talking and expressing her options.

I did a ton of research online after our miserable flight in July 2021. We flew to Texas to see my family and June lost her s-h-*-t on the flight there and the flight back. She was kicking, screaming, wailing in the middle of the aisle. She pushed me, resisted any bribes, efforts or love from Grant and I. It was a mess.

But, I do have a few takeaways to share just in case there’s some mama out there who is reading this and feeling my pain.

1. Don’t Fly Between 2 and 2.5 years of age {sort of}

Kidding. Sort of. At least this was the age that was most difficult for June. I think the main take away is “Don’t Fly Between x and y” ages with your child. Do a gut check. You know your kiddo better than anyway. I knew, deep down, that June was going to lose it last July. I just knew it. But I pushed us to fly to Texas anyway and guess what? We all paid the price. This particular age was right when June was learning how to talk and communicate, yet not 100%. So we could somewhat understand each other, but she couldn’t really reason with us quite yet. Now that she’s through that developmental phase, we can really communicate in a better way. We explained ahead of time what she could expect on the airplane. We would have her repeat the steps of the travel day and ask her a dozen times, “What do you do on the plane?” and she would say “Stay in seat. Wear my seat belt.”

2. Have New Activities/Toys

I used to pack so many toys that my bag would weight a TON. This time, I packed 3 new activities that I knew June would love. They were also things that I had done a lot of research on. A lot of blogs suggested the below toys and I must say, they really kept her occupied. The key is to not let your toddler see any of these toys until you on board the plane. In fact, pull one out if you need to bribe them to put their mask on, put on their seat belt and settle in. Thankfully, June did that part seamlessly. I pulled out this weekly pill box organizer with these Pom Pom Balls stuffed inside as we were taking off. I told her once we were in the air we could play with it. This stretched out the entire moment.

It’s all about slowing down and stretching out all of the activities.

Another amazing recommendation was this LOL Surprise Doll. Parents: If your toddler doesn’t know about LOL dolls, save them for the plane. The novelty will eventually wear off but June is obsessed with these.

One of June’s favorite movies is The Grinch so I just knew she would love playing with this small set I found on Amazon. She played with this for nearly the entire flight and I joined in on the make believe.

3. Shows Shows Shows

We aren’t the household that deprives our kid of screen time (I’ll take all the judgement you want). We introduced June to a few new shows that she really took to over the holidays and I made sure to download them to her tablet for the flight. I also showed her videos of other kids wearing headphones and she was super excited to get her own pair {I let her pick out the color!}.

June’s favorite shows/movies are: Peppa Pig, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, The Grinch, Peanuts Movie, Charlie Brown, Do Re Mi.

4. New(ish) Snacks

Someone, somewhere, recommended this snack dispenser and boy oh boy was it a HUGE hit for June. She thought it was a toy! Also, bring suckers for take-off and landing for ears popping!

In hindsight, I think what really worked for us was the timing. June is at a pretty sweet age where we can explain, reason and communicate with her so it’s much easier to avoid red-zone meltdowns. We also pulled a last minute decision to ditch her car seat and let her sit with the seatbelt. Grant really thinks that this was more comfortable for her, which inspired her to stay in her seat the entire time.

Whatever it was, I’m praying and hoping that her new in flight attitude sticks around because it made for much friendlier skies for us and fellow passengers.

Do you travel regularly with a toddler? Please leave any tips below for our future travels!

Notice how I didn’t say “Ski” edit?

There’s a bit difference between what I wear around a ski town when I’m not on the slopes versus what I am wearing when I actually ski. I’ve been skiing in Aspen for about 12 years now and I feel like I have my technical gear down to a science. I’ll break this down at the bottom of this post.

I’ll also share my favorite pieces to wear around town when I’m off the slopes. You’ll find an array of lots of different product below! Hats and gloves are obviously a must have, but I would strongly suggest buying these products once you arrive at your destination so you can try before you buy. Glove sizing can be quite tricky!

More Style Guides

Style Tips

Inspiring Ski Style

Style Tips

My Master List

In the feature image I’m wearing a Dior jacket that the brand let me borrow plus my favorite ski pants by Frauenschuh and boots by Sam Edelman. My sweater is sold out but here is a super similar one by Veronica Beard. 

For Snow Days

When I’m off the slopes I like to be nice and comfortable. I will still wear a base layer but not as technical as one if I were skiing. This usually consists of a cotton tank top or long sleeve top depending on the weather. I’m a big fan of Velvet’s long sleeve tees for this. I’ll throw on a sweater over this and then a big puffy jacket on top. For my base layer, I am obsessed with Plush fleece lined tights. These work well underneath any type of pant or even underneath a dress with over the knee boots.

If your budget permits, my absolute favorite puffy jackets are Moncler. They’re a worthwhile investment. I’ve had mine for over 5 years and it’s the warmest jacket I own. If your looking to spend less, I hear great things about Marmot. Also, this cute puffy coat received rave reviews on Amazon for a much more affordable look for less.

For Ski Days

My favorite ski brands are KJUS, Frauenschuh, Rossignol and Arcteryx.

I also love Perfect Moment which will give you a nice, fitted look that’s also warm. I wouldn’t suggest it on the coldest, more freezing temperature days, however it’s a great fit for skiing when it’s less blizzard-like out.

The base layer I’m currently wearing is Eddie Bauer top and pants. My favorite go to ski jacket and pants are Frauenschuh because they keep me the warmest {did I mention I hate being cold?}.  I also wear a gator that I purchased from the ski shop in Aspen. It’s just a basic black fleece gator.

Because I hate walking around in ski boots, I have a shorty pair of UGG boots that I’ll wear to the bottom of the slopes. I usually stash them in the locker room under a bench. I also throw them back on afterwards for aprés-ski drinks.

We were a year in to the pandemic when Catt asked me to go with her to hot yoga.

“Just come! You’ll love it. The room is so hot, it feels great,” she said. All I knew is that I hated yoga. But I was also exceptionally restless from a year of quarantine and looking to do something, anything, to get out of the house in a safe way.

So, I went.

It was February 11, 2021 and Catt took Lina and I to Urban 728 Yoga where we took a private with an instructor named Joe. Little did I know it at the time but this studio would quickly become my home away from home for the next year, where I would spend at least three to six days a week visiting.

After my first class, I didn’t get the buzz quite yet. But, I agreed to attend once a week with the girls because it was a nice, healthy, fun thing for us to all do together. I honestly figured I could bail after a week or two.

Me, Catt and Lina at of our first classes.

After a few months, we slowly moved from the main room in to a much smaller room where Joe holds private sessions.  And the more I went, the more I craved going. I wish I could remember the exact moment that it all started to “click” for me. Before each practice, Joe would ask “How are you?” And whomever was in the class, whether it was just me in a solo or all four of us in a private group, the conversations would often times lead into 20-30 minute discussions about life, love, loss, struggle and triumph.

I slowly learned how to bring my personal life stories in to my practice which, in return, has allowed me to bring my practice with me everywhere I go.

Maybe I wasn’t full ready to love, or even like, yoga before 2021. Maybe I didn’t have the right guidance to teach me how yoga isn’t really about the poses or flexibility at all. But I honestly used to hate yoga. The breathing, sometimes moaning, would drive me absolutely mad. I’d roll my eyes at the cult-like obsession people seemed to have with going to yoga. I just didn’t get it. I also didn’t understand how people thought this was truly a form of exercise. I preferred running, pilates, kick-boxing or dance cardio or anything else over yoga. I always thought it was just a bunch of stretching and moaning because I never really had anyone teach me that it is so much more than that!

I was always drawn to the idea of meditation but I couldn’t sit still. The reason why I think hot yoga works for someone like me, with my ADHD mind, is that it combines so many various elements all at once that I am literally forced to only think about one thing: breathing.

If we do not control our breath, the breath controls us. Before this year, I didn’t realize how much emphasis you need to put on your breath to really understand how yoga works.

The room is hot, really hot. The music is loud but not so loud that it overtakes Joe’s voice which shares inspiration, wisdom, and empowerment. All of the teachers at Urban 728 Yoga are excellent and have their own style of teaching. I’ve slowly started to venture in to other instructors and even taking the online classes which I strongly recommend. There are a lot of things that can serve as a distraction from breathing, but if you allow that to happen then you simply won’t make it through the entire 60, sometimes 90, minutes of class.

Sure my mind has wandered towards “What’s for dinner?” But if I let it hang out there too long, about 3 poses later I’ll be struggling to keep myself from falling flat on my face or giving up. The challenge is making it to the end of the class.

There have been days that I want to think about anything but breathing in yoga. My mind loves to work in triple over time to mask and bury down, deep down, any past pain or triggers. I’ve spent 38 years learning how to avoid feeling complicated, painful feelings and when I’m in yoga all of those things are slowly starting to unwind, untwist, and unfold.

The deeper I go in to a pose, the more I breathe, the more of my past feels like it is releasing.

Have I pushed myself too hard at times? Absolutely. I’ve walked away from sessions thinking “I’ll never do that again!” but I usually have a smirk on my face when I’m thinking that, because I know better.

For me, I think the biggest take away from my past year is learning to trust my body again. After giving birth to June back in 2019, I suffered a great deal of trauma to my body that I had deeply stored. There were a few sessions that ended with tears streaming down my face. That’s when I started to really see and believe how much my mind and body are connected. I had been storing my emotional pain in my body.

If I’m being honest, back then I really believed that my body was broken. I had been repeating a script to myself for two years that “my body cannot do what it was made to do.” When faced with the reality that I have secondary infertility, I went down the pity party rabbit hole asking, “What is wrong with me?”  If I was in a yoga class and saw someone doing a pose or stretch I couldn’t do, I would chalk it up to yet another thing that my body wasn’t letting me do. But instead of beating myself up over why all of this was happening to me, the narrative slowly started to shift to why all of this was happening for me.

Yoga has offered a holistic healing for all of the layers of my being. My body knew what it needed to do to heal itself, yet my mind kept getting in the way with distractions from the pain. And when I say “healing” I do not necessarily mean that I am cured or “fixed” or that I have gotten “better” in any way.

For me, healing means letting go of the things that are not who I am, and letting go of the expectations to be something that I am not.

I realize now that I’ve only began to scratch the surface of what it means to heal trauma that is buried within the core of our bodies. But I can already see a true difference in my mind, body, and soul after spending nearly a year dedicating myself to practicing yoga. I have slowly began trusting myself and my body, day after day. It’s a slow and gradual process that I don’t think really has an ending and for that I am so incredibly grateful.

This post simply would not be complete without dedicating it to my incredible teacher, Joe Komar and Catt for introducing me to this magical practice.

So, do you hate yoga? I did too. I encourage you to maybe give it another try some day.

And just like that, another year is over.

Is it just me or did 2021 fly by with the blink of an eye. One minute Covid-19 was running rampant, the next we thought it was all over, and then we closed out the year with yet another wave of this awful pandemic ruthlessly making it’s way across the world.

As I reflect back on 2021, I have a few things that I’m very proud of and a lot things that have room for improvement. Rather than beat myself up over the things I wasn’t able to accomplish last year, or feel sad over what we weren’t Abel to do, I’m closing out 2021 feeling very thankful for everything that we have. This year and last felt like a survival mode. I really “cut the fat” on things in my life that no longer serve me. I also streamlined my energy and focused on things that are worth my time, energy, and effort.

One thing that I did for 2021 versus years past was I gave myself a word (or a phrase) of what I wanted that year to be.

For me, 2021 was the year of wellness.

I did a big deep dive down the health habit hole. I checked off all of the my Dr’s visits, which let to 2 MRI’s, a physical therapy journey and finally finding a solution for my adenomyosis and learning more about secondary infertility. I took up yoga, which has truly been serving me in the strongest way possible both mentally and physically {more on that soon!}

As we venture in to a new year, I’m planning to mirror the same alternate idea to setting a resolution with a word/phrase/intention.

From this day forward, I will make choices that my future self will be proud of.

Because every single moment of our lives we are faced with a choice: to smile or not to smile, to take the trip or to stay home, to accept the project or decline politely, to play with your daughter or clean the house, to call your parents or keep watching Netflix, to workout or not to workout…. SO MANY CHOICES.

Every thought, word and deed is creating your future. So, my intention for 2022 is to make each of my choices count as much as I can so that when I look back on my life I am happy, proud, and feel confident with the choices that I made. Here are a few things that I have already brought into my daily practice that will help support this.

Trust Your Intuition

The more time we have to sit still, the more in tune we can get with our intuition which is our strongest superpower. Any time I was invited to an event or gathering in 2021, I took a pause to really think about whether or not I wanted to attend. In the past I was always go-go-go to work events and gatherings because I felt like it was something I “had” to do or something that I “needed” to do. But my gut always dreaded it a bit. I would much rather be home on the couch with my daughter or spending time with my family. This isn’t to say that I do not enjoy the occasional social setting, I’m just really zeroing in on the times I take time to do so.

Be Honest

Being truthful with yourself and with others about why and how and when you are spending your time. I am no longer interested in putting the needs of others ahead of my own. Outside of Grant and June, I will be honest about the time and space that I need to live up to my fullest potential.

Set Boundaries & Expectations

I have found that the more boundaries and expectations you are able to set up early on, the better. The minute a plan or conversation gets started is the minute I will jump in and say “No we will not be able to host that dinner” or “Yes, we would love to volunteer our time.” There is nothing worse than getting too far down a rabbit hole of commitment with your time that you end up setting yourself, and others, up for disappointment.

What are your intentions for 2022? I would love their them in the comments below!