Weekend Update

We had a glimpse of spring weather this weekend. We also did a bunch of Evie's favorite things... park, Children's museum, play-doh, eating at cafes (Evie refers to every restaurant or coffee shop as a cafe😊).

We took Evie to Shake, Shake, Shake for dinner on Saturday night. She was in heaven with the music and ice cream. There was lots of dancing and thumbs-up between bites of food😂 

On Sunday morning, Evie and I had a mommy-daughter date. We went for brunch at The Harvester. 

Our entire neighborhood is under construction as the city expands our train system so we have to stop often for Evie to watch the diggers. It's really annoying during the week when I have to drive to work and daycare, but it's nice on the weekend because we can walk to so many restaurants, parks, coffee shops, grocery store and we stop along the way for Evie's free entertainment. 

 Playing grocery store

 Diggers!!

 Wearing Brady's gloves lol

Brady capturing our best angles

 Happy girl (in pearls)

 The pearls came out again for brunch

 Zip line is a super cool feature in a park

 Swinging together

 SO MUCH FUN

Photo cred: Evie

Step one: paint yourself

What's In My Bag

Here's to not carrying any extra crap for Evie🙌

Champion Foundation tote has been praised endlessly since I got it last summer. It's so good! I included it my "Best of 2019" post. It's currently on sale for $21.99!

Truffle Clarity Mini clutch holds all my essentials... airpods, pen, nail file, lip balm, eye drops, keys. I love this pouch. It's the perfect size and easy to see everything. I have the larger size for travel. I really rate this brand. 

Comme des Garcons classic wallet is a new addition. I had the YSL Fragments cardholder for years and I loved it, but I left it in the bottom of the stroller after a walk and kombucha was mistakenly left in there too... it exploded and my cardholder smells like fermented juice no matter how many different ways I try to clean it. Anyway, I do like this cardholder. It's very streamline, but also has place for everything. Comme des Garcons is my favorite brand for small leather goods.

Aquaphor is an absolute essential at all times. I probably use Aquaphor on my lips at least 10 times a day. I also recently developed eczema on my eyelids so I use it there too. We put it on Evie's bum every night before bed. Aquaphor for life!

Soap & Glory Hand Food is a family favorite. My mom, sisters and I all love this stuff. It smells incredible and is really hydrating. I look forward to applying this lotion throughout the day. However, don't let it go unused for too long or the smell goes off. 

Ibuprofen is my lifeline right now. This is always with me. 

New Skincare

There are 5 skincare ingredients I always keep in my routine. The products themselves change fairly often (with only a few exceptions), but I always like to have hyaluronic acid, retinol, vitamin C, AHA/BHA, and sunscreen. 

Here are my current favorites...

Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Could Cream - This is my favorite moisturizer! I have combination skin and tend to get oily in my t-zone throughout the day. This hydrates and doesn't create excess oil. It seriously feels like putting water on your skin. 

SkinCeuticals 0.5% retinol - This is the first retinol I've ever used. I started about 2-3 months ago and I'm still only using this twice a week because it's very drying. However, I do think it's helping with fine lines.

DRMTLGY C E Ferulic serum - I've been wanting to try the SkinCeuticals version, but I don't want to spend that much money so I found this product and really like it. I think I am going to get the SkinCeuticals just to compare the two. I'll report back.

Drunk Elephant TLC Sukari Babyfacial and Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Peel - Two products that I will not deviate from. I use the babyfacial mask one a week and the peel every other day. My skin texture has improved dramatically with this combination!

Supergoop SPF setting mist - I wasn't using any SPF until 3 months ago because they usually make my skin oily. However, I'm getting older and realize the importance of sun protection. I was intrigued by this setting spray and I so impressed with it! It's easy, effective, and non-greasy.  

Weekend Update

Evie was sent home from daycare on Thursday with a GI bug. She stayed home on Friday, but was back to her energetic self. We played with babies and play-doh per usual. 

I started a new book, The Heart's Invisible Furies which I'm enjoying from the very first chapter. I finished This Is How It Always Is last week and I loved it! My 2020 book selection is off to a great start👌

We had amazing weather on Sunday. It was warm and sunny. We were all in a good mood with this change of temperature. I even went to Bath & Body Works to stock up on my favorite spring/summer candle - Endless Weekend. We played at the park and Evie practiced riding her scooter. It was a perfect Sunday!

 Coffee and play foam

 Tears her room apart in 30 seconds

 Always giggling with daddy

 Selling me lollipops😂

 I gave her some make-up brushes and she's super into it

 Even offered to do my makeup

 My girl!

 Throwing rocks in the pond

 They both took turns running (and scootering) down this pile of sand

 We missed this babe's first birthday party, but loved seeing the pics

Weekend Update

It was my 31st birthday on Sunday so I celebrated with friends and family this weekend. Evie asked to come to my birthday party about a dozen times this weekend... I didn't have the heart to tell her there was no party😂 I think she's already forgotten because we keep telling her that it's her birthday next.

I went to Le Sel for brunch with a few friends. It's literally a three minute walk from our condo and I had never been there. It was great! The food, the atmosphere, the view of the sound👌 I definitely want to go back. 

Evie and I baked my birthday cake on Saturday afternoon then went to the mall for a girls shopping trip. It was short-lived because Evie got a new toy and had to go home immediately to play with it. Actually, she wanted to open it at Nordstrom and she threw a tantrum when I said no😬

 She loved the frosting, but didn't like the cake

 I had to throw the cake away because Evie and Brady wouldn't eat it and I would have finished the whole thing myself

This ice cream set will always remind me of the Nordstrom tantrum now

My favorite birthday memory was Brady and I stealing a moment for a kiss and Evie singing Bingo in the background while she ate dinner then she found us and gave us tickets (she wants to be a police officer)😂

 Visiting the ducks

 Jumping in muddy puddles like Peppa

Brrr

Weekly Wardrobe

These Superga sneakers were a Christmas gift to myself with the hopes they will minimize hip pain throughout the day, but I also really like the way they look...

Monday

AQUA cashmere sweater

DL1961 denim

Birdies

Tuesday

Club Monaco tank (old, similar)

AQUA cashmere cardigan

7 For All Mankind denim

Superga sneakers

Thursday

Monoprix cashmere sweater (from Paris, similar)
Banana Republic Ryan pants
Superga sneakers

Friday

Club Monaco sweater
JCrew denim
Birdies

Top 5 of 2019

The Barefoot Dreams throw ($50) was my gift of choice this Christmas. I got one for my mom and for three of my friends. I also have four at home. They're the perfect weight and incredibly soft!

Vuori performance joggers ($84) are the best! I've put a lot of research (and 💵) into finding good joggers. These are so comfortable and look really good too. They have a short inseam (25 inch) and they're made of the best material - super soft, but doesn't stretch out. 

Golden Goose sneakers ($300) were definitely a splurge this year. I was not a fan in the beginning because they were stiff and uncomfortable. It only took a few wears to break them in and now they're my most comfortable sneakers. They are style and comfort! I always look forward to wearing them!

Nalgene water bottle ($11) was a total find this year. Brady was always annoyed with my "water bottle collection," but once I found this (and bought a back-up) I stopped buying water bottles. I'm really bad about refilling throughout the day so this is a perfect size. 

Champion foundation tote ($35) is my favorite bag. It's a great size and can be worn over the shoulder or crossbody. I like the sporty vibes and I don't have to be too precious with it. I got it in the summer and have worn it daily since then. 

I was really tempted to put this USB lighter ($10) and the Revlon One Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer ($35) in this list, but I just bought them in December so they haven't gotten a real trial. I've been using them every day though. 

Weekend Update

I had a really nice weekend. I went to Cedarbrook Lodge with a few friends for facials and happy hour! It was such a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon! I was enjoying myself too much, I didn't even get a photo. 

This weekend was terribly cold and wet, but we managed a few trips to the park. Evie has been obsessed with her baby dolls the past few weeks so we've been playing at home a lot more lately. It's impossible to say no when she asks "you want to play with me?" Her top two request are iPad and babies😂

 I don't know which one has more fun at the park

 Pretty great views

Gotta change diapers before daycare

2019 Books

Happy New Year!

This post is for anyone with a resolution related to reading...

My goal for 2019 was 12 books. This has been my resolution the past few years and usually I hit my goal, but in 2018 I bombed. I think I only read 8 books in 2018 so I was really motivated to read 12 in 2019. 

I actually read 18 books this year! The thing that helped the most was downloading the Libby app on my iPad. I don't have to purchase books or physically go to the library anymore. I can download books for free (using my library card) and this gets rid of every barrier. 

Here are my 2019 reads ranked best to worst:

1. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

2. The Lilac Girls by Martha Kelley

3. French Exit by Patrick deWitt

4. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

5. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 

6. Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

7. The American Marriage by Tayari Jones

8. Normal People by Sally Rooney

9. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman 

10. Calypso by David Sedaris
11. The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams
12. The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand

13. The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre

14. Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict

15. Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

16. Florida by Lauren Groff

17. The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

18. The Mothers by Brit Bennett