New Favorite

sweater: Discount Fashion Warehouse (Express brand)

pants: Discount Fashion Warehouse (Express brand)

shoes: Target

bracelet: gift shop on Fripp Island, SC

Since having Jacob, I feel like the same few weekend looks have been on rotation and I'm ok with that. I know what works for our current lifestyle and don't mind sticking to it. Although this was a work day look, this sweater may just be the new item I reach for over and over on the weekends. It's got the perfect amount of slouch, it's long, and manages to be super comfortable without looking sloppy!

10 Things: Week 2

It's more than past time for another update with the 10 Things challenge Sarah is heading up this month. I jumped in a little late so I'll still have at least another post to share. I planned for these posts to happen each Friday and since it's Monday night, you know that clearly I failed at that. Last week we started trying to get Jacob used to his crib, which is not an easy task. Each night got a little better, but that in combination with a busy work week left me exhausted. Thankfully Saturday was a rainy, lazy day and after the 5:30am wake up call form him that morning he went back to sleep until about 8 and so did I. Such a great feeling! After a slow paced day then some fun yesterday, we're feeling relatively rested up and kind of ready to take on this week. About as ready as I usually am anyway. :)

These olive pants have always been a favorite of mine that I constantly reach for throughout the week. Is it a bad thing that those and my black jeggings (which are actually not an item I picked for the challenge) are just on constant rotation throughout the week? I haven't even bothered to break out the dress pants to see what fits again!

Stripes

dress: Target

blazer: Target

scarf: World Market

My closet transition to my spring clothes is still a work in progress, so I had completely forgotten that with spring comes maxi dresses! This basic one is a go to option for work on a hot summer day, but adding a blazer and colorful scarf make it a perfect option even in the chilliness of early spring. This ponte blazer is my favorite - just the right amount of stretch to it to make it insanely comfortable!

Linking up with Tucker Up, Cappuccino and Fashion, Because Shanna Said So, Book of Leisure, Classy Yet Trendy, The Pleated Poppy...

Spring Inspirations

shirt: H&M

denim jacket: Old Navy (waaaay old)

skirt & necklace: Walmart

boots: Target

Linking up with Anne and Shea again for their spring series, talking about spring inspirations. I took a look at my Pinterest board since I have one devoted to spring/summer looks and the theme seems to be looks that include a denim jacket. I've owned my denim jacket for 12 years now and while there were some years it didn't find its way into rotation, I'm so glad I didn't get rid of it because it's once again a loved piece! 

10 Things: Week 1

A highlight of a few of the outfits put together last week out of the 10 Things challenge. So far I've stuck with it throughout the work week like I had planned and it's served its purpose by forcing me to wear the pieces in ways I likely wouldn't have considered otherwise. My favorite part about the first week participating is that it involved several unexpected (to me anyway!) color combinations I'm loving like pink + olive green, brown + black, and mint + navy.

Head on over to Sarah's blog to see how other ladies are doing with the challenge!

The Impossible

dress: Target

sweater: thrifted

boots: Target

necklace: Target

I think one of my challenges to blogging the past few months is not just finding the time and energy, but also has to do with how I look each day. If I'm going to take outfit pictures, I want it to be on a day that I have an outfit on that I feel great in, I prefer to have my hair done, and at least a minimal amount of make up to prevent me from looking scary. But in reality, having a cute outfit, hair done, and make up on has just been this rare, if not impossible feat lately.

So I'm going to try to lighten up a bit. Like this day, when I at least had an outfit on I really liked, but I've got my hair twisted back in the bun that takes me 5 seconds to do because I was already running late this morning when I remembered that my gas light was on and I needed to get gas before even being able to go to daycare to drop off Jacob. No make up either because it's been in my purse for at least a week with the thought being that I would throw some on at my desk, but then I get to work and I'm far too concerned about getting some food in my mouth for breakfast and that second cup of coffee to really be bothered with it. This is me, and this is my reality right now!

Linking up with Living in Color Style...

Spring Essentials: Weekend

If you're back after checking out yesterday's post linked up with Anne and Shea to show off my work week spring essentials, welcome back! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check it out here. :) While my work week wardrobe can be a little on the casual side, my weekend wardrobe is about as casual as it gets without resorting to yoga pants. As a nursing mom to a 5 month old, comfort and layering is key. So here's the spring essentials for the weekend, when being a mom always comes first...

Distressed Denim

I've been a big fan of distressed denim lately. This is pretty close to my favorite pair, although thankfully I find them for only about $14 thanks to my love affair with Discount Fashion Warehouse. Side note - if you live in the Columbus area and appreciate a good bargain you really should check the place out. You have to check for damages, but in my opinion it's totally worth it. If I had the budget to spend more than $14 on a pair of pants though, these would be first on my list to try!

Converse

I've fallen a bit into what I call my mom uniform on the weekend and I'll admit I'm not mad about it! Converse are the key to that uniform...our baby boy even has a matching pair! I wouldn't mind having a ton of different colors, but for now my black pair has been my go to. 

Black T-shirt

A black loose fitting tshirt. So simple, yet so necessary because when your weekends lovingly involve changing diapers and spending time up and down from the floor playing with your baby and likely end in at least a little bit of spit up, drool, or (and?) snot on you....easily washable and comfortable are the way to go. The one I'm wearing is a maternity shirt from Target that I still wear constantly. No shame in my game. :) I can't even find them online anymore, but if I could I would seriously think about buying more even though I have no plans to get pregnant again anytime soon. This option was my favorite and is so gloriously stretchy I could still wear it at the end of my pregnancy. These tees were a previous favorite and I really want to try this one.

 Neutral Jacket

Olive may be my new favorite neutral. This olive jacket gets a reasonable amount of use during the work week too, but on the weekend it's a perfect option to throw on over my favorite tee when we leave the house. This favorite was an $8 find when a local Kohl's closed their store and it's been in my closet for years. You can find a similar style here or here. 

Cross-Body Purse

My new favorite purse isn't pictured here only because I was absent minded and completely forgot to throw it on before taking pictures. For the weekend, a larger cross body purse replaces the tote bag. Hands free and big enough to fit my stuff plus a few diapers, wipes, pacifiers, a receiving blanket, and a change of clothes. You know, all the things necessary for an outing that includes a 5 month old! This dark teal bag (even though the website calls it blue) has been my go to for the past few months and I plan on using it all through spring as well. It's even on clearance now! If a classic color is more your style, this one would be my pick. For a brighter option for spring, I'd pick up this one in a heartbeat! 

Spring Essentials: Work Week

Linking up today with Anne and Shea to talk about some of the pieces I consider spring essentials. When I started thinking about the items that I consistently gravitate to in the spring, I realized that those items can be very different depending on if it's during the work week or if it's the weekend. So lucky you, you get two versions of this post. :) Today I'm highlighting my work week essentials, and then come back tomorrow to check out my weekend essentials if you're so inclined.

Large Tote Bag

A large tote bag with room to throw in my wallet, Chapstick, pumping supplies(I'm a nursing momma, working full time), and food each day is essential. Bonus points if it's in a fun color. An affordable neutral option here if that's more your style, but I would love to add this bold one to my options, or one of these in every color please although I'm really feeling the gray one. 

Black Skinny Jeans

I'm a firm believer that not every work environment supports wearing what are essentially black skinny jeans, but thankfully I can get away with it and they are in heavy rotation week to week. I've settled into a schedule where each spring I buy this pair. I find them at a local discount store and would probably cringe if I had to pay full price (I'm so cheap!) but have this black pair in ankle length and love them for their price point because I think they're pretty consistently on sale and for their fit because I had to go down a size in them. Who doesn't love that feeling? I don't care if it's a lie. :)

A Bright Blazer

I find blazers to be the perfect layer in the spring and even better - they dress up those black skinny jeans I always wear. A classic black blazer is an item I couldn't live with out but when spring hits I love a good blazer in a vibrant color. Not sure if a bright color is for you? I have this one too and think it's a great way to switch things up with a pattern while still keeping classic colors.

Nude Flats

Nude flats of the pointy toed variety are my favorite for how versatile they are. They pair well with dresses, skirts, long pants, ankle pants...really with just about anything. If you don't already have a pair, do yourself a favor and go get yourself some. This pair looks like the perfect simple pair, while these are perfect if you like a bow detail. 

10 Things

I'm a little late to the game, but joining in on Sarah's 10 things idea, where the idea is to pick 10 items from your closet that essentially are the definition of your style, (but not necessarily just your top 10 favorite things) then wear at least one of them each day this month. Items that scream "me" were hard to identify, so I went with what items I gravitate toward when I want to feel great about how I look and want to put my best face forward.  For me, these are the items I grab when I need that little boost of confidence. Like how I wore the cobalt blazer to my first day to a new job, the mint scarf to a conference I went to alone (that's incredibly intimidating to me!), or the blouse with the leopard print and the striped skirt I wore on my first day back to work form maternity leave. I really place this strange emotional value on clothing, but I'm sure I'm not along with that. So through the rest of April I'll plan to post each Friday with a recap of some looks from the previous week. I'm not including the weekends because to be honest, those have mostly just consisted of the same outfit on repeat. :)

Jacob: 5 Months

I'm back...I hope! Priorities have clearly shifted and the first couple of months back to work were really exhausting. I'm finally able (most nights!) to stay awake past 8pm and Jacob is on enough of a schedule now at night that I'm actually finding myself with a very small amount of free time. 

So for my first post in ages we're going with a post about how 5 months old has treated us. I'm still coming to terms with the fact that we have a 5 month old...feeling a little bit of sadness about it, but I also feel like these next few months ahead of us will be when even more of the fun starts!

Nicknames: Buddy and sweetie pea still. Also realizing I throw lovey in the mix quite a bit. Oh! And I've heard his 6 year old cousin call him Jakey a few times and just think that's the cutest thing ever.

Weight/Height: Our efforts to measure him show that he's somewhere around 26.5 inches and that he's 17.2 pounds. I think we're finally leveling out on the growth and are somewhere around the 75th percentiles for both now. 

Things we can't live without: Pacifiers and white noise are still on the list. The rock n play is also his favorite thing to sleep in. I'm trying to be better about putting him in his crib but most nights he fights it but will pass out mid cry the second I put him in that thing so it's really hard not to!

Things he likes: When I give him loud obnoxious kisses on his cheek, smiles from his daddy, kicking the walls of his activity mat to make everything shake.

Things he dislikes: When I stop him from scratching his head while he eats or when he's sleepy. I have to stay on top of cutting and filing that kids' nails or he will tear the heck out of his head!

Favorite characteristics: How easy going he is. He didn't feel well one night and screamed when I tried to put him in his crib and it startled me because I had forgotten just how loud babies can be. So yeah, he has his moments but for the most part he is a laid back smiley (until momma tries to take a picture at least) little dude and for that I'm incredibly grateful.

Milestones: Rolling over and grasping at toys have been the two biggest milestones this month. So fun to watch him figure his little hands out!