Easy like Sunday morning {worn}

My anxiety seems to be in overdrive lately and part of taking care of myself is knowing my limitations and being realistic with my expectations. So, easy is my word for the summer! If it's not easy, it's not happening. Catch me in September for everything else!

 

And so, a favorite dress, a pair of sandals and big hair that doesn't require me to plug in my flat iron or curling wand all summer! It's taken me a bit to get used to it. I love big, beautiful natural hair but I'm still unsure of how I feel about it on me! On one hand, I like straight hair because my face is round and full and I've always thought it helped thin it out a little. But, on the other, I want to enjoy my summer without spending so much time straightening my hair into submission. 30 minutes start to finish and we were out the door on our way to Sunday brunch! 

Butterfly Show {family fun}

The annual Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory is a harbinger of summer and one the entire city looks forward to seeing every year. The last time we went, Rowan was too little to enjoy it. so this year it was so much fun to watch him take it all in! 

"Butterfly" is a new-ish word for him so to hear him say it with so much joy as he pointed with delight at all of the gorgeous butterflies landing around us made this year's trip extra special.  And, can we talk about how wonderful it smells! Butterflies are attracted to the scent of jasmine. Krohn passes out these little scratch and sniff cards that release the scent to encourage the butterflies to interact with you. I'm not sure if there's a heaven, but if it exists, I hope it smells just like this! 

 

Posh Frock {worn}

For the first time in a long time, I bought a dress! I didn't buy for a specific event. I didn't buy it after carefully considering its practicality or whether or not it was toddler-friendly. I bought because I loved it! And, when I put it on it made me happy! 

The dress is part of the Victoria Beckham line at Target. When she made the switch from Posh Spice to fashion designer there were lots of eyerolls. But even the naysayers have to admit, she came, she saw, she slayed! I had high hopes for her Target collab and she nailed it! Everything is solidly constructed and the fabrics she used are high quality, particularly for the price point. It's the first time in a long time that I've wanted to buy everything from a Target designer collab! And, if you have a baby or toddler girl...OMG...there are so many adorable things to buy!   

mornings and messes

Looking for a quick, easy and messy way to spend the morning?  

Like all good ideas, I found this on Pinterest. There were several pins and each of them called for different kinds of paint. I used the tempera paints we had on hand. You also need a bin, lid or something to hold the shaving cream, shaving cream(the old fashioned foaming kind) and the tip of a paintbrush/toothpick to swirl the paints.  

When we were finished I took our rainbow-colored foam and let Rowan have the time of his life rinsing himself off! 

I'm trying to balance our days with structured and free play. This was the perfect activity. There was something for him to focus on but since it was creative I think to him it felt like play time. More importantly, I had a relaxing and fun morning with my little love bug! 

Simple {worn}

The weather has been all of over the place and I'm a little hesitant to declare spring weather is here to stay but, I think it may be here to stay! 

If my winter uniform was leggings and oversized sweaters then my warm weather go-to is an easy dress. Last week we enjoyed some summer-like temps and I took the opportunity to reacquaint myself with some of my favorite dresses. 

I'm guilty of falling into the same pattern as lots of other moms. When you spend your days at home with young kids worrying about getting dressed in something other than what is easy and comfortable is not something high on my to do list. It was nice to throw on a dress and remind myself that I'm more than Rowan's mom, soother of tears, meltdown manager, tiny shit hauler!

This outfit may have reminded of my pre toddler mom life but I quickly remembered why all of my favorite heels have been moved to the back of the closet! These lasted for approximately 15 minutes before they were swapped out for flat sandals!

 

Real talk...this is what 75% of the photos look like when you're trying to take blog pics and you have a curious 3 year-old! "mama, mama...this?" "smile, mama"

   

Rowan turns 3!

Saturday our little hero turned 3! I'm not sure how three years have gone by in the blink of an eye but my little preemie is this amazing little boy! 

I decided on a comic book super-hero theme with black white with pops of color. We kept things pretty simple and easy. We opted to order some oversized signs from Amazon. I contacted the Etsy seller who designed the invitations to see if she could make a coordinating sign. I had it printed at Staples. I made the signs for the buffet in Picmonkey and attached them to cardstock to bring in more color. The husband did a great job on the "hero" sandwiches and I made up a batch of "dare"deviled eggs and some pretty super jello cups.

The weather cooperated and we had a beautiful afternoon celebrating with family. I love the way everything turned out.

 

The residents of the city sleep a little easier knowing that their hero is keeping a watchful eye on them.

Party Sources:

Personalized cape and mask- Little Shepsters- Etsy
Invitations and Banner design- Bernelo- Etsy
Comic Book signs- Amazon
Cake- Jensen's Sweet Sinsations
 

Uniform {worn}

I've adopted a uniform. If only my "ohmygosh why are you trying to stifle my creative soul by forcing me to wear this hideous uniform!!!" 15-year-old self could see me now as I happily put on some version of leggings, a top, and comfortable shoes every day. I'd also like to give my former self, the one who claimed leggings weren't pants, a swift kick. Toddler mamahood is hard and if the only way I can get through it is by wearing stretchy pants, then I say rock on. 

This is the "edgier" version of my uniform. I mean as edgy as a suburban mom can get. Although, my twenty-something daughters informed me that only middle age moms where leather looking leggings! Whatever. One of the benefits of being a middle aged mom is that I left all the damns I had to give back in my thirties! 

City Mornings

If I could make a wish and have my wildest dream fulfilled, it would definitely have something to do with the arts. I don't know that I have the soul of an artist but I have the desire to have the soul of an artist! LOL! And, I love that we live in a city that makes it easy to pass my appreciation of it to my kids. 

With that in mind, I bundled up Rowan and we headed downtown to enjoy a morning at Contemporary Art Center. The top floor of the space is the UnMuseum for kids. Everything is kid friendly and they are encouraged to become part of the installations by interacting with them. On Thursday mornings, the CAC offers Art Play. There's a specific craft or art activity followed up with kid-friendly yoga!

It's nice to hang out in a museum where you don't have to worry that your curious toddler is climbing on and destroying a priceless work of art!

Rowan found a new favorite! There's an area that is dark with a light installation on the ceiling. The kids are encouraged to use the flashlights to interact with the lights and music. That little space was so cozy and peaceful despite the dozen or so kiddos running around having the time of their lives! 

After all of the fun upstairs we headed to the lobby for people watching, street car spotting and of course the perfect latte to end our morning.

hello, december!

My last post was almost a month ago and I feel like life and everything I thought about the world has completely changed! First, came the shock, followed by anger and then grief. There are those that will claim those of us on "the losing side" are cry babies and need to get over it. I don't know if I ever will. This time a spark has been lit and there is no place for apathy or complacency. And so, as I continue to work and harness my anguish into something productive, life continues. 

And here we are! December. The end of the year and the beginning of the holiday season. There are several things I'm looking forward to this month- some holiday get-togethers, experiencing all of sights and sounds of the season through the lens of a two-year-old and lots of family time. There are also a few goals I have this month- documenting our favorite things and blogging more consistently-are the two that I'm really going to focus on as the year ends.