These Pictures were taken after one of Athena's first blogger events. She came with to our friend Preston's store, Uptown Cheapskate in South Jordan and had a great time smiling at everyone and picking up any small objects on the floor. Over all she did a great job for a toddler in a store that was not contained in a stroller.
After the event a few of my girlfriends and I popped over to Daybreak and took some outfit pictures. Naturally Athena was in mine because quite honestly what else am I going to do with her? Let her roam free? Ha! She definitely tried but my pal Jenni distracted her with the ducks in the pond.
Overall, I try to take her out an about with me but we definitely have a small window of time on most things where we have to stay in a confined place, but that still doesn't mean we wont try to have a good time! And I sure get a workout in from chasing her. This little chick is FAST!
Well hi there! It's been awhile. I feel like all my posts in the last year seem to start like that. Time escapes me every day so I'm pretty darn happy that my pal Sandy and I could meet up (with the kiddos at daycare) and take some outfit photos. Guys. It's been too long. I pretty much forgot how to smile, walk and look at a camera.
This is the look I wore to school yesterday and it was mighty comfy. I picked up these linen pants last summer at the Shopbop sale and haven't worn them much since, until today. I must have gotten 5 compliments on them at school so they are teacher approved.
I think my most worn pairs of shoes are my driving loafers and I'm partial to my Coach loafers that I have in white and gold. I remember being so hesitant about buying both pairs but years later they are still my go-tos for comfy on-my-feet-all-day shoes.
This knit moto jacket looks like suede but happens to be really soft stretchy knit material. It was so popular last Fall that they re released it in 7 new colors! Great price point as well. I may need to pick it up in another color. Bonus that it comes in tall sizes as well.
My first birthday as a mother was yesterday. And while I didn't feel much different about it being my birthday, I felt different about me. So maybe it's being 36, maybe it's being a mom, or maybe it's just a new me but a lot has changed.
1. I don't really care what people think anymore. Really I feel like I have always prided myself on this characteristic of my personality but as of lately, I find myself doing things with only two motivations: Do I personally find value in it; and does it help me spend time with my family. Those are really the only two things that matter to me. This pretty much leaves me time to teach, clean my house like the neat freak I am, shop because I still love cute clothes, and spend time with my family.
2. I have lost my mind. I have noticed this since being pregnant that my memory has gotten worse but oh boy, after being a mother and going back to teaching and trying to remember things like changing class schedules or times for random school events, I'm wrecked. I feel like the minutia of the day's schedule at school is last on my list of actually committing to memory. Let's all just thank our lucky stars that I have a big whiteboard right in front of me with times for class periods all day. Also, sorry students, sometimes I just straight up blank on your names. They are in my brain somewhere.
3. I'm not eating "perfectly." I used to be pretty hard core on the no sugar, no junk food, home-cooked lifestyle, and it was totally doable back when I had just myself to cook for (Andrew never cared much for my Whole 30 cooking) so it was pretty easy. Now I feel like I have cut myself some slack because I now realize that if I prep meals for breakfast and lunch all week that's pretty great, but dinner may end up being a Lara Bar, or a handful of chips, nothing at all, or literally whatever I can find in the house because I'm too busy taking care of Athena. I know I could try harder with that last "meal" in the day but honestly, it's just not as much of a priority anymore. I like getting my workout in at 6am, having a healthy breakfast and lunch, and letting life happen after that. I feel like that's the best kind of balance I can make happen as a working mom with a very active toddler.
4. I'm more forgiving of what I look like. I think part of the Whole 30 eating and tons of working out I used to be very strict about really did work for me. I liked it even. But now, I can't make it to hot yoga 3 times a week with Bar Method every day because I simply don't have time to recover from hot yoga, which means showering and blowing my hair back out. I like taking my Pilates class for the same reason I've always loved Barre classes. They are a great workout but you don't get super sweaty and look destroyed afterwards. So maybe my hair is dirty and in a ponytail but I choose that over having to start this whole body from scratch daily.
5. I choose fashion based strictly on function and comfort. When I look back on some of the things I've willingly worn that were scratchy, tight, or just plain hard to move in, I cant believe I actually spent money on those things! There is simply no way I'd be wearing those things anymore. My rule of thumb now is if I can sit on the floor at school in it or play with Athena wearing it and it won't drive me crazy, it's worth my money. It's kind of a fun challenge to find functional, comfortable and stylish clothes that can be worn in a professional setting now too.
This jacket fits the bill for #5. It looks like suede but is the softest stretchy knit moto jacket. No tight arms and inability to bend your arms here! This Evereve dress allows me to look professional too but keeps me covered at school. It even has long sleeves too. And to top it all off, my new super-functional bag in my Dagne Dover collection, the Petite Tote in Warm Dust. They really killed it this season with their fall/winter colors and as per usual, the interior pockets are smart and easy to organize all your items.
This was what I wore to work when I felt like I wanted to be in pajamas all day. This has pretty much been a theme this past year. Lots of workouts and after-school running practices leave me very unmotivated to put a skirt on, or even real pants. So this worked out well, let me tell you. Just throw in a mock turtleneck tee to add some polish and a bright red lip. Comfy central, right here.
I've been waiting for a chance to non ironically wear this plaid moto jacket I picked up at Forever 21. You see, it worked really well with my Halloween costume when I was Paul Bunyan at school. The costume was pretty great if you want to check it out here.
I love the combo of bright primary colors, and yellow is my second favorite color so you can only imagine how happy I was to find this lone cashmere sweater at the new Nordstrom Rack opening in South Loop on the clearance rack for under $40!
On a personal side note, in an effort to maintain my sanity this winter I'm going to cut back to 3 posts a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm going to soon be overwhelmed with home projects so I'll be very busy. And if you have any great home decor/furniture sites you love, I'm in the market, so please feel free to share! I'd appreciate it a ton! Thanks in advance!
Casual is actually a really hard look for me. Since I'm always either dressed up for work or in workout clothes, the in-between always becomes a challenge.
This was one of the few times I was actually proud of my weekend ensemble. Mostly because on a recent trip to Forever 21 I walked out with three very unusual things for me: these causal jeans; a neutral gray sweater; and a black jacket that will appear later this week on the blog. Not a lick of bright color in the lot!
I added the red lip to give the look a little pop, and off I went on a day of baby shopping (with my best friend, who is due to have her baby girl any day now!) Forgive me if there is an unannounced radio silence here on HPS because I will be helping welcome the little one into this world whenever she decides the time is right! So excited!!
When it comes to shopping, I'm not a digger. I hate to dig through piles of sale items from who knows what brands. The only place I am willing to do that digging is the Bloomingdales Outlet at the Chicago Fashion Outlets because my track record is so good. I scored a pair of Seven jeans for $65 and then I found this hot pink moto jacket that was screaming my name. There was not much digging involved in finding this one actually, it was pretty hard to miss.
And speaking of good deals, let me call to your attention my amazing new Joie sweater that I scored for $49 (down from $198) at Roam Chicago! They provided all the clothes that the girls and I wore on WGN so I just had to go in and check out what they had. And what they had was a SALE! I got some pretty spectacular deals on some labels I would otherwise never be able to afford.
