"I hope that you live your life — each precious day of it — with joy and meaning. I hope that you walk without pain — and that you are grateful for each step.
And when the challenges come, I hope you remember that anchored deep within you is the ability to learn and grow. You are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. Like a muscle, you can build it up, draw on it when you need it. In that process you will figure out who you really are — and you just might become the very best version of yourself."
This article cracked me up. The LOFT has been my favorite store since college. Literally, 90% of my closet is from the Loft. What can I say? They just get me. They have classic pieces that fit my body and you never pay full price for an item. They are LITERALLY always having a sale. Feel foolish if you don't take advantage of a promo code.
So after reading that article, I feel like I've been on the inside of a wonderful secret for years. And just when I thought the Loft couldn't get much better, I got pregnant and discovered their maternity line. It saved me for work, let me tell you. My favorite Lou & Grey leggings? They carry a maternity version. Need a cute dress for work while feeling every inch of nine months pregnant? Covered.
My maternity leave is up in a few short weeks and since my body has obviously changed a bit, and so have the seasons, I thought I'd treat myself to a little wardrobe refresh and give the capsule wardrobe a try again.
I say again, because when I was a consultant living out of my suitcase, I had no choice to embrace a capsule wardrobe. Granted, I was in a different spot each week and nobody was none the wiser if I wore the same five outfits each week. So in an effort to simplify, I'm cultivating a summer capsule wardrobe for work. My goal is two weeks of outfits that I can mix and match.
Over the last year I've begun streamlining my work wardrobe to the colors black, gray, navy, white, coral (spring/summer) and garnet (fall/winter). So far so good. Everything goes, I can mix and match, and get out the door quickly.
Here are a few pieces that are on their way to my casa and I'll likely be wearing over and over this summer:
I'll be mixing in some pieces from my current wardrobe but I'm really excited about simplifying this summer. Have you given a capsule wardrobe a try? Tell me about it in the comments!
I'm stuck on the couch holding a sleeping baby. My arm is falling asleep, I've had to pee for the last hour, and I need to pump. Yet I can't bring myself to move.
This sweet boy refuses to nap more than 20-30 minutes anywhere but in my arms. We're definitely not sleeping through the night yet (how one child can be so hungry at 3am blows my mind), and bad habits be damned - I'll take the naps whenever and wherever I can get it.
And I know these first days and weeks can seem to last forever, but I'm trying to soak up every snuggle, breath of baby smell, and milk-drunk smile I can. Because already I feel time slipping away. My little man is changing before my eyes. I can tell by how fast he's growing out of clothes (6-12 month socks already?!).
So we're slowing down. Taking in all the moments. The playtime grins. The midnight cries. The tummy time. The trillion diaper changes. The way he knows our voices and follows us across the room. Every moment, even the ugly ones.
Have you seen this video yet? If you have humans, tiny or grown, you'll feel all the feels while watching it. Grab the tissues.
Here are a few other musings on motherhood, especially in the fourth trimester:
Dry shampoo and deodorant. That's all.
Although you'll be tempted, don't buy baby blankets before your baby is born. Because they are so damn adorable, you'll be gifted plenty. And you'll wish they came bigger than tiny human size because you'll love them so.
Why don't they prepare you for how loud babies can poop? It's absolutely terrifying.
There is a special place in Heaven for people who bring new parents ready-to-eat meals. And wine. Lots of wine.
There's no shame in relieving yourself while baby wearing. You do what you gotta do.
Maternity leave can be super boring - not always so don't judge me. But for someone who is typically doing about 10 things at once, I need a little more brain stimulation than avoiding pee when changing diapers. I've read the internet. Now (and always) taking book recommendations.
And since it's Mother's Day, and there is so much that can be said about that, I'll leave you with these thoughts by Cheryl Strayed:
Dear ones: I know Mother's Day is a joy to many of you. I know it's a giant suckbag of sorrow for others of you. I know some of you are indifferent to it. I know some of you have wonderful mothers and you get to pick out the perfect card for her and take her to brunch and give her a bouquet of flowers and others of you are alone and weeping while watching your monstrously sad faces in the bathroom mirror, wondering why your mom had to die or be a drug addict or be mentally ill or be such an inexplicable evil shit to you. I know some of you desperately want to become mothers and can't and aren't and will never be and some of you have zero interest in becoming mothers and you feel sickeningly suffocated by a world that equates womanhood with motherhood and some of you ARE mothers and you love it and you treasure this day because finally someone picked out a card for you and took you to brunch and gave you a bouquet of flowers. I know it's a holiday that will change in meaning to you over time, even if it has not yet occurred to you that it will. Whatever it is, I want to say I know it's there and it's real and it's true because it's YOURS. I'm with you, wherever it is you are, in heart.
These cookies top my list for breakfast during the week. They pack a punch - I can get to lunchtime without a snack. Plus, they can be made in advance. What's not to love?! And if I ever get bored of the current recipe, they are easy to modify. I think dried cranberries or raisins added in would be delicious. But here's my go to:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with
parchment paper. Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix
until combined. [Note: I throw everything but the chocolate chips into my mixer
first. Once it's combined, I add the chips and mix for a little bit longer.]
The dough will be very thick. Form the sticky dough into a cookie shape.
They don't spread in the oven so make them to the size you want.
Bake for 15 minutes until edges are very slightly brown. Don't bake any longer
or the cookies will taste dry. Cool completely before putting 2 cookies into a
freezer bag. These breakfast cookies can stay frozen for up to three months, or
fresh at room temperature for a week.
I'll take
a bag out of the freezer and put it in the fridge overnight to thaw. These are
perfect for breakfast on the go or when I wake up starving in the middle of the
night to feed the little man.
