Happy Friday friends! We made it! We’re spending the weekend celebrating Father’s Day + my mom’s birthday… and sneaking in a date night too… so I’m looking forward to the next few days for sure. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend celebrating the father’s and father figures in your lives! Cheers friends!
Sharing my monthly Q+A post today….
- I’m looking for jackets or other layering options to wear on summer evenings for happy hours/date nights. I live in OC and even on warmer days I always like to bring a jacket to dinner in case we sit outside or the restaurant has the A/C blasting.
I know exactly what you mean! I take a jacket all the time. My favorite is this lace bomber jacket…. every time I wear it I receive so many compliments. It’s light weight and provides just the right amount of coverage for a summer evening. A few other cute options include this pretty little cropped jacket or my favorite denim jacket… since denim goes with everything! I also love bringing along this pullover… it’s easy to toss on over a dress or romper (I’ve done both)… or shorts and jeans. It’s not super heavy, and the material is perfect for summertime. This slouchy, dolman sleeve cardigan is a great choice too… made from a linen material, it’s great for summer evenings.
2. I’m looking for a good pair of date night denim for summer. I have the same distressed Levi’s 501 pair from Revolve that you have and wear those all the time, but would love to have another option. Any suggestions?
This Levi’s pair is my other favorite. It fits like a glove and looks great with anything. I cut the bottom hem on mine and the extra distressing is the perfect touch. I always love white denim for summer date night’s too. This Free People pair is a great choice (I recommend sizing up).
3. What earrings do you wear on a day to day basis? What are your favorites for when you’re a little dressier, like going out to dinner?
On a daily basis, I wear a pair of diamond earrings TJ got me for one of our anniversaries. Yet, I sometimes wear these little gold stud earrings or these mini bar earrings. When I’m looking to dress things up a little, I’ll wear these beautiful leaf ear crawlers (sometimes I wear them dangling down too), pavé drop earrings, or these tassel fringe earrings.
4. What do you do with Harper when you are doing your morning workouts?
Since I wake up at 5:30 to get my workouts in, TJ is still home and Harper is still sleeping…. making it easy for me to get in my morning runs.
5. What does a typical day look like for you? I want to be able to balance work and life with 2 kids but find it so difficult. How do you make time to cook, hang out with Harper, and maintain sanity?
Completely understandable, and sometimes, it’s not possible to balance it all… with sanity going out the window (juuuuust kidding…). Here is what my schedule looks like:
5:30-6:45am: Wake up, and workout
6:45-7:30am: Breakfast/E-mails
7:30am-8:15am: Harper wakes up, make her breakfast…. while she is eating, I’ll do some more blog work
8:15-9am: Harper time
9-10am: I get ready
10-12: Outing… sometimes that is centered around Harper, and sometimes it’s centered around what I need to get done…
12-12:30pm: Lunch
12:30-1:30pm: Harper time
1:30-3:30/4pm: Harper Naps/I work
4-5pm: Take Photos for blog (this is 4 nights of the week)
5-6pm: TJ takes over and I edit photos, and we start prepping dinner around 5:30
6-6:45pm: Dinner (TJ takes over fully after dinner by bathing Harper and reading her a story. It’s their time together)
6:45-8:30/9pm: Blog work
8:30/9pm-10: Wind down
** Two days of the week I have a babysitter come in the morning until her nap time. So much of what I do involves being on electronics and I try to keep that away from Harper as much as possible because I end up feeling guilty, as if I’m no present enough.**
I’ve found that the only way for me to get everything done is to operate within this schedule… it doesn’t all go perfectly, but it allow me time to workout, work, be with Harper, and cook. She has responded really well to it, so as long as it’s flowing nicely, I’ll keep it around.
6. How do you deal with faded friendships? How do you know when to let go?
That’s always a hard one… because there wasn’t necessarily a “fall out” to mark the end…. I think, for me, this happened a lot in my mid-20’s… out of college, establishing our lives… and going in different directions. It took me a little while, but how I eventually dealt with it was evaluating my efforts vs. theirs. Was I always the one calling, trying to meet up, and texting… it can’t always be an equal 50/50 split… but it can’t be one sided. One I was able to evaluate the pattern of our friendships I was able to start pulling back my efforts and direct those efforts into friendships that were more equal. It’s not that the friendship ever “ended” it just took a different place in my life and required me changing my expectations for it. I can say that once I was able to do that I was much happier. I always think it’s important to direct your efforts into relationships that feel more equal than one sided (again, I’m talking about a consistent pattern here…).
7. How do you motivate yourself when you wake up and really are not feeling like a workout?
I always go to bed with a my following day’s workout in mind, but if I wake up not feeling it, I try to listen to my body and switch things up. I felt this way a few times last week and decided that instead of an intense stair workout, I’d do a treadmill incline workout…. and then I wasn’t feeling like a HIIT, so I did a weighted yoga flow. I also try to tell myself that I’ll start and if after 5-10 minutes I’m not feeling it, then I’ll stop. Usually, once I get into it, I don’t want to stop!
8. What would you tell your 25 year old self now?
That’s a good question. I think the best thing I would tell my 25 year old self is that life gets so much richer. At 25 I was just out of graduate school, looking for a job, recently engaged, figuring out where we should live, and there was a lot of uncertainty…. would I find a decent paying job, would TJ and I be able to afford to buy a place together (we ended up getting our condo….), worry about graduate school loans…. figuring out friendships…. establishing myself. If you had told me that nine years later I’d be happily married, with a fiesty little daughter… that I’d have traveled to places I had on my bucket list… and that we’d be where we are today, I wouldn’t have believed you.
I would have told myself that while people say your 20’s are the best, they are also a decade of self understanding… and that your 30’s are pretty amazing. Deeper friendships, a deeper understanding in your marriage, and an overall feeling of being settled.
9. What is Harper’s daily schedule and what toys/activities is she loving?
See question #5 for Harper’s Schedule. As far as toys/activities, she loves anything that involves her imagination and physical activity. Jumping on this trampoline is one of her favorite things to do… and we spend a lot of time outside watering plants, playing in her playhouse, racing (pretty much running around in circles), chasing butterflies, at the park, and throwing a ball. I have crayons and coloring books for her, along with puzzles, but that’s just not her jam. She does love reading though. Anything with animals… and flip books too (especially this book).
10. My husband and I are going to Laguna at the end of August. What is your favorite restaurant?
We love Driftwood kitchen… delicious food and spectacular views!
11. Could you give me some suggestions on baking pans and cooking pans?
I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but all of our pans/baking sheets we use are our wedding gifts we received 8 years ago…. but, they’ve lasted, which means they’re excellent quality. Our cooking pans are all Calphalon…. and we have them in several different sizes. Out baking sheets are all from Sur La Table and they’re great!
12. What would you recommend to wear with this straw hat + these slides? I’m going on my first girl’s day since having my second son and we are going to wineries…. and I need some ideas on what to wear since I’ve never been!
You’re going to have so much fun and I LOVE those slides + hat! I love this black and white polka dot romper from LOFT (currently 40% off!). I also think this cut-out romper is super chic…. this midi dress is gorgeous too… and this white maxi dress is perfect for a warm afternoon sipping vino.
13. As a therapist, how do you connect or find a client that is a fit or not? What should someone, like me, look for to find the best one for my needs?
As a therapist, it’s not my job to determine if we’re a “fit,” that’s ultimately the client’s decision. From a therapeutic stand point I would have to determine if what you’re coming in for is within my scope of practice (am I competent to treat this issue) just like a medical doctor would need to do (and why they often refer you to “specialists”). I think the most important part for a client is do you feel comfortable…. of course, the first session will be a little anxiety provoking…. but do you get an overall sense that this is someone you feel comfortable talking with and sharing your concerns with. If you don’t, it might not be the best fit for you.
To start, you can search sites such as Psychology Today and narrow down your search results… gender, specialty (i.e. depression, anxiety, marital issues, etc…), insurance/no insurance….. finding someone who has experience with what you are seeking help with is always beneficial.
14. I would love tips on your packing method for Hawaii, I see you go as often as I do. I never feel prepared and always bring the wrong things! Please help!
Nothing worse than getting to Hawaii and feeling like you brought the wrong things! When I pack for Hawaii, I always go heavy on the casual, since I know most days will be spent at the beach. So, I’m sure to bring several pairs of denim shorts, tanks + tees. I also make sure to bring a lightweight sweater in case the evenings get a little chilly (I get cold easily…). I also bring several swimsuits + cover-ups…. along with a couple nicer outfits (a cute dress… skirt + top, nicer top, etc…) in case we head out to a nice dinner. A pair of slides, beach shoes (flip flops), and an espadrille are usually sufficient for all different occasions. We’re a pretty active family, so I’m always sure to toss in some workout clothes and running shoes. For sun protection I bring a hat…. and then I pack all my toiletries. All that to say, I’m not ever the person who takes a carryon….but that’s because I’m too afraid of forgetting something! Hope that helps a little.
15. I can’t find and casual joggers that fit my 5’2′ height for the life of me! I don’t want sweats, but casual linen/cotton etc in maybe a green or other light summery color. I’ve bought several and they are all too long. Any tips on where to shop?
I feel you on the short part… I’m 5’2″ as well and even when the inseam length seems like it should fit, they are still too long. That being said, LOFT has a wonderful selection of petite pants, and I’ve always had great luck there. I couldn’t find a jogger style, but these drawstring pants look like a great option (come in a tan + charcoal color, and petite sizes too). I also found this jogger option, which comes in petite sizes. AND, this pair, looks like it would be perfect! They have a 24″ inseam, and the colors you’re looking for. I actually added them to my cart!
16. Any tips on how to incorporate more dresses/skirts into my “mom life” I def have a sports/feminine/casual style and always feel like I’m trying to hard when I dress up a tad. Any good pieces to help me transition? Would love to be more comfortable in dresses/skirts!
I think the perfect way to do this is by incorporating basic dresses and skirts that will work for daytime… so casual materials (cotton, jersey) and neutral colors. I love this maxi dress from Lou & Gray (temporarily 40% off)…. great length and perfect for summer temps…. you can toss it on with sneakers and it keeps it casual, with a feminine feel. Another favorite t-shirt dress of mine is the perfect length for still living the “mom life….” (i.e. if you bend over you won’t be revealing too much). It’s a lightweight material and is super easy to throw on and go (I styled it here). As far as skirts go, again, practical is best (unless you’re heading out for a fun date or night out!)…. this high low maxi skirt is an easy option, especially with a front knotted tank…. and this shorter, drawstring skirt is also a great daytime choice… again, front knot a tank, or simply front tuck it, and you look pulled together… but still able to do all your mom duties!
17. My husband is graduating from his medical fellowship- do you have any dress recommendations for the banquet? Bonus if you have a jacket/wrap suggestion too! The event is semi-formal. I am 4’11” and usually opt for the “mini” length because they fit me normally (just above the knees). I am loving the lace looks out there and would like to stay around $100-$150.
Congratulations to your husband! Such an amazing accomplishment! I found a few cute options, various colors/price ranges (all within budget), and styles! Hope they help. This lace pink blush dress also comes in petite sizes (and is already shorter…), this red lace dress has the pretties neckline and the color is so pretty, I’m obsessed with this navy dress (it’s gorgeous), this ivory lace dress is beautiful, and this gorgeous bodycon slip dress comes in nine color options!
