(Pullover)

Happy Friday friends. We. Made. It. Time to grab a libation (or, whatever your indulgence of choice is….) and celebrate! We don’t have much planned this weekend, which feels good. A quick little trip to LA tomorrow morning will include some breakfast and the Noah’s Ark Exhibit at the Skirball Cultural center… then a family BBQ later in the weekend. I hope you all have a nice time relaxing and spending time with those you love.

Sharing my monthly Q+A today. As always thanks for your questions! I’ll be sharing a Labor Day Sales post tomorrow morning… lots of great items out there….
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1. I was needing some suggestions for dresses if you don’t mind. I have a black tie event coming up with my husband and I am so lost! Haven’t dressed up like that since Prom (and I’m 30 😂) any suggestions? I’m looking at both short and long. I want something sexy yet classy and comfortable. I’m pretty short…about 5’3 130 pounds and just don’t know where to go. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 

When we went to a wedding back in July, I was looking for the same exact dress you just described. I found so many great options, and you won’t feel like you’re at the high school prom (TG….). I am always a fan of the black slip dress. It’s understated, yet looks so amazing on when paired with simple gold accessories and a strappy sandal. This one has a dramatic slit, but is floor length, and would look so amazing! Or, this twist front with a plunging neckline. If you’re looking for some color, this dress is ah-mazing…. the neckline, color, and slit are so gorgeous…and this has a low back, with an unexpected color scheme, which I’m loving for fall. I wore this slipdress to the wedding, and with the gold accessories and strappy sandals it turned ended up looking pretty fancy. With the right accessories, almost any dress can look black tie appropriate! Hope those help.

2. Do you have a special way you keep your hair from getting wet when you shower? I know you don’t wash everyday. Do you just buy a pack of shower caps? 

I’m currently going on day six of not washing my hair…. so not washing everyday is a very accurate statement. I typically twist my hair back in a banana clip, toss on a shower cap (that I buy in a pack), and wrap a towel around my head… I try to minimize moisture getting to my hair since I’m extremely sensitive to humidity of any kind (aka, my hair looks like one huge frizz ball). Those three steps are typically enough to keep my hair looking decent.

3. Do you miss working now that you’re a stay at home mom? I’m an LMFT with a 3 month old and go back to work (part time) next week and have mixed feelings. Just curious. 

Before Harper was born, I had every intention of going back to work part time (I was lucky enough that my employer was going to allow this). Yet, when she was born, the blog was at a place where I had to choose to either go back to work, or pursue it full time (I had been blogging for 3.5 years at that point) because juggling my therapist work, blogging, being a mom, and having a healthy marriage just felt like it would be too much to manage. So, I made the decision to not go back to my therapy work, and work full time on the blog (which, most people are surprised to know, takes up about 35 hours a week). So, I can’t say that I miss working, because I still do, just in a very different capacity. What I can say I miss is the regular work hours (most of my work is done very early in the morning, during Harper’s afternoon nap, and after she goes down at night… and on the weekends) and daily contact with my co-workers. If I hadn’t had the blog, I would have given myself at least 6 months back at the job to decide whether or not I wanted to continue working, to see how the pieces fell into place. You can read about my decision here if you’re interested.

4. As someone who works out most days of the week, how do you manage to keep your weight in check? This past year I dramatically increased my workouts and have found that I am constantly hungry and my legs look larger. Any advice?? 

That must be so frustrating to be working so hard and not feel like you’ve made any progress. For me, personally, I choose not to weigh myself. I can’t get caught up in that number because weight can fluctuate so much… I try to make sure I am eating clean (because that keeps me healthy on the inside), and as long as my clothes are still fitting, I’m good to go. As far as being hungry goes, I eat throughout the day, and fuel my body with clean eats that I know will sustain me (lean proteins, grains (quinoa, brown rice), veggies, fruits, and healthy fats). I am eat all three meals of the day, and have two snacks in between as well. I’ve found that typically helps to starve off hunger and keep my body fueled for the day.

5. I know you like your cocktails 🙂 BUT do you indulge in dessert? Would love to know what you have for dessert and how often you indulge in it? 

How did you know I like cocktails?! Someone  once told me they pass up a glass of wine because they like sweets too much and that’s where they choose to get their sugar from. I responded the opposite was for me. I like my wine, and that’s where I choose to get my sugar from. Joking aside, it’s kinda true. I have a sweet tooth, but do try to watch my sugar intake. I’m also a huge frozen yogurt with rainbow sprinkles lover, but keep my dairy intake to a minimum (when we were trying to get pregnant with Harper, my acupuncturist said no dairy, and I’ve kept up with it since….). I do enjoy pressed juicery freeze with all the toppings (when the almond butter + chocolate drizzle harden it’s soooooo good), Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups (so.good.),  these brownies (you’d never be able to taste the secret ingredient… I promise…), boom chick popcorn, and chocolate almond bars. I always indulge in one of those on the weekend evenings, and if I’m craving something sweet (which is every night… haha) I’ll have one peanut butter cup, or two cups of popcorn, or a small chunk of the almond bar… it’s usually all I need to curb the craving. Now, if I’m at a special event, I enjoy myself. Wedding cake. Yes please! On vacation. No brainer. A special family gathering with s’mores? Can I have two? Thank you. That’s pretty much my approach to sweets, and most of life in general.

6. What would be your top 3 outfits/dress choices for family photos? Maybe one dressy and one casual. 

Family photos are the best! For a dressy option, I love this dress (you can wear it again with a suede jacket and flats). For a more casual look, this one or this one (such gorgeous colors for fall). If you want something even more casual, I always love jeans and a cute oversized sweater or stripe sweater (assuming this is for fall….) for a laid back look.

7. I see a lot of your jeans have different distressing marks than most of the ones you link to. Do you add your own distressing after you receive them? I love how they look. 

Yes, I’d say I add my own distressing to almost every pair of jeans I get…. It’s typically not enough… or I’m too short and the knee holes are at the bottom of my thigh (#ShortGirlProblems). One of my favorite ways to add my own touch is by creating a raw hem at the bottom of the leg openings. Since jeans are always too long, I figure something has to be done. My favorite options are either just cutting them straight across, angled (seen here), or a step hem (my DIY for that here). For the knee holes, I typically just rip them to make them a little larger… or add a few snips around the existing holes. It’s not meant to look perfect, so I try not to worry about “messing up.”

8. I’m looking for a casual pair of sneakers for the fall. Something I can easily slip on while going out the door with a baby in my arms, as well as casual pair to wear with sweaters and jeans. Any suggestions?

My all time favorite sneakers are Tretorns. They are seriously so comfortable and look good with anything. I wear them all year round…. they’re like walking on air. I promise. A great option with jeans and a sweater too. As far as slip ons go, I’m loving this blush pair and this mauve pair for fall.

9. I am also a momma to a 19 month old and am always looking to save time…. I just watched your 5 minute beauty routine and was wondering which blush and mascara you are using? You never look tired or overdone 🙂 

That’s so nice of you! My favorite blush is by Laura Mercier and it’s in the shade winter bloom. It’s a well pigmented blush, so a little goes a long way… a great shade for year round wear. For my mascara I use this one. I recommend it for length, but not so much for volume.

10. The microwaveable lentils from Trader Joes… do you put anything on them or just eat them as heated up? Also, does Harper eat the lentils too? Wasn’t sure how to feed them to my 16 month old. Thank you!

These are a favorite in our house. We don’t add anything to them, just heat them up and add to our meal. Harper loves them as is too… I just give them to her on the placemat and she eats them with a spoon.

11. Did you drink Kombucha or drink coffee when you were pregnant? I just found out I am expecting and my doctor didn’t even know what kombucha was…..

I didn’t drink kombucha when I was pregnant, but that’s because I didn’t even know about it then. I don’t know what I would do now, but a lot of my favorite health bloggers drink it while they are pregnant. As far as coffee goes, I don’t drink coffee, I’m more of a tea person, and I avoided it. I don’t really need caffeine (well, not back then…. now is another story… haha) so I stuck to iced herbal teas. My doctor did tell me that a cup of it was fine though.

12. I’m a mom that’s always on the go- do you have any suggestions for cute outfits (casual, athleisure) that are fast to put on/easy to walk out the door/chase a kid around but still look cute? I’m in the PNW so outfit ideas with layers for fall and winter are ideal!

Yes! So many great options. I wrote about my favorite basics here, and recommend every piece mentioned. For bottoms, my go-to pieces are high waisted leggings, joggers (own, and love, they do stretch so I recommend sizing down), and a relaxed pair of distressed jeans (again, personal favorite). All three of those bottoms are so easy to just toss on an easy tee with. My favorites for fall include this thermal (so comfortable), graphic tee, split back pullover (a favorite from last year… so soft and comfortable), plaid top (this is the softest… and I love layering it over lighter pieces), and lightweight pullover. You can layer all those pieces under the following jackets/coats: utility jacket (oversized and I own in a camo print from last year), distressed denim jacket (love layering long sleeves under and rolling up the sleeves on the jacket….), puffer vest, and this anorak with a faux fur hood. Top them off with this scarf, these kicks, and a cap. All of these pieces pair well together.

13. Do you have any inexpensive beauty products for healthy hair and skin (on a college student budget!!). I did bayalage on my hair and it feels kinda dry…. actually very dry. Lol. 

Yes, bayalage can for sure make your hair feel dry. I hear ya over here! I use an oil on my hair and a deep conditioning conditioner regularly. A budget friendly option I would try is a coconut oil leave in treatment. I’ve heard amazing things about coconut oil for the hair, but I have not personally tried it yet. I need to though. Stat. Also, I read that you can just use a regular jar of coconut oil (no product needed), and leave it in overnight… when you wash your hair it’s supposed to feel amazing. For facial care, I used to use this exfoliator, facial cleanser, eye cream, and this moisturizer.

14. Have you already covered topic of “marriage while parenting a toddler”?  An area of opportunity for growth for my husband and I is finding ways to connect to strengthen our marriage when a lot of our time is devoted to our sweet and spirited toddler!

Yes! I wrote all about marriage while being parents in this post here. I hope it helps!