Life Lately

I hope everyone had a super special Mother's Day.  I know I certainly did.

A few snippets of life lately.

Monday after school I took the kids to Sugar Bakeshop.  I had not been there in forever and forgot how amazing all their treats are.  The kids were in hog heaven with their cupcakes.  We sampled 4 different ones and they all were delicious.  My favorite was the mint.

Last week's repeat outfit.

Blouse (on sale ) | Shoes | Shorts | Necklace | Sunglasses

Potted some new plants for our front porch.

Found a new lunch I am addicted to, thanks to my friend Liz.

Lettuce wraps.  Layer lettuce with mashed avocado with lemon juice and red pepper flakes + roasted white beans + hard boiled eggs + radishes.  So easy and tasty.

To roast white beans- just toss in olive oil with salt and pepper and roast at 350 degrees about 20 minutes.  It gives them great flavor and a bit of crunch.

 This maxi dress arrived that I ordered.  It is such a steal under $85 and the colors are amazing in person.  This would be great for a Summer wedding or event.

|| BB Dakota Maxi Dress

Could not stop laughing at Frances as she tried to casually steal a chocolate milk at Starbucks.  She looked so guilty like who me??

Friday night we ordered pizza and played games.  Sterling picked Go Fish. We love our Friday pizza + game nights.

I am getting so excited about our vacation in 4 weeks!  I finally busted out of my comfort zone and bought a bikini.

Pom Pom Dress | Gold Shoes | Palm Romper | Pineapple Tote | Cowrie Necklace | Bikini

 Saturday we went to Taylor's 3rd Birthday Party.   I swear my girl Caycee hosts the best birthday parties. She gets every single detail right.  

How gorgeous are the flowers??

All the ladies had a blast catching up!

I spent Sunday with the family. I hate I didn't get to spend it with my mom but grateful for these two angels.

We enjoyed a lunch picnic.

Then Matt took Sterling to go swim since our pool just opened and I got to enjoy some time alone.  I actually read a few magazines it was so nice.

Then we headed to the Yacht Club for happy hour and to let the kids play.  After rain for a few days it was nice for some sun.

Sterling snapped this picture of me and I love it, I was so happy I had such a special Mother's Day.

Tee | Shorts | Sandals | Glasses

I requested hot dogs for my dinner.  I love a good chili dog and these were amazing.

Perfect ending to Mother's Day.

Happy Monday

Saturday's Top 5 Deals

 Happy Saturday!  We are up bright and early for a soccer game! 

ONE | Saks did some new markdowns

This Joie Top I own is reduced. 40% off.

|| Joie Esme Blouse

This Mara Hoffman fabulous dress is also reduced!  I just ordered for our upcoming vacation!

|| Mara Hoffman Dress

Love the pattern on this Tory Burch tee shirt Dress.  

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TWO | Several of you wanted to know about the dress I wore this week. It was sold out but is now back in stock!  Not on sale but it sales out fast so wanted to share

|| Mara Hoffman Dress 

also in purple

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THREE | 30% off all sale merchandise at JCrew.

Use code SALETREAT

Frances has this dress and it is just the cutest thing.  On sale plus 30% off

Neon Dress

 

We also have this tassel stripe top.  On sale as well.

and I picked up this in the store.  Such a cute fit.

Combo Sweater- runs really large I am wearing the xxs

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FOUR | 30% off regular merchandise at Banana Republic

Loving this patio dress from Banana Republic, currently 30% off.

|| Tie Dye Patio Dress

Also really like this ikat bikini and it's reversible.  I have a bikini from BR that is probably 5 years old and still in great shape!  Currently on sale as well.

|| Ikat Suit

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FIVE | Forever 21 Tee Shirt Dress

This beauty is $15 and so comfy!  I am wearing a size medium.

Happy Saturday and Happy Shopping!

Flower Power

I fell in love with the style and embroidery of this dress.   Plus it is so comfortable.  Feels like pajamas, so loose and airy.

This dress comes in like 5 different colors and I honestly had a hard time deciding which one to choose.  I chose the magenta mainly because they had a small in it, but of course now there are other options in a small.  Plus I love the pink for Summer.

The dress runs TTS, I am wearing the size small.  It is a loose fitting silhouette. 

Emma Dress (in 4 colors including pink) | Purse | Sandals (on sale) | Earrings

Emma Dress in black or orange or white

The back is one of my favorite parts of the dress.  It is open but you can still wear a regular bra with it. That is a winning situation right there.

 A close up of the floral embroidery detail.

This purse is my everyday purse.  I carry it everywhere.  I am now totally a bucket tote convert.  I am obsessed with this one. It fits way more in than you think it would and it's cute!

I am carrying the desert rose color but I also love the white and stone colors for Summer.

My Tory Burch sandals are currently on sale.  Also in a snakeskin version.

I love that the purse has two different strap options as well. Long or short you decide. 

I think this dress could also easily be dressed up with heels and some statement jewelry for a dressier occasion.  A double duty dress if you will.

I am pretty sure I will be living in this comfy dress and I even think you could wear it in the fall paired with tights and booties.

You can shop my look below!

Photo credit | Rick Dean Photography

Tory Burch New MarkdownsI

I just wanted to let you girls know Tory Burch just did new mark downs.  If you need Summer shoes now is a great time to buy, so many of the sandals are on sale! Sizes are going fast though.

I am trying to decide between these and these.

Here are a few other favorites!

What I Feed My Kids.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is do your kids eat what you eat? and what do you feed your kids?   Both of my kids are hit or miss eaters.  Sometimes they eat great and shock me and sometimes they are super picky.

As much as I would like us to all sit down to dinner together as a family every night it just isn't possible with Matt's work schedule.  I feed Frances around 5:30 so she always eats before we do.  I would say about 2-3 nights a week Sterling eats with Matt and I but most of the time he is ready to eat at 5:30 when Frances does. 

The past two weeks I tried to photograph their food.  Weekends we order pizza or eat out so these are mainly week night meals.  Lately Sterling wants to eat on a divided plate too since Frances does so I just feed him the same thing.  Frances is all about using a spoon these days which is great because I feel like she is trying more foods, like quinoa that she can scoop up.  I am not telling you my kids cleaned their plates but this what I served them:)  If it was a recipe of mine I linked to it.

String cheese | strawberries | quinoa | roasted cabbage | hummus and pita 

shredded carrots | Peas | cheese | cantaloupe | yogurt

cheese | raspberries | navy beans  |roasted broccoli | salmon cakes

roasted shrimp | Asian slaw |  greek yogurt | blueberries | avocado

watermelon | quinoa | chicken meatballs | cheese | avocado

taco chicken | avocado| roasted white beans | cheese | apples

rotisserie chicken| mandarin oranges | edamame | avocado | boiled egg

I try not to feed my kids too much frozen food but sometimes you have to.  I really like the Kidfresh brand.  My kids like their fish sticks, chicken nuggets, and chicken meatballs.  They also do mac and cheese but neither of my kids love mac and cheese which blows my mind.

Other frozen foods we like are the puff pastry dogs from Trader Joes, Morning Star veggie burgers, and Dr Praeger Spinach nuggets.

The divided plates above are from skip hop and they are our favorites.

Skip Hop Plate Set

If you have any meals your kids love, I would love the recommendations!

Kale + Chickpea Caprese Salad

Now that the weather is warmer, I am all about some Summer Salads.  This salad takes like 5 minutes to toss together.  Super easy but it is so yummy and fresh.  If you have time make your own pesto it is always better.  I was lazy and used store bought though and it was still really good.  Fresh tomatoes are key.  For this salad I recommend the lacindo kale (the kind that is not curly).  It shreds perfectly for this salad.  Since kale is a bit sturdier this will save in your fridge for about 2 days, although it is best the first day.  Perfect for a Summer alfresco dinner!

Enjoy!

|| K A L E  + C H I C K P E A  C A P R E S E  S A L A D ||

- 1 bunch lacindo kale

- 1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained

- 1 pint cherry tomatoes quartered

- 1 container small fresh mozzarella balls

- 1 container pesto

- handful shredded fresh basil

Shred the kale into thin strips.  Place in a bowl with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and chick peas.  Coat with the pesto and toss all together!  You may not need the whole container of pesto, just depends how much pesto you want on your salad:)