tuesday shoesday

So I got the idea of highlighting my shoe collection from the more pieces of me blog- she had such awesome style, it is certainly aspirational. I noticed that I own a few of the pieces she has highlighted on her blog... that boosted my style IQ by at least 20 points. Anyways, on to the shoes:

These beauties are the frye lucinda slouch. As my calves are on the curvier side, they are more mid calf than knee boots on me.

I had been wanting a pair of fryes for about the past five years after a friend scored a pair at off fifth. True story- I've been shopping at off fifth about once a year for the better part of the past decade, but I have only pulled the trigger on one item (juicy couture pajamas). What can I say, I have better luck at Nordstrom rack. 

Anyways, I came across my fryes by chance. I was browsing 6pm on Black Friday and saw these at a major discount. I'm still on the hunt for cognac Melissa buttons... The most I've ever seen them discounted is 20%, which still puts them outside of the range I typically spend on shoes (believe it or not. I've never spent more than $100 on shoes... Which means my husband probably has tennis shoes pricier than my covetable fryes).

Stay tuned for next Tuesday when I will highlight another pair from my collection.

baby weight chronicles

Right before getting pregnant with the girls I was in arguably the best shape of my life. A decade out, I was the same size as I was in high school. I had been thinner in my adult life (you try a summer of working from noon to 9 pm while trying to balance an active social life... it doesn't leave much time for snacking) but I certainly wasn't fit. Prepregnancy I was working out a minimum of 5 days per week, usually doing classes (circuit was my favorite) and sometimes even running a mile or so after the less strenuous classes (i.e. Zumba).

When those two pink lines appeared, I was committed to maintaining my active lifestyle. I continued to go to the gym at my prepregnancy pace until we had the big ultrasound that showed we were having not one, but two babies. The doctors reassured me that I could maintain my previous workout regime, minus the ab work... but I still scaled it back and focused on Zumba and jogging. Although, I figured I could still hit that perfect weight gain of about 35 pounds with nary a stretch mark to be seen.

Well, I hit the 35 pound mark around month 5. Then I remembered advice I had read saying that maternal weight gain had been linked with positive outcomes in twin pregnancies (ignoring that crucial bit from psych 101 where correlation does not equal causation... perhaps mothers who gained more weight happened to make it to term which would be the reason for the positive outcome... not the fact that she downed 5 oreos followed by 2 glasses of milk on a daily basis on occasion... not that I would know anything about that).

Anyways at the end of my pregnancy, I was more than 50% larger than I was prepregnancy. But I wasn't too concerned... I figured I would drop the pounds in no time. Nine months up, nine months down? Maybe for those slackers that don't work out, but not this girl. Heck, some people are even thinner after they have kids- that will totally be me. Funny how things don't work out quite as nicely as you plan.

I still have *gasp* 10 12 extra pounds of baby weight that is hanging out... mostly around my midsection. Getting to the gym is a challenge with 2 little nuggets. For the longest time I wasn't exercising because I wasn't able to make it to my beloved classes, but then I acquired a few new fitness dvds and am back on track. I don't necessarily work out 5 days per week, but I'm finding that 3-4 is quite doable.

Next up in operation banish baby weight is cleaning up my eating habits, because true story, abs are made in the kitchen. No, you won't get a 6 pack from eating quinoa and spinach, but it is way easier to take in an extra 600 calories than it is to burn those calories through exercise.

I've been tracking my calories through my fitness pal. I'm only allotted 1200 calories a day, which encourages me to work out- because I love treats. I have been making better choices in my treats... instead of downing a batch of oreos or peanut butter cups, I've been munching on homemade treats: mini apple crisp, peanut butter granola balls, pumpkin muffins. In fact after cutting down on processed foods, my beloved oreos and a few other snacks aren't as delicious as they once were.

To round out my attack on the bulge, I'm working on meeting the minimum requirement of 5 cups of fruits and veggies per day. I've been loving smoothies lately, which is an excellent way for me to sneak in my daily allotment of fruits. Veggies are a bit trickier- I love roasted cauliflower and broccoli, but that requires a bit of prep work. I recently learned that I enjoy zucchini if it is grated and hiding in quinoa. I love spinach in pasta, omelets, and even the occasional strawberry salad.

So here is a pic of me at my goal size. I was 5 weeks pregnant in this picture:

And here is where I am at now:

There is a bit of trickery in the second picture. They are not the same pants I was wearing in my thinner days (sadly I need to lose an inch or two from my midsection before they fit... the pants in the bottom picture are 2 sizes bigger... curse you Express, for making 00's)

And just for fun, what I looked like at 37 weeks pregnant:

So long story short, overall I'm pleased with where I am at. I'd prefer to trim down my midsection and shave an inch or so off my hips, but with the level of effort I'm putting in the results are to be expected. I could ramp up my workout schedule, but then I wouldn't have time to blog or shop online clean. I could eat healthier, but this is the girl who used to cry at the sight of vegetables. Who spent over 10 years of her life eating a ham and cheese sandwich on a bun, four oreos, and a fudge brownie for lunch every.single.day. Who even in college couldn't find anything appealing on the menu of casual dining establishments and would order a grilled cheese sandwich off menu.

Oh, and side note- I have a secret weapon for measuring progress. I ended up with an extra belt with my bridesmaid dress from my cousin's wedding that is just hanging out in my dresser. Once I get that baby to fit comfortably around my midsection I'll know I have arrived.

mini me

Audrey and I now have matching moto jackets. I just got mine today while Audrey has had hers for months. She is on trend like that.

Claire is stylish too in her dropped waist floral dress (with zipper detail in the back) and skinny jeans. She is rocking a pair of toms- I don't even have toms yet...so it begins that my daughters have better style than I do. Hopefully they can keep me up to date.

chambray

So I have been obsessed with getting a chambray shirt for months. I found a few contenders from jcrew, but they were on the pricey side and I've only bought a handful if clothes from there over the years, so I wasn't sure about sizing. 

My parents came up over the weekend and my mom and I decided to go on a quick shopping run. We decided to check out old navy (I don't shop there much because it isn't in the mall- when I load up the girls and take them out I like to have several stores at my disposal). Anyways, I spotted the polka dotted chambray beauty right away. It was love at first sight. I have been itching to wear it ever since my mom purchased it for me, but today was when I got to debut this beauty:

My other obsession is brightly colored skinnies. They pair beautifully with the chambray. And honestly, unless you are super fashion forward, don't pair chambray with denim (you veer towards that Canadian tuxedo territory... There may or may not be a photograph from the 90's of my entire family clad in denim. I may or may not have poufy bangs. The details escape me).

Next up on my purchase list is a mustard cardigan- mustard looks awesome with the chambray! The cardigan I have is elbow length, so it is a no go with this top but it gives me an idea for color.

Now that my clothing budget has been slashed by 2/3rds (the girls and I share... I'm not sure if I have ever formally agreed to this arrangement, but I digress) I have been planning out what items I really want to round out my closet. On my list:

1. The perfect pair of nude pumps (almond toe, 4 inch heel, a heel that isn't made out of wood, not patent. Remember my rule that shoes are to be completely flat or 4" plus? I still abide by that)

2. Skinny calf hair leopard belt (I can't stand leopard accessories that aren't calf hair)

3. Mustard cardigan

4. Striped skirt- mod cloth sold out of the one I wanted hours before I planned on purchasing it.

5. Bobeau wrap

6. Chevron top or dress

7. Chunky 3 strand pearl necklace

8. Plaid scarf. I would be in heaven if I could acquire a Burberry scarf. I think there is some sort of rule where husbands are supposed to spend $10 for each year you are old on milestone birthdays (you know, like the x number of months salary for the engagement ring) so perhaps there is hope.

I should have the opportunity to do a bit of shopping this weekend, so we will see if I can cross anything off my list. I think my first priority is the cardigan.

If you have stuck with my rambling for this long, congratulations. Your reward is this bit of adorableness:

13 months

The girls have been growing and developing like crazy- they are walking (and running) everywhere. They have started talking more- especially Claire. She now says: hi, bye-bye, puppy, happy, mama, and dada (at least those are our interpretations). She seems to get stuck on her new words and is reluctant to say others- today it was a challenge getting her to say anything but "puppy". Speaking of puppies... I caught her trying to drink out of the dog dish like she was one of our four legged friends... I think she may have been successful.

It has been so much fun to watch Audrey plays- she does it so purposefully. It is fun to watch her look through her books- she seems to pay attention to all of the pictures before flipping the pages. She is also great with puzzles- we have some blocks where shapes fit inside- she has mastered those. Audrey does a bit of talking too- her main words are hi and mama.

favorite toys

Since the great toy clean out a few weeks ago, I have been able to figure out some of the girls' most loved toys:

1. Little people- the girls absolutely love their farm. That was in rotation for the past two weeks. Today I switched it out for the princess castle. They seem equally enamored with the castle. I know some child development gurus are anti battery operated toys, but my thought is everything in moderation. One quick and easy way for me to judge the worthiness of a battery operated toy is to ask if it would still be fun to play with as sans batteries. The answer for little people is a resounding yes, so they are in.

2. Blocks, links, and stacking cups. It is incredible how some of the simplest toys are also the most lasting. There have been several days when everything else in the toy basket has gone untouched and the girls have happily played with these staples.

3. Musical instruments. We have a percussion set, maracas, a piano, and a glockenspiel. They especially love the maracas and percussion instruments.

4. Play kitchen. We bought the Kid Kraft two piece retro kitchen in blue for their birthday. I'm not sure who loves it more- me or the girls. I can envision them playing with this for years to come. Plus we have some awesome play food that goes along with it (a favorite is the bacon and eggs my aunt made).

(How cute are the aprons from my mom. I may have a slight matryoshka obsession)

5. Wheely bug and activity walker. They love pushing these things around. The bug is meant to be a ride on toy, but for now they prefer to push it around.

I'm trying to limit my purchases for the girls (my mom claims they already have more toys than I had in my entire life...and I wasn't deprived, the girls are just that spoiled) but there are a few things on my list to round out their toy collection:

1. Play kitchen accessories such as pots, baking supplies, dishes, etc. I really want some vintage inspired tin dishes.

2. Melissa and Doug cutting food. Audrey has quite the fascination with the play knife and cutting board, so I think she would especially enjoy the foods she can cut.

3. Colorful wooden building blocks. And pretty much any wooden toy in general... animals, dollhouses, the options are endless. They have an awesome Haba rattle that looks like a bouquet of flowers. It now sits on the counter of their play kitchen. I'm particularly drawn to toys that have a bit of an heirloom quality to them (yes mom, as much as I like decluttering I do plan on saving some of the girls' toys until they are grown ups).

4. A doll house. I'll have to see how gentle the girls are with their things next year- it might be their big birthday present. It is definitely an investment, but I'm loving the land of nod dollhouse. I am fine with buying them one big gift to share though, so I'll probably be able to justify it. I'll need to keep my eyes open for sales and promo codes.

Prices of some of the higher quality toys can be exorbitant, but I've found that Melissa and Doug (at several department stores) and B. (easily found at target) offer toys with staying power at an accessible price point. 

genius

So I recently had a stroke of genius. I had been making apple oatmeal cups and though zomg, what about apple crisp in a muffin tin? Oh yes... automatic portion control. For the calories of a double stuffed Oreo enjoy a delicious homemade concoction.

Start with a tbsp of crust and layer on some apples.

Then sprinkle on some cinnamon and add even more delicious crust. Yup, not just one, but two layers if ooey gooey sugary crumble.

I acquired my muffin tins from my mom around Christmas time (I have no clue why I didn't own them before. I use them constantly) I originally had 4 tins, but she needed to reclaim 2 tins as she sometimes uses them for church events. I'm definitely adding more to my wish list... Perhaps I'll even get high tech and go for silicone.