There are a few more days left to the Nordstrom anniversary sale and I thought I would share a few must haves. And these are totally practical things. Like undergarments.
1. Natori Feathers Bra
Not to be presumptuous or anything, but you are probably wearing the wrong size bra. Especially if you are under a size 6 and are shopping at Victoria's Secret. I know when I first learned about bra fitting, you were supposed to measure your rib cage and add 5 inches, but that's not how it works anymore! You just measure your rib cage- no adding inches necessary. So my real band size is 2-4 inches smaller than the bras I had been buying at VS. For reference, I take a 30" band, I'm petite, but not super tiny. Here is a great overview of proper bra fitting. There is even a link to a you tube video. Basically one of the most important things to remember is that the band should be super snug fitting on the first set of clasps. Remember that your bras stretch out as you wear them, so this should help prolong their life. In my opinion, you need 4 every day bras (apparently it is best practice to let them rest a day in between wearings, but sometimes I find a favorite and wear it every.single.day), but 2 nude (not white- white shows through white tops, nude does not) and 2 black and you should be covered and you should be covered. Add fun colors as your budget allows. The feathers retail for $68, but catch them on sale for $44.90 and they are about the same price as what you would pay for something from VS.
2. Zella Live In Leggings
These leggings are amazing! They are thick, high waisted enough to contain any lingering baby weight, and reversible to boot! I ordered them in the regular legging $33.90 and capri $28.90. I plan on wearing the capris as lounge wear/athletic wear and the regular with boots and sweaters (I love summer, but boot season gets me excited. Good thing boot season is 7-8 months long around here! PS, the official start of boot season is after school begins... so you may start to wear your boots in August, but best practice is to wait until September).
3. Frye Boots
Frye boots are incredible. These are not cheap, but taking into account the length of boot season, these work out to about $1.75 per wear, and provided that you take care of them, they will last for years and will end up being just pennies per wear. I'm craving a pair of cognac booties, but if you are getting your first pair of boots, I would suggest a cognac riding boot. PS, Frye's appear to have gone up by $100-200 in the past year, so grab them on sale when you can. 6 pm is also a good source for Frye's (I snagged a pair for so cheap last year that when Justin was bragging about my shopping prowess to a coworker she didn't believe they were really Frye's).
4. J Brand Mid Rise Skinny Jeans
Ok, so these aren't technically part of the anniversary sale, but you need them. True story, the first time I bought a pair of J Brands, I was so impressed with how my backside looked, I contemplated texting a picture to my friend (I tried, but it took more coordination than I had. Justin's friend took me on this shopping excursion, and was wondering why it took me 45 minutes to purchase 2 items. Probably because I spent a solid 10 minutes trying to get a good selfie...). I loved these so much I bought a second pair... and I'm usually not one to buy multiples of something. I also have a pair of wine colored J Brands, these are similar, but mine have rock-star esque zippers on the front, making them even more awesome. In all honesty, the only jeans I need are my 3 pair of J Brands, 7FAM dojos for those rare occasions I feel like wearing trouser jeans, and Joe's skinny jeans for everyday running after the girls/around the campfire. Oh, and my Joe's Provocateurs for sentimental reasons (the first pair of premium denim I ever purchased- my bff and I talked each other into buying them and then wore them out that night so the other person couldn't wimp out and return them later).
5. Philosophy Purity Made Simple
This is my most favorite cleanser ever! It is super gentle, and actual takes of your make up. True story, not all facial cleansers remove makeup. If you are using a targeted wash for acne or another skin condition, it probably isn't getting all of your makeup off. The product I linked is the best value, but if you are new to this product, you can pick up a mini bottle for around $10.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
words with babies
The girls have been little chatterboxes lately- they have quite the collection of words! Things they say include:
"No, no puppy"- Claire started saying this before she would say Daddy consistently.
"No"- Although Audrey doesn't attach meaning to this- she just responds with it sometimes when we ask her a question.
"Shoes!"- I'm surprised this wasn't one of their first words.
"Sissy" - Melts my heart- so cute!
"Mama"
"Daddy"
"Puppy"
"Baby"- Everyone under the age of 12 is a baby to Audrey- she says it whenever she sees another child.
"Nana"- For banana. Sometimes Audrey will even grab a banana from the table.
"Ball"
"Cow"
"Car"- Although they typically say "car car"
"Night night"
They also have a collection of animal sounds, including "roar", "baa", and "la la la" (that is what the pig says).
"No, no puppy"- Claire started saying this before she would say Daddy consistently.
"No"- Although Audrey doesn't attach meaning to this- she just responds with it sometimes when we ask her a question.
"Shoes!"- I'm surprised this wasn't one of their first words.
"Sissy" - Melts my heart- so cute!
"Mama"
"Daddy"
"Puppy"
"Baby"- Everyone under the age of 12 is a baby to Audrey- she says it whenever she sees another child.
"Nana"- For banana. Sometimes Audrey will even grab a banana from the table.
"Ball"
"Cow"
"Car"- Although they typically say "car car"
"Night night"
They also have a collection of animal sounds, including "roar", "baa", and "la la la" (that is what the pig says).
Saturday, July 12, 2014
17 months
We have been up to lots of fun things around here! We went to the lake last weekend- Audrey got in the water with me, but Claire was content hanging out in her tent and eating watermelon.
One of Audrey's newest tricks is giving kisses- here she was kissing the pretty baby!
The girls love getting into cupboards! My mom has a few cabinets that she lets the girls dig in and it keeps them entertained for so long. Claire loved taking the granola bars out of the package and putting them back it.
The girls are very busy these days! They have mastered going up and down the stairs- Audrey often goes down to the basement by herself to play kitchen. It is nice that they are getting more independent, but we now have another area of the house that needs to be baby proofed. The basement used to be a bit of a sanctuary, but now it is a toy explosion! One of Audrey's favorite games is pulling absolutely everything out of her kitchen.
Claire and Audrey both give kisses, blow kisses, and wave bye-bye. It takes me a lot longer to leave for work now, because the girls do all of their tricks for me before I go.
Bedtime is still around 6:30 and they pretty consistently sleep until 6:30. Although, this morning they woke up at 5:00, had some milk, and then slept in until 8! We didn't wake up until Justin came home from work.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
twin topics
The conversations I have with people never cease to amaze me. A recent sampling:
Random old guy: "So a boy and a girl?"
Me: Both girls.
Random old guy: "Oh, that one there is a husky gal!"
Umm, well she is a baby...
Grocery store employee 1: "Zomg twins! Do you dress them alike?"
Me: Not typically.
Employee 2: "yeah, it's easier to tell them apart that way"
Are we looking at the same twins here?
Employee 1: "Are the best friends? Do they fight?"
Me: Well, we have a few scuffles over toys...
Employee 1: "But they are still best friends? Which one is girlier?"
To be detirmined? They are only 16 months old...
Having twins definitely isn't for the shy! I don't think I'll ever make it through a store without striking up a conversation with a stranger again.
Just don't think your clever by quipping that I've got my hands full. I'll politely smile and nod but I've heard that line 5,964 times already. But if you insist on making that comment, at least hold open the door for us instead of staring while I schlepp through the tiny doorway whilst wearing heels and loaded down with a diaper bag and finds from the days shopping adventure.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
6 month goal check-up
It has been about 6 months since I set goals for the new years. The girls have been rocking their goals. Mom? Not so much. We'll start with the progress the little ladies have made:
1. Ditch the middle of the night bottle- I'll mark this one as accomplished, although Justin gave Audrey some milk last night around 11. He was up for a snack, and she ended up waking as well. Other than this instance, it has been quite some time since they had a midnight snack. On occasion, someone will wake up around 5ish, but we'll give them some milk and put them back to bed for another hour or two of sleep.
2. Master using sippy cups- Yup! They can even drink out of a regular cup with supervision.
3. Sleep all the way through the night 6 out of 7 nights (because you know, the best goals are specific and measurable)- This goal has been achieved.
4. Get rid of the pacifier- The pacifier is gone 99% of the time. Audrey no longer receives it at nap or bedtime. They are all hidden away, although I keep an emergency pacifier in my purse. Last week, we were driving home from Cameron's birthday party and Audrey started screaming and carrying on about 15 minutes from home. I considered letting her cry, but asked myself what that would have accomplished. So she was given a pacifier and was calm the rest of the ride.
5. Learn how to walk (although Justin and I would not be sad if they waited until they were a year old before they crossed this milestone off the list... they move quick enough already!)- They don't just walk, they run now!
6. Say "mama" and "dada". The girls both say mama on a regular basis. I have heard dada a couple of times over the last few days, but they haven't managed to say it consistently yet.
Now for my goals...
1. Monitor time sucks- I think I've been doing pretty well with this one. I've deleted candy crush and ruzzle from my phone.
2. Continue to get rid of 10 items per day- I haven't been paying as close of attention to this one. I've been getting rid of clutter here and there, but it is time to hop back on the 10 items per day bandwagon.
3. Be judicious of items I bring into the home- I've been pretty selective over the clothes I've been purchasing, both for myself and the girls.
4. Establish a cleaning schedule- I don't have a formal schedule yet, but I have been pretty good about doing a 15 minute clean up the end of each day. It keeps our house above minimum community standards.
5. Keep on making freezer meals- We've kept up with this- we have made freezer meals for the grill and crock pot.
6. Exercise 5 days per week. This one needs the most improvement. I'm back to using my fitness pal- I think this will help me stay on track. I've also been more mindful of portions- do I need a whole vat of ice cream, or would a scoop be enough? Do I need to put oreos in my ice cream, or would strawberries do (hmm... strawberries and oreos... that sounds awesome).
1. Ditch the middle of the night bottle- I'll mark this one as accomplished, although Justin gave Audrey some milk last night around 11. He was up for a snack, and she ended up waking as well. Other than this instance, it has been quite some time since they had a midnight snack. On occasion, someone will wake up around 5ish, but we'll give them some milk and put them back to bed for another hour or two of sleep.
2. Master using sippy cups- Yup! They can even drink out of a regular cup with supervision.
3. Sleep all the way through the night 6 out of 7 nights (because you know, the best goals are specific and measurable)- This goal has been achieved.
4. Get rid of the pacifier- The pacifier is gone 99% of the time. Audrey no longer receives it at nap or bedtime. They are all hidden away, although I keep an emergency pacifier in my purse. Last week, we were driving home from Cameron's birthday party and Audrey started screaming and carrying on about 15 minutes from home. I considered letting her cry, but asked myself what that would have accomplished. So she was given a pacifier and was calm the rest of the ride.
5. Learn how to walk (although Justin and I would not be sad if they waited until they were a year old before they crossed this milestone off the list... they move quick enough already!)- They don't just walk, they run now!
6. Say "mama" and "dada". The girls both say mama on a regular basis. I have heard dada a couple of times over the last few days, but they haven't managed to say it consistently yet.
Now for my goals...
1. Monitor time sucks- I think I've been doing pretty well with this one. I've deleted candy crush and ruzzle from my phone.
2. Continue to get rid of 10 items per day- I haven't been paying as close of attention to this one. I've been getting rid of clutter here and there, but it is time to hop back on the 10 items per day bandwagon.
3. Be judicious of items I bring into the home- I've been pretty selective over the clothes I've been purchasing, both for myself and the girls.
4. Establish a cleaning schedule- I don't have a formal schedule yet, but I have been pretty good about doing a 15 minute clean up the end of each day. It keeps our house above minimum community standards.
5. Keep on making freezer meals- We've kept up with this- we have made freezer meals for the grill and crock pot.
6. Exercise 5 days per week. This one needs the most improvement. I'm back to using my fitness pal- I think this will help me stay on track. I've also been more mindful of portions- do I need a whole vat of ice cream, or would a scoop be enough? Do I need to put oreos in my ice cream, or would strawberries do (hmm... strawberries and oreos... that sounds awesome).
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