Binoculars, my hat & watch, a big smile and a bit of a blur. Pretty much sums up our day. xo
Loving & Linking /
Photo via Ministry of Deco
This is the simplest idea and so pretty. Sophie and I definitely plan to make alphabet rocks this week during Maggie's nap.
I want fish tacos for dinner sometime this week. Every week, actually.
I listened to this this week, and I love so much of Erin's world view... And if you haven't visited Clementine Daily, do.
Found this beautiful site called The Moms Project through Jeanne, and I loved reading about the diverse schedule and styles of other moms in the world.
This looks insanely delicious.
Love this room so much... and I kind of want to have a cup of coffee at this table.
I'm so into these rings. I'm not a big ring girl generally, but I love the mismatched stacked look.
Did you get a chance to read the love version of Delighted Magazine? It's gorgeous.
Lastly, I'm going to be straight with you: I was nominated for a Homie Award with Apartment Therapy, (yayyy!) and I would REALLY would love your vote... it's quick! Ps. The homies are always a great resource for finding new blogs to read. SO many good ones out there.
Hope you're getting some good rest this weekend! The clouds in SF are keeping us inside and cozy and I'm not complaining! It's a welcome change of pace for me. ;)
xo.
SF Loving: Crissy Field /
The other day, we played hooky.
I don't quite know from what we played hooky, except the insane pile of laundry that won't be washing itself. It just sounds fun and borderline rebellious to say it like that.
Brian said in the morning that he didn't need the car for work. I said, we'll TAKE it! It's good to have a car only once in awhile, so as to not think it a mundane thing to have a car. It's like sunshine. If we have sunshine every day, we have no clue that we should think it's an amazing thing. It was an amazing thing to have a car.
We drove to the grocery store, then drove to the beach. I didn't mention the plan until we arrived because if I decided last-minute that I didn't prefer to be scrubbing sand out of everything this evening, I had the option to head somewhere else. I can't attest for other mothers, but sometimes it's a control thing- It's good have options, you know?
I think it was supposed to rain that day, so there were about five people on the beach. It was strangely warm, and the sky was total perfection for taking pictures and I wished I had my real camera with me- it was incredibly picturesque. The sky was a deeper blue than normal, and the sand looked darker. I sat there with my bare feet in the sand, and my girls just ran in circles around me, laughing hysterically. They made castles and sand angels, and it was blissfully peaceful and right.
There are so many times as a mother that I play things safe. I tell myself that I won't do a beach day unless Brian is with me because, "how will I keep both of them from eating sand/ getting lost/ falling in the water, etc." on my own? So we play in our back patio, or closer to home, or in a gated playground... then one day I decide to go for it because I can, and it turns out to be more than manageable, more than fun, better in every way than my comfort zone. Sometimes the risks we take are things we are fully capable of doing, but we spend our days imagining that they're too difficult an undertaking. Definitely not up for living life without risk, with only the mundane because we know what's going to happen next. Where is the fun in that? Adventures are the way to go.
By all means, by the end of our adventure, we were covered head to toe in sand, Maggie was crying on the way to the car because she decided that the water was going to get her while she was 50 feet away in the middle of the beach, our sandwiches were crunchy with grains of sand in every bite, and we lost a beach ball (to Sophie's utmost devastation).... but we were SO HAPPY we went.
We came, we saw, we conquered... and we're better for it.
Love Giveaway with Whole Foods /
We talk a lot about Valentines and pretty little ideas for how to celebrate... SO as a married mother to two little girls, how do we REALLY celebrate Valentine's day?
The past five years, we've done the same thing. It's simple. It's perfect. It's low-maintenance.... it's romance meets practicality.
We awaken and give sweet kisses to all the valentines in the house. I have high hopes of making pancakes in heart shapes... or we have cereal. Some years, I've grabbed a specialty coffee for Brian, some I just make our regular coffee with a little love note for his work day. ;)
I get the house as clean as we can and set the table beautifully with candles and valentines on each setting before Brian gets home from work... He comes in with gorgeous flowers {like these pink fair-trade beauties from Whole Foods above- $20 for a dozen in amazing color options! LOVE} and gets the grill fired up. He grills steak and steams crab, makes side dishes, and it's the best meal we eat all year long. I'm not kidding you. I'm so spoiled. The girls join us for a bit, and then we send them to bed and finish the meal slowly and chat about how good of a cook Brian is- oh I'm kidding- we tell each other anything and everything. It doesn't need to cost a fortune to be amazing. Getting babysitters + reservations on Valentine's day is madness, so we just avoid, lay low, and enjoy.
Whole Foods provided everything we need for this year's Valentine's Day. We got our menu covered, gorgeous flowers for the house, fancy soap, chocolates in heart shapes, chocolate in bar shapes, sweetheart cookies for our little girls, candles... Seriously, all the bases covered in one beautiful {and responsible!} store.
...AND they'd love to do the same for you! Chocolates!! Roses!! Steak! Sweets...up for grabs! Enter to win $50 to Whole Foods in our giveaway!
- Leave a comment and let us know what you'd buy with $50 from Whole Foods this Valentine's day, and you may just get your wish! Giveaway ends Friday, 2/14/14, 11am PST. Open to U.S. residents only.
- Additional entries for following StyleSmaller on Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook. Just let me know how many entries I owe you in your comment! xoxo
May I recommend these amazing chocolate bars in bulk? Mmmm.
Thanks to Whole Foods for sponsoring this post & giveaway. ALL opinions are my own.
This giveaway is closed. Thank you to all for your entries!
Conversations /
Last night's dinner conversation with Sophie, Maggie & me:
"I think daddy wins for being funniest ever and Maggie is the best at being a princess" Sophie says confidently (note Maggie's tiara + tutu at the dinner table).
"Oh and Sophie, you're the best at being a ballerina AND you're really funny too," I said.
Sophie replies, "And mommy you're the best at...."
Silence. Stares upward, thinking incredibly hard.
"Mommy you're the best atttttt..."
Crickets.
"Hmmmm."
"Oh! I know! Actually... nooo definitely not that..."
"Ummmm..."
I try not to laugh as I lean over and kiss Maggie's head.
Sophie's eyes got big, "OH, mommy is the best at giving us hugs and kisses!!!" She beams at me.
Phew! At least their mommy is good at something!
