Be Hiip

So you know I'm not reeeeallly into being in front of the camera... I'd way rather be taking pictures of my children... BUT I have a good friend named Nicole. And Nicole started a business. I believe in her business and I believe in its mission, and I took pictures for hiip, and I want a hiip bag, so I figure you might too, and so I'm going to tell you all about it... ​

hiip= helping individuals in passing

​I pass individuals who need help constantly. And I'm pretty sure you do too. Whether you live in a city or suburb or country, there are needs. For every hiip bag sold, a "hiip kit" is provided for an individual who is homeless and needy. Nicole created each kit based on the needs that her homeless friends in her neighborhood shared with her. Socks, shampoo, lip balm, etc. to take care of some basic needs, and more than that- spark a conversation to lead to friendship with people who are outcast, with people who are friendless, who have been through hardship after hardship. I mean, what if these people were part of your family, and landed in a state of homelessness... and you lost touch? Wouldn't you be praying that someone would come along beside them and be their friend? And give them hope? The mission of this business is a beautiful thing that I can actually STAND behind. 

SO I literally am standing behind and for it. I couldn't pick which bag I loved best, so I basically have tried them all. They're amazing for park time because you can just strap all the essentials to your hip and be hands-free, or you can do the messenger style if you're not up for a modern fanny pack ;) If you need an evening bag, you can fancy it up for a night out on the town and use it as a clutch.

Stylish for days and nights. ​Be hiip with us. Tell all your friends, pin it, blog it, love it.

xoxo. 

Kate

And while I'm at it- promoting my friends and all- photos are all taken by the talented duo we love so dearly: Pictilio... they're everything you'd want in a photographer: sweet, funny, efficient, and GOOD. and they travel! :) 

Follow Pictilio: FACEBOOK || TWITTER ​

And nope, this isn't a compensated post and I did not receive anything for free. I simply love the brand and felt strongly enough to write about it. ​

Nearly 21 Months

My Maggie just cried in her little crib about those cruel teeth persistently pushing through sore baby gums. I went to her room and sang "hush little baby" and looked at those sweet closed eyes with beautiful long lashes, clutching her lovie and drifting to dreamland. She's beautiful. She is my baby. She's also getting big. She's establishing a will of her own and using every means she has to communicate that will to me. ​She's curious, she's a climber, she's a creator and a tornato. She loves pearls and purses and babies and doing everything like her big sister. She laughs and squeals and giggles endlessly... until she can hardly breathe. She sees when I'm sad or disappointed and bends her face so she can see mine and plant a kiss on my cheek. She's had her first, second, third and fourth tantrum of her life this week, and I know we're nearing two years. I want to bottle this "now." She's not a baby, she's not yet a big girl. Her nails are pink because mine are pink and I can't refuse those blue eyes looking up at me holding the polish and wiggling her fingers.

She's my sweet little Maggie with the strawberry blonde hair. 

​Sometimes I think that I love bedtime best, because I can get the kids snuggled down and I can relax after the long day.

...but in reality it's the mornings I love best. Those mornings that come too soon, peeking sunshine into my blurry eyes, hearing chantings of "mama, mama" from the next room.

When I look back to 21 months, my heart will be in love with the sounds of morning, the moments of dependence, the gazes of adoration and the perfectly chubby little feet that run everywhere they go. ​

xoxoxo my Maggie. so very many hugs and kisses.​

​Mama

Photos by Pictilio for StyleSmaller. 

​Tee (similar). Jumper. Sandals. Headband (similar).

In case you want to see: Maggie 19 months. Ohhh she's grown so much!

Currently Loving: The Land of Nod

one || two || three || four || five || six || seven

You guys, something crazy happened.

​I won a giveaway. Who does that? Never me! It's a good one too. Small Fry was hosting a Land of Nod giveaway and I won it. The timing is perfect because I've been gazing at their storage solutions for toys that have compounded in our little home, and theirs are some of the best-looking options I've seen. The products are kid-friendly, but thoroughly fresh and unconventional... in other words: ideal. SO excited. 

I'm having a good week, indeed. ;) ​

xo, Kate

SF Loving: Nob Hill & Downtown

​When most people come to San Francisco, they stay downtown, either by the shopping or in Nob Hill with all the views. It makes sense, really. There are gorgeous hotels, and the location is perfectly central with public transportation taking you to every area of the city you'd like to visit! 

It's the home of the flagship Gap and Banana Republics, H&M, Zara, Madewell, Uniqlo, Anthropologie, Urban, all the higher end stores, so there is endless shopping to be done, if that's what you like. ​

People are always asking where to eat around there and it's probably the hardest area of the city for me to recommend. For breakfast, Sears Fine Food or Dottie's True Blue Cafe, for sure. For lunch, it sounds strange, but the food court at the Westfield Mall has REALLY good food, good deals, and good variety. My personal favorite is Coriander Thai (downstairs), where we can get basil chicken, red curry, and pad thai for three hungry girls for $12. S likes it because they have mini clean potties there for tiny kids. TMI? Hope not. On the top level, there's La Boulange if you just want a snack or coffee- see HERE- and the prettiest ceiling ever.​ You also could go to the Nordstrom cafe at the top of San Francisco Center and check out the view up Powell Street, and enjoy good eats. 

Dinner is the hardest. We almost never eat dinner downtown except when we've gone to Morton's for work dinners or something. ​My best recommendation is to take a little walk more toward the financial area, and there's a little alley there called Belden Place. It has the charm and romance and some solid Italian food options and it's not too far away. 

If you like to be pampered, I one time got to have a spa day at the Nob Hill Spa at the Huntington Hotel, and it has to be one of the best spas EVER. ​There is a swimming pool with glass windows in the spa, where you can order food and gaze at the most gorgeous views in the world. Totally unforgettable. 

If you're like me, with kids I'd say you MUST hang at Union Square for a bit and grab a coffee or something and enjoy the sun and people watching and let the kiddos run around- and you must also take a cable car. The kids LOVE cable cars. I remember thinking they were the best when I was a kid, and Sophie still remembers and talks about the one time we took a cable car too. It's really really really fun. 

SO, that about sums it up!  Oh, and if you missed last week's part one of this area, visit THIS post, and for Soph's outfit, check HERE. 

Happy Monday! ​

Pico de Gallo + Chicken

​You guys, I have so much to say today!! I want to write and post all sorts of things, but everything else has to wait till the weekend because... here's the biggest one for ya: it's Cinco de Mayo weekend! As a half-Mexican girl who loves eating Mexican food, I couldn't let the opportunity to post a a good Cinco de Mayo / American healthy version of a recipe for you.  If I had a lot more time this week, you better believe I'd be making and writing about my favorite enchiladas- which are NOT healthy, but are SO GOOD- but I'm going with a little chicken pico de gallo deliciousness instead. 

I grill my chicken in a pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a few bits of onions. Somehow it tastes perfect with basically no ingredients, go figure! It's best to cook it thoroughly for awhile on medium/low heat so it cooks slowly through.​

Now for the pico de gallo. This is my dad's recipe, so lucky you and lucky me that he shared it.. I added the mango at the end myself because I had it and I love it:​

Pico de Gallo:​

• 5 Tomatos, diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped tiny
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped tiny
• A handful of cilantro, to taste
• 1 Avocado, diced
• 1 Green chile, for a kick, so be careful if you don't love spice
• 2 Limes
• 1 Mango chopped small
• Plenty of salt and pepper, to taste

Mix it all together and enjoy! OR to have it taste even more delicious, have it sit in the fridge for an hour or overnight to let all the juices blend and become even tastier. Mmm. ​

(Also, I think my recipe increments are improving slightly, but differentiating between the size you cut each item is still tricky for me.)​

I poured it over the grilled chicken on each plate, added a bit of extra lime and there you have it: a perfectly healthy Mexican-influenced Cinco de Mayo meal! 

Happy Friday to all!!​

Kate

Biggest Baby Shower Ever

SO! Last week I attended an event in San Francisco called "The Biggest Baby Shower Ever," hosted by Big City Moms. This was the first time it ever came to San Francisco, and my first time attending! Before you get any ideas, no- I am NOT pregnant, but my dear friend (and cousin-in-law) is, so we went together! 

I've talked about this event before, and if you are pregnant and didn't make it this time, let's hope it makes it back to SF again before you have your babies! There is a reason they call it a "shower"... they shower attendees with every bit of information you could need about products, nutrition, health, feeding. Endless resources and extremely friendly and helpful people at every booth. And the swag bags? Ohhh my gosh, they were not kidding when they said they were overflowing! Bottles! Pacifiers! Bottle Cleaners! Teethers! Snacks! Tees! Honest Lip Balm! Diaper creams! Need I go on? If someone did not get another shower, they may actually be set just with the swag bags here. 

Bumbleride + Bugaboo​

Obviously I'm not pregnant, but I have children and was SO interested in some of the offerings... particularly the stroller systems- my gosh, HOW have they changed (read: improved) so dramatically in the last four years? I'm in the market for a new one because we finally tossed the monstrous beast of a stroller that completely fell apart on us, and we're down to an umbrella stroller with a broken clasp, which is less than ideal for our adventurous, bus-riding lifestyle. ANYWAY. I watched demonstrations of beautiful strollers, saw the colors and specs in person, and enjoyed every second of it. I firmly believe investing in a potentially pricey stroller that is lightweight and has all the amenities is worthwhile, especially for city moms with no cars... it's your mode of transportation, essentially! There were such gorgeous options!

​Peeled Snacks' new apple clusters

The food booths were some of my personal favorites. Peeled Snacks!? Amazing. We're definitely buying those again and my children are going to have to have quick hands to keep me from eating all of them.

​Ella's Kitchen trick? Stick the pouches in the freezer for older kids to create smoothies!

Ella's Kitchen also had some winners that I took home and let the girls gobble up in two seconds. There were also mini sandwiches, sliders and chow mein provided by the hosts to keep all the attendees from getting hungry! 

I loved hearing Dr. Alan Greene speak about nutrition. You guys, there was so.much.wisdom. My favorite tidbit he gave is that if your children don't like a certain food, give it 6-10 tries and once you have? 95% of the time, they'll tell you they like it. Most parents (i.e. me), give up after a couple times, but DON'T. Just keep trying. It's so important to get children loving nutrition early in their lives. I'm a total believer in creating healthy meals and not backing down when my children complain... consequently, my girls are pretty big fans of things like broccoli & spinach... and especially peas. Good nutrition isn't something to mess with.

​Okay, the verdict is: if you can possibly get to one of these events near you, GO. It's worth the time, worth the money (VERY worth the money), and will help new moms and moms-to-be really become equipped with the resources they need! 

XO,​

Kate

I received a ticket to attend but was not compensated for the post. All opinions are my own.​