Thirty-One / October 11, 2013 by Kate Brightbill

It looks so much better to have only "thirty" and not "one" trailing behind. With all my friends who turned 30 before me, I immediately lost my memory on exactly what point of their thirties they were at any given time. Even my sister. I told her one time "well, you're over thirty, so I can't remember if you're 32 or 33, it's all the same to me." I'm eating my words with this birthday, let me tell you.

My apple calendar has somehow glitched. My birthday is scheduled 87 times into this calendar, so when it was calendar alert time, my poor overstuffed iPhone made the 87 attempts to alert me at once, and instead froze on me, and waited for a reboot. My iPhone is breaking because of my age, I say.

I was begged by four blue eyes this morning to do the "flip somersault." I said "okay, this?" and performed a basic somersault. "No!" insisted Sophie, "the real one! The big one!" I thought for a moment about the decision to or not to do a handspring for my children with no backup. I then thought about 31 on the all-too-near horizon, and that if I'm not doing handsprings at 30, what if I decide I'm too old at 31 and never do a handspring again? Not on my watch. I did my handspring, landed it- kind of- and sent Sophie and Maggie into a fit of giggles and myself into a fit of "I need to sit now, and I hope I didn't tweak my back... or my feet... or my arms." It didn't feel good. I never really succumbed to peer pressure, so why not start on the eve of 31 with a 4-year-old prodding me? Now I know. Stretch beforehand, be sure another adult is present in case I break. But I landed it, so I'll take it as an overall win.

So how was thirty, you ask? Well, it wasn't too bad. I wouldn't call it a banner-all-time-great, but it wasn't a bad year either. It was a lot of juggling, a lot of learning, and the best job we've done of settling in one home and making it truly our home. The longest we've stayed in one apartment since we've been married is 2.5 years. We're coming up on our second year here, with no intention of moving anytime soon, so there's that. It feels so good to have a bit of consistency, you know? Here's to another seven! hah! Okay, I don't know about that...

This is already long and I feel I've just begun. I want to make a list or two. I love lists. Here's a list of things I've learned at 30:

It's good to challenge yourself. It's good to put yourself out there. Learning is good at every age.
Laugh as much as possible. If everything is going completely wrong in a given moment, say a prayer for sanity, and then laugh.
Forgive. Say sorry. Be sorry. I think this has been the biggest lesson this year for me. I've been so set in my mindset that I want to be right, and this year, I realized how little it matters. It's far better to be teachable and forgiving. We are ALL wrong sometimes and we're all going to have times where we're not there for one another, and we're all going to be imperfect. I need to forgive and not hold grudges.

Okay 31, I'm ready for you...

Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly.

-Micah 6:8

Loving and Linking / October 10, 2013 by Kate Brightbill

I'm liking this look. I just got similar black boots, so it may become my fall uniform.

This could not have been written any more beautifully.

I love pot pies.

The real story behind how Twitter was created... this is crazy interesting to me.

How adorable are these barrettes??

Ohhh, burrito bowls at home? YES.

Also, yum.

(this post is pretty recipe-heavy. I must be hungry! ;)

My Sophie has begun her birthday wishlist and up first? A bowling set. How cute is that? We'll probably go with a softer one, but this one is adorable.

Tons of great Halloween costumes popping up all over the internet... loving THIS.

These masks are fun too... and simple!

Sooo, did you catch these mini fashion icons? Love our little Grace Coddington. Also see her last year as a snail (it's already been a year!?).

Happy weekend!

Troublemaker Twos / October 9, 2013 by Kate Brightbill

All is quiet in my home except faint music playing in the girls' bedroom to soothe them to sleep.

It feels oh so good. I'm wearing my coziest sweatpants and softest tee and it's one of those "moments." You know them... the ones where all feels exactly as it should. The ones where you feel accomplished and wiped out, but satisfied.

Two years old. They aren't called the terrible two's for nothing, though I deem that phrase a bit harsh for these angelic, hopeful, emotional two-year-old faces that have looked up at me with big, blue, full eyes.

Two means emotions cannot yet be articulated, but they are felt and otherwise expressed to the fullest. Two means pitter-pattering footsteps that run everywhere, and walk nowhere. It means a lot of spilled milk and a lot of stained clothing.

The word "no" plays a big part in two-years-old. The stomping of feet, the boneless collapses, and uncontrollable tears are learned.

The first time I went through the second year, I cried endless tears and threw my hands up in hopelessness on more than one occasion. I thought my child was simply going to be a bad kid, because she didn't mind any disciplines or any of my words. When I look at her at four-years-old, I now see that "this too {this unnerving stage of two} shall pass." My child is not forever going to test my consistency on discipline.

If I wish away two-years-old, with all its tantrums and patience testing, I will find myself longing for this.

Longing for the unabashed displays of affection and showers of love. For the twinkly eyes of mischief and feet that run and explore and grow way too fast. For the tears that express exactly how my darling feels without reservation. For the moments that a kiss can make the whole world feel better. For the charming way they say nanananana rather than banana.

When all is quiet, it feels good. Peaceful moments are rare and treasured these days. This moment feels right.

I'll take these moments and savor them once in awhile.... but most of the time, I'll take two. I'll take two with all its highs and all its lows. With its full heart and unwavering trust and all its love.

so many xoxo's to my girls.

So Good: Lil Stylers App / October 8, 2013 by Kate Brightbill

You know how the saying goes, "there's an app for that..."

When I shop for my kids, I love bargains, I love big brands, I love small brands. I don't necessarily want to buy things that everyone else has, and sometimes it can be tricky to find new brands that work for our life and style. Good news: there's an app for that!

Lil' Stylers is FUN. It's social media-meets-kids'-fashion. It's for anyone and everyone who likes new fashion ideas for minis. General users {like me!} can upload pictures of cute looks, tag brands being worn in the photos, and inspire outfits for others! Brands- especially small brands- can use it as a great resource for expanding their brand reach and getting their names out there.

My favorite feature? Privacy settings. If I want to keep one photo private, only for my "inner circle," I can. Lil' stylers allows you to choose privacy settings by each individual photo. All social media should offer that feature! :)

Try it! Download it HERE (ps. there's a little StyleSmaller love in the app store!).

Let me know what you think! xoxo

That Was Fun: ReMake / October 7, 2013 by Kate Brightbill

Brit & Co. hosted their very first workshop and crafting fair this past weekend in San Francisco. I wasn't able to make the first day of the two-day workshop, so I missed hearing some of my favorite creatives share their inspiration, but I was able to drop by the second day to see artisans share their work.

I love going to this type of thing. People create amazing things every day and sell them here and there- online generally- and events like this bring art to life. The best part is meeting the makers and chatting with them about where they're from, how they've made their pieces, and how they started their businesses. So many entrepreneurs!

A few pictures of some loveliness: