Loving & Linking

Photo via We Eat Together

Yum.

We love our tree to be a mix of fun and plenty of color, so I'm planning to use leftover felt {from THIS diy} and make some of these pretty ornaments.

Books to inspire grateful hearts. 

Which side of the brain do you use most? (I'm 59% right, 41% left)

Ohhh my gosh, Brian and I were LOVING these pictures.

Really into garland right now. Particularly this. 

I don't know about the quality of this camera, but I love the look!

So cute and sparkly!

I've been working sprucing up my home a bit more lately, and I love these tips.

Scones are my favorite.

Those leaves!

This almost makes me want to go camping. Almost.

{But actually, maybe I'll just stay in my warm home by the fireplace instead... last time I went camping, a bear quite literally almost ran me over in my first 15 minutes in yosemite... true story, unfortunately, but I lived to tell, so maybe it's fortunate?}

Also, I won this at The Land of Nod party last night and wow, the quality is unreal. I want to get more! 

HERE is the big question of the week: have you seen the new Delighted Magazine?? My sister did an amazing job! I'm partial to the kiddo style pages 38-50 {hello, Sophie & Maggie, and my perfect little niece Camille!}

Happy Weekend! 

xo.

Getting to Know: Cheryl Tan

Cheryl Tan is my friend in "real life," and I find her to be one of the most interesting, kind, and lovely people I've ever met. She works at Stella and Dot corporate offices to manage strategy, and they could not have made a better hire for the job, in my opinion. She's stylish when she gets dressed, she has a stylish home, and she is mother to a stylish little girl, Noelle. I need to know her secret!

Time to get to know Cheryl a little better...

Also, SHOP Stella & Dot

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Photo: Pictilio

Tell us a bit about your journey to the U.S. 

I grew up in the tropical island of Singapore and only came to the US when I started college. I really had no idea what I wanted to do career-wise but I was good at math and science (typical, I know) so I figured I would get an engineering degree and ended up at the University of Michigan working on glamorous projects like automotive torsion bars. I went back to Singapore post college and worked there for several years until I decided I wanted to go get an MBA which brought me to Boston.. And then post MBA I came out to the Bay Area and haven't left since! 

What are some differences between life in Singapore and life in the states?

I'd say living in Singapore is similar to any major metropolitan city where 85% of the population lives in high-rise apartments. It's totally normal to live with your parents until you're married as housing is so expensive. Few people own a car, most just take public transportation. Other things that come to mind about life there.. I hardly cooked in my kitchen – I didn't have time, and anyway there were so many amazing restaurants everywhere. Also I feel like there's a lot more news coverage on global affairs (probably because the country is so small) but it's funny because I often learn more about what's going on around the world from my Singaporean friend's Facebook feeds than from CNN. No one in Singapore plays baseball or American football. Oh and it's always 90 degrees outside so when it comes to retail, no one really talks about seasons.

What has been your professional path? 

It's been such a random walk! It took me a while to figure out how much I enjoy the world of e-commerce and fashion. I went from working for the government, to industrial machinery, to business consulting, then retail, and finally ended up at Stella & Dot!

What is your role at Stella and Dot?

I'm the Director of Strategy and Customer Loyalty – which actually means I get to work on a little bit of everything! My current focus is working on different programs to engage and reward our customers and hostesses.

What are you most excited about seeing from Stella and Dot for the holidays?

One of the programs I worked on that we recently rolled out for the Holidays was the Hostess Exclusives boutique – where we've reserved some exclusive items that only Hostesses are able to buy. There's this amazing silver pegasus necklace and a cobalt leather tote that our design team did an amazing job on. Also I've gotten to see some sneak peaks of our Spring Line which is launching in January 2014 and it's stunning, I can't wait till we get to reveal it!

What are your favorite parts about working at Stella & Dot?

I'm always energized and inspired when I hear our Stylists describe how Stella & Dot has changed their lives and allowed them to have a flexible income while enjoying what they do! It really resonates with me, especially as a mom where I know how important it is to have flexibility in your schedule to be there for your kids. I also really enjoy the magic that happens at Trunk Shows - everyone always has a great time trying on necklaces and bags and it's such fun watching women bond over pretty things!

Maldives necklace in Maldives!

What do you enjoy most about being a mother?

I feel like I've grown so much as a person because of motherhood. There's something about being responsible for the well-being of a helpless infant, agreeing to sacrifice all your own wants and needs for someone else, learning that sometimes no matter how many books you read you have absolutely no control over whether your child sleeps/eats/is healthy/behaves well in public.. It's humbling and empowering at the same time. Before I was a mom I would get hung up by the littlest things ("omg, is that a grass stain on my new dress?") and now nothing really fazes me. And it's given me a tremendous amount of confidence in myself – if I can figure out how to keep a toddler happy and healthy, I can do anything!

What is your favorite characteristic of Noelle at her current stage in life?

I say this about every stage, but this one is really my favorite stage so far!! She's turning two in a couple months and is beginning to speak in simple sentences and it's so fun watching her think about what she wants to say and then try to verbalize it. Or just seeing how her mind works -  the other day she was staring at a barcode, and then she said thoughtfully "Piano!", which cracked me up.

When do you feel most content?

Every night before we go to bed I give Noelle a big hug and we say a little prayer thanking God for all the fun things that happened that day – even if I've had a crazy hectic busy day I feel so at peace with her chubby little hands cuddling me and remembering how we have so much to be thankful for.

What's an ideal date night for you?

Both my husband and I love eating yummy food and are the kind of people that take forever to decide what to order because we'd like to try everything on the menu – so an ideal date would be something involving a smorgasboard of interesting food and/or small plates, like wandering around a great famers market, or Off the Grid, or tapas, or an omakase/tasting menu type of experience.

Photo: Pictilio

How do you balance your work life and home life? 

I try to be flexible with whatever works best on a daily basis – sometimes that means working at home in the evenings after Noelle goes to bed, or leaving work early to bring her for a playdate. I'm passionate about my work, as well as being a mother and taking care of my household so it really all balances out in the end.

What are your top products and tips for new mothers?

I can't say enough good things about the grey crib we bought from Walmart.com – so affordable, gender neutral, sturdy, with modern, clean lines. And while I love the natural and classic look of cotton swaddle blankets, caving in and switching to the velcro synthetic fiber swaddle wrap (like the Summer Infant swaddle me) helped our newborn sleep so much better.

I also think new moms get so bombarded with marketing around all the special gear you need for babies, honestly you can get by and make do without a lot of them depending on you and your baby – e.g. I didn't get a wipe warmer, bottle warmer or a fancy breastfeeding pillow, but I know other moms who did and said they were lifesavers, and for them a velcro swaddle wrap was totally useless!

One more tip – get a diaper bag that doesn't scream "I'm a diaper bag" because you will be carrying it around everywhere you go for a while and that cutesy print is going to get annoying in about 2 months!

Tell us about your style uniform.

My favorite silhouette right now is comfy leggings with little booties and a belted dress/fit-and-flare. And of course accessorized head-to-toe with Stella & Dot!

What are your favorite brands and shops (for you and Noelle)?

I've been really impressed with C. Wonder, ASOS, and of course Anthropologie. For Noelle I'd have to say Janie and Jack, and a lot of her favorite toys are from B. Toys (available at Target).

one || two || three || four || five

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Thank you sooo much for sharing Cheryl! We lovvvve you! xo

Other fabulous moms:

Erin {AmeliaPresents} . Jeanne . Erin . Danielle . Emily . Small Fry . Natalie . Christina . Casey . Melody . Caitlin . Courtney

Beautiful ShopBelle

There are some dresses that are special. You take them out of their package and there is something different about them... ShopBelle has the best supply of these kind of dresses and Sophie was thrilled and honored to have received one...

The material is fancy and soft, there are gold stars, and those gold stars sparkle. She breathed in a bit when she saw it. She put it on and immediately began to twirl with enchanted smile of excitement on her face. Her birthday dress was here. 

The kind of dress that a little girl who dreams of ballerinas and princesses wants to wear over, and over, and over. She's been talking about the day she will get to wear it, and how those gold stars will sparkle. 

I love childhood. The enchantment. The imagination. 

We are so endlessly grateful to ShopBelle for sending this gorgeous dress. It will be worn to bits, each time with love. 

Dress // Hat // Shoes (similar)

Much thanks to Indu Huynh for the beautiful photos above. Her portfolio is GORGEOUS. 

ShopBelle provided this dress for my girl, and we adore it. All opinions are genuinely our own. 

Photo Adventure

The other day, we took a photo tour.

We've heard of people doing this sort of thing in groups around the city, taking amazing shots of pretty SF places, buildings, etc. We decided to do a mini version with our kids. Brian has the new iphone, I have my Canon Rebel T2, and the girls have a Fisher Price camera that they take very seriously. 

We snapped for about 30 minutes until it got dark and chilly {and the kids had run out of steam!}... went home, and made hot chocolate and built a fire to top off our little family photo-shooting. Just right. :)

scarf by peppercorn kids

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Game Changers: 001

I'm going to start posting about game-changers.  

What? Yes, game-changers. You know.. those items you think are just eh, I'll get this... and then you love them better than you ever thought possible? I've been thinking about a few of these lately, so hey, why not blog 'em? I have two for your Monday...

1. BKR Water Bottle: Lucky me! I was at Sprout San Francisco the other day (psss. GREAT children's store in the city, and I'm not just saying it!), grilling the employees on their products like I usually do, and the subject of the BKR bottles came up. They had just decided to start selling them, happened to have a sample, and happened to hand it to me (!!!) because they had it on hand. Why yes, I will.  

What makes it a game-changer, you ask? Let me share: I have been aiming for 8 glasses of water per day (it makes you healthier! hydrate! everyone says), and this is my pretty reminder... just four bottles full so it's super-easy to keep track. We also have a personal space issue around here, as any home with young children does, and I have declared this particular part of my life my own, entirely. Mommy's water. No more backwash here. 

Also- it's my favorite shade of pink. They come in every shade imaginable and I got my first choice by chance. Amazing, I tell you. Shout-out to Sprout. xoxo forever.

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2. Big-O Key Ring: No one should lose their keys as much as I do. My sister told me that before having children, she wondered how it was possible that one could misplace their keys as much as I. It wasn't long-term loss, but more a total toss into one bag or another, or my deep purse, or really... anywhere. There have been one or two instances that my children have taken them and tossed them in a garbage or down the bottom edges of a portable crib {truth!}, but generally it's my own doing. 

I haven't lost my keys in three weeks. I feel like this statement doesn't sound as dramatic as it should. I mean, I have not even slightly misplaced them. Why? This new key ring that is bright red in the prettiest way, that is big, but not heavy, that catches my eye every time. My new favorite gift for a new mother! Or actually any friend who has a reason to get a gift! It's brilliance in the shape of a simple O. 

Basically it fits in a bag easily, and can be found in seconds. Why didn't I think of this?

There you have it. Two reasons I'm grateful, even though it's Monday. 

xo,

Kate

I was not compensated for this post. I received a key ring for review and only wrote about it because I absolutely LOVE it. 

Falling

You know those padded toddler rooms? The kind where everything is soft and there is no great danger to little cuties who are not quite steady on their feet?

I think sometimes that we need one of those. 

Tonight we took an evening adventure around the city, and as my Maggie started down a tall flight of stairs, I said a heartfelt prayer for her safety. She is incredibly capable for her age, and willing to try anything and run faster than anyone... resulting in fall after fall after fall. As she went just ahead of me on the stairs, I said to myself that I needed to get in front of her... but I wasn't fast enough. 

And she fell. 

One stair. That's all she fell. She could have fallen down 20 cement stairs, and she fell one. She scuffed her cheek and nose {again}, but she only fell one stair. And I picked her up and kissed her and hugged her and tears rolled down my cheeks. I was relieved. I was overwhelmed with gratefulness. I was overwhelmed with the way this parenting thing is SO HARD sometimes.

I know they have to grow up. I know will be in situations that we are not there and they could fall hard and be very hurt. It can be physical or emotional, but there will be moments that I can't protect them. And it hurts because I want so badly to protect them from it all. I wanted to move faster, to stand in front of her and catch her. But I wasn't and I didn't. I couldn't get there in time. 

Sometimes I want to stick my children and a soft, fluffy room, where they cannot get hurt. They can play and be happy and smile and never be harmed. It's not real though. Growing pains are our teachers, and making decisions and learning from the consequences of those decisions are the pieces of life that build character. The pieces that build strength. 

The padded room isn't the solution. It may protect for a time, but it doesn't teach. 

There are hard, painful things in the world, but the way to protect is to let my children adventure, experience, and sometimes get hurt... and be there right beside them when they do. Be there with them to dry their eyes and hug them and hold them and kiss them and love them with my whole heart. And repeat. Over and over.  

My other job is to praying for them every day, because the one who created them loves them with all His heart too. And I am SO grateful for that truth as well. So, so grateful.

xo