November 2015 – Over The Deep End

Fall Capsule Wardrobe Update

November 23, 2015 No Comments

Fall Capsule Wardrobe of a Stay at Home Mom.

I haven’t learned much from this capsule wardrobe except these few things:

I can’t tell the difference between a regular wardrobe and a capsule because I didn’t have a lot of clothes to begin with, so sometimes, getting dressed is still hard.
My clothes suck. Pairing down what I own to “the best” it became apparent that I need a higher standard of quality in my life. I have items with holes, stains, stretched out collars, and almost every sweater I own is pilling like a junkie.
I really like neutrals. My capsule mainly consists of shades of taupe, cream, grey and black. I have the odd burgundy and emerald green. The pieces with more color get the least wear. Lesson learned? I love neutrals.
I am cheap. And so are my clothes. Continually wearing the same things on repeat and I’ve started to get holes in some of my tops, my knees on my $7 jeans are threatening to tear and the clearance flats I purchased are almost worn through. See second point.
I have no idea what’s in style anymore. It’s happened. I fell off the trendy bandwagon. I don’t know when or where, but somehow I’ve went from stylish & trendy to cheap & sometimes frumpy. Whhhaaaaat?
I thought if I held out long enough my feet would be back to pre-pregnancy size… well, after a year of squeezing into shoes a size too small, I said enough! My capsule contains all shoes that fit me, and it’s been glorious.
Accessories can be fun! I don’t have many pieces of jewelry, or other accessories but what I have I have been utilizing more and I’ve been enjoying it thoroughly.
Your hair matters. When all you have are a lot of similar outfits your hairstyle can really transform the whole look. Same goes for lip color.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, I’ve compiled shots of some of my outfits from my fall capsule. To get you in the holiday spirit all of these outfits feature my green pants and red jeans. Fa-la-la-laaa.

In summary, I’ve learned that my wardrobe reveals a lot about my life. At this point I’m continuing to wear things from my capsule but have started a mental list of what I would like to upgrade or replace. First on my list? Jeans that fit! Make sure you keep following along. Only about 3 more weeks or so of this capsule and then I’ll give you the final run-down along with more outfits created from this fall capsule.

Fall 2016 Capsule Wardrobe

CF, Sick, Things we do

What It All Comes Down To

November 20, 2015 No Comments

There are some days where I just feel plain ‘ole lousy. Okay, you caught me, there are a lot of days where I feel lousy. Typically those days are always one after the next and slowly make a larger chunk of time until I decide that I’ve had enough and it’s time for antibiotics again.

Every once in a while, I’ll be feeling good, and I’ll have an out-of-the-blue lousy day. That’s today. This past week, while I have been coughing a lot, I’ve been feeling pretty good! Emmie and I took a morning zoo trip because the weather was too beautiful not to. Our original plans were to go run some errands like picking up milk and dog food– to which I promptly said,”screw it,” and put the stroller in the car and we went to the zoo instead. I have zero regrets.

The day was perfect for the zoo. Clear skies, sunshine and an amiable 70 degrees. Animals were out and about, grazing & roaming, while my little lady ran to her hearts content stopping to point out any animal she deemed worthy.

After a few hours we headed home for a late lunch and even later nap. But as we trudge up the path away from the animals closer to the gate I could feel it. I could feel my body using up the last bit of energy I had stored up. And just like that all my spoons were gone.

Some days it can be frustrating, especially days where you have a plan. Mais, c’est la vie, non? I’m getting better about just going with it. Today I’m being gentle with myself. The dishes can stay where they are, the laundry can wait, and I’ll push this night’s meal plan to tomorrow. No biggie. For now, while my tuckered out adventurer is sleeping, I’m resting hoping to restore a few spoons. When the toddler tornado wakes up I’ll take it from there and hope that the next few hours pass quickly.

Emerson, Fall, Little Things

Little Things

November 18, 2015 No Comments

Hi Emerson,
It’s been a while since I’ve written down all the little things you’ve been doing lately. Time has been flying by now that you’re a toddler tornado. Here are some little things we’re enjoying these chilly fall days:

1. Your first word! It’s official, you finally have a first word at 16 months you decided you’d learn how to say “Up.” It’s fitting since you love to be lugged everywhere. Especially when you are feeling clingy to your Mommy. “Up. Up… UP!” It’s been a great teaching experience as we remind you of your manners and now you say, “Up!” followed by signing please. You are also now saying “Dada.”

During one nap time I told you that Mommy was not coming back in to give you Lovie if you chucked her out of your crib again. I left, and of course, being the defiant toddler that you are, threw Lovie right over the side. Knowing I wasn’t coming back in, you paused and looked at the door and started to yell, “DADA?!” “Dadaaaaa??” Asking if Daddy could come in and give you Lovie again. You sure are a sassy little girl.

2. Paci Obsessed! I’m not sure when this happened, but for some reason you have become obsessed with your pacifiers. We plan on weaning you off them in the upcoming new year after we’re done with traveling, but man oh man, is it going to be a battle. You’ve even made up your own sign for paci. You cry, throw fits, and beg for a paci anytime we’re upstairs.

3. Helping. You want to help with everything. I mean, everything. Cooking, cleaning, folding laundry, entertaining the baby when he’s over, throwing away trash, unloading the dishes… it doesn’t matter. If I’m doing something you want to be doing it too. We’ve started cooking together, and you love it! I let you “chop” avocados with a butter knife, and the sheer concentration on your face is priceless! You like when we bake the best, since there’s usually a lot of scooping flour involved, which just so happens to be one of your favorite activities.

4.Oliver. You continue to love on Oliver, even more so these days. You give him great big, wrap-your-arms-around-his-neck style hugs, throw-yourself-on-his-back style hugs and hold-onto-dear-life-while-he-runs-away hugs. You pat his back, scratch his hiney, and love to throw his ball for him. You pick out his bones and deliver them to him. You help scoop his food and put it in his bowl. You really love Oliver, so much so, that we’ve now have a problem with you sneaking him your snacks! You’ll go over and slyly hand him a goldfish when you think we’re not looking. You break out in a big grin when he eats it.

5. Swim Class. Ever since we returned from Florida you have been loving swim class! This past time you were kicking with all your might, jumping off the side, and going under water like a champ. You didn’t cry once, and you were nothing but smiles and laughter the whole time. You even started putting your ears in the water, and blowing bubbles. You continue your love of water at home by being obsessive about the bathtub. You could spend all day in there if I let you.

Emerson, Phone Life, Things we do

Phone Life

November 9, 2015 No Comments

October officially ran away from me. I have no idea where the time went. The week before Halloween I discovered that I only had 5 days to whip together Emmie’s costume! And then just like that, BOOM, November. Now ’tis the season, as told by every single store you visit. Christmas paraphernalia accosts you as soon as you step through the automatic doors. All things red, white and doused in glitter. Aye aye aye.

Well, this was October according to my phone:

PS: No babies had any shandy in the making of these picture.

PPS: Can we talk about the perfect ballet pose Emerson is exhibiting as she gears up to throw a ball? Good form girlfriend!

Emerson, Holidays, Things we do

Halloween Fun

November 1, 2015 No Comments

My big plans for a family costume fell short as October really got away from me. At least Emerson had her full getup. She went as “Toothless,” from How to Train Your Dragon. We planned on taking a family walk around dusk to see the early trick-or -treaters and maybe stop by a house or two to show Emmie the ins and outs of trick-or-treating.

Well, this girl catches on quick. After watching a few of the big kids, she marched right up with her bucket, patiently waited, reached in grabbed a candy, and put it in her bucket. What?! Everyone, “Ooohed,” and “Awwwed” all night over this little spitfire running up their walkways. We thought she’d be over it in 5 minutes, but oh nay nay! This girl went trick-or-treating for close to an hour. An hour!

She was literally running from house to house, skipping the ones she felt unworthy, and a couple of times tried to sneak more than one piece of candy. She not only would walk up to the doors and wait patiently for a treat bowl, but she also performed thorough inspections of any and all Halloween yard decorations. If a house had a dog outside as a candy helper, she made sure to pet the dog first, and some houses she skipped the treat in favor of dog kisses. Emmie is certainly her father’s daughter.

Some of the houses I thought would have been too scary for her she ended up investigating the most. Strobe lights, freaky electronic skeletons, a blacked out costume with nothing but a few glow sticks… this girl took it all in stride. We were flabbergasted. The little pink makeshift bucket we brought was filled to the brim in no time.

I think it’s safe to say our girl loved her first trick-or-treating experience, cold and all!