Dress That Mama

Style, by lauren, January 7, 2015, 8 Replies

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Happy New Year! Did you make any resolutions? I never really jumped on board before, but this year I have made some small resolutions that are mostly just extensions of changes I’ve been making gradually over the past two years: exercise one more day a week, drink less beer (I was in the habit of one a day, which for me is probably too much), and do more for others, especially the friends I hold so near and dear to my heart. I probably don’t let them know often enough just how much they mean to me. So there, two for my health, one for others, and the last is silly, but still a resolution: to be a little more adventurous with my wardrobe!

This year, I have resolved to add a bit more interest to my mostly neutral wardrobe, which doesn’t mean anything that crazy or wild, but maybe a few more patterns or colors are due? So for my first Dress That Mama post of 2015, I wanted to go just the slightest bit outside my comfort zone with leopard-print heels and boyfriend jeans. I have been wearing skinny jeans for so long now I forgot just how comfortable soft, relaxed-fit jeans are. They feel like pajama pants! And the heels are so much fun, I think! I got pretty lucky this Christmas.

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P.s. — Thank you for for your (long ago) recommendation of The Goldfinch. I have been reading it over the past two weeks (slowly) and loving every page of it. Such a moving and beautiful novel!

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Zowie!

Since the boys are going back to school, much of my day will not be spent running around chasing them through field and forest, so I think heels are a great way to feel fashionable and feminine. Even if I’m just writing at a coffee shop or meeting a friend for lunch.

Happy Wednesday!

Reading…

Books, by lauren, January 6, 2015, 7 Replies

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Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature (by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Mark Hearld)

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This Christmas, much to our delight, the boys received a plethora of beautiful, involved, informative, and just downright awesome books from family and friends. Some of our favorites include The Way We Work, Animalium, and The Story of Buildings. But this book, Outside Your Window, is such a refreshing take on the sights and sounds of nature, told through expressive poetry. Each page is delightful to look at and we will cherish it for years to come. DSC_0017DSC_0019DSC_0026Quite honestly, we have such a lovely collation of children’s books, I can imagine holding onto them forever, then passing them on to grandchildren. Some of the best magic is found in books!

Christmas Time 2015 (Part 2)

Motherhood, by lauren, January 5, 2015, 3 Replies

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For the second leg of our trip, we headed over to my mom’s tranquil home, though seven little boys made sure it wasn’t tranquil for long! It was a wet and dreary day, but the beauty of the country still never ceases to amaze me. I love seeing all the gentle tones of this place in the winter, all the little creatures nestled into their nests in the fields. DSC_0168DSC_0119

… and the little creatures nestled into their nests indoors as well! DSC_0099DSC_0122DSC_0123DSC_0125

Before their cousins came, Milo, Oliver, and Emil built pillow forts in the living room while the delicious smells of roast and potatoes and all sorts of good things wafted through the house. DSC_0128DSC_0130DSC_0132

And once all seven boys were reunited, we kicked them outdoors for a while to ensure the structure remained intact (my mom’s house, that is). I’m not gonna lie, they were wild!DSC_0133DSC_0148DSC_0143DSC_0161DSC_0167

… and muddy.DSC_0172DSC_0174DSC_0176

Jack, my brother’s oldest, and one of the sweetest boys I’ve ever met. 

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All 7 in one place = chaos!DSC_0195

My sister and my brother’s other babe, Ben, who can pull quite a sad face…DSC_0197

But still cannot escape Andrew’s photo-bombing.DSC_0115We made it home safe and sound late Sunday night, so grateful to see our family, if only for  a quick trip. Looking forward to keeping in better touch with these wonderful people.

Christmas Time 2014 (Part 1)

Family, by lauren, January 5, 2015, 5 Replies

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Emil wearing what he calls his (k)nightmare suit!DSC_0031DSC_0041

This Christmas was our best yet. It seems that the boys have reached the magical age, the age when they are equally excited and grateful when the day arrives, equally kind and generous, tired but happy. It was a rough Christmas Eve, with Oliver’s excitement impeding everyone’s good night sleep — “Did Santa come? Is it morning?” at equal increments throughout the night from 12:30 on until 5:30am. But despite the sleepless night, we all enjoyed present-giving and opening, pastries for breakfast, and a wonderful afternoon playing outside (it was warm enough to get away with sweaters!).

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We did laundry and cleaned up and packed for the next day of travel, when we left early in the morning for Ohio to visit our extended families. Andrew’s mom surprised us by taking all the cousins out to her house for a little farm fun (hence no pictures of children below), leaving us in the good care of Andrew’s brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Annie. But before she carted them off, we had the most epic nerf gun and slingshot fight (Andrew and I were awfully proud of our welt-inducing slingshot wounds). The kids were only somewhat involved, ducking out of the high-powered shots  — the adults were the ones dripping in sweat and covered in red marks by the end of it all.
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They took us out to dinner at Metropole, an amazing restaurant in the downstairs of a pretty rockin’ hotel and gallery. We ate the most amazing meal, lingering for coffee and tea afterwards (tequila for Andrew!) before heading into the gallery, where Bill bought a sculpture of a hand for us to take home (I LOVE it!). DSC_0080DSC_0082DSC_0084DSC_0088DSC_0090DSC_0094The time we spent with these two was priceless — really, we were laughing the entire time, but we really wished Andrew’s other brother Ryan and his wife Kristin could have joined us. Next time we’ll make it happen!

The remainder of our time with Andrew’s family was a blast. We joined up with a large portion of his extended family for a spaghetti dinner with all the kids, then crashed at Bill & Annie’s house afterward, bodies flung onto sleeping bags in the living room floor, the couch, and their cousins’ rooms. Thank you for putting up with us, guys! We had a blast.