Cheers

New years Resolutions for 2014:

1. Go to the gym 2 nights a week after work
2. No wine on weeknights (or at least on Monday and Tuesday)
3. Stop fretting when 2 year old wont go to sleep at a reasonable hour (this too shall pass)
4. No buying clothes for 30 days
5. Use fancy wedding crystal to make random days special
6. Remember what Dad would say every time I feel like crying (Christina, honey, dont worrrryyyy about it)
7. More hugs


Ring in 2014 with style and grace.

xoxo

Picture Perfect

A stylish living room starts with a focal coffee table. I love simple white roses, a fashion read (Model as Muse, a gift from my friend Rebecca) and a soft patterned area rug. Simple, classic colors tie the space together and amazingly hide the sins of a 2 year old. If you happen to be off this week, enjoy some home inspiration on Houzz.com.

#Holiday Cheer

Happy Holidays from the Musings of a Mom trio!

Arm Candy

This week, a midst a forecast of gloom and doom, holiday cheer and gifting shined through. 'Arm wear' is always my favorite, as it seems no matter what your style, a little arm candy always hits the spot.

Tory Burch wrap bracelet in snakeskin

Tory Burch Robinson Double Zip in perforated leather

Bauble Bar preppy cuff (only $36!)

J.Crew sparkler (30% off)

Holiday Outfits: Desk to Dinner

Clockwise from top left:

Day at the office followed by dinner with friends

Client lunch meeting

Holiday dinner out in NYC with Hubby's college friends

Day full of meetings and possible cocktails after work

Suburban Life

Though moving from New York City to the suburbs a few years ago in anticipation of our first baby was hard, there are some scenic perks to living in the suburbs of long island's North Shore. The epic cold spells in December are one of them, if you love a fire as much as my Connecticut born husband does.

The End is in Sight....

Everyday last week, after putting in a full day at the office, commuting to clients in NYC, and caring for a sweet yet demanding toddler (and husband!) holiday shopping has been an added chore. I do appreciate the onslaught of free shipping and sale announcements that hit my inbox almost hourly at this point, but I need a break. Pictures of my dad close by keep me on budget and remind me that its about more than the numbers at this time of year.

Fancy Footwork

Pictures of shoes make me happy. Who doesn't love a new pair? My shoe wall that my husband said was so huge as it was being built is now growing small. Perhaps I need to take a break from shopping....

Visit my Tumblr page for references.

All in the Details

I have an obsession with things that match. Not like I'll walking around in head to toe Burberry plaid (I actually make it a rule never to wear my check rain boots with check rain coat or hat- only one Burberry check at a time). But I love coordinating pieces nonetheless. I was perhaps more excited when my mini iPad case arrived than even the iPad itself (which I really do love, all my books and fashion blogs tucked in my bag where ever I go). My coworker likes to say my husband is very lucky because I am so easy to please  (take note, honey).

These burgundy items from GiGi New York make me feel very pulled together. Though choosing a color was perhaps the hardest part of the process, now that I am in love with the hue I can't seem to stop ordering new pieces (Uber-clutch, all in one bag, the list goes on).

A Few New

Loving my new finds for the month....

Textured Ann Taylor coat, on sale!

J.Cree studs for my new short 'do

Yet another Bobbi Brown lipstick, in shade 'hot raspberry' 

Its OK Thursday

It's OK....

To be very happy Thanksgiving is over

To buy 5 bottles of green juice, drink them all, and believe you have undone the bottle(s) of wine consumed over the weekend

To unzip the top of your pencil skirt while sitting at your desk, acknowledging said skirt was a poor choice the first workday after a holiday meal

To stay up late downloading Disney movies and bookmarking Thomas the Train YouTube videos on a brand new Kindle Fire purchased as a Christmas gift for your 2 year old, then wrapping it and hoping he doesn't find it before the 25th

To buy nothing other than lipstick and pillows for the couch on Black Friday or Cyber Monday

Instragram Lately

Happy December Friends! A few snaps of life through Instragram.

Obsessed with this GiGi phone wallet

Best Friends and Baby Landon

New 'do!

My sweet little man

Dresser after bedroom remodel

Home Office post-remodel

Thanksgiving Threads

Thanksgiving was my Dads favorite holiday, because he said it was 'just about the food', no nonsense, gifts, etc. So he cooked everything we loved, puttered around all morning, got at least 5 different kinds of wine, and talked for nearly 4 weeks about it ahead of time. However our Thanksgiving many times took place not on Thursday, but on the Saturday following the calendar holiday (this allowed for me to spend the actual holiday in Connecticut with my hubby's family and his dad's fabulous sisters, their children, and in recent years, some of their children's children).

My Dad also always noticed a new pair of shoes, a new bracelet, and the distinctive sight of the many pieces of jewelry he had bought me over the years. He rarely failed to mention my wearing any of the above. So when choosing an outfit that will withstand a 3 hour car ride with a 2 year old, followed by a day of chasing said 2 year old around a big house (with stairs and multiple cats that will no doubt bolt at the sight of him), I will also take care to wear things I know my Dad would love.

And for Tucker, who remember will only wear cotton sweatpants these days:

Making the Cut (Part II)

Last time in September, I lost my nerve. But this Saturday, I am ready to take the plunge. Its been about 6 months since I chopped over a foot off my hair and donated it to Locks of Love, and I can't get enough of the freedom short hair gives me. So I'll take a few inspiration tears (a habit from my days as a buyer at Ann Taylor) and hope for the best. Perhaps this is all part of my coping process, and I'm OK with that (as is my amazingly supportive hubby and initial-twin friend CV)

Wish me luck!

Lists and Look Backs

I vacillate between this 'wish list' making me intensely sad, and tolerably nostalgic. My Dad and I always started Christmas shopping early, partly because my mom's birthday is December 2nd, and my hubby's is the 16th. It always seemed practical to kick the whole shopping season off in mid-November (for my hubby's 30th my dad threw him a dinner for 10 in the private wine room at a steak house we all loved. I did the planning, the invites. The dinner was just for friends, my Dad wasn't even there but the whole thing was very him).  For holiday shopping, my Dad would set the (generous) budget, and I would do the legwork, diligently reporting back to him with my latest finds and then run through the final lists before the holidays fell.

So this year, my heart is half in it, but I will still keep the tradition going with a 'wish list' of sorts.

This clutch (you can't have too many!), monogrammed with recipients initials

A wallet + phone case in one, in my favorite seasonal pattern

One of any of these statement necklaces from J.Crew that I cannot get enough of

One of these amazing reversible leather belts with initial buckle from C Wonder

Anything Bobbi Brown

This timeless David Yurman bracelet, one of my Dad's favorite brands to buy for us for a special occasion

Making Choices

Some choices are easy (Beer or wine? Wine. Gym or Housewives on DVR? Duh). Others are more difficult (Red or white? Beverly Hills or OC?). Since I do not buy bags often (or ever?) I take this decision seriously. And I need help. Which would you choose?

Kate Spade 2 Park Avenue Beau Bag

Tory Burch Robinson Double Zip Tote

Marc Jacobs Large Satchel

This Week's Complaints

I would say I can be uptight at times, and freely admit that I need to work on this. However, when toddler decided that he will no longer where anything other than sweat pants, (this is in addition to the no jacket problem we have been having since fall set in) I started losing my mind. Preschool teaches him an array of great things, like how to throw out his trash, counting to 10,  how to say 'please' and 'thank you' (which we have been teaching him since birth, but it seems it takes an outsider to make it all gel). But it cant seem to teach him how to be reasonable. Does this come with age? (If so, what age might that be?) Persistence?

For our best friends' baby's christening in East Hampton this past weekend, I thought surely Tucker would wear the adorable corduroy pants and fair isle knit I purchased for him. And perhaps he'd want to wear his Ralph Lauren quilted coat that my husband would die to have for himself. But of course all this planning was doomed from the start, and after physical struggle, failed bribes, and an emptying of the drawers, we ended up at the preppy, upper-east side meets Eastern Long Island church in sweat pants paired with the adorable patterned sweater (a 50% victory if I was a glass half full kind of girl). This is why they make wine, and why afternoon drinking is still a thing past the age of 21.

Leopard + Red

Animal print is surprisingly very versatile, and has stood the test of time in the fashion world, no small feat. I find myself planning entire outfits around my leopard pumps some days, or my amazingly cute leopard belt others (as I cannot do both together). This weekend my mom got me this clutch I had been lusting over for months (in case you needed more proof of my self-professed clutch obsession).

A client gala this weekend is the perfect excuse to use this new bag. So again, an entire outfit will be planned around it (I love this DVF dress in red with leopard!)

Mommy Maintenance

Daily skin care is usually just another thing of the long 'to-do' list for most women, especially moms. A new routine and some new products can make a tired routine seem fresh and even perhaps exciting (especially for those of us who consider a good Friday night to mean getting into bed before 10:00 pm!). One of my many quirks is insisting on having all my products from a particular line or brand. The lucky winner this time is Peter Thomas Roth. As someone who has been through an Accutane regiment once in my life, I take great care in what I put on my face. 

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1. Complexion Correction Pads (Night)

2. AHA Acne Clearing, Anti-Aging Treatment (Night)

3. Sulfur Masque (1-2 times a week, at Night)

4. 3% Glycolic Acid Face Wash (Night)

5. Oil-less Oil 100% Squalene (Night)

6. Ultra-Lite Oil-free Moisturizer (Morning)

7. Gentle Foaming Cleanser (Morning)