Halloween (Fun?)

Every parent resigns themselves to the fact that, regardless of their own personal preference (or distaste) for the holiday, they will celebrate Halloween for the foreseeable future. The adorable picture of your tot donning the precious costume you agonized over choosing is no doubt the reward at the end of the sugar covered tunnel. But in this house, that photo opt will not come this year. Instead, our sweet little two year old prefers to scream at the sight of his Winnie the Pooh suit (which he loved and agreed to wear only days prior). The mere sight of the costume induces fear, resentment, and yells of 'back!' 'back!' (as in put it back, get it back, send it back, we are not entirely sure). But one thing is certain, as we happily trot along in the pack of our friends and their children this afternoon (that I used vacation time to attend), I will be carrying said costume over my arm while toddler goes costume-less (and jacket-less, another new, fun development). And did I mention, I hate Halloween and refused to dress up even in college (and even after several Solo cups of jungle juice?)

 Anyone else with Halloween woes?

DIY Is Almost Done

My bedroom renovation project is almost complete. While I wait (patiently?) for the electrician to install the chandelier, I'll share some images of the pieces I collected for my (not so little) DIY.

I used Sherman Williams color 6255 'Morning Fog' on 3 walls, and color 6256 'Serious Gray'on the back accent wall. (Our living room and den are done in color 6254 'Lazy Gray' with bright white trim and molding).

Love this Thomas Lightning Chandelier, and after drooling over the 4 figure models I found online, this is even more fabulous because it cost less than $100!

The bed is a centerpiece of the room, so finding the perfect comforter was a challenge (especially on that ever-present budget). Love this one I found at Overstock in the grey/white combo.

This lamp is perched on my pretty white desk, giving me comfort in dark mornings. Check out Target for more colors.

These porcelain trays from West Elm  now hold toiletries in the bathroom, and jewelry and makeup on my dresser. The citron stripes are our perfect accent to the gray color scheme.

A few pillows on the bed give it warmth and are a perfect way to disperse the accent color into more parts of the decor. Stay tuned for the final pictures if that electrician even comes......

In Review: Printed Pants

I see printed bottoms covering the pages of fall fashion guides, and I really just love them. Not sure they are flattering but I still wear a size 2 so I don't much care if they look amazing on me or not. Since buying our house in 2012, the hubs and I have started hosting a pre-holiday get together (kids included!), which is a nice excuse to buy a fun outfit. This season, printed pants seem spot on (haha).

Since I could not pay $98 for these pants, it was fortuitous they happened to be on sale with an additional percentage off.  They fit well, and make me feel festive which is what counts.

I really love these from J.Crew, but even a 25% off promo doesn't make the $248 cafe capri here affordable.

These jade pants are probably my favorite, but once the sale and promo hit, my size flew out of stock. Amazing how many people are in the market for printed pants that cost more than $250 after tax! I look forward to donning my reasonably priced pair on December 7th, unless of course I find something even more exciting before then. And lets hope the tot (or the hubs) doesnt spill his holiday treats all over my lap.

This Too Shall Pass....?

We are having one of those weeks. You know the kind, when a second glass of wine is a must, when nothing seems easy, and everything is a battle. Our lifelong fabulous sleeper has decided that bedtime, which used to be a relaxing time for stories and cuddling, will now consist of 90- 120 minutes of pure torture. 6:30 pm has signaled the beginning of the night routine since precious Tucker came to be. A nice bath, pjs, a drink of water, then settling into the glider by 7:00 followed by a few stories and then bed by 7:30. No more. 7:30 comes and goes, and toddler refuses to budge from his spot on the couch in the den. Visceral  grunts and squeals that resemble a trapped bear in the wilderness emerge when I try to pick him up from said couch, and god forbid you tell him to say goodnight to the iPad.

The struggle ensues, and somewhere after wrestling him into bed, negotiating the many trucks and trains strewn across the floor in anger, and loosing my patience at least half a doze times, 9:30 creeps up and the lights go out. Surely this has to be a phase, right? Otherwise there would be no second children on the planet and husbands would be forced to sleep on couches for all eternity. As my roommate from college Hillary (and fellow mom to a toddler) reminds me, this too shall pass.

Fittingly, this picture from moms.popsugar.com is titled 'winning the toddler bedtime battle'.

In Review: Concealer

I have been plagued with dark under-eye circles for as long as I can remember. (I have a distinct memory of a boy in my 6th grade class asking me what was wrong with my eyes, when I asked him what he meant, he replied that they were blue in the corners. Ah the innocence of youth). So over the years, and my early career in the fashion industry, I had many, many products at my disposal. Some were fine, but until now I've never 'loved' anything.

Enter: Bobbi Brown corrector + creamy concealer kit. Amazing. The price is not so bad ($24 and $33 respectively; if you think of what you'd spend for a great necklace or pair pf pants this is a small investment is something you use everyday and will last many months).

Apply the corrector about 10 minutes after your usual eye cream. (I use my finger). Let it set for another 5 minutes, then dab the creamy concealer on top, very lightly. Dust a hint of the powder on top to set everything. The whole process take about 6 minutes to complete (5 of those minutes being the time you let the corrector set prior to application of the creamy concealer). The result is amazing. I wish Bobbie Brown would pay me to review this and give me some free products!!!

Its OK Thursday

Its OK....

To freely admit that your recent shopping binge is your way of coping, and then buy another tube of Bobbi Brown lipstick

To insist on painting your bedroom on your one day off from work, because you saw an episode on HGTV where a handsome interior designer recommended this new shade of grey for its zen and calming influence

That the resulting stress, mess, and frustration from said painting project overshadowed any 'zen' reward

To infringe copyright law as you take iPhone pictures of your sons' preschool photo, and facebook it to everyone you know because its just that cute

To pour a glass of wine as soon as you get home, before you even take your 4 inch Prada pumps off

Cleaning House

I took a stab at this last fall, and while not terrible, I couldn't quite stick to the juice-only 3 day program. So this time around I did my own modified version. I bought 5 of the 6 proscribed juices, and mixed them up a little to suit my mood at various times of day. (I also nixed the second green juice as I could only handle it once in the morning, when my will power was at its peak). Modifying the 3 days cleanse to 2 also seemed like a reasonable adjustment.

Overall the juice tastes good, and the whole mind over matter impulse kicks in to make one feel as if, by drinking these concoctions, you are actually getting thinner and healthier in a matter of hours. When you look at the actual grams of sugar (all natural of course, but sugar is sugar) the relative 'high' comes down a notch, and the lack of morning coffee creates some resentment (at who this is aimed all depends on how carefully my husbands chooses his words by the end of day #2). All in all I liked the 2 day regime, I am not a big scale person (I prefer to know my weight by how my super skinny J Brand jeans fit) so I cant say if it budges the numbers at all, but I felt good, hungry, and ready to eat a burger.

A Letter To My Two Year Old

If I could write you a letter now, for you to read when you are grown, I would write this:

Dear Tucker,

You are my very favorite person on earth. There are times I pull my hair when you refuse to lie down in your bed at night, wail for more goldfish crackers after eating half the bag before dinner, or insist on the 9th bedtime story after I have worked all day and just want to relax. But right after I tug on my strands, I smile thinking of your face, or the way you say 'hi mama', and daddy and I begin to gush over the one hundred cute things you said and did in the short hour between me arriving home from work and getting you into bed.

In the 29 months since you were born, I cannot count the number of times I feel like I don't know what I'm doing, wonder what the right response to your demands is, and worry if I'm raising you to be good and kind. I care more at this moment that you grow to be generous, kind, and happy above all other things in the world. Feel free to remind me of this if ever it seems in doubt. Lucky for you, you will probably be our one and only child, so you will get to suffer through our navigation of parenthood and roll your eyes often. The eye roll you will no doubt inherit from me, as my dad used to tell me mine was epic.

The only true regret I have so far are that you wont remember your grandpa, because he was amazing, loved us, and told me how proud of me he was every single day. He would have done the same for you as you grow, and you would have understood very soon that he was the most generous person on the planet. So take his lessons through us, and try to forgive us when we cry or mess up along the way.

Love you,
Mama

Sweater Weather

October has been, thus far, unseasonably hot. I loathe heat, especially when it interferes with diving into my fall sweater collection (and creating a prolonged bad hair bout). The embellished sweatshirt trend is cute, but not so viable for a 31 year old female attorney trying to convey a sense of professionalism and expertise in ERISA and Health Care Reform Law in a sea of middle aged, suit-clad lawyers.. Instead I've had to satiate my craving for trend with the lower key sweater options for the season. A few of my favorites:

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1. J.Crew Merino printed sweater   2. J.Crew tweed front sweater   3.J.Crew Factory Houndstooth sweater 4. Anthropologie tweed pullover   5. Madewell burgundy marled sweater

Retail Therapy

Admittedly, I've been stressed more than usual as of late. And I'm sure there are some ways of coping that are healthier than others. And this past week, I am fairly certain I engaged in activities that would fall into the unhealthy category. After a client meeting in NYC, I took the opportunity to meet my sorority sister and confidant (who happens to share my initials now that we are both married). We indulged in a little beauty shopping, which ended with the purchase of a simple tube of Bobbi Brown lipstick in Beige (which I highly recommend).

Once I put on the lipstick, ate my $15 salad, and headed back to Long Island (to work the rest of the day from my serene white lacquered desk at home), I fell totally in love with my purchase that did not fade at all. In my state of retail binge, I searched for more Bobbie Brown to buy. I then spied my make up collection on my vanity, and decided it had to be reorganized, including a new display. So one eye shadow palette, 3 more lipsticks, one pot of concealer, powder, and cheek stain later, I had effectively replaced my entire makeup supply (and exhausted my budget for the entire month of October on day #3). Sometimes it takes a fresh wash of color to brighten the day under the dim glow of the office lights!

Its OK Thursday

It's OK...

To spend $100 on green juice for 2 days of 'cleansing' (wish me luck on Monday!)

To lust after a short hair, cut but chicken out at your appointment and end up with a basic trim instead

To believe 30 minutes of cardio erases a dirty martini (with extra olives)

To cry inconsolably at your desk because you realize you can't call your dad to tell him about the new client you just signed on

To buy 4 tubes of Bobbi Brown lipstick to celebrate aforementioned new client