Plaid + deep cool tones + a fun shoe = drool out of my mouth. Casual, but not your average casual.
Fall is approaching, although some days feel more summery than others, and I'm getting more and more excited to pack up the tank tops and pull out the sweaters. This is a good transitional outfit. A tee for the warmer part of the day, and a flannel for when it cools off later. Also, no boots yet. It's definitely not cold enough yet.
Laia Baby is an accessory shop full of so much organic goodness including headbands, bandana bibs, socks, swaddles, and pillows. Everything is dainty and gorgeous, with a slight vintage feel.
And, what makes the products even more beautiful, is the mission behind them. Laia Baby empowers mothers in South Korea through work creation, including resettled North Korean refugees, enabling them to dream again and provide for their family. You can read more about their mission here. Every purchase made directly impacts these mothers, so you can buy with confidence knowing your money is not only buying something of great quality, but that it's going to the good of another mama.
Pink Blush is well-known as a maternity boutique, but many don't know that they carry non-maternity as well! Also, most things can actually work for both maternity and non maternity. There are so many unique-to-the-brand pieces that you won't find anything else. I was asked to choose three pieces to style, and it was such a hard choice! But I narrowed it down to these three:
My husband picked this one, and I loved the color of this dress, it will transition perfectly from summer to fall. It's so comfy, and I love that I can just throw it on without much thought for accessorizing. The color and fabric is perfection, and the back detail is just the cherry on top.
Love Winnie James is an online boutique carrying women and children's apparel. They carry the cutest and trendiest styles, including this amazing floral dress. When I saw this dress it reminded me of gloomy beach days, so naturally we had to take some photos on the beach. I love the floral pattern, the low neck for easy nursing, and that it's so flow and flattering. It's also easy to dress up or dress down. I also got Ever these little oxfords, and they're our new favorite shoes.
I gained 37 pounds during pregnancy. Which, I understand, is not a ton, but it was 37 pounds that my body was not used to. I felt huge. I felt tired. I felt slow. And most of all, I felt ugly. And then the stretch marks came because of that extra weight (plus my uterus apparently is suuuuper forward. I was huge. And had a 6lb baby), and I was devastated. All over my belly, my inner thighs, hips, boobs, you name it. I honestly thought I would never be happy with my body ever again. I looked up pictures online of women's bellies with stretch marks postpartum and cried thinking of what mine would look like. Then I looked up pictures of women with stretch marks that had six packs and felt even more discouraged because I have too much of a sweet tooth to ever look like that. So I thought my bikini wearing days were over.
First of all, we had so much fun with this shoot. Who would have thought that a grocery store would be such a great setting? Evvie didn't quite understand what was happening but she seemed to have fun nonetheless.
Imperishable Clothing Co. is a faith based company that carries t-shirts for all ages, with a wide range of sayings. Their mission is to start conversations with their shirts, so that the gospel is spread throughout the world.
Leia Roux! Oh my goodness, the things she makes are so beyond gorgeous. I got Ever this lavender stripe romper and we are in love! The fabric is stretchy, but it doesn't lose its form after a day of wear.
Saturday morning loungin' with some watermelon water that tasted of summer (that Ever desperately wanted to try).
Another thing that has me so ready for summer is this dress from Pink Blush. Pink Blush is an online women's boutique. They're known for their maternity wear, but they have non maternity items too, and this dress happens to double as both. It's also nursing friendly, despite the high neck, because the arm holes are stretchy enough to pull open for easy access.
I'm probablyyyy a little too obsessed with Jean & June. The witty sayings, the minimalist design, the fact that I can twin my baby, it's just too much goodness.
My shirt says "stay golden" and Ever's onesie says "golden child". So cute and clever!
First of all, my outfit is from Blanqi. They have the best maternity and post partum leggings and tees around.
AND if you click here you can get 20% off your order (praise hands emoji)!
Recently, I've been utilizing Ever's nap time and the millions of bounces I have to do to rock her to sleep, to get a mini workout in. No, it's not going to burn a thousand calories, but it will definitely build some muscle. Try it!
In a second position (heels in, toes out, legs wide), I plié (lower down) and lift. That usually doesn't put her to sleep, so I pulse it down. These tiny pulses trigger the small muscle fibers in your quadriceps, giving a long lean look instead of a bulky.
I also pulse and rock at the same time.
Most of the time, she falls asleep after this one, but sometimes I move on to some different moves because my thighs can't handle it anymore.
Like, calf raises in first position (heels together, toes out), parallel (feet parallel, hip distance), and toes in heels out.
I'll also try out some lunges.
Lunge and lift. Then pulse it down in a lunge.
If she's still not asleep at this point, I go back to my plie pulses and rocks in second position (which you can also do in first position, but second has a greater range of motion).
Jesse's day off again, and we planned to go to Santa Barbara. But halfway there decided we'd rather go somewhere closer so stopped in LA for some good eats, museum hopping, and good old traffic jams.
We both really hope Ever has an adventurous spirit like the two of us. So we've gotta teach her young, right? The older she gets, the better she is with all day outings. She was a champ this time around going in and out of her car seat. And we even managed to get her naps and feeding right on schedule. She's like super baby. And I'm like super mom (kidding).
LA always reminds me of when Jesse and I were first dating. Our first date was to Hollywood and around that area. And we've always loved daycationing to tried and true but also new places.
don't mind the bathrooms in the background...
Ate: The Commisary, Salt and Straw, and some pizza place.
Saw: LACMA, the tar pits, the ghetto, and Griffith Observatory.
Ever's outfit: Old Navy overalls, June Park tee, Mon Petite shoes, Little Prickly Pear headband
This post is the first of a series I'm super excited about! I'll be highlighting different pieces from different brands that I've found that are perfect for a nursing mama.
After I had Ever, it didn't take long to realize that over half of my wardrobe wouldn't work for nursing, and every day I'm frustrated because I have nothing to wear. Of course, you can pull any shirt up, but that's just annoying because it falls back down as you're trying to feed. I much prefer something I can pull down, with easy and quick access.
So, today I'm highlighting this amazing romper, The Sylvie by Eva Jo Rompers
First of all, have you even seen this gorgeous color before?? I'm in love. And all the other color choices they have are gorgeous too!
Second, it feels like I'm wearing pjs. The fabric is heaven. So so soft and comfortable. I definitely see myself wearing this every week, if not multiple times a week. If not everyday...
Third, it's nursing friendly, of course, without being intended for nursing. There's a snap in the front for easy access to those milk makers. Mama's happy because she's not fussing trying to pull a t shirt up or a collar down and baby's happy because she doesn't have to wait very long to get what she wants!
And fourth, it's super versatile. I'm wearing sandals in these pictures, but it can so easily be dressed up with a pair of cute heels, or dressed down with some converse or birks.
Not a mama? Fret not. They have plenty of other rompers to choose from that are just as cute, comfy, and versatile. Support small business and shop small!
If you're a small business and think your products would be perfect for this series, contact me at letterstoeverjoy@gmail.com, I'd love to collab with you!