Mother Love

motherhood + home + family

LATELY I’VE BEEN…

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…feeling proud that I’ve actually remembered to water my flowers several days in a row now. Also feeling grateful for my mom who managed to bring most of them back from the brink of death that I had them on.

…letting my dishes set in the kitchen all morning long. Normally this drives me crazy and I can’t stand having dirty dishes at the sink…but I’ve learned that it’s ok to let those little things go for the sake of rocking my baby to sleep, having my devotions, and putting on some make up. The dishes will get done eventually!

…reading The Baby Book and BabyWise, which is kinda funny since they present almost opposite points of view on parenting. The Baby Book advocates for a more attachment-parenting based style with on-demand feedings and co-sleeping, while BabyWise is all about helping babies to live on a schedule and training them to self-soothe. I actually like both of these books, and we’ve implemented some of each view into our parenting style so far.

…looking for a new hairstyle inspiration. I took off a few inches a few months ago to try to get off some of the dead ends that are inevitable after having ombre done a few times, but I’m not interested in going any shorter. I’d like to redo the ombre again soon, but also ready for something a little different with a cut. I generally get long layers that create a natural v-taper look, which I love…but I’m trying to decide if I have the nerve to do something different with my bangs. I actually love the heavy bangs look, but also pretty sure my fine head of hair wouldn’t stand up to it very well. I’ll keep scouring Pinterest for inspiration in the mean time.

…watching Chopped and Cupcake Wars. We don’t have a tv subscription, but it’s amazing how many shows are available for free online! I’ve been watching Chopped for forever and it’s definitely one of my favorites, but recently I’ve started in on Cupcake Wars…not sure why since it just makes me want cupcakes all the time!

…eating all the time. Current snacks of choice are homemade granola bars, anything with almond butter (trader joe’s has the best drippy almond butter!), morning glory muffins, yogurt parfaits, almonds (the best grab-a-quick-snack-in-the-middle-of-the-night snack), rhubarb crisp, sugar snap peas, apples with peanut butter, and chocolate bars. #nursinghunger

…so grateful for people and family that love and care for us so well. We’ve been overwhelmed with all the congratulations and meals and gifts and help from so many people in the last few weeks!

…trying not to spend all my life savings on baby girl clothes. Why do little things have to be so CUTE?!? Thankfully we have several really great consignment and thrift shops around that carry used baby clothes for a fraction of the cost. Ayla is already outgrowing a lot of the newborn things and is jumping right into the next sizes!

…using raw honey on my face to try to get rid of the postpartum rash around my eyes and mouth. My hormones are making my face look like a teenager again! I had a little rash around my eyes even during pregnancy, but ever since Ayla’s birth it’s gotten worse. Any remedies?

…looking for the perfect swim suit. I still have some from last year, but with pregnancy and breastfeeding let’s just say those don’t fit me in certain areas anymore, hehe. I generally go for a basic black swimsuit, but thinking of switching it up for a different color and/or pattern this year. I’ve got my eyes on this, this, this, this, and even this.

What about you: where do you like to shop for swimwear? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

MY NUMBER ONE SHOPPING TIP

I’ll just go ahead and say it…I love to shop.

I always say shopping is to women like hunting is to men. Sure, we love to actually bag that trophy deal or bargain item we’ve been searching for, but even when we don’t, the hunt was still pretty fun. For me, shopping isn’t always about bringing something home with me…it’s about the hunting…the thrill of the chase…the creeping up on a prize item for a killer deal! Ok, pardon my dramatization.

My shopping has changed in the past years, and that’s good. I remember I used to come home from the mall with baaaaags of stuff when I was a teenager, only to turn around and go buy more bags of stuff the next weekend. I would cart home bags of clothes and accessories and cds and anything else that I thought would make me a cooler, awesome-er person (oh those teenage years…). I try not to think about how much money I wasted on all that stuff during those careless years…and I’m just glad I finally grew up and realized how all those things weren’t going to change anything about my life. It was only changing my wallet!

I still love a good shopping day, and honestly one of my favorite kind of days is one spent in town by myself…just browsing and trying on and hunting down things we need. But I have rules and parameters and discipline these days instead of the carefree sprees. I buy things, but not without careful deliberation and evaluating the true value or usefulness of an item. Now when I bring in the bags from a day of shopping, I feel good about my purchases (usually, anyway!) and know it was money well-spent. And if I realize that something wasn’t the smartest or wisest purchase or that we really don’t need something I brought home, there’s always the handy option of returning it.

I do have one main rule for myself when I’m out shopping, and it’s one that I read somewhere on a random blog a few years ago. It’s really changed the way I shop and purchase things! It’s a super simple question that I ask myself whenever I deciding on something…

Do I absolutely LOVE this thing?

This is most useful with clothing for me, because sometimes I buy something that is just sorta “nice” and that I “kinda like,” especially if it is on sale. I used to talk myself into getting something like that, thinking that I would take it home, put it with some other items from my closet, and it would somehow transform into something I love.love.love. That never happened. Without fail, those “nice” pieces would hide in the back of my closet….I would just never wear them.

But now I don’t buy “nice” things. I only buy things that I really, really love. If I’m in the dressing room, the only way I allow myself to take something up to the register is if I LOVE it. If I just like it, it stays behind, no matter how much I would “save” by getting it.

This simple rule has helped me keep my closet to a minimal amount of pieces naturally, and now I only have things to wear that I truly love and feel comfortable in. It’s a win, you guys!

What about you: what do you use to make decisions about purchases? And tell me your true feelings about shopping (haha)…

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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