10 Things I Love Sunday

We had quite the week last week at our house, so it feels like we are still catching up from that! One midnight trip to the ER, one urgent care visit the next night, and one regular doctor’s visit after that for Lola and a case of bronciolotis. Sick kids are no joke (especially if there are scary elements to the sickness before you feel like it’s getting better), so the house was a complete mess (more than usual) and we were completely exhausted but are finally feeling more rested and back on track. Here are some things that have been a bright spot in these crazy few weeks:

1. This home tour is so fun! Talk about your pops of color! It’s really inspiring me to add some bolder design areas to my home.

2. I can’t stop daydreaming about getting one of these for some part of our house or patio—they are just waaaaaay too cool.

3. I’m ordering shoes like these and these for Lola to wear most of the time now since they have natural leather soles and upper areas. While I love getting her more “statement” fun pairs, I also have been reading more about how chemicals and toxins in shoes can be absorbed through your feet into your body (more so with sandals that touch the shoes directly without socks), which is something that makes sense to me but I hadn’t thought about before. It’s hard to know what’s in every shoe on the market since most companies don’t list clothing “ingredients” (although I wish they would!), but I figure if she wears leather ones most of the time that probably would cut down a lot on potential toxins.

4. I’m thinking about switching my Netflix subscription back to the kind where you get actual DVDs in the mail (remember those??). Before they had streaming services that’s what we did for a long time and it was a great way for me to watch most of the old movies I grew up on (anything Cary Grant, Audrey/Katherine Hepburn, Danny Kaye, Jerry Lewis were my favorites). I figure maybe that’s a better way for me to watch less TV I don’t care about that much and see more of the classics genre that I really do love—I already have a Jerry Lewis and Audrey Hepburn movie in my queue, so I’m excited to try it again!

5. Ordered this dress and can’t wait to organize a date night to wear it out! I’m a sucker for “classy leopard print” (a.k.a. non-Jersey Shore leopard) and I think the wrap style of dress is flattering on most shapes, so it can be an easy shape to wear.

6. In my continuing effort to find things that are reusable around the house, we are switching to using these for our daily drinks (and I want to leave a set in the car for when we are out as well). We also have larger sizes for items like smoothies that require a bigger tube for thicker liquid as well. I remember when I saw one for the first time as Oprah used them in her water cup back when she had her daily TV show on and I thought, “Ohhh, how fancy looking!” If you want to have reusable straws for parties, you can also get these or buy a compostable option that fits the requirements to be composted in your own composter or through your city’s compost program.

7. Been looking for a lighter colored sneaker to wear with casual outfits (all the ones I have are black right now) and these are perfect.

8. I’m starting to learn how to needle felt because it’s always looked so interesting to me and I literally cannot believe that you can make something like this with the felting method—it’s completely amazing and insane (and I promise I don’t just like it because it’s a cat).

9. Probably the best toddler/kids dress I’ve seen all year!

10. If you are in your 30s and haven’t experienced an existential fashion crisis … just wait for it, it’s mostly likely just around the corner. It’s that time when you are pretty sure you can’t get away with 99% of the items at Forever 21 anymore but all the other “grown up” stores feel boring or old lady. This article on “How to Dress in Your 30s” was so interesting to me, and while I may not totally agree with all the categories they list as “no-no’s,” I still identify with the struggle. Oh yeah, and add being a mom onto all those changes and it’s amazing that I leave the house with any clothes on at all! What’s a girl to wear?? Any of you other 30-somethings relate?

Thankfully, Lola has been in pretty good spirits overall lately, even when sick, so it helps to still see her smiling silly self come through between coughs and sneezes. I think her molars finally all popped through recently so she’s actually feeling better than she has in months with the teething pain subsiding, so yay for that!! xo. Laura