If I’m being completely honest I am ready to wrap up this summer. It was a good summer…also a really weird summer with the weather which made it feel not so summery. If you’re in the midwest….you know what I mean? September 1 has always meant the start of fall to me. Just like on March 1 I’m switching mentally spring. Rounded up below is this past month! My last bullet point in the whole post is probably the most important part ;-) !

Style + Beauty

To the Hilary Duff concert I wore these pink taffeta shorts that I cannot get enough of. Thinking of ways I can style these into September!

Are you guys sick of me talking about the J.Crew Painter Jeans yet? I cannot wait to wear these when it cools off a touch! If you are 5’8 like me I would suggest ordering the tall inseam!

I have this necklace in my cart! I love the gray.

I really really really love these shoes….but there’s no plans I have to wear them to

I ordered this raglan top and I love the color combo is perfect.

Fresh is on those brands that have been around awhile and never get old for me! I LOVED their soy cleanser in high school and when they offered to send over their new jelly cleansing balm I immediately said yes! It jellies into this amazing feeling cleanser that clears makeup and SPF away without feeling too harsh!

Skin Huis is a new spa that opened in Downtown Holland this summer and I went in for the first time a few weeks ago! I got a skin analysis done for the first time (I’m 36 and my skin age was 33). I’m getting microneedling done in September!

At Home

We continue to plug away at the dining room. Mark’s parents are getting new dining room chairs and gave us their Queen Ann style chairs. I chose this olive green velvet fabric to have them reupholstered in.

Linked here is the brass picture hanging rail I put up in the dining room as well! I wanted to do this around the entire perimeter of the room but they are WAY more expensive than I thought so I just did one wall!

Me likey

We had the best Sunday afternoon thunderstorm this month and we pulled out the fort we make in the winter. The base is the base from a pottery barn kids tent that ripped and I just saved the actual metal structure of it and then we drape quilts I have in Emma’s room! some similar ones are linked here, here and here!

This rug shop on Ebay has some promising options.

My favorite lit Skeleton is back on Pottery Barn!

Mommin & Kids

• The First & Last day banner I have currently is sold out but you can save it for a restock notice!

• The Oso & Me pouch is back in stock! I have one of these and I use it ALL the time. It’s a good little insert for your mom bag! I use it in my plane carry ons, for snacks, extra diapers, coloring stuff if we go out etc.

• I’m only putting this in here because I know this stuff sells out quick and early. Zara Home is a secret weapon for Kid’s dress up and Halloween Costumes. Meri Meri vibes for half the cost. I purchased this for Phil as a dress up gift for his second birthday but it’s also going to be his halloween costume. I cannot get over how cute it is! Here is the link to the matching cape and gloves.

• Kids are back in school! I forget every year we all need adjustment period grace. My kids need adjustment period grace & I also need adjustment period grace. We all hold different emotions and they all show themselves in different ways. For example Emma who is now in full day kindergarten has been coming home from school absolutely BOUNCING off the walls with energy and talking at the highest octane possible. Phil has been extra clingy during the day. And I feel short fused by it. I’m hoping to take some time to reset my mind this weekend by exercising and making sure I have good healthy lunches and snacks for myself for next week!

• Emma’s birthday was this past weekend! I got her this adorable craft kit (bonus points for the glittery caboodle), this magic potion necklace kit & this chachalikey toy from Target that was a huge hit.

Food

• I am still wildly obsessed with making these healthy (ish) monster cookies and switching up the add ins.

• I shared this in my back to school edit but Jack has an egg and peanut allergy. He cannot eat normal baked goods (but he has taken tiny steps towards hopefully one day eating normal baked goods). So I like to prep vegan or egg free baked goods for him incase of classroom birthdays or just special treats. I use this sugar cookie recipe and the whole family loves them!

• I LOVE a Carmel apple…specifically one with nuts. I am so excited to have my yearly allotment of them in September! I might also try to make some myself in slices like the picture above.

• I shared this hot cocoa bone broth and my DM’s were flooded. It does not taste like bone broth or have a bad sweetener taste! It really just takes like really good hot cocoa! I need to cut back on my wine this fall and I am going to replace some wine nights for hot cocoa nights.

• Sometimes the easiest dinners pack the most joy. Freezer fries from Whole Foods, bagged salad, and a steak for Gorbee to grill.

• Here are some fall meals I fall back on every year that I am excited to make again: our favorite turkey chili, these autumn harvest bowls, & one pan broccoli cheese casserole.

Life

• My girlfriends and I saw Hilary Duff in concert in Grand Rapids. We all cried haha. It’s really emotional seeing someone you idolized as a child now as a mom. Meaning I am a mom and so is she! There was a part in the concert where they had a video montage of her as Lizzie McGuire and all she’s gone through into the early 2000’s and I lost it.

• Gorbee and I have been watching Sterling Point. Guys it’s GOOD. I laugh out loud regularly. And my best friends told me to hang onto my seat because I will be sobbing in the final episode. It’s on Prime if you want to tune in!

• I had a request on Instagram to share rituals and routines for Back to School season. And I thought hell ya I can put together something on that. And then I was watching one of my favorite creators Liz Adams stories one day and she was talking about how social media can make you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing…but in actuality we all know how to do what we need to do. And I took a step back and realized there isn’t anything I can share with you that will drastically make your life so much better. You guys already know what your kids need. You already know what will work for your family to get yourself out the door. You already know how to be the mom your kids need. And I thought her reminder was really good reminder for all of us. You know how to do what you need to do :) YOU GOT THIS!

On that note…thanks for reading! Love you all! Give this a heart if you enjoyed it or subscribe if you haven’t below!!

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Below is a roundup of 10 specific home items I use daily as someone who runs a clean, well collected ship!! You can shop the entire list here if you want!

Pooky Lights

These little chargeable table lamps are of my favorite little things in my home. I have both the table lamp and matching sconce of this Matthew Williamson collab.

Titan T3600 Vacuum

I love this piece of machinery. I run it every single day, sometimes up to 3x. I like clean floors. If I could only do one thing to clean my house for the rest of my life it would be vacuuming floors. I love that this is an affordable vacuum and does everything I need it to do! If you are in the market for a new one and live locally go get this from Vacuuming Cleaning Headquarters!

Emma Bridgewater Mugs

If you have been following me for a while…then you know I truly believe I was one of the first people to bring Emma Bridgewater to the United States. LOL. It all started in 2014 when I was watching Ladies of London on Bravo and Julie Montague served hot chocolate to her kids in this mug. I went DEEP into a google search for weeks trying to find the exact mug. I found it…and have since gotten myself a new mug for my collection every year. Shipping is not cheap since they are coming from England. But they make my morning coffee feel so much more special. Some favorites are this one, this one and this one.

Branch Basics

I use Branch Basics for a good all purpose spray, glass cleaner and bathroom cleaner. I love that it’s natural and low toxic. BUT I say that as someone who also uses scrubbing bubbles and SOS pads. Life is about balance. Their all purpose spray is for literal anything. I clean produce with it and also Phil’s booster seat! We keep their gel hand soap in the kitchen, and the oxygen boost is an another favorite. Perfect for scrubbing pans!

Chappy Wrap Blankets

I like a large blanket to wrap myself in every night while I watch TV. These are the perfect size, easily washable and come in so many good color/print options. The herringbone is a personal favorite!

Blue Willow Plates

I am always asked where my plates are from and they are one giant collection of blue willow from Etsy, thrift and antique stores. I consider blue willow a neutral and part of any good English home! Some other blue willow finds are here, here and here!

Target Water Hyacinth Bins

All sizes of these, all versions of these!! They are great storage baskets for toys, basement stuff, food…anything!

Hatch Alarm for Kids & Adults

Hatch started as obsession for my kids and then I got myself one and I was HOOKED. I love the the drowsey piano followed by ambient overlook before my brown noise kicks in on mine. I read my book or journal while those are playing. And it looks like they updated what the kid’s one !!

The Laundress Laundry Products

I am not a natural laundry detergent girly. I want my laundry to have a really strong scent (but not like too strong) and this nails it. When I catch a whiff of Mark walking by and I can smell this on this on his clothes it smells SO GOOD. I have the largest size on subscribe and save off amazon. It lasts FOREVER!

Cookbooks

It’s no secret I love to cook. I also love to line my kitchen counter with as many cookbooks as I can. Cookbooks on display really add that collected, lived in and cozy element to a home. I use this one frequently, this one and this one!

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Back to School…one of my favorite times of the whole year. I love the nostalgia of the smell of fresh school supples packed in my backpack…going shoe shopping with mom & those crisp mornings riding the bus. As a neat and orderly person I love the return to a schedule and predictable routine. I love to fill my calendar with fun school dates for my kids and class parties to look forward to. I was born to be an elementary school mom.

Having 3 kids is one large exercise in not having control. They can argue back, they can go to school and not eat the lunch I packed…they can disobey…they can have someone else hurt their feelings. So many other things that are out of my control. Sometimes the only way I feel in control of life is by cleaning and organizing and filling my time with organizational house manager tasks. It’s how I was built, and at my core I’m just a tidy person. It’s a hard thing for me to feel so out of control with my kids sometimes and the way I can calm myself is to start doing all the stuff I’m going to discuss below to give me a sense of being the one driving the ship (false or not). So if you’re thinking to yourself…”wow why is she doing all this random stuff?” there’s your answer.

First let’s start with all my favorite finds for back to school to really get you in the mood!!

For the Girls:

• Emma is a leggings girly through and through. I can’t really get her to wear the wide legs pants that are all over the place so I really had to hunt for some cute ones!

• An adorable reverseable coat

• Good basic stripe tees in fun colors!

• Emma has this backpack and it’s a fun one! I also love this one and this one!

• Ordered these for comfy and easy sneakers!

• Minted name stickers hold up pretty well if you ask me! I also love these fun stripe ones!

• Jack and Emma both have this stainless steel food container - if you’re kids like hot stuff for lunch then don’t get this lol.

• Etsy is truly the Back to School GOAT and there is endless stuff I can link but I will end the girls section with these name keychains! Also cute for the boys!

For the Boys:

• I have bought Jack these corduroy pants since he was a 2T and could fit into crew cuts. They are a perfect fit for boys! I have all of Jack’s pairs saved for Phil to wear too.

• Another great basic from J.Crew that I have purchased for years! This t-shirt always comes in the best faded washes. They hold up great!

• I love the colors in this pencil case!

• If you have a boy under 6T Zara is killing it with fleeces for boys! I would order this ASAP for Jack if he was still under 6T! I also love this vest (and ordered for Phil!)

• I love a good old school Nike for a boy

• I mentioned this in my July Mindsweep but Nike released a collab with Lego and Jack loves it! I love the crest on this jacket and the basic block hoodie!

• State Backpacks are always my go to! They are an investment but you will not need to replace them every year! I love that they have a solids collection this year!

• I ordered these sticky notes for lunchbox notes!

Onto my fall nesting habits

There’s a couple places I like to deep clean and reorganize:

• The drawers that hold their lunchboxes and other drink ware etc

• Their locker spaces

• Their bedroom closets

These are the core 3 that make the biggest difference to me knowing they are fresh and prepped. Nothing sends me spiraling more than trying to get kids out the door in the morning and I can’t find something because a drawer or a closet is overstuffed with non essentials. I like to pull everything out, do a vacuum and dust and then sort! I’m always asked how and what I choose to sort or get rid of. Guys I am RUTHLESS. If my kid’s haven’t played with or touched something in the last year I get rid of it (unless it’s something I can see Phil using at a later date). And in regards to when I do this - I wait for them to be out of the house so there is no push back!

Stocking and organizing medicine cabinets and personal toiletries

I check expiration dates on medicine and back stock medicine and toss anything that needs tossing. I love to give their medicine cabinet a deep clean too since it always has toothpaste stuck all over it, fresh toothbrushes, fresh hairbrush and hair ties etc!

Fresh Sheets + Cleaning Covers

Buying new sheets is certainly not something I do every single year but this year both Jack and Emma needed a good refresh and it feels extra fresh falling at BTS time. I got Jack these MLS sheets for his little soccer loving heart. I stuck with the same ones Emma already had.

Another really great thing to clean at the beginning of the school year is duvet covers, bean bag covers and throw pillows. Anything you don’t regularly wash - might be great to make this the time of year you do it :).

Stocking and Prepping for Lunches

Prepping baked goods I only do because Jack has a peanut and egg allergy and also is the world’s pickiest eater. So twice during the school year I try to bake large batches of cookies or breads he can eat and freeze them so I have them on hand if need be!

I like to make sure I have easy things for lunches and get those nice and stocked!

Okay I think that’ll do it! I would love to know what stuff you mom’s do as well! Let me know in the comments!! And as always subscribe below if you haven’t!

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July was filled with fun, canceled plans and & canceled travel. July is normally our most social filled month of the year. But this year we canceled on some stuff so Mark and I could charge our social batteries. I traveled to Massachusetts solo for my cousins wedding and the next weekend Mark and I were supposed to go to California to meet our new nephew! But Delta did us dirty and the trip didn’t end up happening after sitting in the Grand Rapids airport for 12 hours. If you follow the mom calendar….we are closing in on the final weeks of summer. Seasonally it’s still midsummer. I find that a funny spot to be in. Your life is screaming Back to School! But the weather isn’t. More on that for August. Anywho! Here’s what was swirling in my head in July.

Style + Beauty

• Recently I took a dive into the men’s section on Mejuri for shits & gigs. I love this silver signet for something that feels fresh!

• Skin Ceuticals gifted me this P-Tiox serum and I was ecstatic because SC has been on my list to try! I can confirm they are worth the hype. This serum smoothes lines and gives your skin a glossy glowing look.

• This vintage hand painted chore jacket is way cool if you ask me.

• I’m always on the hunt for a new baseball cap and I love this England one .

• If you have a wedding coming up this 2 piece set is beyond!!

• I’m in need of some long sleeve basics for chillier mornings and I have this one in my cart in navy, white & gray

  At Home

• We got a new fence! We had a spooky chainlink fence from the 1920’s by our garage that stretched along the backside of our property line. We got it ripped out and replaced with an absolute beaut. One new adult thing I learned in this process is fences are NOT cheap.

• I refreshed our bed sheets. It was much needed. There is nothing better than a crisp white sheet!

• I need to you know I am not anywhere near the fall mindset…BUT I love Mason Cash mixing bowls and this one really makes me excited.

Mommin’ & Kids

• Something I noticed this summer…my kids spend a ton of time just wrestling each other on the couch in the playroom. Jack (almost 7), Emma (almost 5) & Phil (almost 2) don’t need to much on the toy front…they just whoop each other asses for fun. Any other mom noticed this same thing?? Also Emma really hold’s her own between 2 boys haha.

• Another thing I talked in depth about to one of my best friends….my kids really hit a wall with too many babysitters this summer. My oldest - Jack - in particular really was affected by me going out and living my life too much. It’s a fine line to dance and I certainly crossed it for him. I scaled back on social commitments (which isn’t hard for me because I’m a home body) and I hope he feels better. It’s a weird thing - to feel like you can use babysitters when you want to but also know your kids don’t really want you to.

• I ordered these shoes for Emma for back to school! I love when Boden’s back to school drop hits!

• If you have a kid who loves soccer and also loves lego….Nike released a lego collab! I ordered Jack a few things from it and it’s safe to say he’s obsessed.

• Emma has discovered selfies & it is hilarious to see all the photos she takes of herself. I hope she never looses her spunk!

Food

• Jack has an egg & peanut allergy. I have been trying to make him egg free deserts for the last 7 years of my life. He LOVES sugar cookies and I gave this egg free sugar cookie recipe a try with him one morning and they came out perfect. If you need an egg free cookie this is IT.

• These greek chicken burgers are one of Mark’s favorite things I make. I load in the feta cheese and also I use an egg to hold them together better! They work without the egg but just a little hot tip!

• This glitter bento box is one of my favorite things. I pack it up for the pool, playdates and picnics. And it’s on sale!

• In case you missed it - I wrote a wellness post that included what I typically eat in a day!

Life

• In my June Mind Sweep I told you I started tennis lessons this summer. July brought tennis elbow. Something I’ve never experienced and wow it’s painful. I spent almost a week unable to lift anything with just my right arm. I took a couple week break and I’m hoping it doesn’t flare up the next time I play!

• Grace Atwood wrote a post about Summer Malaise and it really summed up how I’ve been feeling. Except mine isn’t from heat in the south…it’s just a general feeling of not being inspired or wanting to get after it. I tend to always feel this way midsummer I’ve noticed and I’m really trying to just let that be okay - read her substack below. It’s a good read.

Scratch Pad

Summer Malaise

Here’s a little confession for you: For the past few weeks (really, since the air conditioner broke), I haven’t wanted to do much of anything. Important emails sit in my inbox, unreplied to, my manager has had to follow up with me way more than she ever has to get answers, I’m finding myself up late finishing the next day’s blog post (I typically work a…

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• I devoured the Little House on Prairie remake on Netflix. My childhood was filled with reading LHP and watching the original show with my mom. The joy the remake brought me is quite something haha. I truly hope they continue it for more seasons.

• Mark and I crossed a bucket list item off this month. Since we met Mark has said we would take our boat to South Haven (1 hour via boat from Holland) and we finally did it with a group of friends. Smooth sailing on the way down but the wind changed and it was ROUGH on the way home. 5 footers! For those not familiar with Lake Michigan or boating….thats not enjoyable. It took us almost 2 hours to get back to Holland because we had to take it slow! The only photo I got from that day was a selfie and an Aperol spritz at the South Haven Yacht Club.

• I read The Force of Such Beauty & Also Julie Chan is Dead. The Force of Such Beauty is about an Olympic runner from South Africa who marries into a royal family in Italy. Once you get through the first fourth of the book…you won’t be able to put it down. Julie Chan is Dead is about a young woman who steps into her deceased twin’s influencer life—but discovers dark secrets hidden behind her social media façade.

& that’s a wrap on July! A weird whirlwind of a month! Onto August! Please give this post a heart if you enjoyed it and want to see more! Subscribe below if you aren’t already subscribed!

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I want to start this off by saying - I only hope this post inspires you to integrate taking care of yourself the best you can for that day as a normal part of your life. And taking care of yourself means so many different things for so many different people. Wellness is not a one size fits all category. I spent years of my youth hating how tall I was, wishing I was thinner, being a vegan and other wack-a-doodle things. I’m only choosing to write this because at the age of 36 with a body thats carried and birthed 3 children do I feel at peace with where I am at. It’s not perfect. You’ll see below I eat a ton of processed snacks out of connivence but sometimes thats my journey for that day and thats okay. I try to integrate general wellness into my everyday as the foundation to being a mom, wife and myself. I hope this inspires you to do one thing daily to take care of yourself and cherish your body.

Exercise Routine

I aim to workout 4-5 days a week for 30 minutes a day. I have a general formula I follow:

2 Yoga/Pilates workouts through Peloton or Melissa Wood Health

1 run outdoors

2 peloton bike rides

Sometimes I stack those in different ways. I’ll do a 15 minute ride on the peloton and finish with a 15 minute yoga sculpt flow. Sometimes I just ride for 30 minutes or do a 30 minute pilates session. Thats what I love about the Peloton & Melissa Wood Health apps - you can filter all workouts by length.

My go to peloton instructors:

Ben Aldis, Emma Lovewell and Tunde for the bike (I find a lot of the bike instructors extremely annoying but these ones are not IMHO)

Yoga + Pilates: I love Gretta Dopp. Her yoga sculpts are pilates classes are so challenging and she plays the best music. Strictly yoga I love Kirra Michel

I am a morning workout person through and through. If it doesn’t happen before 10 am then it won’t happen at all. Sometimes that means I wake up before my kids, sometimes they are playing in the workout room while I get my exercise in. For some reason I think as a society people stopped thinking they could workout with kids around? I have really strong memories of my mom doing Buns of Steel on VHS in our living room with her leotard and leggings while my brother and I played next to her or in our bedrooms. And you know what - we came out pretty okay. If you’re not used to exercising with your kids around…I do think you need to give yourself and your kids some grace when you first start. It can be overstimulating and a lot of the time I loose my cookies and yell at my kids to stop kicking the soccer ball in my direction while I’m doing a downward dog. But thats just part of life and living a life with wellness integrated into it.

Tips for working out at home with kids

If you have a dedicated workout space in your home…add some balls and ropes for your kids to play with while you exercise

These are the exercise tiles we have in my workout room and my kids thoroughly enjoy them because they are great for running and sliding. Highly recommend.

Find a jogger you will use if you like running. I got rid of my double jogger because I couldn’t push 2 kids while running (any mom that can do this is beast mode) and got a single jogger off Facebook marketplace for $50 and have already included my kids on my runs more than I ever did with the double. Jack and Emma ride their bikes or scooters and I push Phil. Sometimes they whine about the distance but when they do I bribe them with ice cream at home if they stop whining ;-).

Accept it might be chaotic - this is something I still have to work on everyday. Especially if I’m trying to do a yoga class and my kids are yelling in my ear. It sends me spiraling but then I proiritze getting out of bed earlier the next day to workout solo.

What I Typically Eat in a Day

This is a good day - this doesn’t happen all the time.

Breakfast: Premade blueberry chia pudding from Whole Foods

Lunch: 2 rice cakes with cottage cheese, tomato and everything but the bagel seasoning

Desert: 3 homemade monster cookies (this is the recipe I use, I just change up the add ins)

Snack: I LOVE these sweet potato chips and frequently eat the whole bag in one opening

Dinner: Homemade chicken burgers with feta cheese, steamed green beans and wine. Always wine.

Desert: I eat these unreal nugget bars almost every single day and I had 3 of them while watching tv with Gorbee

This is a more of a normal day when I don’t feel like thinking about what I’m eating

Breakfast: fruit and chicken sausage

Lunch: Cheesesticks, lunch meat & crackers (almost always the entire sleeve lol)

Snack: snacking on what my kids snacked on

Dinner: Date night Mexican with Gorbee and drinks

How I feel about the woo-woo stuff in wellness

Turns out my dad was always right - balance is really all you can aim for in this life. I like woo-woo stuff….but I also know that if you go too far down that rabbit hole you’re not really living your life. Well you are - but it has a whole bunch of peramiters around it. I’d say I probably live a 70/30 life. I dabble in “treats” and things that are deemed naughty like wine every single day. But I also eat a primarily organic diet (processed food or not it’s mostly organic). That’s just a personal preference! I like to go out and have fun with friends and get fries and martinis and stay up too late. But I also will wake up and do yoga the next morning. Balance!

Current wellness finds + athletic wear I’m jiving with

I ordered these nikes to pair with these socks (specifically the gray ones). I’ve been loving the look of black shoes with gray socks and black leggings. Feels fresh!

These are the ankle weights I use for yoga sculpt classes and pilates - I love the nude color.

I’m intrigued by this sculpting body stone.

I love this bralette with these cropped leggings. It’s giving Kiera Knightly in Bend it like Beckham.

I try to consume a decent amount of fiber. I supplement with these sakara gummies!

Linking the exercise tiles in my basement again because I am always asked about them!

As I am finishing up writing this I am trying to chug a lot of water while also eating several sweet loren’s chocolate chip cookies. Balance! Let's all be kind to ourselves, try to get our bodies moving to care for them but also know it’s okay if you didn’t for the day! Let me know if you liked this in the comments or with a heart! And subscribe below if you haven’t already!

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Hi! Sitting in the blasting AC at our local library with a huge water is where I am coming at you from. It’s hot. And I wanted quiet and this spot I choose is really doing it for me rn! Happy full on summer friends. The summer weather is finally here and I am ready to lean into all things summer! But first let’s round up some thing’s i’ve worn so far with links!

Starting off with this red dress from If Only If - because I think it might be the most complimented item I’ve worn so far! And guess what…it’s under $200! Paried with simple black flip flops and the kinder brook basket bag I loved this easy look for a night on the boat.

Runners…walkers…speed walkers…joggers…let’s go! I’m a big sweat horse. Which I know was passed down to me from my dad. We both are drenched when we work out. So in the summer I keep clothing light when I’m running because I don’t like the feeling of shirts sticking to my body. I could live in these shorts - I’ve also worn them a few times to my tennis lessons and they work great for both things. The navy is sold out but I love the cranberry color!

The On Cloud Cloud Monster has been my go to running shoe for 5 years now! I replace them every summer and I just keep getting this shoe because it’s a great fit for my foot. I run once a week - sometimes twice. I like to keep the shoe white so it matches anything I put on with it but I do also really like this color way!

If I can influence you on one single thing…let it be a feather brooch. People have a lot of feelings on these crazy things when you wear them in public. I was made fun of and also complimented. But do you want to know how fun it felt? BE FREE! Wear something that is so unique and crazy because you have one life to live!!

I cannot say enough good things about these taffeta pants. I have worn them frequently. I wanted the pink but they were out of stock when I ordered mine! I also purchased these taffeta shorts from Chan Luu !

An outfit for getting stuck in a downpour on lake michigan on your open boat enters the chat. It did its job. A night to remember for sure. Bikini is left on Friday and the material certainly tucks you in! This coverup is doen vibes with Jcrew pricing. The 2 hardest working pieces in my closet for the last 2 summers continue to be this chunky pearl necklace (goes with literally everything) and these lace up tkees (also go with everything & the laces stay in place).

Starting with the top left. These silk shorts are a good basic IMHO. They will carry well into the fall too. The green cardigan is sold out :( ! This Clare V bucket bag is a good investment for a basic summer bag.

Strawberry picking when it’s 50 degrees outside wasn’t on my bingo card. I was not dressed warm enough. But I did like my outfit. I have had my Le Chameau boots for 6 years now?? Far supeior to hunter boots. Why might you ask? Strictly because it’s what they actually wear in the English Countryside. The oversized button down is good American and the shorts are old J crew but these are similar!

I have a babysitter once a week during the day so I can get some mom admin time if I need it or go sit at the beach or pool if I need a break. I threw on my go to jeans and a pair of gem stone flip flops that add a little pizzazz to otherwise basic outfit. The tee is a great Jcrew top!

Thanks for making it this far! I’ll try to get another one of these in for the second half of summer! If you enjoyed this please give it a hearts and subscribe below!

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June wow. That’s really sums June up for me. More on this below but I was absolutely waterboarded by adjusting to summer in June. It’s good…it’s all good stuff. But those first summer weeks as a stay at home mom are an adjustment. The weather in Michigan has been cold and rainy for a lot of the month so I’m hopeful we get some real summer weather in July! I got a babysitter and sat a coffee shop and pumped this out and it brought me so much joy to do. Happy reading!!

Style + Beauty

• These Josie Maran argan wipes are my new go to for makeup removal or if I need a quick refresh post sweating with my kids before dinner! You need to store them label side down though just an FYI!

• I ordered these pink taffeta Chan Luu shorts (they aren’t for everyone) but I think they are so fun and so chic.

• To wear with those pink shorts I ordered this tank top in the yellow and white. The cut feels SO fresh to me!

• I cannot stop thinking about these shorts and I signed up for the restock in my size! I saw them styled with white socks and black loafers and I want to try that in September!

• I’m in the market for a longer necklace and I have my eye on this turquoise one!

At Home

• Our kid’s bathroom is FINALLY complete. 3 years post renovation it finally all came together. Lots of you want details on how these stripes were done and this is where I feel like a bad content creator/influencer because I didn’t do the taping and measuring of it. But I can say it was taped off with frog tape at 1.88” and the lighter white is Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee & the darker white is Farrow and Ball School House White.

• I ordered this picture hanging rail for my dining room to display artwork from! I love to add texture where I can.

• You guys know I love a pheasant and when I saw this cast iron pheasant for our yard I immediately purchased it!

• These vintage pinch pleat chintz curtains……

Mom & Kid Stuff

• Guys June was really tough for me. My husband - Mark (Gorbee) - was gone SO much for work and I was just trying to adjust to a new schedule and my kids being home and I got absolutely waterboarded by that the whole month. His travel should slow down for July and I am really hoping for a smoother & easier month with my kids and being adjusted to summer & more date nights! My mom had to give me swift kick in the ass to get it together and stop whining (which I needed). But still happy to be ending June lol.

• Jack and Phil have these matching minnow bathing suits and they are boys summer time perfection!

• We have been doing really well on the chore front! I ordered these chore charts & I’ve also used these printables before as well! Jack is almost 7 and he’s been making his bed, putting away laundry, doing summer worksheets for school, & clearing the dinner table to name a few. Emma is almost 5 and she’s been making her bed, brushing her teeth for a full 2 minutes, putting her laundry away and doing school worksheets too!

• On the 2 minutes of teeth brushing note - if you have a Yoto for your kids did you know they have a bunch of free timers and sounds? Hit the discover section along the bottom of the app and scroll down. All sorts of free magic for yoto!

• I’m really intrigued by these dustless chalk crayons for outside!

Food

• I cannot stop making these healthy monster cookies and adjusting the add ins to something different. I love doing flax seed and shredded coconut as my mains!

• I am hooked on this combo right now: rice cake topped with cottage cheese and heirloom tomatoes & everything but the bagel seasoning. Would also be good with some deli turkey!

• I also made this mediterranean ground beef bowl and I know I will be making it again! I didn’t do the olives and I added cous cous as the base. It was really good as leftovers the next day for lunch with tziki on it too!

Life

• I started taking tennis lessons a few weeks ago and I am absolutely hooked. I always played soccer growing up. The Nelson’s were a big soccer family. I looked at tennis with interest but never pursued it. Then I married Mark & tennis was the one sport he played throughout his life. We put Jack and Emma in tennis and they both love it…so I thought why not take this chance to learn something I’ve always wanted to do?! My forearms were so sore after the first lesson. I’m hoping by next summer I know what I’m doing enough to in some adult cardio tennis moments!

• I also did one Mahjong lesson and I loved it! It’s a lot on the brain…especially when you’re drinking wine while learning. I went to an event our yacht club did with Mahj in the Mitten and it was so cute and so well done. Follow them on Instagram and do one of their events if you are local and want to play! I am craving playing again!!!

• If you love to make collages or just want some fun paper to do shit with….this book off amazon is unreal. I was shocked I got it off amazon and was thumbing through it! Endless possibilities!

• I have this book in my cart to read next - a royal ball and a character named Ethel??? SAY LESS.

That does it! I always enjoy these to round out my month and I hope you feel inspired to try something new or wear something fun like a huge feather brooch! If you enjoyed this please give it a heart and subscribe below if you haven’t done so already!

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I wouldn’t say I’m super smart or researched into the things I use on regular basis I just know what I like and what is part of a clean, well collected ship. Below is a mix of beauty, home, jewelry and more :)

The Hart Tennis Necklace - I personally believe that jewelry like this should be used for the everyday. As a recovering “I’m saving this for a special occasion” human being…let me tell you life is so much more fun if you just use your stuff. I have had mine for almost 3 years and wear it almost daily. It still looks great. Priced reasonably, this necklace will elevate any single outfit. Bonus points if you layer it.

Marbled Journal - I am a freak for marbled paper. Florence is one of my favorite cities in the world and marbled paper just makes me feel like I’m there. I try to journal a few nights a week and pulling this journal out feels good. So many fun color options!

Undo hair clips - On the Italy note…these handmade in Italy hair clips are a piece of art. The colors, the shape, the packaging they arrive in..it’s all too god. They are worth the price! I have 4 of them! You cannot go wrong with any of the colors but saffron is my personal favorite.

Prequel Foot Cream - this cream was everywhere on the internet and I was influenced and let me say it truly is worth the type. Even my husband who is the most simple man in the entire world and uses one product for everything has been using this on his feet too.

My Vacuum - I shared my dislike for Dyson vacuums on instagram and it felt like we all let out a collective exhale. Why are we supposed to want those? They suck. Get yourself a traditional hardworking vacuum. If you are local to Holland I cannot stress vacuuming cleaning headquarters enough. There isn’t a bad piece of machinery in there. I have the T3 Titan and it’s smooth, crisp and does an excellent job for under $400.

RMS Lip Balm - I have to have subtle color on my lips. It’s my one thing. I look like a corpse without it. I use this daily in the summer in shade passion lane. It’s a subtle pink that isn’t sticky! If I am going somewhere at night I layer it with the saie lip liner in French!

Brick for your phone - my best friend influenced me on this. She needs the credit (s/o Mackenzie Cooley). Brick is a magnet on your fridge that you hold your phone up to and It will you lock out of any app you want until you “unbrick” yourself by doing the same thing - hold phone up to the brick and you can open the apps again. This has been good for me while I’m about and about with my kids. It’s helped me dial into where my feet physically are because I can’t open certain things on my phone! I highly recommend if you’re looking for more mindfulness this summer.

Avaline Wine - go ahead & think what you want - but I drink a few glasses of wine nightly. There’s a whole lot of opinions on alcohol and consuming it daily but I just love it. I won’t deny it. Once 4:45 hits I am pouring a glass for myself as a pat on the back and to unwind a little bit after another day. Avaline is my all time favorite brand. Founded by Cameron Diaz, it’s organic and free of added sugar and sulfates. The sauvy b, rose and cabernet are my favorites!

A Color Story app for editing photos - I love the “clean” filter on this app. I run most of my photos through the clean filter and adjust it down to half saturation (it can wipe out yellow hues if you don’t). They also have really fun glitter filters!

Le Parfait Jars - I can’t begin to tell you how obsessed I am with these jars. I have probably upwards of 40 of them in my kitchen cabinets. I prefer glass over plastic for storing food because I try to be conscious of things like that (in a normal non obsessive way). These elevate your way in like a chic chef way IMHO. Also this is my label maker I use and I love it!

I want to get these out seasonally and switch up the categories like 10 beauty products or 10 home things so I have that on my list! Let me know if you enjoyed this and please give it a heart and a subscribe below if you aren’t! I will always keep this free :)

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I saw a quote once that your style isn’t what you dress up in…it’s what you wear everyday. The things you reach for over and over that’s what your style is. The outfits I wear everyday to dilly dally around town and handle mom life is my style. I thought why not round up some of my favorite looks to wear during the day as a mom? And lovingly call it Playground Prada because….thats how I evision this style! Functional and also stylish. Not so precious your toddler can’t rub their peanut butter hands on it. Not so casual you feel plain. 4 Looks with some other finds at the bottom!

This one is what I would call my personal uniform. I love Comme Si boxer shorts with my whole heart. I teeter on a small/medium in bottoms but I order them in a medium (the small rides up butt). This is the PERFECT oversized white button down. Only button the middle 3 buttons for the pinterest girly look.

One takeaway from last summer was that clear jelly flats will truly go with every single outfit. I wore mine into the ground. Donni can do no wrong and these pants look like perfection.

Give me a track short, a quarter sock & dad sneakers all day long. There is something about this combination that just really really really does it for me.

This one is a little more dressed up but still casual. A Guest in residence polo has been on my list for a while. I have these jelly sandals and I can personally vouch for how insanely comfortable they are.

More notable finds

I am lowkey obsessed with these shorts

These linen track pants are in my cart

If you are feeling bold…I I think these Lululemon shorts paired with a button down would be killer. I have them and they are VERY comfortable

Solomons are a must

I can not get this Terry tank top out of my head

Or this Terry tee

Here’s a little known fact about me … I have had these Adidas slides for a better part of my life and I wear them almost every single day in the summer. At one point Jcrew was bringing them back but they are a 90s soccer kid staple and I will never give them up.

I love this affordable tennis necklace stacked on any playground Prada look

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Summer - whew. It is magical while all at once a journey if you are a mom to school aged children. I hold deep within me how I want my children to experience and feel summer. I remember how summers felt as child and naturally you want your children to feel that same thing. Along with that comes the anxiety of being off school routines + wanting to live it up + knowing its all fleeting + how many camps do you do + realizing at 8am you aren’t dropping anyone off and the whole day lays ahead of you. So consider this one massive brain dump of my thoughts on summer…my hopes for summer and at the bottom you will find some summer inspiration and some links :)

If I can be honest (& I’ve never been as open on the internet as what I’m about to say)…last summer was the hardest 3 months I’ve had in a very long time. There’s a lot of layers to that and one large part of it was me battling postpartum depression that was showing itself in ways that wasn’t very recognizable to me. Combine that with being at home with all 3 kids for the first time (Phil was born during the school year) and you’ve got yourself a perfect storm. I have since started Lexapro and am in a way better spot but…if I look back at last summer I just want to give myself a huge hug. It was a lot. We have turned a corner - & with that I feel so much deep in my bones about this summer. I want it to be different than last summer. I want it to feel easier. I want summer to feel happy. I want to get to September and think GOD DAMN I LIVED. I was content, I was calm. I was go with the flow! I was the say yes mom! Essentially all of the things that I don’t think I naturally am. Problematic? perhaps. But I think I could use a really good change.

Summer as a stay at home mom

It’s a dream and also all at once trying. You are the magic creator…every…single…day. And I say magic creator loosely because children need to be bored and I do not feel obligated to fill every second of their day. HOWEVER when they get to the end of the summer I hope they feel it was magical and that is what I feel responsible for…If that makes sense. Below are some things I hope I feel and achieve this summer as a SAHM.

• Give myself grace - repeatedly.

• I want my kids to soak in being off their routines a little bit while also still being on their routines

• Set my phone down- a lot…leave it another room and forget about it

• On the phone front - I want to keep up with my content creation because it brings me immense joy but I also think I need to take a step back this summer and prioritize rest and looking into my kids eyes more. It’s a fine line. One I will always be dancing around.

• Catch lightening bugs with my 2 older kids

• I don’t think I live a fast paced life…but I hope to slow down in a meaningful intentional way that only summer can bring - like make time to have my coffee on our patio in the morning rather than drinking it while emptying the dishwasher.

• Work with Jack on Emma on life skills - noticing stop signs while they are on their bikes or scooters so they know how to cross the street on their own. Make sure they know my telephone number and house address. Things like that!

• Watch fireworks with my kids and see their eyes light up

• I hope to feel a sense of…contentment. And I say that as someone who feels extremely happy with their life. But I want to sit in this summer in a way that is really truly and fully at peace with myself as a mother…my kids ages…and my shortcomings.

• Not hope or reach to much. This Is always where I go wrong. Even If I don’t achieve anything on this list…I hope to just feel at peace for what the summer was - it will be what it will be.

For the Kids:

If you have a girl…these jellies are IT. My best friend told me about these and they are so good for the price!

This is the G.O.A.T of sidewalk chalk. The best colors!

For the boys…these shorts are on the pricier side..but they hold up so well and have a really good fit. Jack and Phil each have a few pairs and they were them multiple times a week!

I purchased these chore charts for Jack & Emma (because I am a summer chore chart kinda of mom) and I love them. Magnetic, week by week and marked safe from ugly font.

For you:

On the jelly front for adults…I cannot say enough good things about these jellies for the moms. They are comfortable beyond belief…elongate your legs and add some fun sparkle.

I am obsessed with this basket bag. It is perfectly summer and it will also transition so well into September!

Basic overalls for at a good price point - pair with a prairie top or white tank top

Specific need of mine for the summer - new gold hugges

I also ordered these shorts for myself because they are absolute PERFECTION

For the Home:

The color of this flatware?! Beyond!

I have a few of these lamps and they are perfect to keep inside or move onto a patio for a late summer evening!

This linen table cloth is really great for outdoor patio coffee tables! I have it in a few colors - they are so many different options

I never know how much of my brain dump in here but that seems like a good skim of my brain on the summer front! Maybe a part two halfway through summer??

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I’m not sure I could ever tell you a month has really flown by. I think that’s the stage of parenting i’m in (time moves slow) - but I will say May did kind of blink and it’s soon gone. A good month though! I think I’ am going to start sectioning these off into categories so its more readable! Let me know if you like this new format! SO let’s get right to it!

Style & Beauty

• Crown affair really is THAT girl right now. I purchased their stuff with my own money. It was not gifted. It is by fat the best hair product line I’ve ever tried. I am a less is more type of gal with beauty & I’m on my air dried hair kick for the summer..so I bought this air dry mouse, this air dry cream and their dry shampoo.

• This is new to me brand I found through my friend Kenzie Alridge’s links. And I want everything single - it's Doen vibes for a fraction of the cost. I purchased this red gingham mini dress.

• These shorts will go with everything this summer!

• My go to summer scent is Wild Bluebell by Jo Malone. I also love the Diptique Citronella but they didn’t bring it back yet!

• I could not get this charm out of my head. I love its shape so much, I got in engraved with Gorbee which is what I lovingly call my husband

• My husband saluted me when he saw me in this.

Home

• I don’t have much to report on here, which is funny because that used to be my bread and butter. But..I know soon I’ll get the itch to share more on the house stuff.

• I planted lupines, foxgloves and dahlias thus far. I always strive for English country garden flowers but…well we have 4 black walnut trees surrounding our house which are the most toxic trees to most plants. It’s extremely frustrating - so I have to plant them all in urns and pots.

• I have this lampshade in my cart for my dining room

Food

• More in this below but I am in the era of eating for what phase of my cycle I am in. I made these seed cycling brownie bites - have you heard of seed cycling? New to me!

• I made this cherry salad last summer and am adding it to my list for this summer, it’s too good!

Watching & Reading

• The Dig on Netflix is a few years old but it continues to be one of my go to comfort summer movies. If you like period pieces taken place in England and haven’t seen this watch it asap.

• Guys I am STUCK with this book. Has anyone read it? It has my perfect layout - taking place as a princess and the Queen of England but I just find myself trudging through it with nothing really happening. I want to just drop it and move onto Yesteryear but I am too OCD to not finish a book.

• I also have this book on my radar for after Yesteryear

• I am really looking forward to watching the World Cup. I grew up in a major soccer family. My brother and I both played soccer our entire lives. But this article has me bummed out! Come on America! This is a huge deal to be hosting it! Like it truly breaks my heart.

Random Thoughts

• I’ve never spoken about this…but last year I had major problems with my period. I had my period every single day for almost an entire year. Yes you read that right. It was a wild time. I saw multiple different doctors with no answers for a solid year. It has now been sorted out and I have a regular period but I am very much in my period tracking era to better understand what phase of my cycle I am in (luteal etc). I saved these nutrition ideas on Pinterest to hopefully serve myself better!

• Benetti House Bar album on Apple Music is such a vibe.

• Emma came home from career day at preschool and asked me why “I was just a mom?”. Her classmate’s mom is a veterinarian and spoke to her class that day. I’d be lying if I said that didn’t hurt me big time. In her eyes I was less than…and what my entire life is based around wasn’t cool enough. She’s 4 so I know she fully understand what she’s saying but…it was a hard moment for me.

• Sometimes I find myself wanting so much out certain seasons. Summer and Thanksgiving/Christmas are big times for me. It’s led to some really hard moments for myself. Too much expectation….to much pressure on myself. I am really hoping to just let that go this summer. Things will be what they will be. The summer will produce what it produces. And I feel really content just embracing it as it comes. More on this in a summer substack soon!!

I think that does it guys! Every month I feel these getting better and better. I really hope you enjoyed this one and I hope you will subscribe and comment or share!

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What exactly does “well collected” mean? I’m not sure a substack post can truly capture that meaning. But I can tell you what it means for me. Whether you live in a 100 year old home (hi) or you are in a new build…whether you shop primarily target or primarily second hand..well collected can insert itself with a little magic. I’ve laid out 5 different things that mean well collected to me & how you can capture that same thing in your own home & life!

Things are edited but not “sterile” giving way to a feeling

This is one that’s going to be hard for me to really put in words. Because it’s a feeling. Do you ever walk into someone’s home and you just feel…..home? I think that can stem from a mix different things. And one of those big ones is the home has been edited to point where you feel at ease. The house isn’t sterile but it also isn’t jam packed with SHIT (excuse my French). Maybe thoughtfully layered is the right term. A mix of stacks of books and worn wood creating a feeling that while the space has been edited you can’t not touch anything or sit on the couch. I hope that lands and makes sense!

Things have been passed down or inherited

Starting with what I think is probably the biggest component. If you’re lucky enough to have a grandparent with decent furniture or interesting silverware or dishes…take them up on coming over to look through it all. When my Grandma Nelson passed away I remember sitting in awe in her condo of things I had never noticed that were an anglophile’s dream. Even if your house doesn’t have space for something and a relative is getting rid of something you love…take it and find storage SOMEWHERE. Those are the things that give your home & life a story. Conversations spark when someone asks “where is that from” and you can tell them it was inherited. Don’t have access to things being passed down? Facebook marketplace is essentially the same thing ;-)

Rooms have time to simmer and evolve

Our kid’s bathroom is the perfect example of this. The first photo was the train wreck when we bought the home. 100 year old tile that was molded and a really bad yellow (nobody come for me for ripping that tile out - it was BAD irl). We did a full gut on it and I felt stuck with how to actually execute the room. So it sat for almost 3 years as a blank slate. And then the stripes came to me one night and how to tie it all together. & here’s the thing - IT STILL ISN’T DONE. I stewed over a shower curtain for a good month once the stripes were done - then found the perfect chintz fabric to be made into a shower curtain - & then it got lost in the mail and never made it to my seamstress. So now it still sits undone. That’s the magic of it. You have to give your brain time to really think and dream of the right stuff. Rome wasn’t built in day.

Your home celebrates the stage of life you’re in

Kids come with a lot of stuff. A lot of random stuffed animals from a gas station (I’m sure the dad always purchases those), artwork & so many papers coming home from school. A well collected home doesn’t just make space for those things but celebrates it. Hanging kids artwork is one of my favorite (& cost effective) ways to fill walls. But also seek out the ways to make all that “stuff” extra special. Go the extra mile and get the good colored paper from Michaels or Etsy for crafts, think outside of the box with how to display cute dress up stuff. It will bring the magic to the mundane moments I promise.

You have products/brands you stick with & not just the next best thing

This is a big one because…there’s always something new out there. And a link to click (guilty as a poster and a clicker) and although that is fun - if you have products and brands you love those are what make you unique. You will have to pry the merit blush from my cold dead hands. Rhode doesn’t compare no matter how many times I see it on social media. I have been wearing Jcrew since the 6th grade and I have no plans of stopping anytime soon. Antique furniture will never be replaced by something Chris loves Julia makes. Stick with what your eye is always drawn to and what brings your soul joy.

Okay I hope you are feeling inspired after reading this! I do! I am already thinking of little corners to edit and spots to stew over! If you enjoyed this I would really appreciate it if you could give it a like and subscribe below!

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I love the nostalgia of summer…I can still remember decorating my bike for the 4th of July parade as a kid. I vividly remember catching lightening bugs & learning to dive at the pool with friends. I can still smell the OFF! bug spray my mom used to douse me in all season long (90s kids LGGG). I love summer & I love a good Memorial Day Weekend kickoff to lead into all of those things. Rounded up below is well collected gathering of red, white & blue to get your summer started right!

1. These shorts have been in my cart forever and I need to just pull the trigger! Swim coverup, casual boat to dinner look bottoms, chasing kids around…the possibilities are endless! I love the cut of them.

2. Alex Mill does color so well. Order this in a size up or two! I’ve been seeing the Pinterest girlies do oversized button downs with shorts but leave the bottom half buttons undone and kind of pull it off to the side!

3. Even though this is an Americana edit…I am an english countryside girl at heart. This basket makes a fun purse option. And bonus its big enough to hold your kids snacks and toys!

4. I love these sandals by Loefler Randall. They bring them back every summer! The stars are such a fun patriotic punch but in a subtle way.

5. I got on the overall train last summer and I don’t see myself getting off anytime soon. Gap is a CLASSIC when it comes to overalls! Pair with a white flow top or tank top to avoid looking like ms. Rachel (even though we love her).

6. Said flowy top to wear underneath

7. Goldbug if one of my to go jewelry brands. They have such fun charms and I love their font options for engraving. But this star charm feels fresh and I like this length of chain!

1. Heather Taylor Home makes the most high quality table clothes. They are truly a piece you will have forever, especially a classic stripe

2. & for decor add these cordless lamps! I have 3 of these pooky cordless lamps & they are game changer! You can change out the lampshades but this one is screaming MDW!

3. Donni is one of those brands that keeps laying out really great pieces. I missed their track short drop but I have these in my cart

4. & while on Donni - don’t sleep on their classic pointelle tee ( I always size up in pointelle)

5. When I die I am packing these in my coffin with me. They are SO GOOD for the price point. They are shockingly comfortable, sparkly and the Clear will elongate your legs. AND if you needed another reason they will literally go with EVERYTHING.

6. This swimsuit is from last summer so there are only a few sizes but I love the floral and the shades of red & white they choose!

7. This quilt would never work in my home - but I always look at it. Pottery barn can lay some really top tier pieces and this one of them. If you have a cottage or shiplap walls … please get this!

8. Wear with a breezy top & shorts, or a babydoll dress. Wear with a swim suit, wear with a good yoga tank on a walk. It will look chic no matter what.

Summer is so close. I hope you feel inspired and ready for your holiday weekend!

I loaded some things I didn’t knew I had that were summer vibes and also things I didn’t want to forget about. Think of this basket as almost a mental note. It has some things to get summer crafts kickstarted for our playroom board & some new markers (the easter bunny forgot to put these in an easter basket). I also put this glitter bento box in here to use for crafting or snacks at the pool. For now this basket will stay on my mom desk until we are tad closer to summer break and then we will start on some of the crafts!

This banner comes in a 2 pack of “First Day” & “Last Day” and it is arguably one of my favorite things to take out! My kids use the banner for first day pictures and last day pictures of themselves too! I always make sure to pull them out of storage so I have it ready to go!

Okay now we are getting into the meaty stuff here. Jack and Emma each have a school bin (this is separate from where I store all the crafts I hang in the house). These bins are strictly things that get brought home from school that I don’t put into their scrapbooks. They need a good end of school clean out I noticed! I don’t like papers laying around so I tend to overstuff these just to move stuff off my counter. I went through and purged some stuff and reorganized them! I purged what I could tell they didn’t put a lot of time into or honestly was flat out ugly. These are the bins I have & the hanging file folders. I added school interview prints out to the front. The particular ones I have are from a paid substack through Leah Faye ( a personal favorite) but this one is really similar.

Our Yoto players get a lot of use in the summer when the kids are home more. Last summer I did a good deep clean of the adventure jackets and wiped down the actual device! It gives me a good CLEAN feeling to kick off summer knowing the adventure jackets that get run all over the carpet and germy fingers are crisp!

Jack has his own card organizer and so does Emma (hers lives in the playroom though). I went through and stacked the cards neatly. Will this last more than a day? absolutely not. Did it heal something inside of me knowing they were tucked safe and tight next to their own buddies? Yes. Some of our favorite cards are the spice girls, dancing song by casper baby pants and all of the captain underpants!

Ah the quiet time bin. I am a firm believer in quiet time. Phil naps for 2 hours from 12-2ish and during this time if Jack and Emma are home they are required to take quiet time. They can either play together in the playroom or separately in their rooms but they cannot ask me for anything or talk to me ( :-) ) . It is a crucial part of my day as a SAHM. It allows me to get things done I want to get done. Whether that be writing on this space (hi from quiet time currently) or lounge and scroll my phone, organize things or just do whatever really. Sit and stare at wall with no noise. Sometimes I even nap if I’m really tired! ANYWAYS - I keep this bin in the playroom if they are looking for ideas. I’ve had this bin for years! It’s still a work in progress. I will update it with more stuff as summer gets closer but the travel yoto, some quiet school work or Magic playbook books are a few things I keep in there.

So far that’s what I’ve been working on! I know I will also do a big playroom clean out towards the end of May. Purge some stuff, rotate a few things and add a few new art supplies. I want to sit down and look at our calendar. I didn’t sign my kids up for many camps this summer. Emma is just on that cusp and it’s easier to have Jack home with her. So they are doing sailing camp but that’s really about it! I know we will spend a lot of time at the pool and beach but also need to get a feel for day to day! Gird you loins moms! We got this!

Coming at you live from my husband’s work laptop (& using it in his home office). I realized the only way you can actually write a substack article is via computer. We ordered a MacBook for me! I am so excited, but it hasn’t come yet! So I’ll be able to write more articles! But for now I’ll hammer away on this ugly windows laptop. So without further ado here is a sweep of what’s been on my mind in April.

• I stumbled across this Janessa Leone bucket hat and I cannot get it out of my head. I am seeing it with a billowy white ensemble and simple flip flops for really any activity in the summer.

• Have you guys watched The Madison on Prime? Parts of it felt really slow, but the more the show went on the more I absolutely loved it. Michelle Pfeiffer is absolutely stunning in it. Her pony tails are serious goals. There is all sorts of tutorials out about how to get her “quiet luxury” hair dos. Look at her hair here! I am obsessed!

  

• On the note of hair, you guys know I am on my own personal hair journey. I’ve never had post partum hair problems until Philip - my third & final baby. My texture seems different, lots of baby hairs and its felt way too dark lately. I started the process of slowly lightening and growing out my hair last week. It’s going to take a good 4 appointments with my stylist but I want a lighter, softer brown with babylights. The change feels really rejuvenating!

• The whole Club Moda collection on Moda Operandi is to die for but these Chan Luu pants have an absolute chokehold on me!

  

• My dining room! It is making slow but steady progress. I have rods up, 4 out of 6 of my curtain panels up (if you have Setting Plaster in your home they are almost an exact match). I got these Dupion silk lampshades for my Facebook marketplace lamps. I need to find dining room chairs and I am thinking a blue willow platter wall so I’ve been collecting platters off ebay.

• I am also eyeing this lampshade for the dining room to put on an antique gold lampshade I have.

• Do you guys follow me on Pinterest? I often save my craft ideas there that I do with Jack and Emma! If there is one thing I love it is changing my kids craft board with seasonal crafts they did. Such a simple way to make your home feel loved, well lived in & well collected.

  

• JCrew has some really good new arrivals! I have this in my cart, this and these!

• Does anyone else reading this have an 18 month old? I am going insane you guys. Phil is so cute - but he literally will not stop rifling through all my cabinets and drawers. And it is truly sending me to SPIRAL. I don’t remember Jack and Emma doing this so intensely and i feel like this stage with him is never going to end.

• I’ve mentioned this before but I used to work for Whole Foods in Chicago. GREAT company to work for. I love Whole Foods. The body wash below has been one of my favorite things since 2010 when I started working for them. It leaves the best rose scent in your bathroom. Don’t pass this up the next time you’re in their whole body department.

I can’t wait for my laptop to come and pump out more content here and get better with the ropes! If you could subscribe below it would mean the world!

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March is that bridge into spring. That glorious month that means you have mostly made it through winter. I love March for the promise it holds & glimmers of beautiful spring weather. Here’s what’s been on my mind!

1. The Bermuda short really has a chokehold on me at the moment. I ordered this affordable classic pair from Gap to see if I like them. I think you’re technically supposed to size up to really get the “look” but I also chase 3 kids all day and can’t have my butt crack out so - I stuck to my true size 🫡

2. On that same note this pair from Chan Luu is in my cart for a dressier summer pair!

3. I’m currently reading Strangers by Belle Burden. I think everyone might also be reading this book right now. And with good reason. Her writing is so straightforward and gripping. I personally feel like it reads like fiction but it’s her real life. Elite NYC lifestyle stuff is tucked in there and that gives it a boost!

4. I saw a quote on Pinterest that said “your style isn’t what you dress up in - it’s what you wear everyday.” That really got me thinking. Because I think I focus so much on what I’m dressing up in & those are the outfits I share the most. When in reality I spend a lot of time in athlesiure. I sit on the floor a lot with Phil and I’ve let that dictate what I’m wearing. I could write a whole post on this topic. Maybe I will. But something to chew on!

5. I finally found curtains to match the walls in my dining room which is painted Setting Plaster by Farrow and Ball. I didn’t want the curtains to stand out - I wanted them to blend in so I could focus on other things. These are what I got from Pottery Barn in “soft apricot”.

6. Next up in the dinging room is securing perfect lampshades for these amazing Facebook Marketplace lamps I scored! I’m thinking these

1. I caught up on the new season of Ladies of London on Bravo. The original Ladies of London from 2013-2016 is still one of my comfort shows. I didn’t like the new cast in the first episode but I quickly changed my mind by the middle of the second episode! Do you watch it?!

3. I wore these silk pants from Jcrew today that I got in September and I was reminded how good they are! Will be ordering in this color!

4. Another thing that’s high on my list is finally pulling the trigger on a Mac 🖥️ for myself! I want to create more in the substack space but the formatting is so difficult on a phone. I need a computer to really get a grip on creating in here!

I am slowly getting the hang of things and I love writing these! I hope to make them longer and more content full when I can see the formatting better on a computer!

. Tassel belts - actually, tassels on everything. I have always loved them for furniture. They add just the right touch of charm to dresser and armoire knobs. But on the body?? It feels fresh. Tie them as a belt around pants or over a button down or dress. I found this one Etsy for under $40!

. Creating cozy in spring. Maybe this is just me but I forget the cozy aspect of spring & summer. I get so focused on the outdoors I loose that cozy feeling inside the home. I’m feeling inspired to keep fresh blooms around the home, mini lamps and candles burning. I want to be light, layered and intentional while also sticking with my true style.

. Daffodils always. I used to write these spring stunners off when I was younger. I didn’t like them because they rang cheap in my mind. Wow was I wrong. They are a beacon of HOPE. The first sign of the 100 daffodil bulbs I planted sprouting up in the earth fills my heart with contentment. The earth is telling us it’s time.

. Growing my hair out and changing my haircut - my haircut is driving me nuts. It’s giving way too much Lord Farquaad lately. I’ve had this long blunt bob for 4 years now and it’s time for change. Fortunately my hair grows very fast so I’m hoping by mid summer I can have a longer layered look. I love Julia’s haircut here!

. The thrill of the hunt for a new room - our dining room is painted and I can’t wait to pop in to some antique stores that have been closed for the winter! My biggest ticket item for the dining room is artwork!

Happy soon to be spring! If you could subscribe and like this post it would mean a great deal to me!

Hi! Welcome to my first substack post! I’ve always wanted my own website to have the capacity to write more - and this feels like a really good stepping stone right now. I think a once a month mind sweep where I can list out what’s been on my mind feels manageable! If you guys could hit the subscribe button at the bottom it would mean so much to me. Here we go with the February Mind Sweep 🧹!

• 1. My girlfriends and I are doing a one night girls shopping trip in Chicago next week and I am packing these to prevent the next morning scaries. I have a fun outfit planned for dinner and this was a Pinterest photo was an inspiration

• 2. I have a mini shopping list logged on my phone. I am so excited to be back in Bloomingdale’s and Saks. I can’t wait to SMELL perfume I’ve wanted to smell and try on shoes! If you would have told my Chicago self 12 years ago that would be so exciting I wouldn’t have believed you because I could do it anytime I wanted!

• I also hope to share content from the trip because it’s my hometown!

• 3. We took our 2 older kids skiing up north and I loved the combo of this faux fur headband with these sunglasses

• 4. I hate to say it but the Prequel foot cream is actually to die for. I’ve used it once a week and it’s made a HUGE difference in my heels.

• 5. I thought the first half of Bridgerton season 4 was SO good. The last 2 seasons majorly sucked if you ask me but they got their mojo back! Mark and I are also watching Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix and DOC on Fox! We need to finish those so I can start the JFK Jr and CBK show!

• 6. I have spring cooking on my mind! This is a spring dinner staple for me - roasted potatoes and lentils say no more! And I also can’t wait to make this again!

• 7. This necklace has been in my cart for a while and I think I am going to pull the trigger on it. It feels so fresh to me and I think you can hook a charm on it. I am eyeing this one!

Okay how did I do?! That was fun!! I already have some ideas floating in my head for more posts! Please don’t forget to his subscribe below here!

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