I Choose Fabulous

Happy Summer!!!
I can't believe it's already the middle of JUNE!! Luke is almost 9 months old - Dablet is in pre-school 5 days a week now and loving it! We're in the process of giving Dablet a Kate Spade style "big girl room" and I decided after two kids and purging most of my closet I needed a bit of fun in my life as well! To make everything just a bit more fabulous, I finally jumped in and decided to give Stitch Fix a try!! I held out for a while because it felt a bit indulgent to me - having someone "style me" - but the reality is while I LOVE to shop, I don't really have the time! Also, I found myself buying the same t-shirts and yoga pants! While much of my life is like that, business has taken me to a new level of needing more chic moments in my life that still fit my "on the go mom of two" while allowing me to try things on at home! Enter Stitch Fix!
For a $20 styling fee (that gets applied to anything you decide to keep!) you get 5 items sent to your door on a frequency and budget you choose, and if you keep all five items - you get a 25% discount!! - SCORE!! 
(spoiler alert....I think the first one is a 5/5!!!)

They even take the guess work out and send you a style card with outfit suggestions!!

I specifically requested a pair of boyfriend jeans (which I couldn't take off the entire time I was taking pictures!!) and fun funky tops for Summer! My stylist Kelli did an amazing job!! 

Mavi Ruxin (aka Emma) Boyfriend Jean - $118

Verdict: KEEP - need to exchange sizes!

These are SO soft, more of a high waist which is nice for my 2 kids post c-section tummy

and not too much distressing!!

Daniel Rainn Haight Crochet Detail Top - $68

Verdict - KEEP

This has great shoulder detail and is very light (and sheer) It has a built in stretchy

navy cami that is nice and LONG!!

Pixley Gonzalaz Double Strap Tank - $44

Verdict - KEEP

I LOVE how this shows the shoulders!! I work hard for those holding Luke (all 25lbs of him!)

and it's a nice high/low front to back without being too short!

My 5'10" body can hold hands above head and not show belly - essential for on the go w/ kids

41Hawthorn Montreal Arrow Printed Henley Blouse - $48

Verdict - KEEP

While this isn't exactly Summer - It's great if I'm in A/C and will be an essential piece for Fall

Plus...I love black and white! <3

Moon Collection Larson Pleat Detail Blouse - $48

Verdict - Strategic KEEP

I'm still not 100% sure about this one, but I save more than twice what this top costs if I keep it!

It's sheer and flowy, which I love, but I'm not sure of the print 

Might like it better with white skinny jeans!

What do you think?! I'm excited to go back and give feedback and leave some special requests for my next fix! If you click on STITCH FIX (here or anywhere above) and decide to give your own fix a try, I'll receive a $25 styling credit! It's a nice way for the company to pay the love forward - and I loved that my friend who referred me got a credit too! 

Moral of the story - this mama is THRILLED to have taken a moment to treat herself!! I get the time back and hassle removed of shopping with the kids! Let's be honest...I'd rather do a painting project with Dablet than hit the shops at the end of the day!! 

Sneak Peek:

Coming up on the Blog - we've been married for 5 years!!! And our favorite photographer Matt McGraw joined us on Bald Head Island to capture our little family 5 years after our wedding!! 

Until next time....

Definition of Self and Style

As some recent Twitter, Pinterest, and Blog love might show, I am a huge fan of Layla Grayce and Zinc Door! What do I find most fabulous about these brands? Their founders and owners! Tiffany and Wendy are two women you feel as if you grow to know through the offerings of their e-commerce sites. From the favorite picks, to the interaction with social media (including some recent "product testing" at the High Point Furniture Market seen on Instagram), the brands they have built are representations of what I feel innovative women strive to achieve. Do you have to be a designer? Of course not, that's not the point! The point is that you follow  whatever passion drives you to simply be yourself!
I think that part of my "issue" with design ADD, besides the fact that cohesive design takes time, comes from my desire to "wow" the people that walk through my front door. If I cannot decide what defines ME through expression in design, how will any client get an idea of whom they are working with from my space? I've been focusing too much on appealing to the masses, and not enough on appealing to myself. Now, if I were trying to develop an e-commerce brand such as the above mentioned ladies I would need to expose the target market to all of the options within my "style definition". Until I have my definition of self, I will never achieve a definition of style.
I told Kyle yesterday (and warned Courtney, our Nanny), that I had a new game plan for our house re-decoration. To be honest, it's more like a decoration, because we never really pulled ourselves together after we moved in, we were too busy figuring out marriage, starting a business, getting pregnant, and then being new parents! Here's the plan:

• Go room by room and pick a vision - this can be inspiration boards (made easy by our friends at Olioboard)
• Collect your favorite patterns, colors, furniture...and then do some old fashioned editing
• Set a budget for the entire house - or however many rooms you want to do
• Prioritize the rooms in your house
• Break your budget down by room
• Edit again if needed
• REMOVE EVERYTHING FROM ROOM
• Start with canvas - paint and wallpaper
• Move furniture back in
• Decorate with accents

Here's the KEY to making this work:

• IF IT DOESN'T HAVE A SPACE IN YOUR NEW ROOM....IT DOESN'T GO BACK IN...IT FINDS A NEW HOME OUT OF YOURS!

Here's something I "whipped" together for a living room for the Benjamin Moore challenge using some great finds from Zinc Door:

Click here to see the items in this picture, and just as importantly to VOTE for it in the contest!
Maybe one of these days I can make my own "before and after" version of a home makeover show. Unfortunately, I might not be able to afford to do what needs to be done to our ~3,500 sq. ft. of space in the way my inner designer would love to, but I can promise you one thing:

I will find my definition of self , I will find my definition of style, and I will share my before and after photos!

To Layla Grayce and Zinc Door, I thank you for all of the love over the past few days. I am more than "design crushing" on you, so I beg that you continue to accommodate the love I pour your way for your brands and your inspiration to a working mom wanting to make her dreams work for her family!

Dabble

Mother's Day Dreams

So every girl has the talent to leave hints. If you're about to be engaged, or have been talking about it, you leave hints for rings.Getting Married? You leave hints for the special touches. Living together? It's birthday gifts, anniversaries, and for me this year it's Mother's Day!
The art of leaving hints has become INCREDIBLY easy thanks to blogging and especially Pinterest! Here are a few of my favorite things, small and large! After all, there's nothing wrong with dreaming big!
If you didn't expect the first things to come from Lush, you need to read the blog more!
First up:

This Serenity Gift Box will run baby daddy (in my case Kyle) $37.95 and includes 5 stress reducing items.
If you've been a really good mom, or maybe have more than one kiddo running around the house, it might not hurt to leave a "hint" for this $89.95 wonder known as Tickled Pink with 10 fantastic items and a GREAT box!

Just as practical, I am going to give a hint to my favorite "house wine" of ours. Yup, it's less than $15 for a double bottle, and you can buy it at Target (or at least you can in NC), but it's a great blend of a Shiraz and a Cabernet...what mom doesn't need a glass of wine or cocktail every once in a while?

Of course, I had to include a piece of jewelry. Given that we are a family of three, this interlocking pendant necklace from Tiffany & Co. is a special sentiment to my first Mother's Day with my daughter. If (read WHEN) we have more children, most likely only one, this wouldn't make complete sense. I enjoy being able to pay special attention to Abby while she is still my only. Do you have only one (even if just for now?) Take a look at this here:

I love the rose gold! This comes in three sizes, and is in celebration of their 175th anniversary!

To dream even bigger (and I'll be honest, pretty unrealistically but I just had to!), I'm going to show you a favorite on my furniture wish list. Now that Abby is up in her own room, we have a large space next to my side of the bed, and I'd love to have a chaise to read in. Here's the Taylor Scott Chaise from Layla Grayce, and it can be found here it has several fabrics available for slipcovers

To all you moms out there, enjoy your day! That includes moms-to-be alike. Also, I would like to give a special nod to all of my friends and family on the quest to become first time parents, or add another to their brood. Motherhood is a miracle and a blessing that gives you an entirely new understanding of yourself and your capability to love!

Until Next Time
Dabble

And we're walking...

Well, we're not actually walking, but Kyle and I went to Babies R Us today and bought a walker for Abby. She is standing up more and more every day, not so much on her own but with a little balancing help. Earlier tonight we were all sitting up in her bedroom playing and reading books, and I looked at our little girl and had a flash back to when she couldn't even hold her own head up that well. Now we have a sitting child who is trying SO hard to move herself places seeking independence. I'm not sure if I should relish it or be slightly fearful that we may in fact be dealing with a mini independent me.
Somehow when I started this post it made sense to me to talk about my darling daughter's new independence and doing our taxes, and yet now I cannot for the life of me find the connection. Every time I have ever filed my taxes, since I was filing for myself, I find it a personal challenge to find every LEGAL way to get money back from the IRS. One of my cousins works for the IRS and for some reason that has always frightened me. I have heard so many stories of people "cheating" the IRS, or some other governmental institution and it all continues to scare me. How is the temporary "reward" worth the massive amount of chance you are taking.
Obviously that mentality isn't something you are born with. If you are going to try and work the system, or respect it, that decision came from somewhere. Here's my attempt at a "connection" between taxes and my daughter. Children are full of exploratory instincts. Everything goes in their mouth, they drop things in succession learning how their actions affect outcomes. If you try and stifle the child climbing on the couch because you think they might fall, they might NEVER really learn that they can fall. OK, so that might be a bit of a reach because you'd hope that they'd listen to their parents about right and wrong. My family was always of the idea to lead my example and learn for yourself. Sure, I made mistakes but I really learned what end results were worth, and that the end doesn't always justify the means.
Sure, Abby will bump into things and have her face slimed my several dogs, but she is going to learn the meaning of freedom in travel. Ah Ha! See?!?! I think several of my English professors would be proud (and maybe judge me for the somewhat shaky connection), but I managed a connection!
No matter how independent Abby may become, I will always be her mom. There will always be something I can teach her. There will always be an experience I've had that she hasn't, and probably the other way around as well. At the end of it all, we will be walking together. We will be each other's support system. We will be a family, and we will be together until the end and beyond.
That may not be so Chic, but that's my mommy moment for the day!
Until Next Time

Dabble

This is how blogging is done!

I would like to give a BIG congratulations to one of my favorite blogs Fifi Cheek! This blog is written by Lindsey who was the event planner at the Bald Head Island club when Kyle and I were married there almost two years ago. Since meeting her over a year before that I have (sometimes not so secretly) coveted her style, and now that of her little girl Tilley-Gray who was born about two months after Abby.
Fifi Cheek has over 70,000 page views each month, and has its first official sponsor. Lindsey gives Chic Moments and Chic Mommy Moments from an amazing perspective. Not only that, but she has genuine care for all of her followers.
Three CHEERS to Fifi Cheek on all the blogging success! Keep bringing us those Chic Moments!

Learning to relax

I'll admit, I've had moments as a new mom when I find myself literally walking around in circles wondering to myself what I'm looking for. Inevitably when I sit down I remember, and quite often it just isn't worth getting up again to go get whatever it may have been. To every mom out there remember that you still need some privacy (just like you did when you and your man first lived together). Abby's Fairy Godmommy got me a door hanging sign that has a picture of a bathtub and says "Can mommy PLEASE just have ONE minute of privacy". Of course, that sign might lead me to use some more Lush Products in the tub, but today it allowed me to get a massage!
For Valentine's Day LAST year, Mimi (Abby's name for Kyle's mom) got us a couple's massage. After our "experience" with a couple's massage on our honeymoon, Kyle decided he didn't want to go. Sure, I could have been mad, but what it meant is I got to have it all to myself! Just over a year later I finally used it today and had a "Touch of Three" massage. It featured deep tissue (my favorite), aromatherapy, and hot stones. I had never had a hot stone massage before, but I was pleasantly surprised. Big thanks to Mimi!
I've been paying more attention to taking care of myself inside and out. As any good "friend" should do, I'd like to give you some recommendations!
Dabble's Favorite Pamper Products:
Bath products: Twilight Bath Bomb, or if you don't want the shimmer in that one; Sex bomb (yes, I went there...I'm old enough and I have a child....c'mon)
Hair Products: Paul Mitchell Lavender Mint shampoo, this is relaxation in a bottle. It's a moisturizing shampoo with the mint for the scalp tingle feeling I love!
Pedicure: There's a salon by me that has a sugar scrub and a seaweed masque for your legs. The sugar scrub smells like fruity pebbles, and they put the seaweed masque on under HOT towels. It's the most amazing hot to cold sensation and it makes me feel like I'm not really going JUST to sit in the chair...

Dablet has woken up from her "nap...bedtime" schedule confusion so this mama's gotta run. Maybe she wants to share her favorite baby pamper products! I'll ask her!

Until Next Time
Dabble

Why even blog? She's why...

If you've been following me in any way, shape, or form, you'll notice one thing first and foremost: I am a mother, mom, mommy, mama, parent, and due to that I am slightly all over the place. At least, I'd like to say that it's because I'm a mom that I'm all over the place. Honestly, I wish that I had "new mommy brain" years ago to blame thing on. So why do I put all of my anecdotes on "paper" and give whomever is following me some inspiration on style both personal and home oriented? Because I have a fabulous fashion consultant who guides me every moment of every day. Would you like to meet her? While my little "Dablet" is in bed, I think I might be able to do a pretty good introduction.

Abigail Rose graced us with her presence (finally) on September 14th. Now, I say finally not because I was late in delivering (she was 5 days early), but because I was in "early labor" for almost two weeks. I had NEVER heard of early labor, but apparently my version consisted of contractions every 2-10 minutes in increasing intensity for TEN DAYS!!!! Holy $&#)*%. They predicted her to be over 9 pounds, which was better than I expected (Kyle was 10lb 14 oz and I was 9lb 6oz...yes I really said 10) and I gracefully accepted a scheduled c-section. Of course, this little girl decided she needed to have an active say in the matter and my water broke in the shower the morning of my scheduled c-section. Rather than getting to go to the hospital "like a lady" I was leaking everywhere and Kyle and I could not stop laughing!

This is the fabulous style advisor she has turned into:

At 6 and a half months old now my little diva is the happiest child in the world! She has her moments, but even in total screaming painful moments she can find it in herself to flash you a smile. My New Year's Resolution of perseverance comes from her unwavering faith in us as parents.
Let's be honest....we've never been parents before so we didn't know what we were doing (really). I found out in recovery that Kyle had never held a newborn before Abby was born...not sure how that didn't come up. Dabs (one of her MANY other nicknames) has gently broken us into the idea and is putting us through a fantastic parental training program. For a child who started sleeping through the night at 2 months old, we might even decide to give it another go. We've already decided to extend her contract for another 6 months...she agreed to our terms! I will mention that our pediatrician told me not to mention her sleeping habits too loudly because I might have mothers commissioning hits on me, so I won't tell you where I live. If you already know where I live, I'll allow you to verbally abuse me for a bit because she's more than worth it!

This little girl gives me all the drive in the world to be a better person, mother, writer, and to provide her with the environment to grow up and be as creative as she can be. You might be seeing posts in a year or so about design ideas that SCREAM "mismatched", but if she's into it...so am I!
Here's a special nod to all of the working moms out there, and that includes the ones who stay at home with their little ones every day. YOU are WORKING moms too! Let's put our heads together and have some Chic Mommy Moments

Until Next Time
Dabble



Oh yes...it's Monday...

I think I am going to adopt a new practice for Mondays. I need a "fun" way of saying a pro and con list...but essentially that's what it will be. Normally coming out of the weekend you're happy about something, and of course upset that you're coming out of the weekend. I think that if you can find just ONE thing to make you happy about your Monday then we can avoid the phrase "Someone has a case of the Mondays". Today my something to be happy about is that Monday is OVER and I have a fabulous glass of wine in my hand.
My New Year's resolution was perseverance, and here we are at the end of Quarter one and I feel like I'm on the stairsteppper of perseverance more than ever before. I just keep climbing and climbing and everyone at the gym moves on to another machine while I just keep on stepping.
I wish this virtual life gym of mine would automatically lead to toned legs, abs, and a nice ass to boot (hah!), but right now I am less worried about how my dedication could make my body look (because let's face it, I'm not hitting the gym on a regular basis), and I'm more concerned with how my Monday experiences can be turned into life lessons to pass onto my daughter.
Every day I see more free will open up from her and while she is proving to be a VERY decisive child it is mixed with sweet moments of reaching for me to pick her up, and throwing herself backwards while chucking her Nuk across the floor. She is after all my daughter, strong willed. I hope she grows up to be a person who isn't afraid of telling you exactly what she wants. If you fear honesty, who can you look to if you don't end up with what you want? At least if you voice your desires you have a chance of them coming to you; if you stay silent, you have no one to blame but yourself.

OK, so this post is a tad "deep" and not so much "fun Chic Moment Mommy"....but this Chic Mommy needed to have a moment.
Moment over, moving to Mexican food....wish the wine was a margarita. THEN it'd be a great Monday Moment!! Maybe that's the answer...Monday Moments....hmmmm

Until Next Time

Dabble

Let's talk baby

I don't mean, "Baby, let's talk", but seriously "let's talk about babies". Before someone in my family (or Kyle) sees this and thinks "Holy $#*% she's pregnant", I assure you I'm not. However, I am utterly IN LOVE with my little diva! Recently I have been satisfying my inner design demons by virtually flipping through inspirational books of home decor photos. Everything I think about doing to our house right now orbits around Abby.
 She's going to be 6 months old next week (minor mommy freak out moment), and we have ordered a dozen cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes (featured on TLCs DC Cupcakes), AND I just found out that they are going to open a store in Boston!!!!!! Unfortunately, I no longer live there, but my mom does, and I can assure you it will be added to my list of "must visit" places as soon as I get off a plane. Of course, Abby won't be able to actually eat the cupcakes, (her pediatrician would probably verbally abuse me), but she can play with the frosting!
Anyway, I recently did a post about her playroom, or the idea of her playroom. What I have recently come to decide is that our second floor NEEDS HARDWOOD floors!!!! Carpet is great, but with 3 dogs, 4 cats, and a soon to be crawling still drooling child....they have got to go.
Personally I'm loving how this new (potential) home improvement also means I get to pick out area rugs...but I'm getting ahead of myself. The BIG change next week will be Abby moving to her big girl room. It's funny that I still call it a nursery at the same time, but she has been sleeping in our room since she was born. Before I get chastised by the people against room-sharing, she goes to bed by herself, sleeps through the night, and does just fine thank you very much. It has been SO much easier because our master is on the first floor. Also, I'll add that it's been MUCH CHEAPER because we only have to worry about climate control on one floor!
Since my darling diva will be upgrading very soon, I feel it's time I finish decorating her modern safari themed room. Here are a few pictures of what we have so far (thanks to Britten Berry Photography from my maternity shoot)

Tree hand painted by yours truly...Giraffe from Melissa & Doug

Crib is from the Catalina collection of Pottery Barn Kids (big thanks to Kyle's mom aka "Mimi")

Changing table is literally the Ultimate Changing Table also from pottery barn (big thanks go to my mom on this one, aka "Grandy")
We also have hot pink framed black and white photos I took on a safari in Africa, but I am dying for a little more "omph". I know, it's a room for an infant, but I want her to be able to explore and discover things in it. I have some ideas up my sleeve, and a strong desire to pull something off this weekend.
I'll post my dreams (and some fun before/after shots of Abby's closet renovation *BIG thanks to Kyle*) later tonight or tomorrow.

Until Next Time....

Dabble

Showing the love....

Did you thank someone today? Tell someone you love them?
About 30 minutes ago my phone buzzed with an email saying I had a comment on my blog. REALLY?!?! Someone wanted to leave me some feedback? I had a flash of a moment of "Julie and Julia" thinking, "well, it must me my mom"...nope. I got a thank you from Kendra Scott for "showing her some love" when I posted a pair of her earrings. I think I blushed slightly and was giddy like a 5 year old, then Kyle reminded me Abby was sleeping and I had to kick back into mommy mode....shhhhh....
Sure, my blog has about 1,000 views. Not too shabby for someone without a "following".  What I realized in the moment of awe was that just a simple thank you means the world sometimes when you've had a rough day, and most of all, when you are not expecting to receive it. So, what should I do in return?
How about a feature blog around Kendra Scott's jewelry. If you love what I post here check out her online store!
In the spirit of "statement pieces"m because I have been drooling over things like this to pair with a simple top and cut off shorts....we'll start with a Paley Cuff

I have to add another cuff, because she has SO many that I am dying over. I could absolutely build an outfit around some of these pieces. Fashion has moments when it's not about turning heads from across the street, but when you reach up to tuck your hair back and "BAM"...there's the Lande Cuff

Ok, so to all of my friends and family who are thinking "Who is blogging in place of Kate...she doesn't like yellow gold", I have to admit that with pieces like these and against the bright corals, (and you should SEE the teal version of this!) and a tan....I'm starting to accept yellow gold into my family!

When it comes to necklaces, I'm usually wearing a piece Kyle bought me when Abby was born that is an engraved "birth certificate" with her "specs" on it...so I'm a hard sell on pieces to replace it, but this is classic. Also, it's the logo for Kendra Scott, so it will stand the test of time of her brand

Not to leave the upper atmosphere of ourselves "unattended" let's jump to earrings. If you are the type of person that likes statement pieces - you'll trip over your feet running to her site...if you like vintage - you'll feel right at home in your own era. You've seen my pick of long, so let's look at the Carly Botanical Stud

If you haven't already bookmarked her site, well....hopefully you've at least visited it. And at the very least, you'll notice that all of this free press or word of "mouth" came because she thanked me. Maybe I'm only blogging to a small pool of people, but my people LOVE jewelry! So if you like something, talk about it...pay it forward, and the thanks you get will make you feel warm and fuzzy!

That's my Chic Moment for the day, and the idea behind it all is my Chic Mommy Moment, I hope Abby learns the power of saying "thank you"

Until Next Time

Dabble

Where do you wake up?

Putting my little bear cub down last night was about a two hour process, THAT hasn't happened in a long time, and it got me to thinking about how much the night before determines how we wake up in the morning. The thing is, Abby was still bright and bubbly this morning talking to herself when she woke up until someone came to get her. She didn't seem to care about her two hour crying and screaming marathon from the night before, but was simply happy to have her bunny and the tags to play with. Why can't my mornings work like that?!?!
It got me to thinking about what we do either the night before, or when we first wake up in the morning. Before getting into bed, and then out of bed when you wake up, I'd bet that you find yourself in the bathroom, and more importantly in the tub or shower. Since we moved into our house I have had a love/hate relationship with our master bathroom. For the LOVE side, we have a HUGE garden tub and a separate shower, lots of cabinet space and an L shaped counter for our sinks so Kyle and I are not on top of each other getting ready. For the HATE side, our shower surround is a blah white marble (as is the tub) and I don't really think the dark cherry cabinets go with the sandy colored tile floor.
I'd be lying if I didn't tell you I want to wake up and jump in a shower like this:

I must give credit for the above to Kohler (of course)....they make your water dreams come true.

I'm still not a HUGE fan of the grey, but would love a look like this:

Personally I'm a sucker for sinks that are bowls on tables. The first time I saw this done outside of a hotel was in my dad's phenomenal condo in Rhode Island. The table was a black granite and the bowl plays off of the fire red/black lacquer look of the oriental themed half bath. Not too shabby for a guy who lives by himself....he had decorating help!
If you don't have a fabulous bathroom to wake up to, you might be better served with some suggestions for how to make using the one you do have more enjoyable. I'll also mention that this will be DRAMATICALLY less costly then a bathroom renovation, and thus why I stick with these products.
Look no further than LUSH Handmade Cosmetics
When I was pregnant I developed a personal relationship with my bath and my FAVORITE product to de-stress, deal with body aches, and attack pregnancy insomnia was the Dreamtime Bath Melt
This little bar of lavender, jasmine,and sandalwood has transformed my blah bathroom into a perpetual Chic Mommy Moment!

Until Next Time and the next room....

Dabble, and a special hello from Dablet (Abby)

Designing a Playroom....

When I was pregnant with Abby I was very much into the lime greens and neutral tones, there was something in me that wouldn't let me go SUPER girly. Whatever "that" was, it's TOTALLY gone now and I love having a little diva to remind me of all of the fabulous parts of just being a girl!
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about how we're re-doing our house. I should probably just say "doing our house" because in the (almost) two years we've lived here we have grown more personally than we've grown into the house. The walls are still the off-white color, and there is not much feel to our surroundings. Now that I'm going to have some "change of schedule", and potentially a shift in concentration of subject matter within my schedule (yes I know I'm being vague)...design can pull itself into the fire of the front burners of my brain.
Here are some chic moments, and chic mommy moments for Abby's playroom...Enjoy!
I have been ALL about vintage/modern (crazy combo I know)
 Dwell Studio Kids rug found at Layla Grayce

This worlds Away Star Light reminds me of how toddlers are everywhere at once!

Changing table/toy trunk...LOVE THIS!!

Abby will be 6 months old in just 11 short days. The time has FLOWN by so quickly, and I await the days to come with excitement and a few tears for the days that have past. She is an absolute joy of a child, and makes me proud to be her mom! I cannot wait to help her explore her creativity and artistic abilities!! (I should probably make sure I have plenty of stain remover handy....)

Until Next Time...and the next room....

Dabble

Have baby...will travel - Daytona Prep

We are getting ready to embark on our first road trip this weekend, leaving Friday morning for Daytona, Florida to watch my dad drive in the Rolex 24 hour race. He will be driving a Ford Mustang (not exactly the kind that you or I could get into on the street though) for my brother's race team (Rick Ware Racing). It's a big deal all around; we'll have 5 drivers including the 2011 Nationwide Rookie of the Year Timmy Hill. On my end, it will be my second traveling adventure with Abby, this time by car and not plane.
We will begin our journey around 9am Friday morning so that we can be in Florida in time for dinner. Kyle and I will take Ms. Abby (and all of her "things") with our fabulous nanny in one car, and the "uncles" (aka godfathers) Anthony and Clay will follow with Clay's girlfriend Faith behind. Yes, I did say the "n-word" Nanny....
We hired my saving grace in the middle of December, a little earlier than expected, and despite whatever ideas you may have in your head, or stigma that comes with a nanny, our family could not be happier. In our area daycare does not offer any part-time options until the kids are over one year, and I am planning on working from home one day per week going forward. So, I would have to pay for full-time whether we used it or not, and full-time doesn't come cheap. We're near RTP...aka...pharmaceuticals, NC based BIG companies, and high-income people....so....daycare = $$$$$ and still a 4:1 ratio for infants. Plus, it's cold and flu season, and our pediatrician pointed out that if we had her at this age in daycare, she'd probably end up sick pretty frequently so I wouldn't be able to send her and would either have to stay home with her, or quickly find someone to babysit. UGH!
I went to http://www.care.com/ (BIG RECOMMENDATION COMING FROM THIS MOM!) and found the perfect match. It's kind of like a dating site for moms and nannys, or babysitters, or pet-sitters, or elder care (yes, they have it ALL). We found Courtney and since then she has allowed me to get rid of the cleaning people, have a ridiculously flexible schedule, and provides us with 1:1 attention for Abby while there is SO much development going on. Courtney is my perpetual Chic Moment for a mom....
Anyway, since a race track isn't the perfect place for a 4 month old to be for long periods of time, Abby will get to hang out with Courtney on the beach, in the hotel, and wherever else they venture off to.
This adventure will also be our dry run for what will likely become our next vehicle:

Meet the Tahoe (or Yukon)...even though we'll likely need to get ourselves into the XL version, I'm excited to see how our family fits into this car, and how it does on a long drive. With Abby and our 3 dogs, plus any kind of luggage....there really isn't another option short of an 18 wheeler (slight exaggeration, but you get the picture). Kyle's lease is up soon, so we might be playing a bit of shuffle with our cars and getting me into this sooner rather than later. I'm SLIGHTLY RIDICULOUSLY excited, and maybe it makes me feel better about how we'd flee if a natural disaster hit...
So from the nanny (although sometimes I feel like I'm paying for a new friend) to the new potential car, today is full of Chic Mommy Moments....

Until next time...

Dabble