Recently, I attended Christy Wright’s, Business Boutique. There were so many incredible women speakers who are constantly juggling the balancing act that is work/mom life.
n Emily Ley was one of the speakers and had a great comparison in regards to this balancing act. She said that it was like riding a bike. You are never just standing perfectly in place. You are always moving along trying to keep that perfect place where the bike is balanced.
Lately, this has been a huge struggle of mine. It feels more like my bike is racing down a huge hill at top speed or crashing at the bottom. I’m working on finding that sweet spot where I can just glide along.
On that note, fashion has always been something that I’ve loved and is fun and happy. At this stage in life, I’m not up to speed on every trend. Looking for wardrobe staple pieces that can live in the closet season after season is just more practical.
It keeps things streamlined, and it’s great to have these kinds of pieces when you, “have nothing to wear.”
A camel coat is an absolute closet must have for the fall! You can throw it over a graphic tee with distressed jeans and sneakers. It’s easy to dress up over a dress or a blouse and heels.
I’ve paired long camel coat with a simple white t-shirt, black denim and my favorite pair of $30 western booties. Easy for everyday wear.
Plaid coats are another great option. I’ve rounded up some great options in a save versus splurge post that you can find HERE.
I’ve rounded up 10 of my favorite camel coats at every price point. (One is even $35!)
I received product and compensation from Mead Johnson Nutrition to create this post written by me. All experiences and opinions expressed in this post are my own and not those of Mead Johnson Nutrition. You can contact Mead Johnson Nutrition with product related questions or comments toll-free at 1-800-BABY-123 (1-800-222-9123)
For more information and to receive a free sample of Nutramigen® with Enflora™ LGG® , click HERE.
Prior to kids, Trey and I LOVED our sleep. I mean, really, loved it. Weekend dilemmas were if we didn’t make it up in time for brunch closing. (At 2pm..) Everyone had told me that nothing can prepare you for the lack of sleep and the toll it will have on your body and general well-being. “They” were right.
Neither of our babies would sleep at night. We spent countless hours walking the hallway of our first house bouncing them and doing the “hush” sound in their ear. We watched crazy videos on how to put them on their stomach and rock them from side to side while doing cartwheels. (Ok, slightly exaggerated, but it sure felt like we were doing some crazy maneuvers!)
After a few months of this, we realized something was just not quite right. I had breastfed and exhausted every effort of cutting out essentially everything from my diet.
My mom and mother-in-law had both suggested to me that he might have colic. I had heard of this before, but just thought it was when babies were never happy.
With George, I really started paying attention to all his “cues” when he would start crying.
He would cry for long spurts of time and he would become flushed and exhausted from how hard he would cry. (Poor, sweet boy… it was so hard for this mama to watch!)
He would arch his back up and clench his little fists so tight.
Most of the time, these spurts would occur in the evening. (Just when we were the most exhausted..)
As hard as we would try to console him, nothing seemed to do the trick. As a mom, this was the absolute worst part. Especially with G as a first time mom. I felt as I was failing the one job that was supposed to come so “naturally,” and it was devastating.
We brought G into our pediatrician and, after examining him and testing his diaper, she informed us he had a cow’s milk allergy. All the dairy that I had been consuming was hurting our poor little babe. (I had exclusively breastfed at this time.)
Colic is a possible indication of cow’s milk allergy. Colic may occur as a delayed reaction within a few hours or days of consuming cow’s milk protein.
It had all made sense now, thank goodness! She gave us a sample of Nutramigen® with Enflora™ LGG®. It is the only formula with 3-in-1 allergy benefits published in clinical studies. It’s easy-to-digest and reduces gas, crying and disturbed sleep (due to cow’s milk allergy) for a happier, better-rested baby and mom.
This formula is fast relief: Starts working as early as the first feeding and reduces crying within 48 hours.* There are fewer allergies: ~50% less chance of experiencing other allergies like asthma & eczema†, and a fast return to cow’s milk: 1.8x more babies return to milk protein in as early as after 6 months of feeding‡.
It had helped so much! Not only was he more comfortable, but we were all able to rest more (and better!) A well-rested mama is a more patient mama!
When Wilder was born, we thought that surely this wouldn’t happen to both of our babies. However, shortly after we brought him home, he started showing almost the exact same behaviors as G.
It’s heartbreaking to watch them in pain, but this time we knew to go get him checked by our pediatrician sooner. Sure enough, he had the exact same issues as Georgie. Thankfully, this time we were able to help ease his discomfort a bit sooner.
IDENTIFYING POSSIBLE COLIC – WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
– Long crying spurts in the late afternoon or night.
– Baby’s face becomes flush or overly red.
– Stiffness (Back arching, clenched fists, a tense belly..)
– Unable to soothe.
If I were to turn back time, I would have gone to my pediatrician sooner. I thought that it would seem “silly” to bring a baby in for crying too much, but it was quite the opposite.
**If your baby is showing these behaviors, I HIGHLY encourage you to bring them into their pediatrician for medical advice. **
Footnotes:
*Studied before the addition of DHA, ARA, or LGG.
†Lower likelihood of exhibiting asthma, eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis, or urticaria at 3 years compared to Nutramigen without LGG.
‡When compared to Nutramigen without LGG.
For more information and to receive a free sample of Nutramigen® with Enflora™ LGG® , click HERE.
5 Things I’ve Learned In Business That You Need To Know
Lately I’ve been reading a lot of books, podcasts and attending conferences on running a business. When listening to all these power house players in the biz game, there are a few common themes I’m hearing over and over.
I’ve adapted some of these things in my person business (and life) and it’s been a complete game changer almost overnight. Since, I believe there is room for everyone to be successful, I wanted to share some of the insight along with ya’ll.
5 Things I’ve Learned In Business That You Need To Know:
1. You should only be working, “On Purpose and with a Purpose.” Know your “why.” Why are you doing what you are doing? Understand your why. Write it down. Only do things that align with it.
Once you know your purpose, work “on purpose.” Do not waste your time if it is something that doesn’t help you achieve your end goal. Outsource what you don’t love or are not amazing at doing.
2. You’ve got everything you need to start. RIGHT NOW. (Thanks to Sarah Jakes Roberts for this amazing realization. If you have an idea and a passion, you’ve got everything you need. Start now. Do it scared. You will stumble, fall, learn, grow, but you will never know if you don’t start.
3. There’s no “secret sauce” to success. I used to look at other bloggers with more followers, better engagement etc. and think to myself they must know a secret to growing quickly. There must be some secret concoction that I just don’t know. Nope. There’s not. That recipe doesn’t exist. Actually, I take that back. There is. WORK. Hard work. More work. Outworking everyone around you. Dirty work. WORK. That sprinkled with some strong dashes of belief. Belief in yourself and your business.
4. Your ability is not limited to your experiences. Sarah Jakes Roberts dropped me with another major truth bomb that rocked my world. I’m going to repeat that one. Let it sink in. Your ability is not limited to your experiences. Your parents didn’t finish college? That doesn’t mean you can’t. You didn’t finish school? That doesn’t mean that you can’t run a successful business. It’s easier to plan for failures than have faith in success.
Do you innately plan a back up plan along with your business plan? Stop. Stop right now. You are manifesting that it won’t happen. It WILL happen if you allow it to. Not based on how you grew up. Not based on any outstanding circumstances, other than your willpower, belief in yourself, and grit to get the job done.
5. You are the cap to your business. Your business caps off where you do. Remove the lid. How do you remove that lid? You listen to podcasts, you ask the deep questions, you go to that conference, you read a business book, you research, you education yourself and believe in yourself. Take the lid off. You got this.
Rentals: Please Be Seated
Florals: Foxglove & Heather
Photography: Chelsea Rochelle Photography
Calligraphy: White Ink Calligraphy
Cake: Copper and Whisk Cakes
How fun is this Thanksgiving table? If you are local to Nashville, you can rent this entire set up and have a no fess (but fabulous!) tablescape through Please Be Seated rentals.
A simple update with the peacock feathers can really wow your guests. Using that as inspiration we incorporated navy goblets and candles into this Thanksgiving table decor and it is so stunning!
Holidays are really so special, and I love that Thanksgiving is a time to show your gratitude and love for the place in life you are in. Taking a little extra effort to make a holiday beautiful is so worth it.
Making memories with your family is what life is truly all about. Creating precious moments. You absolutely do not have to go over the top to create sweet moments, but a simple thing like setting a fabulous Thanksgiving table can truly set the tone for a special holiday.
Jewel tones are all the rage on the runways for fall and winter fashion, and we took that trend into the holiday decor.
“Sitting at the kids table” shouldn’t be something kids dread. Or even adults for that matter…. I sure want to sit at this fun table! There should be lots of interactive activities for the littles to do and of course, nothing breakable!
Also, thanks to my friend Mary at Mrs. Southern Social I’ve learned to “delegate the details.” I mean her tagline is “southern charm without lifting an arm.” Now that is something I can down with.
So the “details” of this easy and fun kids Thanksgiving table? It came in THIS KIT. Nope, I’m not joking! Want to know something even better? It’s under $20! All of the plates, napkins and utensils can be thrown away after. No kid dishes to scrub. (Insert praise hand emoji here….)
The placemats are interactive, and so are the stickers and cups. These felt turkey place card holders keep kids from fighting over who sits where.
Thanksgiving Traditions To Start With Your Family
* Have you seen this fun new Turkey On The Table tradition yet? It reminds me a bit of the elf on the shelf. Each day in November you add something you are thankful for on a feather into the turkey. On Thanksgiving it becomes a centerpiece. I think this is a great way to teach kids about gratitude and a portion of the proceeds go to Feeding America Foundation to help those in need.
* Let the kids do the toasts. (You can even be festive and get sparkling apple cider.)
* Make handprint turkeys on a tablecloth. Each year you can see everyones turkeys get bigger.
Thanks to the following for helping make my Friendsgiving dreams come true! Nashville people… make sure to check them out! I can’t possibly talk them up enough!
Friendsgiving has officially become “a thing” and I couldn’t be happier about it! I’ve teamed up with the TOP local vendors in Nashville to make all my boho Friendsgiving dreams come true!
Also, this dress is surprisingly comfortable and makes for the prettiest holiday attire!
HOW TO THROW THE PERFECT FRIENDSGIVING
* Add a bar! This bar was rented from Please Be Seated (you can actually rent this entire set up for a really affordable price!). Throw a few champagne bottles (what is a party without champagne?) a cake, and a hot beverage dispenser with some copper mugs on there.
* Don’t skip cake! This beauty is from Copper Whisk Cakes. I promise you, she has the best cakes you could ever taste. There is a salted caramel flavor that is perfect for holiday festivities. We had this at Wilder’s birthday and a guest told us that he had often skipped cake at parties because he never knew it could taste like that. A cake just makes everything more festive!
* Set a simple, but beautiful tablescape. This table runner from White Ink Calligraphy makes the perfect base. Also, add some calligraphy on white pumpkins. You could even add the guests’ names on the pumpkins and let them take them home as a sweet gift.
Foxglove & Heather is an amazing floral company and always has the best suggestions when it comes to floral arrangements and tablescapes. This is simple silver leaf eucalyptus and pampas grass. They both last a long time, and can be used after the event in your fall decor as well.
* Serve hot chocolate at the bar as an after dinner extra treat! Copper mugs are great for this!
* Have everyone bring their favorite dish that is special to their family traditions. It sparks conversation, and makes for a great meal when everyone is bringing the best of their best!
* Have a fun themed drink. This Apple Cider Sangria is a total crowd pleaser! My friend, Jenn sent me this recipe and I tweaked it a bit to make it my own. Such a hit!
APPLE CIDER SANGRIA
1 Bottle of Pinot Grigio
2 1/2 Cups Fresh Apple Cider
1 Cup Club Soda
1/2 Cup Ginger Brandy
1/4 Cup Ginger Bear
3 Honey Crisp Apples (Chopped)
3 Pears (Chopped)
Combine all ingredients and stir. Chill in fridge for at least an hour.
To Serve: Pour some brown sugar on to a plate. Wet the top of the glass and spin top of glass in brown sugar mixture to coat rim. Pour in sangria mixture and garnish with a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!
Fall’s Hottest Coat Trend- Splurge vs Steal Plaid Coats
The streets of New York are paved with some sort of magic dust, I swear. I traveled to the city for a quick weekend trip for Fohr conference. Leaving, I felt refreshed and ready to tackle every dream and goal list I’ve ever created.
I’ve been told if you are the smartest, most creative, “best” person in the room then you are in the wrong room. I was absolutely in the RIGHT room during the Fohr conference. It’s amazing to surround yourself with creative, positive, and innovative people making their mark in business.
Flying in was quite the struggle. I was delayed for 6 hours, and then we had to circle around the city in a holding pattern for an additional 2.5 hours for weather concerns. This allowed me the time to re-read “Girl, Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis. If you haven’t read this yet, stop what you are doing and order this book. It left me feeling so positive that I didn’t let the travel delays bother me and still had the BEST day and dinner with friends that night.
Your own mind is so much more powerful then you could ever imagine. If you want to have a good day, you absolutely can! Do you want to make “X” amount of dollars? You absolutely can!
In the book it talks about the only thing holding us back from reaching our goals, and that’s the lies that we tell ourselves.
“You can’t be a good mom AND a business owner.” “You aren’t smart enough to run a successful business.” “You should be so much bigger by now.”
These are some examples of the self talk that was holding me back. I wrote a long list of my lies in my hotel room that night and ripped it up and threw it out the 11th floor window. It felt great!
The takeover from that conference and the trip was that the “secret sauce” to being successful is to believe with everything you have that you can be, and then put in the work to get there. Work, work and more work. That’s it. It’s that simple.
Ok, jumping off my soap box to tell ya’ll about a trend that’s hot for fall. Plaid coats!
Loving the texture that the plaid coats trend provides. I’ve rounded up my 5 favorite splurge vs steal plaid coats below.
The one pictured runs a tad big. (Wearing an XS for reference.)
SPLURGE ($200 and up)
SAVE ($200 and less)
Looking for more fall fashion inspiration? You can find a post with 5 tops under $50 for fall HERE.
Healthy Dinner Recipes To Make This Week- Quick and Easy!
I hesitate to even call these “recipes”, because they are SO quick and easy to make. In no way do I consider myself a professional chef so I aim for things that are healthy, filling, and of course SUPER easy to make.
When planning healthy dinner recipes for the week, I try to find ingredients that cross over from one dinner to the next. It saves a bit of money and makes grocery shopping easier and faster. (The name of the game these days!)
BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER SALAD
Ingredients:
* 1 head of cauliflower (or prepackaged bag of cauliflower florets)
* Buffalo Sauce of Choice
* 1/2 Red Onion
* 1 Avocado
* Arugula (or lettuce of choice)
* 1 carrot
* 1 stalk of celery
* Dressing of Choice (I love the Organic Girl White Cheddar Dressing)
* Salt & Pepper
To Make:
1. Preheat oven to 425 Degrees.
2. Chop up head of cauliflower into bite sized pieces.
3. Toss cauliflower in buffalo sauce until fully coated.
4. Spray sheet pan with olive oil spray or use a sheet pan liner. (I HIGHLY recommend this one!)
5. Cook for 15-18 minutes.
6. While cauliflower is cooking, finely chop onion, celery and carrot. Slice avocado.
7. Toss everything together in a bowl, salt & pepper to taste and enjoy!
SOUTHWEST VEGGIE STUFFED PEPPERS
Ingredients:
* 1 Red Pepper
* 1 Green Pepper
* 1 Bag Cauliflower Rice (or one head of cauliflower finely chopped)
* 1 Packet Taco Seasoning
* 1 Bag of Roasted Corn
* 1 Can of Black Beans
* Cilantro
* 1 Avocado
* 2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese (shredded)
To Make:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut top stem off peppers, cut in half and remove all seeds and membranes.
3. Place peppers on sheet pan and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Add taco seasoning to 1/4 cup of water and stir.
4. While peppers are cooking combine cauliflower rice, beans, corn, cilantro and taco seasoning to a skillet on medium heat. Stir until rice is cooked through. Remove from heat.
5. Remove peppers and add the mixture into each pepper. Top with the shredded cheese.
6. Put peppers back in the over for 20 minutes.
7. Garnish with cilantro. (Salsa or sour cream is great as well!)
SAUSAGE & VEGGIE SHEET PAN BAKE
Ingredients:
* 1 Package of Turkey Kielbasa Sausage
* 2 Carrots
* 1 Red Onion
* 1 Package of String Green Beans
* 2 Cups Shaved Brussel Sprouts
* 2 Red Potatoes
* 5 Garlic Cloves
* Olive Oil
* Salt & Pepper
TO MAKE-
(Truly the easiest recipe EVER!)
1.Preheat oven to 425 Degrees.
2. Chop up all vegetables and garlic.
3. Set potatoes aside. Toss those in salt, pepper, and olive oil until coated.
4. Using olive oil spray, grease a sheet pan. (Or use the handy dandy silicone sheet pan protector!)
5. Add potatoes to pan and cook for 10 minutes on their own.
6. Toss all remaining vegetables and garlic in salt, pepper and olive oil. (Can also throw in a ziploc bag and shake…)
7. Add vegetable mixture to potatoes and cook for 25-30 minutes. (I like to watch and turn a time or two..)
8. Top with hot sauce or a BBQ seasoning mix if you’d like and enjoy!
Hope you enjoy these healthy dinner recipes with your family this week!
P.S. How beautiful are these autumn flowers?! I always have fresh flowers in our kitchen to bring life to the space. Thank you to From You Flowers for sponsoring this. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. October is Fire Prevention Month – practice fire safety in numbers to ensure your family’s super prepared too!
October is Fire Prevention Month! First Alert is encouraging everyone to practice “safety in numbers” to ensure you are “super prepared” when it comes to whole home safety.
We purchased our new home this past January, and this was a great reminder for us to create a fire escape plan. It’s also the time to sit down as a family to discuss fire safety, put a fire plan in place, and practice it!
Since our babies are so little, I started with the basics. It was a great time for Trey and I to discuss our plan as well.
I always encourage you to make education, in any capacity, fun for your littles. It allows them to better absorb the information that they are taking in. Luckily, Georgie’s school had firefighters and a firetruck come and talk to the students about it. This was a great way to open up the discussion in our home. We started by taking a stroll by the local fire department.
The First Alert Super Prepared Family Kit had a great coloring book with info for the boys. It also included four combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. The alarms have a 10-year sealed batter which eliminates the need to replace the batteries for the life of the alarm.
KNOW THE STATS
* Unattended cooking is the #1 cause of fires. Mom life can be…distracting. Make sure to set aside time to give cooking your full attention! Also, have fire extinguishers on hand in your home.
* Less than 1/2 of homeowners have an escape plan. Make one! Discuss it as a family, and practice it! Let this be your reminder to talk to your family, and do a walk through today!! (Before your to-do list becomes a mile long and it slips your mind..because again #momlife.)
* 3 out of 5 fire deaths come from homes without smoke alarms. Make sure you have them, they are installed properly, maintained, and replaced when needed.
* Carbon Monoxide is the Number 1 cause of accidental death. Make sure your family is safe by having carbon monoxide alarms installed in your home.
* Over 100 million homes in the US are not protected with smoke alarms.
* Alarms provide early warning in the event of a fire. Fires spread quickly, and there is not a lot of time to escape so every second counts.
* You cannot see, hear or smell CO. It is the #1 cause of accidental deaths in the US. Every year there are 80,000 CO incidents.
* 40% of homes do not have a single CO alarm.
WHERE TO INSTALL ALARMS
SMOKE ALARMS- One on every level AND every bedroom. Don’t forget about basements!
CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS- One of every level AND every bedroom.
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS- One on every level. Also in the kitchen and the garage.
WHAT TO DO TO PREPARE YOUR FAMILY FOR A FIRE
1. Map out an escape plan, and practice it as a family.
2. Test alarms regularly and replace the batteries. (Most are every 6 months. Upgrade to the First Alert 10-Year Battery Alarm to eliminate this step as often.
3. Remember to replace your alarm every 5-10 years. (Depending on the model.) These don’t last forever!
4. Stress the importance of fire safety to your children!
5. Let them watch the video below.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
How stunning is this Hudson Valley Lighting Astoria Chandelier?! It was such a beautiful piece that I wanted to keep the rest of the dining room decor simple to let it shine. (Literally..ha!)
We started with a bright natural grasscloth. It’s a great way to add some texture into the space.
The rustic dark wood table tied in the darker tones of the floor. This exact table is Restoration Hardware. I’ve found a very similar, but more affordable option HERE.
The white chairs make a nice contrast to the table, and make it fun. (I’m still thinking of changing these out, but they work for now!) These exact are from Restoration Hardware as well. I’ve also found a similar, but more affordable option for those HERE.
Texture is my favorite to play with in home decor. If you stick with a more neutral palette (like our home) it’s the easiest way to add interest and have a more styled look. The easiest way to instantly add texture to a room is by layering rugs.
The base layer is this chunky jute rug. I can never deny a faux cowhide, and this grey version is at a great price point too! I’ve recently loved adding vintage turkish rugs into our home and the dining room decor was no exception! The prints are unique. This one was found at this Etsy shop HERE.
The curtains are velvet to continue with the texture play throughout the space.
My favorite part of the room is this one of a kind Sound Wave wooden art piece my dad made for us. It is off the sound wave of the song lyric by the Avett Brothers, “Always remember, there was nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name.”
When you share a meal in this dining room, we wanted it to feel like family. It’s the most important part of my life and this piece is just so meaningful and special.
I’ve found a really similar one you can purchase HERE.
