Your little carpenter

Nate LOVES tools. Loves them. He has a couple different tool sets and his daddy's wooden tool bench from when he was a kid. He even has a little "real" tool box that he is only allowed to play with when Daddy is sitting with him (Mommy would work to but I like for them to have something that is just theirs). And just to make sure you know everything isn't gendered in our family, I want to point out that I'm the one the kids see actually use the real tools! Anyway, now the baby is mobile and wants the big kid toys, so I thought she should have her own tools. I think we'll start with this tool set. They are made of rubber foam, so nothing to hurt - which also means it's a great car toy. I try not to allow any hard toys in the car because they could become dangerous projectiles, I'm always looking for softer things they can hold onto in the car and here is a perfect choice!

You can find them at 

the anti-mom jean mom jean

You're probably wondering what that title means, it means that while mom jeans have a bad rap, I have found some great jeans for moms. Behold, the secret of the mid-rise waist! I was iffy on them, thought they'd create the dreaded muffin top, look frumpy, etc. But, here's the great part - they are amazing! They hide problem areas - I'm very fit and pretty thin, and I'm still going to have to retire my lowest of low rise jeans for 2 reasons - 1) after having 2 kids it just doesn't work, and 2)I spend most of my day bending over to pick up people or things, and I'd rather not flash my underwear.

These are from the Gap where you can get 40% off your order today (use code FALLFIX), I highly recommend trying these. They are light, thin, stretchy and have that great mid-rise waist. Perfect for fall with a longer top and flats or boots.

A Gym Coverup

Remember how I wrote about workout pants not so long ago? Well, once you've found those, and maybe a workout top (fodder for another post), what else? I don't feel comfortable always wearing my formfitting gym clothes out and about but I also don't always want to bother with bringing a change of clothes if I only have to run an errand or especially if I'm just coming home. SO I've been looking for the right light layer to wear over it, the key is light - no sweatshirts when it's 90 degrees out thank you very much. I also really like the tops they sell where I work out but um, over $100 for a glorified sweatshirt? No thanks.

Then I found this -

It's so cute, comes in nice colors like the bright pink above, or this calming cream -

 It's not cheap, but that's ok as long as it holds up and works it's coverup magic through the summer and fall. Then I don't have to feel like I'm letting it all hang out, as it were, on my way to and from the gym. I'm sure other women out there can relate.





It's from Athleta so there is free shipping and returns, defnitely worth a try!

The perfect shirt?

I wanted a light top to provide a little coverage for casual days with the kids, going to the park, taking walks, etc. I thought a light chambray would be great. With the right shirt I could also tuck it into a skirt and wear it a little more dressed up. I was really surprised to find a great option at Old Navy of all places so it's inexpensive enough to buy a few of (important for all those "special" kid moments), and bonus points for working well as a nursing top!

I bought the dark color and this lighter one as well -

One more selling point, it's long enough to wear with leggings or skinny jeans. The holy grail of shirts? Long, light, nursing access, neutral color, cheap, washable, hmm. You decide!

Baby Steps (and Socks)

I'm not sure how this always happens, one day I'm determined to blog regularly again, and then suddenly a month has gone by since my last post. I wasn't sure how to get back into it, but it had to happen, I thought I'd do it with something cute I've been eyeing for a while now -

and wait, there's more -

They are so cute, and I used to think so unnecessary, but actually Allegra wears her socks each day so we go through them quickly (faster if she chews on them and they end up very wet!) These make a fantastic gift.

Happy Monday!

the yoga pant quandary

I'll be totally honest, I have spent a fair amount of time lately in yoga pants. At first it was because that was pretty much all that fit after Allegra was born (maternity jeans fell off and regular pants were way too snug), but then I started working out while Nate was in school and i would just leave the pants on to go pick him up. He is only in school for 3 hours so it's not like it's all day, but anyway, let's just say I've learned the value of a good workout pant. And have you seen the meme on facebook that says it's dressing up for a mom when she changes from her plaid pajama pants to yoga pants? yeah, Greg laughed sooooo hard when he saw that because he thought that was just something I did.

So, at first I was wearing cotton yoga pants. They did the job. But then when I was able to squeeze into the thicker, tighter more spandex-y ones I had I realized what a difference the fabric and fit make, even on something as elementary as a work out pant.

There are, of course, the Lululemon pants, that cost around $100. But I just can't justify that. It's true, I have a pair I got on sale and I like them, but I went to get some new ones and I dodn't like any, not enough to pay such a premium for the label. I really like other pants I've found - and I'm not afraid to toss them into the washer and dryer every week (or twice a week). I don't want to wear my workout clothes all day so they don't need to be as expensive as my jeans, they need to do the job WHILE I WORK-OUT, and wash well. So please don't let your take away from this blog post be that it's ok to wear your workout clothes all day. It's not (unless you have just had a baby, in which case kudos to you for leaving the house). But while you wear them they should be good ones. And on to the pants.

First, the Gap -

I love the gflex pants. They are thick, feel like they have a bit of compression, stay in place and hold their shape. They wash and dry well too. And they are often on sale. All good things. They also make capri tights which I think will be my next purchase.

Gap has a store dedicated to women's workout wear called Athleta, they have some amazing looking capris, these are my favorites -

They come in several colors including black, which is what I will get (although I really like these bright colors, I just can't bring myself to buy such bright workout pants). According to reviews they are light but not see through when you bend over - key for yoga or pilates (and why Lululemon is having some trouble these days...)

Check out the store, they have cute tops too, everything looks similar to Lululemon, but their prices are significantly lower.

I also like Lucy for activewear, here is a pair of their yoga pants -

I always like them when I see people wearing them. Lucy is also running some deals - free shipping and free returns and their tops are 2 for $40. That's a great deal. And now I'm inspired to go work out.

For your stubborn walker

My toddler loves to walk next to the stroller. It never seemed to go well if he helped push the stroller (falling, crying, etc) and once the stroller was configured for two kids it was so heavy to push with one hand while I held his hand in the other, I saw this handle and had to try it -

It's amazing. He LOVES his special handle, and will happily walk a great distance holding it. I need to get another one to keep on the car stroller. The carabeener stays on the stroller bar, you can even hang extra handles on that part if you have a couple kids to walk next to you. There are different colors/themes, so if your kid doesn't love fish as much as mine, you can find something else they might like.

A Light Tunic

I've got another lovely lightweight top for you -

 It comes in white as well. It's a great canvas for some awesome jewelry and looks like it would be perfect on a warm day. I love the shape, great for the early days of a pregnancy (or afterwards) to hide the bump.

DVF for babygap!

Do you have a little girl? Do any of your friends?  That's what I thought. Now get yourself to a Gap asap. The DVF collection for girls came out yesterday and it is ADORABLE!

Would it be cute or a little weird if I wear one of my DVF wraps and put Allegra in this one - I vote cute for a mommy/baby wrap dress day, they won't be the same print, right????

And what about these -

so so so cute, and so many more things - leggings, swimsuits, ack!

Seeing Red (in a top that is)

need a little color in your life after a long gray winter? Yeah, me too.

Loose but not overwhelming, this is a great top for everyone, especially those of us who *might* still have a little baby belly...

Wear it with skinnies, capris, even shorts and according to the reviews, it doesn't require a tank underneath, great for cool or really warm days!

Nursing friendly casual dress

We seem to be approaching some semblance of Spring, hooray! I'm happily looking at all the cute clothes for warmer weather, with perhaps a bit of a focus on nursing friendly pieces...and look what I found  -

Super cute cotton dress by LA Made,  it's under $100, and on Piperlime so if you have a Gap Corp card you can get 10% off on Tuesdays - order this baby today :) And while you're there, check out all the picks they have listed under the Girl on a Budget section, they have some cute pieces listed.

My Magical Sleek Soda Making Machine (Sodastream)

What, you may ask, is that? That is a new style of Sodastream called The Source, and it is awesome. Let me tell you a story - One day I was saying to my husband, "Husband, I think we need a sodastream. I'm hugely pregnant, craving seltzer, but do not want to lug bottles home with me from the store, nor do I want to create the waste of all the empty bottles." Or it was something to that affect anyway.  Magically an email appeared in my inbox offering me one of these sleek new machines to try out for the blog. YES. But then before I could try it out, a little thing happened to me - I had a baby. Bad timing for my review. Or maybe not, because now I've had the Sodastream Source for a couple of months, and we've had time to really put it work and it is indeed AWESOME.
First, it does look sleek, so it's ok that is sits in our living room (we have a tiny city-dweller kitchen so we can't keep it in there).  Second, It fun to watch someone use it. My kids are enthralled with it. My 2 year old watches with delight and screams with joy as we push down the front part, it lights up and makes a noise as it carbonates. My daughter, while only a couple of months old now, still likes the light.
And most importantly, it makes great seltzer whenever we want it. Which is alot these days. as I'm setting the table, hey - let's make some seltzer.  It doesn't matter that I haven't gone to the grocery store! The kit includes one bottle and many flavors. So far I've tried the root beer (loved it), the cranberry-raspberry (loved it), diet grapefruit (liked it, we just aren't so into diet pop), and the flavor essences (makes a lightly flavored seltzer rather than actual pop - we LOVE these).
My only issue with the set is that we need more bottles, guess I'll head out to Target or Bed, Bath and Beyond for those! by the way, those are stores that carry this magical machine, as does Amazon of course (they have almost everything, right?).