{Life, Unfiltered} 2.15.2014 – Post #2

I wasn’t expecting to go out last night, so getting to go on a Valentine’s date was a fun surprise! For some reason, our new nanny (who is cute and young and I’m sure has better things to do on a Friday night, much less on Valentine’s Day) said she was happy to watch the boys last night. This is even more impressive given the fact that her last visit culminated in one of Jack’s epic meltdowns – the kind that reminds me, ‘oh right, my sweet boy may be making amazing progress, but he still does, in fact, have Autism. He still struggles with changes to his routine – ya know, like having a new nanny (even an extremely competent, kind, and patient one who he likes a lot), and he can only cope with so much at any given time. Anyway, when the meltdowns happen, they are traumatic for everyone involved, and I would not have blamed her one little bit if she wanted to call it quits after that. I was thrilled, however, to hear that she was undaunted by the incident, and was still planning to come last night. Thankfully, for everyone’s sake, the boys went to be early, and all was quiet on the home front. Josh & I got to go out on the town and enjoy a respite from the chaos and some much needed grown-up time (not to mention some darn tasty gin & tonics).

Date night was a good excuse to wear my new dress 😉 You can see the outfit post here: {My Style} Bird Print Dress & Red Heels.

The boys and I worked on Valentine’s for their class parties, which was fun. The sugar-induced mania that was the result of said parties was less fun. Sadly, Olly doesn’t seem to tolerate sugar much better than I do. He turns into a hyper little maniac, and then when the rush wears off, he crashes hard.

Jack helped stamp his friends’ names onto all of his cards.

Happy Valentine’s Day

While we usually think of Valentine’s Day as a celebration of our love for other people, don’t forget to show yourself some love today too! By all means, buy yourself some flowers & chocolates (they still look just as pretty and taste just as good as when someone else buys them for you), but even more important, give yourself the gift of kindness ~

1. Free yourself from any negative thoughts or self-doubt, and tell your inner critic to take the day off.
2. Take a moment to reflect on all the wonderful things that make you you.
3. Focus on the things you like about yourself, and give yourself the kind of heartfelt compliment that you would give to a friend or loved one.
4. Smile at yourself when you see your reflection in a mirror.
5. Slow down and appreciate the little things. Forget, for a moment, about your worries, your to-do list, and your hectic schedule. The world will not come crashing to an end. (I know it feels like it might, but it won’t, I promise!) When you’re done, everything will still be right where you left it, and you’ll be better able to handle it.

{Outfit Inspiration} Valentine’s Date #3 – Dance with Me, Darling

Valentine’s Day Date Night Outfit #3

Shop the Outfit: 1. Art Deco Dreams Dress from ModCloth // 2. Earrings from Bauble Bar // 3. Ruby Heart Pendant Necklace by Star K via Amazon // 4. Heart Print Pumps by Alice + Olivia via ShopBop

{DIY Beauty} Valentine’s Day Heart Manicure

DIY Valentine’s Day Manicure

Supplies:

• Craft knife or small, sharp scissors
• Painter’s Tape
• Nail polish in red & pink
• Clear Top Coat
• Polish remover & q-tips (in case of mistakes)

{Outfit Inspiration} Valentine’s Date #2 – The Symphony

Ok, so it doesn’t have to be the symphony, per se, but if your Valentine’s date night plans involve getting all dressed up, then this outfit is for you! I honestly love every piece of this ensemble, but I am definitely getting a pair of those earrings for myself. Aren’t they adorable?! And they’re small, so you could just as easily wear them with jeans as with a party dress.

{Outfit Inspiration} Valentine’s Date #1 – Dinner and a Movie

Josh & I have a little ‘photo studio’ set-up in our shop. I use quotes because it’s really only a photo studio in the loosest sense. It’s actually a multipurpose space that houses floor to ceiling storage shelves packed full of our extra ‘stuff’, Josh’s ammo reloading bench (don’t ask), and overflow from both of our studio spaces/offices. However, shoehorned in amongst all this, we have carved out just enough space for a full-length backdrop, flashes, and a tripod to remain setup up all the time. This is important because the only time I ever have to take photos is after the kids go to bed. So, natural light is out of the question. You can imagine my frustration then when the flashes just, out of the blue, stopped working yesterday. I admit it, I felt a little like throwing a tantrum (my 3-year-old has been teaching me some epic moves lately), because I have a bunch of cool diy projects ready to go and I want to take pictures now damn it!

{Share the Love} Valentine’s Day Cards – You Won’t Find This Sh*t at Hallmark

Here is this week’s Share the Love Sunday post (yes, I know it’s Monday). Sorry for my lateness in posting, I’m still working out the kinks when it comes to this whole blogging thing! Anyhoo, in case you missed last week’s installment, here’s the idea: each Sunday I feature a shop/artist/blog/etc. that I think is totally awesome and deserves some love.

This week’s featured shop is Julie Ann Art. She makes greeting cards and other illustrated paper goods, and as her tagline so aptly states, “you won’t find this shit at Hallmark”. I bought a card from her recently, and it arrived super quickly and was well-packaged, even including a sweet little hand-written thank you note. (Sometimes it’s the little stuff, ya know?)

You’re My Favorite Thing to Do

I bought this card for Josh thinking I would would give it to him for Valentine’s Day this year, but I wanted to include it in this post, so instead I gave it to him as a Monday the 13th of January card. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mind though 😉

{DIY} Tiny Mouse in an Altoid Tin House