Monday Momiform & Daily Affirmations

If you've seen my instagram stories, you probably have heard my little cuties doing their daily affirmations. I made these up right before the first day of school after praying for some kind of reminder for the girls every day. I've always been a sucker for a good rhyme so this was right up my alley! I've gotten so many questions for posting these so I wanted to have a place for y'all to be able to access them any time.Here they are!I am ___I am awesomeI am good at listeningI respect my teachersI do the right thingI share what is mineI use my words to be kindI'm a good friend with a servant's heartI work hardI am smartI know God loves meMommy and Daddy do tooI know I am specialAnd so are you I literally tear up every single morning hearing them recite these. There's so much power in speaking the truth over yourself. It's one thing for me to say these things to them but when they own it and they speak it, it becomes a part of their belief system about themselves.I hope these will be helpful for you and your babies and please know that I LOVE hearing your babies recite these so send me ALLLLLL the videos of them saying their affirmations.Since we are kind of on the topic of mom life, I thought I'd share one of my go-to easy to put together Momiforms with y'all!A momiform is an outfit you constantly find yourself gravitating toward when getting ready in the morning... or in the afternoon. Just keeping it real! But some of us need to take a long, hard look at our go-to styles and give them a major refresher.

There's a common misconception that in order to look put together, you have to be uncomfortable. This is just not true. You don't have to sacrifice comfort for style, you just have to have the right pieces to put together a look you'll love.When I became a mom, I found myself wearing t shirts and running shorts almost every single day. I got so tired of feeling so BLAH that I finally admitted to myself that it's just as easy to put on a cute flannel button down and jeans as it is to throw on yoga pants and a tank. 

I love statement tennies and I don't think you can ever have too many flannel button down shirts. I get most of my button downs at Old Navy and J Crew Factory and I've linked some of my favorite tennies below![show_shopthepost_widget id="2846664"]If you don't already own a tee shirt dress, I'd highly recommend this one. It's super versatile and affordable. Plus there are a ton of different ways to dress it up and down. Add booties and a cardigan for a dressier look OR slides and a denim jacket to dress it down a bit more.I'll keep sharing more mom style looks each Monday along with a parenting tip or two. Hope y'all enjoy this new addition to the weekly blog scene!You can tune into my insta stories today to hear the girl's recite our verse for Memory Verse Monday! Here it is:"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1Thanks so much for stopping by today, yall![show_shopthepost_widget id="2846673"] 

Style Simplified

Chambray Top - J CREW || Black Denim - NORDSTROM || 

Black Flats - FOREVER 21 || Statement Necklace - J CREW

I have a tendency to over complicate things.

It took me a solid five minutes to figure out how to begin this blog post.

The struggle is real.

I do the same thing with what I wear every day. It honestly doesn't matter whether I'm just running around town with the girls or going out on a date with Matt, I have been known to just stand and stare at my clothes hoping something will jump out and inspire me.

I've just always felt that in order to create a great style, I had to have a loud mix of colors and patterns.

Not long ago, I got so frustrated with this process that I started trying to really focus more on styling the simplest of outfits that still feel put together.

The idea of just wearing chambray with black denim sounds super uninspired. I'm technically wearing denim from head to toe. But just keep in mind that simple does not have to equal boring.

Simple is just simple. I'ts chic. It's polished. It's not fussy and doesn't take much to accomplish.

So don't be afraid to simplify.

Happy Friday, loves!

Laura

Ordering Clothes Online

Hi, friends!

I've had so many people asking me recently about my experience with ordering my clothes online. I'm finding they're are especially curious/skeptical about ordering from China.

Let me start out with addressing online clothes shopping in general.

I almost always try something on before I buy it so I've been a very slow mover into the online shopping arena. My two and four year old girls are pretty stellar shoppers but when it comes to going into the dressing room, they lose their minds. It's like a switch goes off simultaneously in their heads and they look at each and decide "everyone in this store needs to see mommy naked. You in? Let's make it happen."

Needless to say, the process of finding the right fit in the store is not an enjoyable one. And shopping alone is such a rare occurrence that it's really not even worth talking about.

What I'm discovering about shopping online is that all the information I need to know about how it will fit me is included. A few extra clicks and I can read reviews from other shoppers, find out if it fits true to size, and even get the exact measurements of the items. That's WAY more information than what you get in a store!

There still are times when I'll get something in and I don't love the fit but that's why I really only buy from online stores that offer free returns. Nordstrom is my absolute favorite for that very reason. I don't even have to take an item back to the store if I don't love it. I just mail it back with the pre-paid return label they provide.

Speaking of Nordstrom, they have these GORG riding boots on sale for $149 right now. So in love.

I really only shop at places where I get free shipping. Just about every place I shop will provide this service even if it does require a minimum amount spent. Let's be honest, I'm already spending the minimum amount.

Places like Old Navy and Target give free shipping when you spend $50 or more, which is the perfect excuse to grab these amazing zip up booties that are less than $40. Add some cute navy tights for Fall into your cart and your shipping is FREE.

Ok, now that we've talked about online shopping, let's take it a step further and talk about online shopping from.... overseas. Specifically, China.

I was shocked when I first discovered some of these online stores that charge soooooo much less for the same items I was finding in boutiques. But it makes sense. The boutiques are more than likely getting their clothes from the Mart and the Mart is getting their clothes from China. Cut out two middle men and you've got yourself some gooooood deals on clothes!

I've shopped at pretty much all the major Chinese online stores like Choies and Zaful but the only one that I've had a great experience with has been She Inside. The quality of their clothing is great, the shipping is pretty fast (7-10 days), and they even have pretty good customer service. All the sizes I've ordered have been exactly as described, which is great because you do NOT want to try to make a return to one of these companies!

That's probably the only risk. Once you order it, you're stuck with it. But that being said, I still have never gotten anything that I didn't like.  So to me it's totally worth the risk to get some amazing deals on clothes.

I'm always on the hunt for a good deal so as I find the good stuff in the great price range, you can be sure I'll keep you in the loop!

Here are a few of my recent favorites (can you tell I have a thing for blue?)

The blue and white stripe top is one size fits most and it's been one of my absolute favorites. Looks so cute paired with white denim. I wore it for the 4th of July and also on our beach trip as a bathing suit cover up.

The white peplum is a structured fit but has a sweet cutout detail around the edges that I love. It's kind of a high low feel, which was hard to see from the stock picture.

The peter pan collar ruffle hem top is my FAV. I ordered an XS which is perfect. It's just the right length to wear untucked with dark or white denim. It also had a really cute tie as the back collar, which I love!

The chambray peplum is so cute and SO flattering. I'm planning to wear it now and with jeans and a cranberry colored cable knit cardigan in the fall.

I'm about to order a few more sweaters from She Inside as well. I'm loving the oversized sweater look but they can be really pricey in stores. So these are fitting perfectly into my Fall clothing budget. I linked a few of these in my last post about Fall styles but they're worth another look!

 If you ever see me link something and you have a question about it, please don't hesitate to ask! I love being able to help!

Thanks so much for stopping by and happy (online!) shopping!

Laura

Off The Shoulder Dress

My goodness, do you ever have those days that all you want is to just curl up in comfy clothes and fall asleep watching the FOOD Network?

That's me today. Too bad the to do list is still very far from to done. So on we go with no nap.

One of the only things keeping me energized this sleepy afternoon is my excitement over this SWEET off the shoulder pink flamingo dress. The fit is great and it seems like it would be flattering for lots of body types due to the rouching around the bust.

Side note: As the OTS trend is so widely popular, maybe you've wondered what the best bra is to wear with this style? I would highly recommend investing in a great bandeau. I use the word "invest" very loosely considering most bandeaus are less than $10. It keeps a smooth look rather than the fabric bunching around an every day wired strapless bra. You're welcome.

Back to this dress...

Dress from Chic Wish// Bag from Old Navy

Be sure to check back in on Friday for a beach edition of Friday Favorites!

Laura

Workout Routine

Hello!

Half way through another week, can you believe it? May seems to be FLYING by. We leave for the beach next week so I'm not mad about this week going by quickly. #takemetothebeach

Today I'm sharing a little bit of my fitness journey. I call it a "journey" because I'm still on it. I don't have everything figured out at ALL but I will share the things I have figured out so maybe it'll help you start or keep up the journey you're on.

Let me start by sharing a picture of my post-baby bod... I know I looked hot. Or not. At this point I was nursing exclusively so I really felt helpless as far as cutting calories and was too overwhelmed to even think about challenging myself beyond walking the stairs multiple times a night to feed my babe. You new mamas feel me, right?

My sister and I decided to do the Whole 30 together. During the 30 days, I also started trying to add resistance training into my workout since finding time to run was challenging with an infant and a two year old. I would work out about three days a week for 30 minutes. Doesn't sound like much but you gotta start somewhere.

Before                                    After

After I completed the Whole 30, I got pretty relaxed about what I was eating again. I still tried to stick to the 80/20 rule (Eat clean 80% of the time) but I felt like I had kind of plateaued. I was doing the same exact exercises every week. I was bored.

I stumbled across the BBG (Sweat with Kayla) workout plan while scrolling thru instagram and seeing all the incredible before and after pictures. My sister had just purchased the guides so she let me give them a try. 

Oh. Man.

I couldn't do it. I'm not even kidding. Like I couldn't do any of it. I was huffing and puffing and literally feeling like I was going to die. Trying to finish three burpees in a row had me envisioning the next days headlines 

"Local woman sweats to death after attempting consecutive burpees." 

What a way to go.

But the strange thing was, I actually got excited about doing the workout. It was different every time and even tho I saw some of the same exercises, it always felt new and challenging. The longer I did it, the more I thought "this has to get easier, right?" Wrong. The longer you do it, the harder it gets. But that's the beauty of it. You never get bored and you actually see results.

The other thing I love about this workout is that it's fast. 28 minutes and you're done. 

Nowadays I'm doing at least three BBG resistance training sessions per week along with two cardio sessions that last about an hour. I'm also really trying to up my protein intake and continuing to stay away from sugar in all of its glorious forms. I still love you, starbucks. 

Pre-BBG                                          4 months after starting BBG

I'm not a machine. I still have to struggle thru finding balance week by week in my eating but I don't miss my workouts. Whether it's at night or in the morning. During nap or jumping around my babies when they're awake, I just know it's going to get done. I don't say that to sound cocky. I just know how I feel when I'm working out and I know what it does for my overall outlook. I also love that my girls can watch me do something consistently that's good for me. Today in Target, Rowen was doing a (very strange looking) sit up like motion in the buggy. She looked at me and said "I do my wookouts, mommy." I died. 

The BBG plan is now in an awesome app format making it super easy to get started. It is a little on the expensive side but I think it's well worth it. 

I think the moral of this story is that sometimes you just need to start something. Just get moving. And if you're not happy with the results you're getting, then change what you're doing. 

If you have any questions about the workout, please let me know in comments! I'd be happy to help in any way I can. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a happy hump day!

Laura