Mother's Day 2017

With Father's Day coming up I figured that I should go ahead and get my Mother's Day post up.  I'm always so behind!  This year Mother's Day was less about being pampered and more about just relaxing and enjoying the day.  Roibeard made me breakfast in bed.  After lounging around for a bit we all went down to the lake to enjoy the beautiful weather.  There's a small trail in the bird sanctuary that I love walking through.  I like that it's so quiet and secluded - something that isn't always easy to come by when you live in a big city.  All in all it was a wonderful day which ended in the best way - with enjoying a delicious deep dish pizza while sitting on our front porch! 

Easter 2017

For Easter this year Roibeard, Micheal, and myself all headed over to Michigan to visit with the family.  It's about a 5 hour trip on average, but with a little one it takes about 7 hours by car.  We drove on the way there and took the train on the way back. 

Micheal loves my aunt's dog, Molly.  He also had a blast going over to my mom's house and playing with her cats, Tom Cat and Penelope.  He's definitely a little animal lover in the making.  He's always so sweet and gentle.  Once in awhile he'll get a little carried away and grab at them or tug on an ear, but for the most part he knows to be gentle.  He kept wanting Molly to give him kisses.  It was adorable. 

Micheal did a couple of Easter egg hunts over the weekend and he did surprisingly well at catching onto the concept of finding eggs.  In fact, he enjoyed it so much that once he found all of the eggs he starting scattering them again just so that he could find them one more time!

The train ride back was a little hectic. He's pretty good in the car seat because it's so warm and cozy...but on the train he has discovered that he can run around.  I had to choose between a screaming toddler or a toddler that runs up and down the aisles for 5 hours.  We chose the aisles with Roibeard and I taking turns chasing him.  Overall though, it was a really nice trip.  I was so happy to see Micheal opening up to everyone a bit more on this trip.  I think he's starting to learn who's who in the family. :)

Changing Style - Mama Style Post

So, the big question - has my style changed since becoming a mama?  Yes, it has!  More so than I thought it would too!  Don't get me wrong, I still love anything and everything vintage.  That will never change.  However, vintage clothes are delicate, tear easily, and are one of a kind...so I don't find myself wearing my vintage pieces quite as often these days. 

I certainly won't pass up a beautiful 60s number if I see it, but these days everything is about comfort and the ability to get dressed quickly.  Items that can transition between work and play are a huge plus for me.  It's nice to get home from work and just have to swap out a shirt or pair of shoes and I'm ready for a trip to the park.

Speaking of shoes, that's a huge change that I wasn't anticipating. First of all, I'm up a whole shoe size and second, my once incredibly narrow feet are now so wide that most normal shoes just don't fit comfortably anymore.  Also, I seem to have lost all of the cushioning under my foot...so every time I step I feel nothing but bone.  It's quite painful to say the least.  I'm guessing it most likely is a result of working on my feet all of the way through pregnancy.  Whatever the reason, you'll no longer be seeing me sporting ballet flats, heels, pointy toes, or anything irresistibly adorable.  These boots are wide and sturdy.  That's what works these days.   

My wardrobe feels a lot more basic now (by my standards).  I just donated 5 bags of clothes to Salvation Army. I'm trying to reassess my style.  A lot of the time you can just find me in jeans and a button up or a black dress and tights.  Again, it's the whole making my clothes last from work to play.  When chasing the wee one around the playground I don't want to be flashing all of the other moms with my mini dresses. ;)

Another reason for the style change is well, things just simply don't fit the same anymore. My body shape is so different now.  That's another reason why I donated so many clothes.  I wanted to start with a clean slate and build up a new wardrobe. 

With all of that being said, the outfit in these photos is from a day where I had a little extra time to get ready in the morning. 

Thanksgiving 2016 - 15 months

Due to the wedding and taking several trips to Michigan earlier in the year we spent our 2016 holiday season at home in Chicago.  I made vegetarian cottage pie with lentils and mashed potato.  I'm drooling just thinking about it again. For dessert we made a baby friendly (low sugar) pumpkin pie with coconut.  Ohhhhh....it was so...amazing! Micheal definitely had a great time scarfing down all of his food!