Harper is feeling a lot better today, thank you for everyone who sent well wishes! Her nose is still running like a faucet but her fever is gone and she has a lot more energy today. On the road to recovery!
Megan and I got together today for breakfast and some shopping. It’s so nice to have a few hours of girl time, it was definitely much-needed. I still struggle with feelings of guilt anytime I do something for myself that involves time away from Harper. This is probably a sentiment shared by a lot of moms who work outside of the home. I typically only plan any “me time” stuff when she’s napping or sleeping at night. Megan reminded me that part of being the best mom you can be is also making time to decompress and she was right. I came home refreshed and with lots of energy.
We stopped in at some of our favorite stores, including Zara, where we got matching shirts:
I also picked up a beautiful gray linen tee with white lace trim and an incredible white striped blazer. I wasn’t looking for a blazer, but this one was too beautiful to pass up. It looks even better on—I can’t wait to share some outfit photos! It’s very well made and the fabric is fantastic.
We stopped in at Baby Gap for the 40% off Friends & Family sale that ends today. They had some short sleeve PJ’s at the Galleria store and since it’s going to be super hot here soon, I picked up a couple. I also got a bathing suit from the Paddington Bear collection for $10! I had been waiting for it to go on sale because I wanted to get her a rashguard suit for the summer to protect her skin when we swim outdoors. It was worth the wait!
Lastly, I picked up some NARS Laguna bronzer and a NARS lipstick in the color “cruising.” I wear my Almay color + care lipgloss in the color “rose” every single day so I wanted to get a lipstick that was a close match to it. This shade is pretty darn close. I like that the more brown/nudeish pinks give a really natural and supple look to the lips versus more bright pink shades, which I used to gravitate towards in the past, along with nude pinks. I love pink, but the rose shades always give me a “your own lips but better” look which is perfect for daytime wear.
jewelry tray- j.crew
This afternoon we set up our 4moms breeze playard. We absolutely love it and it looks great in our living room (and Harper seems to like it too!) Best of all, it’s incredibly easy to use and set up. You just press down on the middle and it snaps into place (you can see that here). We’re going to use the gate we bought as an actual gate to secure areas of the house so this is the perfect addition to Harper’s play area. 95% of the time, we let Harper explore and be free, but when we need to get some things done around the house it’s a place where we know she can play and be safe if we have to step away to our kitchen or vacuum/do laundry, etc.
One more thing before I go—I was the lucky winner of a PopSugar Must-Have Box giveaway on Katie’s blog. It arrived on Friday and it was pretty cool.
a little booklet gives a brief breakdown of each product in the box:
I like that the scarf is really large and I can’t wait to try the snacks. The horseshoe necklace charm and elephant ring holder are also really cute.
Hope you had a fantastic weekend!
PS- I got my hair done this weekend! My colorist added highlights to the top layers and also added a couple of more lighter pieces on my ends. I was ready to add a little dimension to the top of my hair since my roots had gone so long without being colored at all. It’s subtle and blended and I’m very happy with it!
FTC: all products except for the 4moms breeze were purchased with my own money. All opinions are my own. The Pop Sugar must-have box was an item sent to me for free for winning a blog giveaway.
Love the matching shirts!! And we got those same pjs during the gap sale …love a gap sale!! Mom guilt is sooooooo true!!
wordsaboutwaverly.blogspot.com
Just wanted to chime in on the mommy guilt. I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I still feel guilty when I'm away from my babe (only two weeks older than Harper). My husband is always reminding me that happy wife=happy life and happy mom=happy baby. Sometimes I need a couple of hours to recharge and come back with a freshness and excitement that I didn't know I was lacking =]
Great pic of you two! I love those tops you bought from Zara. That scarf from the popsugar box is gorgeous and I want that pink exercise ball. Your hair looks fab! Have a great week!
Your friend is right! You have to maintain some time for yourself, even it means precious time away from the baby. It helps lend you perspective, take a breather, start over again and feel like you're ready to take on the next big thing. Learn to soak it up and make the most of it—which it sounds like you're doing just that!—so that you can be a happy mom and happy wife. That equals a happy life! 🙂
Love the new hair! Could you please do an updated skin care and makeup routine post? xo
I love your hair. Who is your colorist?
I love the baby Gap picks- Aubrey is going to need some short sleeve pjs soon (hopefully!) so I'll have to check those out. I work from home part of the time and the other part of the time when I'm away from her I feel so guilty leaving too but you really do need that time to recharge. My husband and I just went on our first date night and she's 13 months! We have to do it more often for our sake but we both felt so guilty for not using our family time as a family so I get it!
Your hair looks fabulous- as per usual! You've just reminded me how desperately I need to do something with my color soon.
I love the baby Gap picks- Aubrey is going to need some short sleeve pjs soon (hopefully!) so I'll have to check those out. I work from home part of the time and the other part of the time when I'm away from her I feel so guilty leaving too but you really do need that time to recharge. My husband and I just went on our first date night and she's 13 months! We have to do it more often for our sake but we both felt so guilty for not using our family time as a family so I get it!
Your hair looks fabulous- as per usual! You've just reminded me how desperately I need to do something with my color soon.
Those matching shirts are adorbs. How do you like that kiehl eye cream? I am looking for a new one.
atparsons.blogspot.com
I loovee your hair! Gorgeous! And I can completely relate with the mom guilt – I just can't break away! My husband and I are going to try to get better with date nights but both of us never want to leave the girls :-/ It looked like you had a great weekend!
loveandlifesimplified.blogspot.com
I love the look of your hair!! Sounds like you had a perfect relaxing day and love everything you picked out from Zara – I saw some great statement necklaces there!! Congrats on winning the giveaway!!
Are you still seeing Chuck for your color?
Yes I am!
Where do you go? I love your hair.
Dearest Veronika,
The guilt will never go away. I take it as part of the territory of being a mother. With that said, you have to take care of yourself, otherwise, you will not be able to take care of others.
Love that you love Zara as much as I do. I bought the same blue shirt too!
Love love love your hair, and the zara top is beautiful! That's one of my favorite Kiehls products as well. I couldn't agree more…mom "me" time is a necessity. Not only is it good for you to have some "me" time, but it makes you a better mommy. I truly believe that. Enjoy it, you a a wonderful mommy! xo ~Jenn http://www.twobytwomom.co
So glad Harper has no fever anymore! That's such a scary thing. 🙁
And I love how your friend put it–"decompress". It describes perfectly what all of us moms need to do, but I'm sure it's extremely difficult to let things go when you're working full time. I, on the other hand, stay home all day with Selah and whenever I do get that girl time with friends I feel like a new person! lol. And Zaraaaaaaa!!! They have so much beautiful stuff but I usually come out with nothing because I get indecisive. 😛
I'm glad you liked the box! It was one of the better ones 🙂
I completely share the feeling about leaving my son home but it does feel pretty darn good to have some me time then coming back refreshed! I love that NARS lipstick color. 🙂
Love the hair! Ah! We got the rash guard swimsuit set on sale too, but not that great of a deal! What a fun girl's day out you guys had! I agree on the play yard set-up. We never used a pack & play when Kaitlyn was a little baby, but once she was mobile, I've had one set up in our room so I can just do things like brush my teeth and get ready in the mornings!
xx Viv @ https://joiedeviv.blogspot.com