Happy Friday, friends! I hope you had a great week. Thanks for sending all of your questions for this week’s Coffee with Liz post, be sure to submit next weeks questions via email with subject “Coffee with Liz.” Have a great weekend! xoxo
I live in a small town and don’t have quick access to a Sephora so find myself grabbing products more often than not at local drugstores or Target. Do you have any tried and true drugstore products that you swear by and could recommend?
What is your favorite pair of everyday shoes that are easy, comfortable and make you look like you have your life together? (Not tennis shoes) I’m looking for a good pair of flats that goes with everything but not booties. What do you recommend?
Before you and Dave got married, how much had you talked about your plans for the future? Did you guys already share very similar values and ideas, or have you had to negotiate them over time? Did you know Dave was planning to propose?
I think we both had a pretty strong understanding of what each other wanted from the start. We talked about the future but we never put pressure on anything. We were young and in love! Aside from knowing we both wanted to get married, have kids and live in the suburbs (we both grew up in similar circumstances, me in Chicago and Dave in Michigan) the serious conversations came once we actually got pregnant. Then it was more negotiation. Whether that means saving for our kids college fund, deciding on preschools, investing/saving money, practicing religion. The truth is I always knew that Dave was the one so anything that was truly important to one of us was worth negotiating or compromising. In general, we both have very similar expectations in life and if one of us feels really passionate about something, the other one compromises. I had no idea Dave was proposing when he did but after four years of dating and one year of living together, I assumed it would happen eventually.
I’m wondering what your thoughts are on finding out the gender of baby #2 versus being surprised? Has the gender reveal helped you to connect more with the baby throughout your pregnancy?
After being surprised with Charlie, it feels so strange to know that baby #2 is a boy! I would still highly recommend being surprised. We loved it so much and it made the whole experience of labor and delivery so so exciting. However, I do think that knowing has allowed me to envision our life with two kiddos a little more clearly. That may be because I already have a boy? I don’t know. I wouldn’t say I have necessarily connected to this baby more. In all honesty, I already feel bad for him! I am so distracted with Charlie that I often forget that I’m pregnant (aside from my clothes not fitting) until the end of the day when my back and legs give out on me and I remember to sit down. I know as soon as he arrives it will be this moment of “of course it’s you!” but right now my focus is on Charlie.
Wondering if you have thought about if you plan on getting a gift for Charlie from the new baby ?
Dave and I just talked about this! I want to get Charlie a fish from the new baby but at the same time that sounds terrible and I know that fish will live forever. Haha. I don’t know! I think our plan is to have Charlie as involved as I can in our transition home. We may get him something little from the baby but I don’t know if he will actually connect the dots that is is from his brother? Help.
I have been on the fence about purchasing an Apple Watch for a few months now but wanted to hear your feedback on it. As someone who needs a little bit of a push to get my butt in gear I think its a great idea, but the price tag is what’s holding me back. What are your favorite things about the watch? And, if there are any drawbacks that you have, I’d love to hear those too.
I loooooove my Apple Watch. I feel like it is my friend who is constantly cheering me on and telling me to do what is best for my body. You can set an activity goal every day and it tracks your steps, calories burned and heart rate throughout the day. I feel like it is way more accurate than my Fitbit (which I used for awhile). The only drawback is when it tells me to stand up after I’ve been sitting for too long. It’s like when Netflix asks you if you’re still watching? Yes, yes I am.
How did you find your wedding venue and how can I make sure to stay organized and under budget as I plan? I am looking for a garden wedding with natural elements, please share any venues you have loved!
We hired an amazing wedding planner who made finding everything so much easier. I know this isn’t an option for everyone so I would say just do your research! I know The Knot has some amazing resources like a budgeter, vendor list tracker, checklist, guest book manager, etc. which I bet is a huge help with staying organized. Our wedding was a different vibe so I unfortunately I don’t have any local suggestions for a garden wedding! Sorry!
I’m looking for a really cute pair of mules. Trying not to spend more than 200. I like the Gucci ones (obviously) but they are just too expensive. I’m looking for ones similar to the Sam Edelman with the little tassel but not sure how I feel about the tassel. Do you have any other recommendations? I’ve looked all over, and I’m not having much luck!
I think these, these (a favorite!), these, these (favorite, too!) and these would all be cute options!
My husband and I just recently got a new puppy and we’re having a really hard time! The puppy is so cute…when he’s sleeping. We live in Lincoln Park and our dog is having a hard time with potty training since he gets so distracted by all the hustle and bustle. When trying to find solutions for all the puppy problems + all the stress, my husband and I are starting to get angry at each other. We were hoping this would prepare us a bit for kids, but everyone we’ve talked to says a puppy can be more difficult. How did you and Dave train Webster? How did you keep your relationship from being affected?
Puppies are definitely hard but just remember everything is a phase! I recommend signing up for puppy classes and feeling like you’re proactively working towards training. It’s hard for me to compare anything to Webster because he is a weirdo. We are pretty sure he was the runt in his litter and he is a very submissive, low key pup who is really good at obeying. I will say that Dave was really strict about training him right away. Reprimanding him (well) the first time he did something and it kind of stuck. I think it was different for us because Dave technically bought Webster. We were only a month into dating and this was his thing. I just happened to be in the picture and have always been his “mom.” I think having a conversation about what needs to happen – whether it is training, sharing outdoor responsibility, happily waking up with him/taking him outside when needed. You guys obviously both made this decision together so it’s important to remember that it is no one’s fault. Also, trust me, it’s just a puppy. Wait until you’re actually trying to keep a human alive – that’s terrifying.
One of my best friend’s is celebrating her “golden birthday” in a couple of months and I was wondering what creative, cute gifts I could get her. I obviously want to get her something gold, but have only come up with some cute earrings. Can you think of anything else that might be fun to give her?
I love fall but I know that a cold winter day is not too far along! I would like to invest in good hats but my big head can be a challenge sometimes! Could you recommend any cute hats – casual, elegant, sporty – to wear so that I keep warm?
Here are a few that I’m eyeing for winter!…
Charlie seems such a good eater! Please could you recommend some ideas for school lunches? My daughter is not too excited about hers and I would love some inspiration!
Our go to lunches: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, avocado toast, bananas with almond butter, pirate’s booty, ground turkey tacos and Dr. Praegers fish sticks.
I think it’s so admirable that both you and your husband are entrepreneurs. So few of us have the guts and determination to start businesses and go out on our own. With your growing family, how do you handle your healthcare and in these ever changing times, is that something you’re concerned about? Not trying to get political, just wondering how you guys handle this as healthcare is so costly!
It’s rough! Right now, my business pays for my insurance and Charlie’s (and will also take care of our baby boy to be). Dave’s business pays for his but after this year I think we are going to all be on one family plan, paid by Sequins & Stripes LLC and then Dave will take a draw from his business to put towards insurance for tax purposes. Honestly, the best thing you can do is research. I have spent countless hours on the phone with Healthcare.gov going over the best plans for not only a child but delivering a child, hospital coverage, etc. It’s the worst and you never feel like you get enough coverage but the best I can do is pay for the what I can!
My daughter still isn’t on the growth chart but hoping to be by 16 or 18 months! Were you ever confronted by people who commented Charlie is “tiny” or thought he was younger than he is, and how do you handle that? I’m so tired of hearing strangers tell me how “tiny” she is, we’re trying so hard to get her to gain weight and the side commentary from others is frustrating and discouraging sometimes.
All.the.time. Honestly, being a mother gives you tough skin. All you need to do is listen to your pediatrician. Our doctor constantly comforted us by reassuring that Charlie was on his own chart and growing consistently with it. People still think Charlie is 15 months old sometimes and he still fits into 18 month clothing (at 24 months). I don’t know why judgement comes with motherhood but you’re doing the best job that you can! Just rest assure that you have a happy and healthy baby. Charlie was in the 3rd, then 10th and now 29th percentile so just be patient.
Do you have any outfit recommendations for a job interview? Dream job, fall weather, Boston.
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