Do you typically cook one meal for your family, or do you cook a separate meal for the kids?
Separate meals for sure. The hard part is our kids are hungry at 5:30pm and we are not. So I usually make something simple for them and make a bigger meal for Dave and I are 6:30/7. Most of the time Charlie will say, I want what you’re having for dinner tomorrow and I know I need to be better about just cooking for the family as a whole but it is just the season of life that we are in!
Tell us more about laser hair removal!
GUYS! I should have done this 10 years ago. I am doing my arm pits and my lady parts. But first of all I want to note that it is so fricking expensive. Like I can’t believe how expensive it is and how many times you have to go. BUT, that being said, I think it will be worth it. Especially living here in Charleston I feel like we are always at the beach. I am honestly most excited for my arm pits, ha. I was going to just do my bikini line but then some friends were like just do the whole thing so here we are. In terms of pain I was so pleasantly surprised by how minimal the pain was! Waxing is 100000x worse. So I can’t report on anything yet because I’ve just had one treatment but I think she said I’ll have 6-7 over the next year so stay tuned.
Can you share some fun accessories for the holidays?
Ahh yes!! This big sparkly headband, these Santa earrings, these green stud earrings (I have and love!), this little feather bag, these fun bow earrings, this little crystal bag, I love this tennis necklace (it’s $125!), these sparkly flats, these rhinestone booties would be amazing with jeans and a sweater, these heels are beautiful and I love this velvet bag!
Do you ever miss Chicago? I moved to the South and daydream about going back to Chicago.
I LOVE Chicago. I had the very best years living there but I am SO HAPPY in Charleston. I miss our friends and family but otherwise I don’t physically miss living there. I am grateful we can take a quick flight back whenever we need a fix! But moving to Charleston has been the best move for our family.
How do you deal with tricky relatives around the holidays (if you have any)? I have a sister-in-law who is draining everyone’s energy.
I say protect your energy. We are all adults now, we get to say who is allowed to take up space in our lives. If someone is going to be negative or drain your energy then they aren’t worthy of your time and energy!
What is the #1 thing you do for yourself when it comes to self-care?
Get outside and drink water. And go to bed early! And rest, like letting myself sit on the couch without worrying about everything else that needs to get done.
Do you have any trips planned? Dream trips you would like to take?
We are going back to Harbour Island in January! We rented a house with friends and our kids which will be really fun. Then we have Spring Break planned in April. Dave and I would love to go back to Europe but I don’t see that happening for awhile. I think when George is 5 or so we would love to do a big family trip to Europe for a few weeks. We will see! I’m also really happy staying put right now.
New mom here! Any newborn tips? Feeling overjoyed while also feeling overwhelmed.
I don’t know if I have any really good advice but I guess I would just say give yourself grace. You really don’t have anything else you need to do but be in it. And it’s a lot and it’s exhausting and you’re also going through this huge hormone shift in your body and you’re like what the fuck is happening. But just let it happen! Let yourself watch shows with your baby on your chest, all day. Don’t worry about doing all the other stuff. Do the things that make you feel like you, like go for a walk or get outside or maybe don’t. Be sad on the days that you feel sad. Ask for help when you need it or take a break from the baby to give yourself a little self care. Feel all the feels! Because even though it doesn’t feel this way, you’re going to blink and these days will be gone.
What kind of exercise did you do while pregnant?
Mostly strength workouts at home and running outside. I did this up until about 34 weeks and then ditched the runs and focused on stretching and strength. My biggest recommendation is just listen to your body!
Any tricks for getting kids to sleep past 6 am? Help!
OY, no. I feel like I’ve tried all the things only to come to terms with the fact that my kids have very strong body clocks. I’ve noticed that as they get older they do start to sleep a little later. And some days are good and some days are still early wake ups (like today Charlie and Jack woke up at 5:30am – whyyy). It’s just a reminder that as a parent you can’t control everything. Jack has always been a very early riser so at this point I’m used to it. I think time is all we can hope for!
What are five new decor pieces you want to order for your home?
Ohh fun question! I want to order this rug for the boys room because Bear peed on their rug 100x as a puppy and it smells. We still need to finish our entry and I want to order a new lamp – I love this lamp but we have similar in our family room, or this maybe? We are going to have our room carpeted or like a custom rug? Where they leave the edge off. So there’s that! Lots of finishes needed because we’ve really spent a lot on the house this year and need to cool it. George’s room is the only one we haven’t touched in the whole house so we are ALMOST DONE.