Flipping Out for Warm Weather

Aaaaah, 'tis the Season... the season to pack up my socks and live solely as one with the flip flop. I love having a huge selection of flip flops and sandals at my disposable because #1 you need a pair to match every outfit and #2 I leave mine all over the house so have to be sure I'll find a match pretty quickly. Something that is a must for me is versatility. I want comfort. I want cuteness. I want pedi- ready. Summer activities will take you from the park to the pool to the Farmer's market and back again and this girl wants to be ready!

Bringing Your Practice to the Beach with Aurorae Yoga + a Giveaway

You may remember when I was getting back into the swing of (yoga) things last Summer, that Aurorae Yoga helped me with a new mat, towel and frankly, some much needed motivation. I was at home with a newborn that I had no idea what to do with (well, I did, but you know...). I was also struggling with being "just Amanda" for brief moments in time. Yoga definitely helped me relax, concentrate, and sort of just kind of be in the moment. I have been thankful for the opportunity to again work with Aurorae to help share some of the good things that they have got going on this Summer! Plus, if you stick around, you might just snag yourself a chance to win some awesome Aurorae gear of your very own.

Brimfield May 2015

Ahhh it's that time of year again, Warm weather aka the beginning of outdoor market season. What is the first one to hit each year? Obviously, it's Brimfield Antiques Show in Brimfield, MA. This year, I took a weekday off, packed the baby, Mother and Mother in Law in the car and made the trek down to Brimfield. We hit some traffic (ugh it was miserable thinking of all the deals I was missing) but once we got there, we were all sorts of smitten with our finds. My mother and I most definitely gravitated towards linens this time around so we weren't lugging things back but I took some inspiration from some every day (and some not so much) items. Take a look at some of my favorite shots of the day... Oh and if you want to prepare for a trip to an outdoor market? Be sure to check out my guest post over at Wayfair for some helpful hints on making the most out of your day!

I Dream in Patio Furniture

You may recall me mentioning that I had a baby almost this time last year. Before said baby arrived, I had done a great deal of gardening, even while I was in my delicate state. I planted flowers and built beautiful herb gardens on our deck and brick patios. My patio set was adorned with lovely and inviting cushions. I had, in fact, created an outdoor oasis for my small family, which was soon to grow a touch larger. Fast forward to the warm Summer months when that newborn had come to town. Watering plants was exchanged for keeping a baby alive. Sitting outside with a glass of wine was traded in for going to bed at 7pm. Last Summer was Sink Or Swim, my friends. Herb gardens were shriveling up all over the place. Flowers were all but a distant memory. And my lovely deck furniture and gorgeous glass pottery? Well, we might have left that all outside during the snowiest Winter on record. We all but let the outdoor oasis turn into a mirage, fading out of view. We are obviously not proud of this but it is what it is.

This year is different. The baby is almost a year. I have more time to do things and one project that has been coming together quite nicely, since the weather has been cooperating, is the recreation of the outdoor oasis. Yes, I did lose some of my faves to inclement weather (broken pots and faded outdoor cushions) but you can bet your baby that all Winter I was keeping track of possible replacement items on my Wayfair Patio Dreams Idea Board.

What Happens When Your Child Hurts Your Feelings

Can an 11 month hurt your feelings? I am here to tell you that the answer is a BOOMING YES. This past week, my husband has been out of town on business so it's been a one woman show. One woman shows are pretty, pretty hard (shout out to the single parents out there doing it for themselves). Things wouldn't have been so bad, I suppose, if this hadn't been the week that my beautiful, and usually delightful, child decided that he was going to voice his distaste for every single thing that I do. OK not every single thing, but a lot of things. The word "No" has resulted in pre-tantrum like tears.  Here, have another bite of your yogurt? No? Screeches ensue. Every diaper and outfit change has been a battle royale... After about 4 days of hitting the ground running, with formidable opposition, sometimes as early as 5am, things start to get to you...

How could this precious child hurt anyone's feelings?

I met Bonnie (and her helpful cutie daughter) of Laughing Tree Organics at that eye opening Whole Foods Hello Beauty! event back in March. She was delightful as she was motivated about her fairly new natural beauty line, some of which is carried at Whole Foods. She and the other speakers totally had me inspired. After some chatting, she and I promised to catch up with one another after the event and indeed we did. She was smitten with the #PropahBaby (because, I mean, who wouldn't be) when we met that Sunday so she sent him some of her Lavender Organice Eco Wash for Baby, you know to keep him clean without having to worry about all the chemicals that I could be subjecting him to. He loves bath time so obviously this baby wash just upped the ante. Pampering for Mom? Bonnie has that on lock too. She shared some of her amazing lip balms (sweet citrus being my fave), face toner and facial scrub too. Let's just say that there is a lot of thoughtfulness put into the LTO product line. You really feel like you are treating your bod right and I am here to tell you that treating your bod right goes a long way. Bonnie and the LTO gang are local so I thought I would ask Bon Bon some questions so P+P readers can learn all about their awesome brand...

Yoga Reaches Out Event

Last Sunday, I took part in my first Yoga Reaches Out event at the Gillette Stadium Field House in Foxboro, MA. To say that the day was an amazing exercise in my, literal, balance is an understatement. To say that it was a day filled with so many good vibes, the occasional tear and lots of yoga, would be an accurate assessment. What I am trying to say is that it was one of the most fun days that I have had in a really long time, which turned out to be the icing on the cake since the event itself raised a ton of money for Boston Children's Hospital and Ben Speaks Louder than Words.

I hadn't really socialized with anyone from my yoga studio, Revolution Community Yoga, so this was an amazing opportunity to get to know some people that are like minded and local to me. We had a great time trying to balance in some interesting poses together, we chatted about our kids... it was just a nice day in between the great yoga instructors running whirlwind sessions. Some things that were brought to the forefront of my mind that day weren't just the amazing charities that we were there supporting, Boston Children's Hospital and Ben Speaks Louder than Words, but some personal things that I guess I just needed time to reflect on.

How Did that Month of No Spending Go, Amanda?

You may recall me embarking on an adventure a mere month ago, where I attempted to go 30 full days without spending money on anything but basic necessities for my family. I am not going to lie, it was rough, especially because I have found that my boredom has generally lead to shopping and this was a habit that I am happy to say that while not completely gone, has been cut down a few pegs. Lordy, I love a little retail therapy but in documenting the last 30 days, I have been able to see exactly where my money is being spent to keep my family fed and alive and where I have just been, in the words of my dear Mother "pissing money away." Though I should make note, I inherited my deep love of shoes from said Mother so there is a touch or irony there. OK, so want to see how my 30 days progressed? I would like to say that I 100% succeeded but all I can really say is that is was certainly a challenge and I did indeed document it.