February Budget

I share my clothing budget here every month. My budget per month is $350, which may seem like a lot to some people or a little to others, but for me feels just right. I include all of my clothes, coats, shoes, and accessories in that budget, but not athletic gear, pajamas, or intimates.

Whew, and goodbye February!! I know a lot of people hate February because it's cold and gray and whatever, I always enjoy it between Valentine's Day, my birthday, and now getting ready for Mia's birthday! Her due date was in February but she decided to wait until March to make an appearance (much to 41 weeks pregnant Kristina's chagrin). Her party is this weekend though, and I spent the past month thinking about and prepping it so it was a major part of February.

Also a major part of February? PINK! Ha, apparently Valentine's Day really affected me this year. Here's everything I bought this month:

LOFT Boyfriend Blazer: originally $130, on sale + used rewards $67.71, used giftcard $47.71. I've actually been looking for a pink blazer since I saw a friend of a friend wearing one out to dinner like literally three years ago at this point. I ordered this one thinking it would definitely go back, but in person it's so cute! Perfectly relaxed but not oversized, with cropped sleeves that make it feel modern and cool. I dressed it up here for a meeting downtown with our financial planners, but I also am planning to pair it with a white tee and distressed jeans for a cool mix of dressy and casual.
J.Crew Pointelle Sweater: originally $69.50, on sale $41.70. I've been all about finding sweaters with interesting textures lately, and this one fits the bill. Really pretty but a bit more pink in person, and the stitching is very open so you have to wear a nude cami underneath. This is great for warmer winter days or will be nice for transitioning into spring. I wore it here.
Lesa Michele Baguette Ring: $42.00, used gift card $0. Okay so this is kind of funny, but I saw Natasha on an episode of The Bachelor rocking a rainbow baguette ring and immediately started googling to find something similar. I ended up finding this pretty pink/purple ombré instead of a rainbow and it is so gorgeous in person. I don't usually wear any rings but my wedding / engagement rings, but for this stunner I'm definitely willing to make an exception.
LOFT Striped Sweater: originally $59.50, on sale + used rewards $30.99, used gift card $0. I saw this sweater when it was in the LOFT Sneak Preview section months ago and stalked their new arrivals forever waiting for it to show up so I could get it on sale. It looks so much higher-end than it is, the details on it make it feel designer and fashion-y. You can see me wearing it here.
R.Vivimos Bohemian Maxi Dress: $31.99. Okay so this is a bit of an Amazon wildcard. It's by the same company that made the "Amazon Nightgown" dress that was so popular last summer. I wanted to try that one, but knew the silhouette wouldn't work on my body. When I saw this one was available, I decided to give it a try. Does it fit? Yesish. Is it flattering? Yesish. I will say that the fabric is really pretty in person and doesn't feel cheap. If I had come across this dress in stores I probably wouldn't have bought it, but I decided I'd rather keep it than bother figuring out how to return it. I'll definitely wear it over the summer, but it wasn't the best buy. (I actually have a different pattern that is no longer available - mine is more white with blue flowers.)
Old Navy Cardigan Sweater: originally $44.99, on sale $42.00, used giftcard $12.00. I'd been wanting to try the "cardigan as a sweater" trend for a while, so I decided to try this Old Navy sweater with a gift card I realized I hadn't used from Christmas 2018!! I really like the style, it's low cut without showing too much and is an easy way to try out the trend. I originally bought a regular XL, and returned it for a tall large. Then I washed it and wasn't thinking and threw it in the dryer, so now it fits like a regular medium haha. So you can definitely size down, and be careful about washing/drying. I wore it here.
Old Navy Boyfriend Blazer: originally $49.99, on clearance $6.47, used gift card $0. When I was in the store returning the first iteration of the cardigan, I spotted this blazer. There was only one in the store and it happened to be a large tall - it was like fate! It is so cute, and it's a stretchy fabric so it's comfortable too. I wore it here.

Total Spent: $133.40



Okay, so that total is obviously skewed a bit because there were a lot of gift cards involved, but I'm feeling pretty good about it ;) For next month, I'm on the hunt for a dress to wear to a friend's bachelorette party, some new jeans in a non-skinny fit, and some summer clothes for a few trips we're planning.

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Friday Finds

Happy Friday!! After a pretty crazy week at work (is that always happens after a three day weekend?) I am READY for a little breather. Next week is my birthday (!!) so Jeff and I are celebrating with a date night this weekend! I'm not sure where we're going, but I requested a tasting menu so I'm pretty excited.

I was apparently feeling bright this week - here are this week's finds:

one / two / three / four / five

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A Week's Worth of Outfits

I started taking daily mirror selfies to document what I'm wearing every day, and now I've been at it for more than a week! (Well almost. In putting this together it seems I missed Wednesday. Le sigh.) As you've seen I'm rarely taking full outfit photos these days, so the daily outfits are a fun way to share what I've been wearing without the huge production.

Sunday: Errands and lots of baby cuddle time

(sort of) Similar Sweater / Similar Jeans / Sneakers

Monday: work from home

Blazer / Tee / Leggings / Similar Booties

Tuesday: Baby play time then work from home

Similar sweater / Leggings / Similar mules 

Mia's top / Mia's jumper

Thursday: Baby play time then work from home

Sweater / Similar Jeans / Boots

Mia's one-piece

Friday: Valentine's Day party at Mia's daycare, then work from home and Valentine's Day dinner with Jeff. Eventually found shoes. 

Sweater / Similar Jeans

Mia's dress / Mia's pants / Mia's bow

Saturday: Shopping, brunch with girlfriends, then baby hangs. Saw my jeans in the mirror, whipped them off and cut an inch of the bottom before I snapped this pic. Might still take off a little more. 

Sweater / Similar Jeans / Similar Booties

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Five Random Things

Happy President's Day! I found out at about 3pm on Friday that my office was closed today for the holiday - three cheers for a surprise long weekend! I love a good trip over a long weekend or one in the summer with lots of barbecues and parties, but this unexpected long weekend without plans has been so nice. I ended up going out for brunch with some girlfriends, saw some of Jeff's family, and had my sister's family over for a playdate. Today we're thinking we might head out to visit Jeff's grandma, but we're mostly just planning on hanging at home.

Matching my mini for her school Valentine's Day party! Here is my sweater, her dress, her bow, and our little tassel garland. 

I had a random thing I wanted to share on Friday night, I started jotting things down and suddenly I had basically a whole blog post written. So here are a few of my current favorite things, in no particular order

1. Pinterest! Okay so this is like SO 2011, but I have been all over Pinterest lately. It's funny, when Pinterest was new I went on all the time, but then their algorithm came into play and they stopped showing me my friend's pins and I basically stopped using the platform. But now all of the sudden I'm all over it again! I’m currently planning Mia’s 1st Birthday (it’s an Alice in Wonderland theme!) and a pool party bachelorette, plus I’m pretty sure I volunteered for another party that I can’t even remember. I know this sounds like some people’s nightmare, but I love planning parties (you can see the Sprinkle and Rustic Animals baby showers I threw!) and looking at all of the inspiration on Pinterest is so fun!! If you're looking for some Pinspiration, you can follow me here.

2. Cheer! Okay, so I know that like, everyone and their mother is talking about Cheer right now but you guys, I am obsessed. In case you haven’t heard of it, the docuseries on Netflix follows a team of college cheerleaders as they prepare to compete in the national championships. I’ve watched the entire thing through twice, and I still can’t get over the crazy routines. I also am obsessed with the cast and have been semi-stalking them on Instagram - get it Jerry!!

3. New Hairbrush! I know I talked about this before, but I FINALLY decided to upgrade my hairbrush after using the same one for literally fifteen years. You guys, I think I bought my last brush because I was moving out of the house for college and couldn’t share with my sister any more! (P.S. is it weird to share a hairbrush with your sister? It’s just now occurring to me that it might be weird. Although, we also shared A BED for a few years when I was in middle school and we were remodeling, so maybe the hairbrush is less weird.) Anyway, I can’t believe the difference the new hairbrush has made. My hair has a ton more volume, even on day two, and it’s shinier too. Plus this brush helps my hair stay straighter at the ends versus flipping in various directions. I got the 2 inch size and I would definitely recommend! The only downside is that the bristles are a little scratchy on your scalp if you brush too aggressively. I was thinking this morning I might put together a post of the current hair products / routine I do because I've been getting some questions about it lately - is that something you would be interested in seeing?

4. The Office Ladies Podcast! If you watched and loved The Office then you will love The Office Ladies. The actresses who played Pam and Angela recap an episode every week, and often have guests or have talked to cast and crew to get behind the scenes details on every episode. They can get a little goofy and annoying sometimes (like your mom arguing with your grandma about why a notecard is better than a notepad) but the detail they go into makes me want to go back and watch every episode again! I'm currently inundated with Bachelor podcasts, but I make time for this one every week.

5. The Masked Singer! Have you seen The Masked Singer? It’s basically a singing competition for celebrities, but they’re in these giant costumes so you have to guess who is singing. I remember hearing about the first season and thought it sounded completely ridiculous, but then Jeff made me start watching last season and I'm definitely hooked. The clues they give every week to help you guess who might be singing are really fun, Jeff and I spend every episode debating who the singers might be. The costumes are also incredible and hilarious. The whole thing is so fun and doesn't take itself too seriously, definitely an easy mid-week watch.

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Friday Finds

Happy Valentine's Day!

Do you love or hate Valentine's Day? I was perpetually single for years and years, but I still liked it for the excuse to wear pink and the candy of course ;) With a baby now we have to pick and choose our date nights, so since my birthday is in a week and a half (33, yeep!) we decided to stay in tonight and go out for a fancy tasting menu next weekend to celebrate both. So tonight we plan on opening a bottle of wine from our favorite vineyard after Mia goes to sleep and cooking up Chrissy Teigen's Lemony Cacio e Pepe. Now that's my kind of Friday!

Here are my finds for the week. I'm especially loving those chewed hems on the white jeans and wishing they came in a tall size so they'd be long enough for me! If you have shorter legs, please buy them so I can live vicariously through you.

one / two / three / four / five

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Hearts, But Make It Winter

Sweater (also comes in red!) - LOFT / Coat and Boots - J.Crew / Jeans - Madewell / Bag - Tory Burch / Sunglasses - Amazon

Yaaaaaaay, winter! Said no one in February ever. 

I'm not here to complain about winter or anything, because it hasn't even been terrible this year. It's really just that I finally understand what parents have always talked about when they said winter was a tough time to be home with your kids. If we're home too much, Mia starts to get a little squirrelly. She wants to be out and about, no matter the weather! 

Over the weekend we didn't have a ton of plans, so to get Mia out of the house we ended up taking a long walk to Half Acre Balmoral brewery for lunch. You might wonder why we're always taking our baby to breweries, but hear me out. When you are a new parent bars basically disappear from your life, but a brewery is a kid-friendly way to get the bar experience. You can enjoy a drink, but without the loud music or people who are overconsuming. While we were out last weekend, the whole brewery was full of parents and babies or young kids. There was even a set of parents with a brand new (I'm talking a month old, tops) baby introducing the baby to their friends! So cute. And every time we go it's like that. I once saw a mom toting a huge bin of legos into a brewery along with three little boys, clearly intending to stretch out the visit as long as possible. 

We personally love Half Acre because the food is so good in addition to the beer, and they change the menu all the time. If you go, I personally recommend going on a Sunday for their brunch menu - their breakfast sandwiches are always so good! 

Okay, are you ready to talk clothes now? I still get dressed like I always do, but between Mia, the weather, and the current number of hours of daylight I've been having a tough time actually taking pictures of my outfits for you. I'm so glad I managed to take pictures of this outfit though because I have some awesome pieces I want to talk to you about! 

The Sweater 

I usually am SO TIRED of sweaters by this time of the year, but this fall/winter I unintentionally ignored my sweater collection because I was so excited to have button-downs back in my life again (since I was pregnant last fall). Remind me again next year to wait on sweater season until January, since you know, it sticks around until May. 

I also am loving sweater season because I have been in sweater-shopping mode, so I have a few new options in my closet and am not just rotating through the same three every week. This heart textured sweater is so fun. I love that it works for Valentine's Day, but it's so subtle that it will work for the rest of winter too. The slight puff shoulder is also giving me life. While the sweater can go sweet depending on what you wear it with, that detail in the shoulder makes it work for a slightly edgier outfit too. Is this edgy? Okay no but you know, it's a hint of edge and that's just about as far as I go. 

The Boots

Did I want to wear snow boots with this? No, I would have much rather added a pair of mules! But you know, Chicago's icy sidewalks didn't quite allow for that shoe choice. That being said, I'm so happy to have these fur-lined hiking / snow boots in my life. They are slightly elevated over a typical snow boot, which makes me more excited to pull them out. I've been wearing these almost daily for walking Mia to daycare, and they are so freaking comfortable. Not to mention beautiful in person! Mia also tries to put them in her mouth every chance she gets, so I think she's pretty into them too. 

The Hair

Not to toot my own horn here, but was I having a particularly good hair day when we shot these photos? I think it's because I finally got rid of my hair brush after FIFTEEN YEARS. Yes, you read that right. I'd had my hairbrush literally since high school. It was basically completely coated in products and falling apart. I finally decided to make the switch to this one (2 inch size), and my hair has been looking so good ever since! More volume, shinier, and less weird bending at the ends. If you've been holding onto something like my hairbrush just because it still works, you don't have to! Go get that new hairbrush (or you know, whatever YOUR hairbrush is) and don't look back. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. 

Sweater (also comes in red!) - LOFT / Coat and Boots - J.Crew / Jeans - Madewell / Bag - Tory Burch / Sunglasses - Amazon

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Motherhood Monday: Mia's Schedule at 11 Months

We're almost at a full year with Mia, it sounds so cheesy to say but I really can't believe it. A whole year of smiles and squeals (and tears and screams too) with this happy, beautiful, rambunctious little girl. I was talking to Jeff the other day about how I can barely remember being pregnant at this point, it feels so long ago.

Around 10 months we started to finally get the consistency in Mia's schedule I've been wanting (or really, I laid down the law!) and now I know when she will nap, when she'll go to sleep, and when she'll wake up every day. It's not an exact science of course, Mia generally prefers to wake up earlier on the weekends when she's gotten two full-length naps at home (as opposed to at daycare, where there's too much fun to be had for napping). As I'm typing this, she's actually sleeping in a little which is always nice :)

7am: Mia wakes up and I nurse her in her room, then we change her diaper and get dressed for the day. Then we head upstairs for some alone time in her playpen. This is the time of day when she's least needy in terms of me being directly next to her, so I take advantage by cleaning the kitchen, prepping her breakfast, and getting dressed. I'm also on a "flex schedule" with work so I can spend more time with Mia in the mornings, so if time allows it I'll hop on my work computer too and shoot off a few emails. ("Flex schedule" basically just means I can start late, but I have to make up time missed in the evenings.)

8am: Breakfast! Mia eats just about everything I put in front of her. For breakfast we usually have yogurt with fruit, but sometimes I'll give her avocado, other fruit, eggs, or cheese. When I'm not thinking I give her yogurt bites, and then she spends the rest of the meal pointing at the yogurt bites asking for more.

8:30am: "Free range" playtime where Mia wanders our living room, crawling into small spaces (I call it #catlife on Instagram stories 😂) and looking for things I haven't babyproofed.

9:15am: I get Mia and myself bundled to go outside, and we walk the 15 minutes to her daycare. Mia loves school and her teachers and often immediately crawls away from me to climb into one of their laps, or crawls off to play with one of her friends.

10:00am: Mia's first nap, which she usually refuses at daycare because she's having too much fun. At home she'll sleep around an hour.

10:30/11am: Depending on when Mia wakes up, she'll have a 6oz bottle.



11:30am: Lunch time! I'm always amazed by the things they give her at school that she will gobble down - chili, sloppy joes, barbecue chicken! Along with fruit and vegetables of course. The report back is always that she cleaned her tray.

1:30pm: Another 6oz bottle

2:00pm: Nap time that she takes no matter what, usually for an hour.

3:30pm: Snack time! At daycare she usually gets fruit, crackers, and cheese.

4:30: Another 6oz bottle - she doesn't usually finish this one anymore.

5:00pm: Jeff picks up Mia from daycare. He usually gets to work by 7 because he's a crazy person (he's done this as long as I've known him!) so he'll take a 4:30 train home to get her. They'll walk home, and I always run to meet them at the door! #thatmom.

5:30pm: Dinner time! Mia will usually try our leftovers from the night before, or if we don't have anything for her I'll typically feed her pasta and chicken with pesto, sweet potato, mixed veggies, and some shredded cheese. After dinner, all three of us usually end up in the playpen. If Mia has missed a nap or is especially tired, we sometimes turn on an episode of Sesame Street to appease her until bedtime. I know, I know, we're terrible. But she loves it so much, she will literally clap and cheer when the opening credits start.

6:15pm: We only do baths 2x a week because Mia has really dry skin and because she usually isn't messy enough to need one. On a bath day, we fill up her little tub and let her splash away. Then we dry her off and lotion her up before pajamas.

6:30pm: Bedtime! We head downstairs for a final diaper change and to get into pajamas and her sleep sack. We used to wait until 6:45 but she would be super crabby when we got her ready for bed. At 6:30 she's generally happier to get into her pajamas. We read her two stories and then it's lights out. One of us will feed her a final 10oz bottle in her room and then put her in her bed. Nine times out of ten she rolls over, sticks her thumb in her mouth, and is asleep by the time I close her door.

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