Sleeping In Luxury

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I love sleep. As a mom of littles, sleep is what I crave more than anything, and if there is something that can increase my quality of sleep my dollars won't hesitate. This should not be a surprise to anyone that has seen all that we have put into our bedroom. Haha! 

When I get ready for bed I take my time as if I'm getting ready for a date, but it's a date with the sandman. I slather on yummy smelling face creams and spray aromatherapy to ensure sweet dreams. And as far as sleepwear goes, well, up until now I just wore a t-shirt and comfy shorts, but Natori has changed all of that for me. I had no idea silk satin could feel so luxurious. 

I have a fondness for luxury goods just like anyone, but when it comes down to putting my dollars where my eyes are I'm pretty reluctant unless I'm going to get a lot of use out of it. I never considered luxury sleepwear to be one of those things, but after experiencing Natori I get why people love it so much. Slipping on these jams is like slipping on a second skin and waking up in an evening gown. Do I dare even call these pajamas? 

If you're a fan of cotton they have you covered there too. They carry the softest, prettiest cotton sets. When people talk about wanting to wear sweatpants all day they just don't know what they are missing out on because Natori is truly what you want to wear all day long. 

Check out other styles here, and tell me what your favorite is. 

Photos by Rennai Hoefer; This post contains affiliate links. Product was given for this post.

Multifunctional Storage Ideas

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We have an open floor plan in our home. I love it, but we don't have much storage as a result. One thing that we desperately want is storage for our kids' toys. They are in an old Ikea unit right now, but you can see the toys and the daily mess from every angle of our first floor. So, we've been planning to build some simple storage and functional seating with some good 'ole inspiration from Pinterest. 

1 // I love this example from Domino Magazine of storage being functional and beautiful at the same time. The lucite handles are particularly enticing to me, as well as the indigo pillows. 

2// This built-in storage bench showcases exactly what we hope to do with our toys. The cut-out handles are a modern solution to pulls and could possibly bring the cost down.

3// This traditional example of a storage bench intrigues me because they have painted theirs with a pop of color. Since all of our walls are white this might be something to consider.

4// Such a sweet nook for a kid's room, and the leather handles on these storage bins are on point. A casual DIY idea that would fit well in our home. (source unknown).

Stay tuned to see what we do next, and if you have anymore storage solution ideas I would love to hear them.

I DON'T WANT TO WEAR SHAPEWEAR

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Back in August, I shared a vulnerable update on what my body looked like almost one year after having Levi. Today, I'm sharing with you unedited pictures of that same body in a one piece. It's scary for me for some reason, but it really shouldn't be. This is me. This is my body. It's beautiful, but I also don't feel strong and I want to tone up the jiggle. I don't want to have to wear Spanx or one pieces to feel confident.

Prior to my pregnancy with Levi I was in the best shape of my life. I worked out at the gym three times a week, wore a size 2/4 and felt stronger than I ever had. So, knowing my body has the potential to not have a lot of jiggle and to FEEL strong made me want to get back into shape. 

I had resolved many times throughout my post-partum season to get to my butt to the gym. Well, as some of you know, we battled a lot of health issues for Levi at the time and getting to the gym was a struggle. I couldn't take him with me, and waking up at the wee hours of the morning or doing it at night was taken up by work since I had to take off so many days. 

Fast forward to now...I am 18 months post-partum and my body hasn't changed one bit. I'm still wearing size 6 pants and my tummy and arms jiggle like jello. I don't weigh much at all. I'm only one 130, but I don't feel strong and I still have to wear spanx smooth my lumps under dresses. I hate that!

I don't want to have to wear hot, sweaty, beige underwear to make my body look better. I want to naturally do it myself by toning up and getting in shape. So, for the past six days and for the rest of this month I have committed myself to Core Body Pilates. (You may have already seen posts about it on my Instagram stories). It is said that after 10 times you'll feel different and after 20 times you'll see results. Well, I'll tell you what...After only six times I'm seeing results and I'm feeling stronger. 

More about what I've learned in pilates soon, but for now, you can join me on Instagram to see daily updates on my progress. 

HOW TO BE AUTHENTIC IN ONE STEP

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Why is authenticity hard for people? Why has it become a buzz word and the new marketing avenue? And why when people try to be authentic you can still spot the disingenuousness like it's a knock off designer bag. Why are the legit ones hard to spot?  These are questions that I have been mulling over lately. And what I have discovered is that the reason why it's hard for some and not for others comes down to  one thing. FEAR - being fearful of losing something or being rejected. For me, I would rather lose popularity, clicks, money, etc. than lose myself but this hasn't always been the case.

For most of my life I lived on the side of the coin as a person that was just there - unnoticed, flying under the radar, not bad, not good, not smart, not dumb, not drop-dead gorgeous, not ugly, not super talented, not popular, not a loner - just there. And then the coin flipped over night. I became popular, I became seen, I became prettier (got rid of acne, lost weight, did my hair and learned how to do makeup), I found my talents and I finally had things I never had before - I finally had things to lose that I didn't want to lose. And I felt that fear of rejection and loss start to direct my choices, my business, my relationships and I hated it like it was a plague taking over my body. And I dropped it like a bad habit because I felt so uncomfortable. And that's why I have positioned my blog to an authentic story-telling place about style, home and motherhood. And so the answer to why being authentic is hard and why people want it badly is clear...When the fear of losing acceptance, approval, relationships and money becomes greater than the fear of losing yourself you will find your actions, business and relationships disingenuous. And when you find someone that is ready to lose it all at any moment for the sake of being true to themselves you find authenticity.

It's rare to find online because there is an immediate reaction to every picture and word (like or dislike; follow or unfollow). We experience loss immediately and it's scary is f*** because that equates, for some, to mortgages and food for their family.

And I don't say I'm good now at being authentic to toot my own horn, but it was the craving for the freedom to be authentic online that became so strong over the past year that I was ready to lose it all. So I started doing it more, and thanks to YOU I have been able to be transparent, be accepted and maintain a voice. You have shown me that people will still show up and listen even if they disagree, are tired of hearing your kid is sick, and you don't have cool hair braid tutorials. Thank you!

Photos by Rennai Hoefer

LEVI'S NURSERY UPDATE

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Levi's Nursery Reveal - AVE Styles

I can't believe Levi is a toddler. Where has the time gone? Recently, Anthropologie and I partnered to update Levi's nursery to a toddler room featuring their adorable toddler bedding. Now that Levi knows animals and can make their sounds he especially love this animal bedding. 

I was really nervous to change a thing because I loved it the way it was, but when we knew we had to get rid of his other rug due to allergies I thought it was a great opportunity to add a bit of boho flair to it similar to our master bedroom.

Black, tan, navy, gray and white are all neutral colors I love and I decided to put them all into one room. I also mixed stripes, polka dots and other patterns along with the animal bedding to create a bohemian feel. 

Levi's favorite part of his updated room is the bunny. It's the softest, cutest stuff animal I have ever felt. It's a great gift for a little one. 

Adding kid elements to such a rich room is important to me. That's why I love this little giraffe planter. That's also why I love his kiddish bedding, and why I added a polka dot pill size pillow.

One of the sweetest things of converting his crib into a toddler bet is that I get to snuggle with him even more. Now to keep him in his bed...

Photography by Rennai Hoefer; this post contains affiliate links. Product was given as payment for images of this room.