Heading out for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

 The last 2 days the kids and I have been barricaded inside the house looking like the homeless in our sweatpants and top knots, sweatshirts and me with zero make-up. Kids are off for Thanksgiving break and there's been no reason to get dressed or bother with craziness like leaving the house. Ha ha. Although I did make a Target run to grab a few things. It was kind of nice to do NOTHING. I don't do that very often. I'm usually on the go or busy-busy doing something. We leave tomorrow to head back east and I figured a couple days of nothing was in order. I'm STILL recouping from this terrible stomach bug that I got over a week ago! It's definitely better but after a week of not eating and losing weight that I didn't want to, I was ravenous! On Saturday, I thought I was 100% better and I just ATE. ALL. DAY. LONG. Pizza, cheesy popcorn, smoothies, chips and guac, cheese, toast and peanut butter...I mean the list goes on. This was a really dumb idea and by the end of the day I was sick again. Needless to say, the last few days I've been eating very little because I WILL be better by tomorrow and plan to eat and drink savagely on Thanksgiving. LOL.

We are headed back to Boston to see Ty's side of the family and then then afterwards we plan to take a couple days to go back to our home town and see my dad and some long lost friends. Kids are pumped to see snow!! We looked at the weather for Thanksgiving in Boston and it looks like a chilling 0 degrees!! Our blood is gonna be in shock after a year in Texas. But I am just so excited to be with family this Thanksgiving since last year we were solo in TX. It was really quite lonely. I am such a party gal. I ADORE when the family gets together for holidays. I will miss my side of the family this year but we plan to see them on Christmas so all will be right.

My suitcase is absolutely ridiculous and may not pass the weight limit...I'm just stuffing it shut and praying. All that cold weather gear takes space!!! I'm also praying for no delays. We have a really late flight into Boston and any delay could mean zero sleep for us the night before Thanksgiving.....actually, I do believe I've had quite a few wild Thanksgiving Eves so I should be ok even with no sleep, right??? Haha. I am NOT a plane sleeper. Actually, I cannot nap regardless. Don't know why, just never was my thing. Even when I was younger I remember waking up crabbier than when I fell asleep.

As I pack up the last of my carry on items and sip this delicious lemon water, (can you hear the sarcasm?)  I am watching Scarlett smother Cubby (our Goldendoodle) to death with love since she is so upset that he can't come with us. I told her he will be fine since our babysitter (who happens to be our dog-sitter also) is taking him while we are gone and will give him LOTS of love. Whether you are staying home and hosting Thanksgiving this year or heading out on the road, be safe!!! And Happy Thanksgiving to you all!! I hope it's filled with lots of tryptophan, a few good cocktails and lots of love & family.

xo

Good Bye Summer, Hello Siesta Keys.

It is crazy to me that this summer is done and September is nearly over! We have had an awesome summer here in Texas. So many fun things that we got the chance to do. I can't wait to recap it all later this year. This week we are getting ready to head to Siesta Keys to see my mother. We rescheduled our trip back in August for October in hopes that the red tide would be gone. And it's STILL lingering. Ughhh. But we are hoping and praying that it isn't too bad when we go. If it is, we may skip the beach and we do have a back up plan or two.

After our last getaway, I told you guys that I am all aboard the better eating train this time around! Of course I will be having a cheat meal here or there and some cocktails, yes. But this trip, I am setting up some rules ahead of time so that I can not feel like complete and utter crap upon returning home. You can read my post on that here. Also I like to set intentions before trips so that our trip isn't as stressful.

Rule 1. Eat 60% healthy while away. So first, I researched some places in Siesta Keys that have organic or vegan foods. I found quite a few and so we will try and visit a couple of these places. We are staying with my mom for a little bit and then I also booked a resort with a kitchen so that I can buy some food from the supermarket and have some healthy alternatives and snacks while we are away. I'm going to stack that fridge with fruits, veggies, cheeses and lots of h20. I am the biggest water snob. If my water doesn't taste good, I won't drink it. San Antonio has spring fed public water and much to my surprise, really tasty.  I think I'd even go as far to say that it tastes way better than Saratoga Springs, NY water, (which they are supposed to be known for)!!! :O
Anyhow, my point is I buy bottled water when we are away. I know this isn't the best option since it's wasting a lot of plastic but until I find a better alternative...this is what we do.

Rule 2. Workout at least 2-3 times. I'm also going to pick 3 days during my vacation to work-out. The resort has a fitness center and so I will most definitely take advantage of that. I will most likely do this early in the am so that I get it out of the way. If I only make it to workout a couple times, I want to definitely take a couple nice walks on the beach. That can count towards miles walked.

Rule 3. Pack Ahead of Time & Bring Extra. I always pack like a week in advance. I'm kind of type A personality and that contributes to this pre-packing behavior. lol This also eliminates stress for me because I am the worst over-packer ever. I am one of those people who likes to wear what their mood calls for. And I can't very well pack everything so I try literally everything on and then pack it. I do have like 5 extra outfits just in case but I'm ok with that. Luckily SouthWest gives you 2 free suitcases per person. This is helpful for me. We buy 4 tickets so that is 8 suitcases I can pack...j/k. I don't really bring that many suitcases.

For the kids, I pick all of their outfits out ahead of time and usually lay them all out to see what they will look like. I do this because I enjoy it and for no other reason. I love seeing the kids in cute outfits that compliment each other. Scarlett is at the age that she like to pick what she wants now so I try to let her help me pick. Maxwell will let me dress him in anything that I choose.

Rule 4. Be in the moment. A lot of times we go away and we are on the go so much that I feel like the experience passes me by and I don't get to thoroughly enjoy it. This trip is specifically to visit with my mom and stepfather so we plan to be in the moment and really soak up some family time. That is really important to any vacation. What's the point unless you really enjoy yourself and be in the moment?  I may even bring a book to read during relax times instead of being on my phone.

Weekend Vibes: Shopping, Getting Back into Routine & LOTS of Thoughts.

One of the things that I am truly grateful for and enjoy more than I prob let anyone know, are slow Sundays. Most know me as the always on the go, ready for an adventure, Lauren. And 85% of the time that is true. Every once in awhile, I absolutely love a day where I can just sit on the couch with Ty, coffee in hand and a cozy blanket. We let the kids stay in their pj's all day and make a mess of everything. We eat comfort food and watch movies together. The kids are really into the 80's movies that I've been picking lately. So far we have watched Harry and the Henderson's, Batteries Not Included and ET.  They are loving these films! And of course this makes me happy since I'm an old 80's movies junkie.

We are having a slow Sunday over here today. Watching football, meal prepping lunches for the week and yes, I'm having a glass of red wine. It's still 90's over here but I'm in a Fall mood and red wine just seems to go with that whole theme. It barely rained here in San Antonio all summer. And now it has been raining for about a week. Which we totally needed. This also gives us some time to chill and just hang out.

The last couple of weekends have been us getting ready for back to school and getting into the groove of schedules. We did a lot of online shopping but I did take the kids to pick out a few things since this gets them excited for school. I've been doing well with meal prepping for the week's lunches and meal planning for the week's breakfasts and dinners. (I am working on some new fitness and food posts for you all.)  I feel like it's easier to keep focused this way. I have a set schedule now and it has been SO much easier to workout and even get in daily walks/jogs. Life all around has been smoother. I have a love/hate relationship with routine. On the one hand it does make life so much easier. The kids love being in a set daily pattern. I think most kids thrive in this type of environment. But the free spirit side of me gets extremely antsy. Working from home has it's perks: no driving to work, I can work in sweats if I please & I get a workout in on my lunch....but After a few months, I am ready for some crazy adventures!!! I go a little stir crazy. And it's always been like this for me. I have learned to incorporate fun activities into our lives often so that I don't get burnt out with "routine".

Everything in moderation, right?

In other news.....I've come to the realization that I am missing our own house. We came here for a temporary move and so we rented a house. We are in a small 3 bedroom, 1 floor house. Coming from a 4 bedroom, 4 bath, large house on almost 2 acres with a private back yard and a big playroom AND workout area,  it's an adjustment in a lot of ways. AND it's not even the space that really bothers me. I honestly just miss decorating and updating- and having something that we know is ours. Ok it's the space too. Haha.
To be honest, I haven't really done anything here at our house in Texas. We moved here and bought all new furniture (we left most of our furniture behind in NY) and have left it like that since we moved in.

 Back in NY, the kids always had cute rooms themed to their liking. Partially because I wanted to make them smile and partly because I enjoyed decorating them. Here, they had mattresses on the floor with no beds for 3 months or so.  I did finally buy new beds. I JUST bought a new dresser for our room last month. I procrastinated for so long because I just told myself we are moving soon and so large totes all over the bedroom is acceptable. Everything that I brought to hang on the walls, I haven't. It just doesn't feel like our house.  When you have owned, it's hard to go back to renting. I'm not feeling the carpet and tile throughout this house (ugh, HATE carpet) and we have thee teeny tiniest backyard/outdoor area you have ever seen. We have never been out there without seeing one of the 5 abutting neighbors over the not-tall-enough fence. Granted they are all super sweet and friendly, I still miss having a private backyard. And Ty wants a new grill in the worst way, but it's silly to buy a new one when we have a built in one back home.  Update: We bought a grill. 

I have put off decorating altogether. I feel like we are staying at a hotel for a really long time. And I know it's not ours so what's the point to put all of this effort into something that we are only staying in for a little while? So I guess that is the reason why I haven't done much with our house here.

Since we have been here, I have been so busy with relocation details and trying to figure out schools, doctors, traveling and working on top of that, that I haven't even thought about it much. Once things came together and slowed down, I had time to think and I am realizing I miss decorating and having a home of our own. There are a lot of things up in the air right now. Some that I don't even want to think about right now because they are out of my control and some possibilities that could be really exciting. It's just a lot of unknowns and we won't know until closer to the end of the year. Ty and I talked about when we do leave, do we want to move back to our old NY house or build. I have seen MANY houses being in real estate and I can honestly say that I have never found a home that I thought would be perfect. So we think building is the route we will go. I think that is really the only way that we would get what we truly want.

My style has changed a bit over the years. But ultimately the basics haven't changed. I like an eclectic look. Some traditional, some modern and some modern farmhouse vibes.  I even love west coast feel so it's hard to pull that all together into one house. Everything I love is open, airy and bright. Lots of natural sunlight. TONS of windows. In fact, I love natural light so much that I want an entire wall to be one large folding or floor length window. It would have an open floor plan and a private backyard like our NY home has. Wood floors everywhere, lots of whites and neutrals. I can see it perfectly in my mind and even have a floor plan picked out.

For now I'll keep pinning on my Pinterest board and being ok with the idea that someday soon we will have a home that feels more like ours. When Ty accepted this job, we did so knowing that we wanted an adventure and that is exactly what we've gotten. Our intentions were to experience life differently. We've seen so many cool places, traveled and experienced all sorts of fun new things. It's been a great year and I am so thankful for that!!  And well, the year is not over yet. So we'll just continue on having fun until our next move comes about. Sometimes you just have to let life happen as it does. And often times, it comes together just how it's supposed to.

To all my NY people, I am envious of your sweaters and colorful leaves!! I'm living vicariously through your posts and photos. ;) Meanwhile, over here we are getting a "cool down" from the rain we've been having. We are seeing the 80's and it feels amazing! I hope you are all getting settled back into routines and getting back in the groove of schedules this Fall.

Which glasses fit me best with Warby Parker.

I don't wear glasses on a regular basis but I do use glasses for night time driving, drive-ins and any other things far away visuals. I actually like wearing glasses once in awhile and if I didn't have to use them periodically, I probably would just for fashion sake. So I am kind of picky when it comes to picking out glasses and for some reason the ones that I think are going to look good never do and vice versa. Larger glasses tend to look good on my face since I have large features.

I got to try Warby Parker's At Home Try On and it was super easy and a great way to try some glasses for free! I went online and did a short questionnaire on my face shape and what I like, etc. My results on what glasses would be best for me were pretty spot on. Out of my results, I picked 5 pairs that I wanted to try on and ordered them. These below were the ones I liked.

They shipped them for free right to my door and after trying them on, I just stuck them all back in the box, added the prepaid shipping label and sent them back. I asked on Instagram which glasses you all liked better and these above and below, were the winners!!! Laurel Oak Barrel was #1, Laurel Tea Rose Fade #2 and Louise Rose Water was #3.

If you wanted to check out the free At Home Try on, you can do that HERE.  They also have sunglasses!

6 Things About Texas so far and some thoughts.

Some things I've learned about Texas so far.

1. Everyone says "Yes M'am, Yes Sir and y'all" I just love it! It sounds so respectful and makes me hope that my kids start to incorporate some of this in their vocabulary. I catch onto accents very quickly. I remember visiting Georgia when I was younger and leaving a couple weeks later with a southern drawl.
2. People are not in a rush here. Not on the road, not in their work life, not in general. Which is much different than New York. And refreshing.
3. Don't wear short shorts to the riverwalk. Ok... this has nothing to do with Texas but when we were at the Riverwalk last weekend, I got stung by a bee right on my buttox....and let me tell you, it was NOT fun. I've been stung by white-faced hornets, wasps, bees etc...but whatever the heck type of flying demon this was stung the heck out of my ass and it is still sore days later!! Yowzers.

4. People think that 50 degrees is freezing. If you have seen my Instagram Stories, then you know how this does not cease to amaze me. We are the only "crazies" with our windows cranked down and t shirts on in 60 degree weather. And yes, people look at us like that too. ha ha.

5. People are very friendly. Everyone waves here. I had to drive Ty to work for a whole week so we could use his truck until my suv was delivered. When I would drive by some of his co-workers, apparently they waved and I SWEAR I didn't see. So Ty comes home to tell me that his co-workers said I need to learn some southern hospitality!! lol. And as my husband joked, when we wave in NY, it's usually just a finger....lol. All jokes aside, it is totally funny how different states have their different quirks and I am loving Texas' friendliness.

6,  It's obviously warmer and the air here is different. Maxwell was sick this last weekend. He got a cold which suddenly turned for the worst Friday night. He could't breathe at all and we ended up taking him to the ER. He wasn't responding to nebulizers or a couple different medicines. It was scary. Although I have been there before with Scarlett, and in worse circumstances, it never gets easier to see your child hurting. Thankfully the children's hospital here is amazing and they had him feeling better in no time.  They think that the air here might have had an affect on him since this has never happened to him before. A lot of people gain allergies here that didn't have them elsewhere. And while I think this happens everywhere, we aren't used to this environment and these molds/spores, so it makes perfect sense. Here's to hoping this isn't a reoccurring event in his life.

The great thing about seeing new places is that you appreciate what you have that other states don't and it makes you enjoy the things that new places do have, that you don't. I'm taking in all the sun and hospitality while missing those Autumn colors and my friends and family. We are enjoying our time here in Texas so far. There are so many things I love about Texas already. The more I travel, the more I want to see new places. It's addicting.  I know there were probably a few people that didn't understand our reasoning for coming here to Texas and thought we should have kept the kids settled in NY where we were. Although I don't feel the need to explain, here is some perspective. I grew up in the same town all my life. I didn't see new places outside of New England, besides the occasional trip to FL, and I didn't experience new things. I grew up thinking that where I was was where I belonged and I don't necessarily know if that is true. I think had I seen other places, my life might have taken far more turns and been deeper than it was. I'm not saying that I regret anything or blame my parents for not exposing me. I'm saying that there is no wrong or ideal way. I'm letting my kids experience new things and new places. I hope that they are able to adapt more easily in life because of these experiences. Not only that but maybe they will be able to choose where they want to be in life without fear of the unknown. I know they are little but make no mistake, kids pay attention way more than we realize. For instance: When we were packing to move to NY, I took all of the kids toys and sent them on their way in the Pod. Maxwell asked where the toys were. I explained that they were headed to Texas. The next time that he Skyped with Ty, he asked, "Where is my room?" and Ty showed him his room. I never told him that we were moving there but he instinctually knew that with Ty being gone and in a new place, that he was moving there also. When we got to Texas, our pod had not arrived yet. The first thing he asked was, "Where my toys?" At 2 years old this kids put all the pieces together. They figure things out and know way more than we allow ourselves to believe they do.

Another interesting thing that happened to me this week. Our POD came.....praise the Lord!! Anyhow, I was unloading things and trying to organize what I could. Mind you, we have been living out of 2 suitcases worth of stuff for the last 2 weeks. As I began filling cabinets and drawers, I started to feel really overwhelmed with everything. There was SO. much. stuff!!! So I stopped unraveling bubble wrap and started to leave things in boxes. I just couldn't stock all the crap into our house.

I've come to the conclusion that living more simple is really less stressful. I don't need 40 plates and 20 mugs! I don't need as much as I thought I did. I really only need the basics and my family. And please don't misunderstand, I'm not talking about clothes. Because....I can never have enough clothes lol. But when it comes to everything else material related, I'm over it. So I took out the things I need and left so much of the stuff "I just couldn't live without" when I was packing in NY, in boxes. Funny how perspective changes things.

Riverwalk photos to come...

The Annual Gala White Party. 2016.

Ty and I went to Saratoga's Annual Gala: The White Party. It was a great time with a group of friends. This year, it was held at the Saratoga Polo Club. We enjoyed drinks and plenty of food while listening to live music. There were even fire works at the end of the night. I have been asked 100 times where my dress is from....so here it is....

I bought this dress last minute on Forever XI online. You can find it here. 
I bought this dress for $35.00 and I believe it is on sale now! I was in love with the cutout on the back of the dress. Great bargain cocktail dress!


Dressing up and going out with Ty is one of my favorite things to do. We don't do it as much as we used to but when we do get a chance to get out, we definitely enjoy it to the fullest.  We even made it in Saratogian Newspaper! ;)

Weekends.

Last weekend we took a day and decided to go out with no plans or agenda and just enjoy ourselves. Baby has been really colicky so I like to take him out in the fresh air as much as possible. We are doing our best to get through these colic days. They can be trying, mostly for me. But this day we went out and enjoyed ourselves anyhow. The fresh air often times will calm him. We took a walk into the city and got some smoothies & Frozen yogurt. We ate at a little place called the Falafel Den and then took our food into the park to listen to the live Jazz music and feed ducks. Scarlett, like me, loves going for walks and having small adventures. I'm sure little baby Maxwell will too. We are going to try and do things like this at least once a week to get out of the house as a family and enjoy life right now. Even if it seems difficult to get out right now with our small babe, we are going to do it.

This jumper I found on Forever21.com and bought it with the intention that it would be great to breastfeed in. I was right, the zipper is perfect. You can find it here. Also, Maxwell's sandals can be found here.  
Happy Weekend!!

My jumper

Summer Craves.

Lenny maillot bathing suit / Madewell flower print pants / Free People playsuit romper / J.crew sandals / Western bag / Kate Spade pave jewelry / Mango cateye sunglasses

The Last Week of Winter.

My Coat: JC Penny

Kalin's Coat: Old Navy

Scarlett's Coat: Gap (Second-Hand)

Weekends are what we look forward to around here lately; some time to enjoy ourselves and spend some time together. We can feel Spring trying to make it's presence. I can't say it enough: we are over winter. This winter was definitely a long one. We love boots, snow and days snuggled up on the couch watching movies but I'm yearning for a season change. I feel so lucky to be able to experience four very different seasons. Each season brings with it such beautiful changes. As much I would love to experience living in Florida or even California, my personality craves change and I think I would find myself back in the northeast sooner or later.


This weekend, we went out for breakfast and went antique hunting. We found a cute little breakfast spot on the outskirts of the city and breakfast was delicious. I have been longing for antique/thrift shops since we moved away from Massachusetts. I'm an avid thrift-shopper. A lot of things in my house are previously-owned. Mostly small furniture and decor but some clothing, too. I find it silly to pay tons of money for brand new things when you can find used things cheaper. Not to mention, the vintage stuff has so much more character. I find it intriguing to find great treasures that cost pennies.  This weekend, we discovered a small town not far away that has quite a lot of antique shops. I was pretty excited. My sister and I hunted through the town all morning. Ty put in a new wood floor in our entryway. I'm glad to be rid of the ugly, fake tile that was previously down. Speaking of which, this week, I will have a few home-improvement progress photos up. When Spring rolls around, I find myself longing to rearrange the house, finish projects and buy house plants. And COLOR! Don't forget color.  It's not long now…it's the last week of winter and I am beyond ready.

Snow Storms + Drape Sweaters + Link Up.

Here in New York, we are in the midst of yet another snow storm. With 10" expected today, it's safe to say that the groundhog was right this year, six more weeks of winter. We are pretty used to snow well into March so it's no surprise. I just can't help long for warm days and more outdoor activities. Until then, it's boots and more cozy sweaters for us. 

Patterned Drape Sweater: ASOS

Necklace: elloLovedesigns

WIWW
Two Thirty Five