Easter

Basket Goodies: 

Turtle, Hot Wheels, The Foot Book, Fruit Crisps, Rainbow Goldfish, Teddy Grahams

This was Reese's second Easter, but the first that we actually celebrated.

Last year he was only three months old so we didn't do anything or even consider making him a basket.

This year I will never forget the look on his face when he walked into the living room to find his basket waiting to be opened.

He was mainly excited for the snacks (that's my boy!) 

I tried to buy items that I never give him, gold fish, teddy grahams, Fruit Crisps (one serving of fruit in each bag!) etc.

We actually celebrated twice, he did his first egg hunt with my mom and grandma on Saturday night and then we went to Kye's grandparents house on Sunday to hunt more eggs and eat way too much.

Watching Reese find eggs (and jump with excitement and curiosity) was too much for my little mommy heart to handle!

I hope you all had a great Easter!

xoxo

Toddler March Favorites

| one | two | three | four | five | six | 

Now that Reese is fourteen months old, I've noticed a change in the toys that he enjoys playing with.

They are a bit more "grown up" like hot wheels etc.

I catch him using the couch as his hot wheels ramp.

(He sets them on top and pushes them down so they crash and does it all over again)

Our week day evening routine before dinner is to lay in bed and read lots of books while he nurses. 

His favorites are: 'Are You My Mother' and 'Goodnight Moon'.

He'll point to the pictures when I ask him to find the baby bird, cow jumping over the moon etc. and try to mimic the words.

 I am extremely persistent on making sure that he has books read to him every single day and especially when he asks for his, "book". 

I keep books on our nightstand (we co-sleep) and sometimes while I'm trying to put him to sleep he'll climb out of bed and pull his books down, then climb back in bed.

That's cue for cuddles and read time.

He has also started climbing on top of his bouncing turtle all by himself and jumping like a little monkey.

It's very amusing to watch. 

If you have toddlers, I really recommend picking up alphabet fridge magnets (just make sure to monitor them while they play, they tend to try to eat everything!)

I teach Reese words and how to pronounce them, so far he is learning lots!

 

What are your toddlers favorite toys this month?

 

xoxo

Friday Favorites

| one | two | three | four | five | six | seven |

Have a great weekend!

xoxo

Make- Up

Hey guys!

So I received a couple of questions in regards to this post.

You guys wanted to know what eye make up I was wearing and if I had falsies on.

My make up routine that day was extremely minimal, we had a rough night (grumpy baby) and I was in no mood to be in front oft he mirror at 6:30am piling on complicated make up.

Here is is:

I used Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Eyeliner for green eyes and a couple coats (Five coats) of Covergirl's Lash Blast Volume mascara (This has been and will be my favorite for as long as it's on the market, no clumps and no spider looking lashes!)

So there you have it.

It literally takes about 2 minutes to do and the end result is something that I am satisfied with.

 

 I will do a tutorial on how to get the look on Saturday morning if you guys would like.

Shoot me an email or leave a comment on here.

xoxo

Ideas for how to spend a Spring day

I've been trying to make a list of things to do now that the weather is warming up.

My son is extremely antsy and does not like to stay inside so here's a list of things that I plan on doing in the near future:

What's on your Spring to do lists?

xoxo

Five Things.

I thought I would share five things about myself with you all.

1. I went through an extreme writing phase from ages 11-18. I had journal collections in which I would chart everything beautiful from a feather I found on the ground to the way asphalt crunched under my sneakers.

When I was 16 and going through my teen angst phase I destroyed most of these journals because I thought I was an idiot ha.

What I would give to go back and read it all!

2. I tell people I grew up in Big Bear, CA. (Technically I spent most of my teenage years there)

Truth is, I grew up in Riverside, CA but don't consider this home.

3. I graduated with a degree in Merchandise Product Devlopment from FIDM in downtown Los Angeles in 2008.

4. I daydream a lot about traveling and exploring, which might be the reason I love books such as, 'Travels with Charley in Search of America' by John Steinbeck.

I do not like to sit still, I always have to see new things or else I get bored and upset.

5. I measure things on a child birth pain scale..haha which means, I don't find most things painful anymore.

What are your five things?

xoxo

Classics

classics  plural of clas·sic (Noun)

Noun

1. A work of art of recognized and established value.
2. A garment of a simple, elegant, and long-lasting style.

I have never been one to follow on trends.

Granted, yes I work in the fashion industry, and yes I see all the new hot trends months in advance.

 I've always stuck with the classics, button ups, stripes, blazers, flats (in many colors), little black dresses, little white dresses, cardigans, heels, boots, cigarette jeans, leather handbags and colorful accessories.  

 

I've loved Coco Chanel's style from the minute I knew who she was, along with Audrey Hepburn.

I would wear lots of items that they had in their closet to this day and it would still look modern, this is what classics are, people.

 Prior to becoming a mom I would buy clothes much bigger because I didn't like to show my body shape.

Now I accentuate my body with clothing that fits properly and flatters my frame.

I also find that we should dress age appropriate. 

AKA get out of the juniors section if you are not a teen girl.

Put those mini shorts and crop tops away if you are past the age of twenty-one.

 You catch my drift.

Please note that all items that are in the pictures are actual items that I do own, or are extremely similar to items that are currently in my wardrobe.

If you would like me to link the sites where you can find these items feel free to ask away! :)

 I hope this helps you guys find the right building blocks to putting together a wonderful collection of clothing that will last a long time and will always remain current and classic.


xoxo

Fourteen Months.

 
Yet another month has been marked off of my son's life since he's been born.

I find myself planning his second birthday (ALREADY!) in my head.

I don't know what little monster was invented to gobble up days left and right, but it needs to s--llll--ooooo-wwww down!

In the back of my mind this little boy will always be my tiny delicate newborn even if in reality he is a toddler running ten times faster than me.

At fourteen months Reese:

- Runs. Really fast... enough said.

- Does not like to be tied down to carts, high chairs, car seats, he has to walk or he won't be happy.

-Prefers to push his stroller (cart, chairs anything with a back... ) not sit in it.

- Loves nature! When ever he's in a bad mood I'll take him outside to talk about the trees and the bushes and it lightens his spirit.

- Is almost completely self weaned. His dad and I think he's only asking to breastfeed as a form of comfort.

-Dances to all music, doesn't matter where we are he will stop and dance. We get lots of, "oh my goodness he is so cute!" from strangers ;)

- Is a F-L-I-R-T he loves his ladies.

- Makes lots of silly faces at his Daddy and I.

- Favors Daddy over Mommy.. lol.. we're working on this, people.

-Loves Vanilla Horizon milk, he can gobble an entire carton in a couple minutes!

- Likes to drag sticks around and bop me, Dad and the dog with them.

- Loves his new alphabet magnets we bought for the fridge. I try to teach him words and he'll slap them off.

- Learned how to use his blocks properly! He finally can stack them together.

- Can carry 3-4 pound weights (With mommy running behind him having a  mini heart attack, of course...). I'm thinking about sending him off to work at the circus as the next strong man.

-Likes to carry all of his toys to the kitchen... I don't know why.

- Is still the pickiest eater in the universe! If it's colorful and he sees it, it's going to the dog.

And last but not least, is still the love of his mommies life.

xoxo

The Pursuit of Happiness

On my drive into work today, I got to thinking about happiness.

How to build it, how to surround myself and thought about what makes me happy?

For a long time I tied happiness in with work.

If I didn't love my job, didn't make "x" amount of money a year then I wasn't happy.

 That no longer holds true.

I've been hearing and reading lots of people's remarks about hating their life,  complaining about work, relationships etc.

 I want to shake them and say, "Wake up! Living like this will kill you!"

Happiness is:

Watching my son grow and learn.

Not stressing about small things in life like "F***, I'm going to be 10 minutes late to work because of this traffic..." which I was prone to doing.

Basking in the sunlight while enjoying time singing in the car on my way to work.

Feeling beautiful, but not acting like a person trying to prove to everyone that I am beautiful. You look a fool trying to do that!

Planning out my future. I took a year off from planning my goals, what comes next.

I am back in that mode.

(I am not planning Reese's future, that's for him alone to plan)

Going on a date with Kye and Reese on Friday evenings.

You have no idea how much I look forward to this at the beginning of the week!

Exploring old and new places.

 

What makes you happy?

xoxo

Beauty Favorites

| FACE | NAILS | EYES | LIPS | 

I have been experimental this month when it came to beauty products.

Don't get me wrong, there are days when I just don't feel like doing my make up and I'll throw on two coats of mascara and a swipe of lip gloss and call it a day... then there are days when I like to get dolled up.

Physicians Formula Supper BB

I mentioned in a previous post that I was obsessed with the Garnier Fructis BB cream, just this month it started seeping into my smile lines aka wrinkles and this was the end of my love affair.

I heard lots of hype about Physicians Formula Super BB cream and decided to give it a try.

I originally thought that it was not going to match my skin ( I picked up "light") turns out it blends in so nicely to your skin color all while masking all of those tiny imperfections.

It also isn't watery based like the Garnier BB cream which I find pretty nice!

Revlon Moon Candy Nail Art Nail Polish- Orbit

AMAZING! I'm actually wearing this on my nails as I type.. I used two coats of the navy nail polish and one swipe of the chunky glitter on top... and I cannot stop looking at my nails.

They are so cool, I just want to show them off, the glitter reminds me of ice chips.

It's also lasted about four days with no chipping!

Sonia Kashuk Eye Couture Pallet

In last months post I mentioned that I was in love with another Sonia Kashuk eye quad.

She makes amazing cosmetics I can't even rave enough.

The price and the quality are so amazing ($14.99 for the pallet above!)

Plus these colors are so nice and don't make me look like I walked through a time machine from the 80's.

 Maybelline Color Sensational Lip gloss- Captivating Coral

This is another product I've blogged about previously.

I've literally been using this every day for two weeks. The color is the perfect coral shade and the formula isn't watery or sticky which is my biggest annoyance in lip gloss.

I usually wear mascara, blush and a swipe of this gloss when I'm in a rush.

Makes me looked put together without trying.

What are you beauty favorites this month?

xoxo

Confessions of a Coffee-holic

I get asked quite frequently how I manage to be so chipper and alive all while raising a toddler.

Truth is, I am dying of exhaustion..

I have to physically drag myself out of bed (every morning!)

Outfits are picked at night before bed.

All so I can get an extra five whole minutes of sleep, if Reese permits this ;)

The main reason for my chipper and positive outlook on life? Coffee. Two or more cups a day to be exact... and by cups I mean giant mugs.

"C" is for coffee that's good enough for me!! ;)

Closet Cravings.

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

Every time winter comes to a close, I find myself being drawn to the color orange.
What are you guys craving to fill the spaces in your closet lately?

xoxo

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

 

| 38 Weeks Pregnant | 

So I know I am way past the pregnant stage (my son is almost Fourteen months!) however, I can't shake the weird writings I found scribbled like a mad woman, while I was pregnant.

I was a hormonal train WRECK.

While many woman have cravings such as ice cream, chalk etc. I craved history books on Atlantis and Queen Elizabeth 1.

You read that right.

I spent my weekends at the library and online researching both topics as if I were writing a thesis.

Kye and I were both sure that Reese was going to slide right out of the womb a historian with a full on beard and bifocals.

Prior to being pregnant I had no interest in either topics.

All I wanted to eat were chicken nuggets, tacos (the hotter the better) Panera mac and cheese and Peanut Butter sandwiches (even though I am allergic to peanut butter!)

I hated ice cream, if you know me, you know that this is extremely unlike me, I consider ice cream a main food group.

We used to joke that I ate like a little boy.

I refused to wear maternity clothing... I had way too much pride for  that, thank you very much lol.

I was still trying to squeeze my big belly under size small shirts and size 4 pants.

When I finally had no choice but to buy maternity pants around seven months, I kicked myself in the butt (Thanks Destination Maternity) how did I not know how comfortable maternity pants were??

I didn't go through the "nesting" phase like most women do.

I had one day of yelling at Kye to put up the crib and changing table.

I cried, I screamed, I even pouted (I'm not proud of my actions) when he wouldn't get off his butt and do it the exact second I wanted him to.

 

I hated our dog :( 

This is the one that gets me everytime...

I felt like she was going to hurt my baby, she was going to give him some weird disease, she was the enemy.

 I simply ignored her except to walk, feed and water her.

I treated her like she didn't exist :((

 She has always been such a good girl which is why I didn't get why I felt this way towards her.

Eventually she forgave me and now we are BFF's again.

The day we brought Reese home she was so excited! She protects and loves him as much as we do.

When he cries she runs right by his side.

When he naps, she stays in the room and naps with him.

 It's amazing watching them grow together.

I'd love to hear all of your pregnancy tales as well.

xoxo

 

Weekend Getaway

Tee | Blazer | Necklace | Dress | Scarf | Blush | Sunnies | Purse | Sandals |

Day dreaming of a weekend getaway.

xoxo

Guilt and the Working Mommy

When I started working I knew that I would feel guilt for leaving my boy.

Would he think I'd abandoned him? How will we both cope? We've spent every single second since he was conceived together!

I was secretly hoping that he'd have some sort of allergic reaction (not really) to daycare and that my choice would automatically be made, I would just be a mommy that worked from home for ever.

Truth be told, I knew that I had to do this. For him to gain independence and for me to keep my sanity, being with a baby all day really gets to you (when you watch baby shows and catch yourself being really into it, you know its time to get your tooshy to work)

 I also know that if something (god forbid) were to happen to Kye that I would be able to take care of my boy and give him the life that he deserves.

Just as my parents did for me.

With all of that being said, I still can't help but feel guilty.

Guilty that I come home and he's upset because he's tired.

Guilty that I look at him every night and realize that yes, he really has grown in the 11 hours that I've not seen him.

Even guilty that I wasn't there to change his dirty diaper! haha

I will eventually learn that he is healthy, happy and enjoys his time at "school" (daycare) and with dad.

And those nights after dinner, getting him ready for bed will forever be my favorite time.

Now I just need to stop driving  home like a race car driver breaking all sorts of laws to get home to my boy.

After all he needs his mommy home in one piece.

xoxo

Beauty Faves

| shadow | lip | nail polish | liner | perfume | laundry

Hey guys!

 I thought I'd share with you all a couple of my new beauty (and fragrance) favorites for this month.

Sonia Kashuk eye quad in Fair and Square

If you haven't already tried the Sonia Kashuk eye shadow quads, I suggest you get yourself down to Target and pick one up! These are amazing, they go on smoothly and have the right amount of shimmer without making you look like a thirteen year old girl stuck in a glitter phase.

I use the fair and square quad almost every day and have received so many compliments on my eye make up along with eye liner which I will get to in a bit.

 I actually plan on picking up a couple more of these just to change things up.

The Body Shop Lip Scuff

I was hesitant when I bought this only because it was super grainy and leaves little "seeds" on your lips, however, Kye and I have become obsessed. I put this on my lips before bed, I used to have super dry, peeling lips and haven't had that problem since I purchased this.

If I wear lipstick without lip gloss I always apply this as a base first (wiping the "seeds" off my lips first, of course) and my lips will stay plump and not dry looking, which I love!

Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez nail lacquer in Selena

This color is the most perfect shade of pinkish peach with a little bit of silver glitter (you can't really tell unless you look closely) 

It lasts 4-5 days without chipping and I often do a glitter tip to make it look like a french manicure.

 Physicians Formula Shimmer Cream Liner for green eyes

So I can't begin to tell you how many women compliment my eyes with this eyeliner either alone or with the Sonia Kashuk quad.

Just this morning I had a woman come up to me asking what liner I use because it was the perfect color and line.

Now, I know I do not have green eyes, I actually picked this one up instead of the brown eye pods because they were sold out and I really wanted to try this.

The liner comes with three different pods, purple, green and black. They each have a hint of green shimmer, nothing crazy, you can't tell when we have it on unless you really look closely in the right lighting.

It goes on smoothly, dries quickly and doesn't smudge.

This is a definite keeper.

See by Chloe perfume

This fragrance is so light and airy with the right hints of floral.

It smells clean... if you know what I mean... like clean laundry or stepping fresh out of a shower.

Prior to having Reese I was in to harsher, stronger smells such as Mademoiselle by Chanel.

Now I can't stand the smell, it's too strong and always made me sick when I was pregnant.

Downy Unstoppable in wash scent booster in Lush

Holy moly am I obsessed! I picked these up in two different smells, Lush and Shimmer, so far have just used the Lush.

You just dump a little (or a lot) of these tiny beads in the wash with your laundry and detergent and its supposed to leave your clothes smelling amazing... that it does.

I sniff my clothes all day like a little weirdo, they smell THAT good and the fragrance doesn't wear off after a whole day of being out and about...

If I could, I would throw every single thing we own in the wash with these little guys just for the smell.

xoxo

Thirteen Months!

Hey guys!

So I'm a little late.. two whole days to be exact, but Reese just recently turned thirteen months on Sunday!
He really just gets more amazing each day.

At thirteen months Reese:

Can walk, he prefers to run, REALLY FAST and then fall and crawl around.

He would much rather crawl though, its much easier to chase the dog this way and get into small spaces ;)

Loves the chair in the pictures above! This used to be Kye's chair when he was a baby and now it belongs to Reese.

He sits like a big boy and reads his books or watches Yo Gabba Gabba.

Loves to dance and "sing" he's actually been doing this for some time now, but recently picked up on  "singing" with mommy in the car.

Blows kisses, gives kisses on demand and waves to everyone and everything!

Says handfuls of actual words, even words that aren't exactly words like "Chassss" which means Cheerios.

Also points to everything he wants.

He doesn't fuss or cry for things anymore (save for middle of the night teething), he just lets us know whats bothering him or what he needs.

Gets into all cabinents, drawers, you name it! I catch him in the pantry numerous times a day trying to get his snacks and the coffee out (I think he's so used to seeing me pull the coffee out a billion times a day he just wants to help)

Likes to turn off the lights, turn on the coffee maker, push the buttons on for his sound machine, basically turn everything off and on.

Has become and EXTREMELY picky eater... sometimes I wonder if he is even getting enough to eat because he refuses EVERYTHING!

Likes to give the dog treats, he likes to make her jump really high so she looks like she's dancing.

Can count to five on his little fingers. (I think it's more mimicking than anything else)

And last but not least, mimics everything mommy and daddy does, from brushing our hair to eating with forks or spoons.

He has major meltdowns if he don't give him the big boy brush, spoon etc.

xoxo

Closet Wishlist

| one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight |

Lately, I have been really into lack of color and lots of new make up experiments, which is where the color comes in.

I've also been trying to budget when I shop... we are saving up for something big that I will fill you all in later when things get further along.

Which brings me to mention a couple of stores that I have never really shopped in prior to these past two months, JCPenney and Walmart... where have I been?

Walmart I'm still not much of a fan of...however, when I heard of Drew Barrymore's new make up line 'Flower' I got in the car and drove my tired butt down only to find all the colors that I needed used or sold out :(

Have any of you tried the line?

PS. Have you all seen the new Parbal Gurung line for Target?

I am in love with the accessories!

xoxo

Nicole 

Q&A

I received a couple of emails while I was away that I would like to answer.

Q: Now that Reese is 1 have you weaned him completely?

A: No, he turned thirteen months old today and we are still nursing! I can't even begin to tell you how I had this idea in my head of having my first cocktail on Reese's birthday.

Little did I know weaning would be much more difficult than that...

He shows no interest in wanting to stop just yet, however, day time feedings are no longer in the picture.(During the week..)

I do send him to daycare with a sippy cup of 5-6 oz of breast milk.

As soon as I get home he immediately asks to be breastfed.

(He does have a small allergy to cow's milk and refuses soy or almond milk)

Q: My english is not too good, but your son is too cute! and you are too pretty :)

A: Thank you, and thanks so much for reading ;)

Q: Do you think you can add a fashion post to your blog?

A: I've actually been toying with the idea of possibly adding a new post called Fashion Friday's, it will just be an outfit that I wore picture post.

Let me know what you guys think of this idea!

Feel free to message all questions and comments to: gypsydenbynicole@gmail.com

xoxo

Around Here

| One- magazines read at the many doctor visits we made |

 | Two- never to sick to rock and roll, baby |

  | Three- first day back to work! |

 | Four- the new normal |

 |Five- making mommy and daddy laugh during snack time |

 | Six- book worm |

Hi guys!

I would like to take a quick minute to apologize for my month long absence.

We've had an extremely hard month.

Reese has been sick, extremely sick since the day after his birthday party.

It started off as what I thought might be teething mixed in with a small cold and blew up into two very severe ear infections and a sinus infection.

Mix in two molars, and four other teeth cutting through at once and you have a sleepless household and an extremely pained baby boy, I mean toddler...( he gets upset when I call him a baby... how he knows, I have no idea!)

Anyhow, I missed work for the first two weeks I was actually scheduled to be due in the office.

He was way to sickie poo to go to daycare, they didn't accept him and I was way too exhausted to even be alive.

Either way, we are all finally back into the new "normal" groove of things.

Reese has accepted daycare. (The heaven's have rejoiced! I can breathe easy at work)

I have accepted waking up at the crack of dawn to get Reese and myself ready for our days.

I think at this point I am still a little lost on how to keep this place tidy and dinner on the table at a certain time.. (Kye has been a saint and cooks dinner every night now because I get home around 6:30pm and that's near Reese's bedtime)

I am loving the new flow of our extremely busy life's, I won't lie.

There are times that I do miss being a house mommy, but long term I know it is better for both Reese and I to get out and be social, experience new things and for Reese to grow brave and independent.

At least this is what I tell myself for now ;)

How have you all been?