Atlantic-Pacific

One of my favorite blogs right now is Atlantic-Pacific. I just love her ladylike style with a twist. She's got me swooning over full skirts, mixing patterns, and wrists full of bracelets. Since I'm trying to resist any shopping urges, I use her blog as my imaginary closet because, while a leather top may not be super practical for a working mom in Arkansas, it is fun to pretend like I could pull it off! 

I think she does a great job of showing how the little things make an outfit. It's all in the details, like her patterned loafers, neon heels, bow belt, cute clutch, and colorful prints. While a leather top may be out of my league, I can definitely amp up my accessory collection. It's an easy way to infuse a little edge and interest into my existing wardrobe. 

All photos via Atlantic-Pacific.

Book review: Bringing Up Bébé

Every year before vacation, I sit down and decide on what books will be my beach reads. Last year I finally read the Hunger Games trilogy after being excruciatingly late to that party. The year before it was Tina Fey's Bossy Pants and Russell Brand's Booky Wook (I was in a memoir mood, I guess). This year's choice was a little more reflective of my current situation.

I had downloaded Bringing Up Bébé on my Kindle last August and only found time to read a chapter of it. I realized that, with a 1 year old in tow, this year would not have a lot of time for leisurely beach reading, so I might as well finish what I had, especially since it pertained to raising a child, which I currently find myself doing.

The book takes a look at the American style of parenting next to the French style of parenting the author witnesses upon moving to France with her husband and infant daughter. While such comparisons can be controversial — one is seen as "right" and the other "wrong" — Druckerman does a good job of avoiding that. At first, she isn't even sure she likes living in France, and she questions some of the parenting tactics she witnesses and slowly warms to them, so she's not obsessed with French culture and unfairly biased.

I haven't read many (OK, any) parenting books because I view them as too psychological, touchy-feely, and judgmental, developing my method from trial and error, asking others, and Googling (always a quality choice). And while Bébé is more of a book about parenting rather than a parenting book, I found this one entertaining to read and thought provoking as well.

One of my favorite ideas presented was the cadre, or framework, approach to parenting that the French parents Druckerman observes use. The French create a strict framework inside of which the child has freedom. She gives the example of her friend who implements a strict 8:30 bedtime for her children, but they are free to play, read, or do whatever in their room after that time but must stay in their rooms. After a while, the child will put himself to bed because he's tired. It gives the child an opportunity to play an active role in obeying.

I especially loved the chapter about food and how to help our kids learn to enjoy a wide range of flavors, explaining that children's demands for a diet only of white pasta, ketchup, and chicken tenders isn't something innately in them, that they have the ability to eat a variety of things. The problem is in giving into these demands versus teaching them about foods and flavors.

It was also very interesting to see how another culture views working mothers (stay-at-home mothers are pretty rare in France), daycare (a scary word here, but government subsidized and awesome in Paris), maintaining the marriage relationship between spouses, child autonomy (they feel that children need to have freedom and space, even infants, and not suffocating parents following them around the playground narrating their every move), and discipline.

There are some things I didn't completely agree with (she notes that the French aren't very pro breast-feeding and that they limit praising their children — which also made sense to a point ... but it's too much to cover in a parenthetical statement), but overall it has made me think about the kind of person I want to raise and has given me some helpful insight on how to navigate that path.

I would definitely recommend it, in part because I really loved it and in part because I know Scott would love for me to have someone else to talk to about it. He's heard enough about French parenting philosophies to last him a lifetime.

Toes in the sand

We just got back from our family vacation to Florida, and we had a blast! While it wasn't Preston's first time on the trip, it was his first time to actually get to experience the beach. Last year, he was only 6 weeks old, so he spent his time in the room and only spent about 15 minutes at the beach one evening for pictures.

This year, accompanied by a small fleet of inflatables, Preston got to come down and enjoy the beach in the mornings. (He napped most of the afternoons away. The beach can be tiring!) He loved the pool and floating in the ocean with his daddy and grammy, as I expected of the child who cries when taken out of the bathtub. In an unexpected twist, though, he loved the sand, too! (This is also the child who cried because he had cake frosting on his hands for his cake smash pictures. I mean, who hates frosting but loves sand?)

^^^ Cool and shady in his inflatable pool at the beach.^^^

^^^ Sandy hands, sandy toes.^^^

^^^Flying high with daddy.^^^

In the sappiest of ways, it melted my heart to see Preston love the beach so much. Our family vacations to Florida are such a long running tradition — my mom and her parents went when she was a girl, and then my dad was added to the group, then my sister and me, and then Scott and now Preston — and I loved watching him take to it so well. And I look forward to getting to share more of these summer memories with him!

The magic of online shopping (and saving)

I love online shopping.

Since I live an hour from my favorite places, being able to virtually browse and bag my favorites from the comfort of my own couch only to have it show up 5-7 business days later on my doorstep is an excellent alternative. Plus, my feet don't hurt as much afterward.

Most of the time, though, I just "imaginary" shop online — fill my bag up but don't check out in the end. On the off chance that I do click the "proceed to checkout" button, I visit a couple of other websites to make sure I'm saving as much as possible because, while it might start as imaginary shopping, it costs real money.

The first place I go is Ebates.com. Now, you've probably seen the commercials for Ebates with people holding up their big fat checks talking about how they made money shopping online and thought, "What's the catch?" I mean, there has to be a catch, right? Well, having used it a few months now, I've yet to find one. Once you set up an account, you just have to go to the Ebates site, find the site you're wanting to shop at (for instance, J.Crew). Beside the store name, you'll see what percentage cash back they're offering (6% at J.Crew right now). Click on the store, and that's it. Shop and check out as usual. Once your payment has gone through (about 2-3 days), you'll get an email from Ebates telling you how much cash you'll get back. They send you a check every three months with your savings.

As an added bonus, when you sign up and make your first purchase, you get a $10 gift card from one of a selection of various stores (Target being one of them). They'll also send you emails with coupon codes or when stores are running double cash back. It makes me feel especially frugal when I buy something at double cash back. If they sent the savings back in gold coins, I'd dive in them a la Scrooge McDuck. It'd be a shallow pool, but still.

My second stop is RetailMeNot.com. I do a quick search for where I'm shopping to see if they have any useful coupon codes or free shipping. (Continuing the example, with the code "SUMMER" at J.Crew, you save 25% site wide ... I think I need to do some J.Crew shopping now!) You don't even have to sign up with them. Other users provide feedback to let you know if the code works or not, so you're not left sifting through a bunch of duds.

While I'm not much of a couponer (although I'm working on it), this is definitely something I do every time I'm shopping online. I save money, and I get new clothes. It's a beautiful thing.

*Full discloser: If you follow the Ebates links, sign up, and make a purchase, Ebates will add $5 to my savings. It doesn't affect your savings or cost you anything, though. 

We bought a zoo (ticket)

For Preston's birthday, we had planned on taking him to the Little Rock zoo as a way of celebrating as a family. However, the weather planned differently, so we postponed our zoo trip for this past weekend. Since Scott had to go to Memphis for work, Preston and I came along, and we were able to go to the zoo once Scott had finished his Harding duties.

^^^ Laughing at the penguins.^^^

Although crowded (Even the parking lot was full; we ended up parking on a nearby street in front of someone's house), we had a fantastic time. The Memphis zoo is pretty great, partially divided into different countries based on animals and their locations, and we were able to see lots of animals.

^^^ Giraffes/Waving at a bird in the bird pavilion/Checking out the pandas/Snack time^^^ 

^^^Encountering a komodo dragon/The little zoologist^^^

Preston's reactions to the animals was so fun to watch. He would intently follow them with his eyes as they moved around their exhibits. The penguins, meerkats, birds and elephants got the biggest reactions, with waves and giggles. The biggest highlight though was probably the zoo map. Babies: They're easy audiences.  

^^^Watching the elephants^^^

In the end, we made the return trip home, grateful for the car's air conditioning and that we'd left everyone else's crying, sticky-handed children back at the zoo. I know this guy was happy to get a nap, as he slept the whole two-hour drive home. I know he won't remember it, but I'm thankful for these outings with our little family. 

Monthly Preston: Month 12

Weight: 19 lbs., 1 1/2 oz.
Height: 28 inches
Likes: Honking peoples' noses, being outside, throwing things from his highchair, walking around the house while holding onto my hands, splashing in the big tub, dancing, and "Carry On" by fun. thanks to that HGTV commercial.
Dislikes: Being told no and going to Sunday school.
Accomplishments: He has two teeth now, stomps his feet when I sing "If You're Happy and You Know It," pulls up on his own, loves to open and close drawers (and pull out whatever is in there), loves to play in the laundry basket (and pull out whatever is in there, too), and says "na-na" when he wants his paci. Where that came from, I don't know.

Our boy has been a year old for a couple of weeks now, and I'm just getting to this. I think it's because I'm in denial that it's already been a year. We have been so blessed by this little boy, and, although there are times where food is thrown in the floor or tears are flowing or tantrums are thrown, I cannot imagine life without him. He has shown me love in a whole new way, and his childish innocence is so beautiful to see. I hate that we grow out of that. I love him more than I can say, and I am so thankful to have had this wonderful year with him. I'm looking forward to what's to come, but I hate that this year feels like it's passed so quickly.

Getting ready for the day; No girls allowed, Mom; Work hard, nap hard; Exploring; Sick days mean you can do things you typically can't, like play with mom's phone; Standing tall

So, we've reached the end of this little series. Here's a look back at the past 12 months ...

Preston's first birthday

Last Saturday, we celebrated Preston's first birthday! While Scott initially told me not to let it get too out of hand, once he joined in the planning, it got a little crazy. But, hey, you only turn one once, right? 

I love the nautical theme we went with. The flags were so cute and will go great in Preston's room, and it seems like anchors are the new mustache because they were on everything. It made it easy to shop for party decorations. 

(Just as a note: We found the invitation on Etsy, and it came with the "Dress nautical" prompt. We didn't purposefully mandate a dress code for our baby's birthday. Everyone participated, though, and it was pretty cute!) 

The set up on our buffet; Preston's gift pile, along with a few photo books of his first year; You can't have a birthday party without birthday cake; Party-themed bibs

The cake, though, was really the icing (haha) on top of the day. Many searches on Pinterest resulted in an anchor-printed cake with rope detail and an anchor logo Scott had found (originally on a canvas for a kid's room). When I took the idea to the bakery, I wasn't expecting the detail from the photo to be literally translated onto the cake. I mean, it was pretty complicated anchor. So when she opened the box to show the finished product, I was extremely surprised. It looked awesome. It was almost painful to eat it. Almost.

Time to open presents! Preston quickly picked up on what to do.

The day started a bit more hectic than we had previously planned. Our house is currently on the market, and we had gotten a call Friday that someone wanted to schedule a showing for 11:30 on Saturday. The party was at 12. 

We tried to reschedule, but they were coming from out of town and that was the only time they had. Additionally, we were their favorite house after looking online. We couldn't say no to that. So Scott and I scurried around Saturday morning to get the house clean and in a show-ready state. We put a few decorations out but saved the rest until after the prospective buyers left. I went to pick up the cake and get a few last minute party needs. Then our families hopped in their cars, and we sent them and Preston on a little drive while the buyers came to look. Once the front door clicked close behind them, we once again started scurrying around to get the party ready. Since they looked for such a short time, we were skeptical anything would come of it.

Later that afternoon after the party, we got a phone call that they had made an offer! Within a couple of days, we were under contract with them and had sold our house! Preston doesn't know what a great present that was.

He got very shy when it came time to sing "Happy Birthday;" Talking with his people; A happy birthday boy; Peek-a-boo!

Preston had a great day, though. In addition to our families, we invited his babysitter who watches him while I'm at work — his beloved Mrs. Jan — and our friends Morris and Brenda, who often find themselves with babysitting duty, too. It was a wonderful celebration of our boy's first year, surrounded by the people who love him just as much as we do. We've been truly blessed to be encouraged and supported by such a great group of people.

Happy first birthday, sweet Preston! We love you so and have thoroughly enjoyed this past year with you!