I must admit that I was a little worried about jetting to Cabo in August because of the heat, but it ended up being one of the best trips ever.

I’d been itching to do a mom and daughter trip with a few friends for months. Last Monday, we spontaneously booked the Esperanza for a quick 3 night getaway and had zero regrets. It was my first time staying at Esperanza and boy did it live up to the hype.

I’ve heard such great things about the resort and was blown away by the food, service, beautiful rooms, access to the beach, spa, amenities for kids (shall I keep going?). If you are traveling to Cabo with kids, I cannot recommend the Esperanza enough. June and the girls had an absolute blast and the hotel set up babysitting services so the moms could enjoy yoga and spa time in between. All in all, it made everyone happy and the trip was one for the record books.

Toteme Silk Stripe Set // June is wearing the Raspberry Set by Minnow Swim

I scooped up this white Toteme dress before the trip and I’m absolutely positively obsessed! Size up.

These shorts are from my pajama set by Eberjey. I love the set so much that I ordered it (size up) twice. I’m wearing it over my Melissa Odabash swimsuit that I’ve had for a year and it’s currently on sale. Along with my new Polo top and Janessa Leone hat.

Speaking of suits, the two above are my absolute favorite for summer. The bikini is from Amazon and I’ve ordered it in almost every color. The one piece is by Eres and I’ve had it for 2 years and it’s still in pristine condition. The hat is from Janessa Leone’s new summer collection.

Don’t get me started on how much I love the linen shorts by Wyeth. Okay, so maybe I’m a bit bias, but I truly believe and stand behind the design of this classic staple that I think everyone needs in their life. I’m equally in love with this short sleeve Xirena shirt {good luck finding one in stock} and my Janessa Leone tote that I’ve had for over 2 years.

There wasn’t a lack of cuddles and sweet moments with June during the trip.

I love this Johanna Ortiz tunic cover up but I cannot for the life of me finding online. I picked mine up from Neiman Marcus.

Thank you so much to the Esperanza for hosting us for such a memorable stay.

The post Summer Trip to Cabo first appeared on Damsel In Dior.

I have been waiting and waiting to stay at the all new Aman New York and last week my mom and I took a little work (meets play) trip and were able to experience the hotel.

I’ll just start by saying WOW. If you are looking for what just might be the nicest, most luxurious hotel in New York City, look no further. From the moment you step foot in the Aman New York  it feels like you are stepping in to an unparalleled experience that is filled with tranquility amidst the bustling city streets below. Located in Manhattan’s iconic Crown Building the reimagined Aman New York is home to the flagship Aman Spa and spacious suites all among the largest in the city.

Let’s talk about food: Arva and Nama sit alongside the Bar Lounge, subterranean Jazz Club and a collection of alfresco dining terraces. ​The food is absolutely amazing and I was hesitant to eat a single meal outside of the property. And don’t get me started on the spa. I spent time by the indoor pool every day which transported me into a zen-like abyss. The spa is HUGE and is hands down one of the best I’ve ever been to.

If you find yourself in New York, I cannot recommend the Aman enough. Just like all of the other properties, the Aman NY lives up to the hype and world class standards that they have set for themselves. If you’re hesitant to pull the trigger, I promise you it will be an experience you will never forget.

See past stays at Aman properties here:  Amangiri, Dominican Republic, Turks & Caicos and Morocco.

Special thank you to the Aman for continuing to spoil me.

Let me preface this post by saying that we are not the type of people who do a ton of research or planning with our itineraries, especially with kid’s in tow.

Fortunately I have been to New York too many times to count. I’m so lucky that my work used to take me to the city around twice a month before we had our kids, so when we find ourselves in the city now it doesn’t feel like a rush to do and see all of the main attractions (i.e. The Met, the Statue or Liberty, etc).

Disclaimer: There was also no way I could have taken June with me alone on this work trip because the first few days were slammed. I am so lucky that Grant came along and spent the first two days touring June around.

We stayed at the Carlyle which was in a perfect proximity to Central Park. The area is very walkable and feels extremely safe and cozy with kids. You absolutely must bring a stroller if you’re planning to do any walking. We were so happy that we packed our favorite travel stroller, the Yoyo+ because it folds up so easily for travel.

Day 1

(I had meetings all day s0 the below is what Grant and June did)

Woke up and had breakfast in the room

Central Park Zoo: This was very easy to get in and out with June. Cannot recommend it enough!

Lunch and toy shop at EAT (on Madison): Perfect for kids and good food!

Museum of Natural History: Another win for kids! It was not as big of a win as the zoo but would recommend it if you’re looking to fill the afternoon. She started to feel pretty tired and napped in the stroller.

Walked back across Central Park back to hotel

Rest time in room followed by dinner at Sant Ambrouese which is great (nice) spot with kids.

Day Two

(Another full day of meetings for me)

Woke up and had breakfast in the room

Museum of Ice Cream: This was hands down June’s favorite thing all trip! She went crazy

Pizza by the slice on Varrick and Thompson. Another big win for June!

Color Factory: This was a BUST. Don’t bother or waste your time. Maybe it’s better for older kids, but not great for a 4 year old. In fact, I was done early with meetings and Grant texted so we pulled a quick change of plan and met up at the Top of the Rock.

Top of the Rock: This was quick, easy, and a win for June. We visited FAO Schwarz in the bottom of the rock before we went upstairs and got her some candy to power through. You can buy tickets ahead of time (fast pass) but we showed up at 4pm and zero problem getting straight in, buying tickets and heading to the top. It was easy breezy. After the top, we grabbed a Starbucks coffee and walked from there to Central Park where we caught a PediCab back to the hotel.

PediCab: This was another huge win for June. It was fun for Grant and I too if I’m being honest (ha!). The guide took us through Central Park and back to our hotel so we popped through traffic easily.

Dinner at Uva which was a perfect 12 minute walk from our hotel. I use the app Infatuation for all restaurant recommendations when I’m in NY and Paris. You can set various filters based off your mood or type of night and I selected “Kid Friendly” for the area around our hotel. It was the perfect place for a chill Italian dinner with kids. We sat outside and June was very, very happy.

Day Three

Finally! My day off. I’d been looking forward this day to spend with June the entire trip.

We ordered breakfast in the morning and then walked down to Ralph Lauren.

Ralph’s Coffee:  This is a nice quick and easy spot to grab coffee that’s close to the hotel. If your toddler is in a good mood, like mine was, then you can shop a little!

I had a 1pm rely at Bergdorf’s for lunch but we missed that because June was melting down. I think by day 3 she was pretty toast after all of the exploring. She was very eager to go to the Children’s Museum.

Children’s Museum of NY: Honestly, it wasn’t great. She seemed happy but it felt super duper run down and like a place that nanny’s take their children to hang out. It felt really weird. I didn’t really get it. I wouldn’t recommend it.

We walked down the street to grab pizza at a random spot and then jetted back across the park to the hotel. The day was kind of weird for us with no plan and no real excitement but everyone was feeling a little tired so it was okay. For dinner, we scored an early reservation at my favorite place in NYC, The Polo Bar.

Polo Bar: It’s definitely not kid friendly but I wanted to take June here for selfish reasons. I have a sentimental attachment to this special restaurant and I was happy to take her but I wouldn’t suggest it for toddlers unless you have a very well behaved little one.

Here are a fe other suggestions that we didn’t get around to:

• CAMP (need a rezy)
• The Little Island
• Slime Museum
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

All in all, I would argue that NYC is very toddler friendly. In fact, just simply walking outside is a huge playground for a toddler that isn’t used to city life.

Do you have any good recs for the city? Leave a comment below!

June and I took a quick trip to Texas last week to visit family.

When it comes to flying with a toddler, you’ve got to have a few tricks up your sleeve. Below you’ll find the best of the best things that I’ve used over the last few years and swear by.

Do you have any amazing products to share when traveling with toddlers? Leave a comment below!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had heart palpitations and murmurs.

It wasn’t until June 2021, when I saw my friend Emily Schuman post about her personal experience, that I started to take my episodes more seriously. It was also around that time that my episodes started to strengthen in length and severity. I texted Emily and asked for her Dr’s information immediately.

Doesn’t everyone have heart palpitations these days? I honestly just wrote it off along with everyone else. Sometimes my heart flutters would kick in while I was doing the most random things. They’d kick and turn and then disappear.

But then things kicked up a notch. For the past four or so years, I would find myself sitting down for lunch, or standing in my closet, and be completely taken down to the floor by the most intense heart beats ever. My hands would go numb, chest tighten and head spinning as if I was going to pass out. The first few times this happened it felt like I was having a heart attack. I would be holding June and yell out to Grant to intervene, sitting in the hallway trying to calm my breath. To say that it was scary is the biggest understatement. I’d stay up all night researching, worried and anxious.

“Deep breathing,” Grant would often say. But no amount of slow breathing or mindfulness could tame the severity of these attacks. My worst episode was when I was sitting at lunch with a few girlfriends. It lasted for around 5 minutes before we were questioning calling 911. Luckily the episode ended.

At that specific lunch, I was a few blocks away from my cardiologist, who I found via Emily (thank you Emily!) and I went straight to see him. I explained to him how scary these events were and I knew in my gut that something was off. He ran a few tests and found nothing.

Always trust your intuition.

My cardiologist immediately ordered a heart monitor (sticker) that I was instructed to wear for two weeks. Again, after two weeks, we captured nothing. After running all sorts of tests, from stress to treadmill and more, we were left empty handed. My cardiologist said unless we were able to capture an episode on an EKG as it was happening in real time it was too hard to say. I felt so deflated. I asked if there was any device that I could have at home to help record anything. I was expected a dinosaur style EKG reader that I was well ready to invest in.

That’s when he suggested the KardiaMobile EKG reader. I carried that thing around with me morning, noon and night. It got to the point where it was just another accessory that I always had. Months went by with a few flutters here and there, but never one that lasted long enough for me to get the device, open up my app and record it. So, I kind of honestly just chalked it all up to stress, anxiety of being a new mom.

Eventually I stopped carrying around the device and kind of just went about my life.

If you have been following along on Instagram, you’ll know that the past two years has been a very intense health journey for me. I was diagnosed with Endometriosis and Adenomyosis (which I later learned you cannot actually diagnose without an MRI or surgery). Long story short (and going to write this in another blog post) I was scheduled to have a hysterectomy on December 5th, 2022. I was completely at my wits end.

I wrote a book, had a baby and launched a new fashion brand in 2022. I also spent the entire year in and out of doctors offices, medical consultations, acupuncturists, physical therapists, you name it. By Thanksgiving I was 1000000% completely and utterly exhausted.

Exactly one week before my hysterectomy, we walked in the door from Thanksgiving at my mother in law’s ranch. Grant was feeding Hugh, June was playing in her room and I was putting away groceries.

That was when the biggest episode to date hit me like a ton of bricks.

I took a seat on our kitchen floor and called out to Grant as calmly and forcefully as I could (read: Grant hurry the F up and get the device). You guys, the device just so happen to be in the drawer above my head. My phone just so happen to have bluetooth turned on and by the time he handed it to me I had the app on and device in hand.

The episode lasted 4 minutes in total and I captured the final 30 seconds. 3o seconds that could have changed my life. My heart was beating 160 BPM. I immediately emailed it over to my cardiologist. He called me the next day and the first words that came out of his mouth hit me hard:

That device might have just saved your life.

He explained that I had Supraventricular tachycardia or “SVT”, an irregularly fast or erratic heartbeat (arrhythmia) that affects the heart’s upper chambers. I said “Oh, well, wait, I’m getting a hysterectomy in 6 days!” He immediately replied, “No, you are not.” He explained that it was too dangerous and if I were his sister that he wouldn’t take the risk.

I have to say that in that exact moment all I felt was relief. Relief to have an answer. Relief to know that I’m not crazy. Relief that my intuition is in fact always correct. The weirdest part was that I felt relief that I wasn’t getting a hysterectomy (again, more on that for another post).

My cardiologist immediately introduced me to an amazing specialist and conversations and appointments were made to perform a very routine procedure called an SVT Ablation. As I’m sitting in my bed right now, writing out this post I can’t help but cry tears of relief.

You guys…The past several years have truly felt like I’ve been climbing the biggest uphill battle with my health. When that final heart episode happened I truly believe that it was someone telling me to just S T O P everything. That is really what I did from that point forward. Since November 27th, the evening I was unpacking those groceries, I have scaled back in ways I never knew I needed. I detoxed off of all of my medications, scaled back with my schedule, and started doing things that truly feel like they feed my soul.

Not only have my Adenomyosis symptoms fully stabilized, but I haven’t felt this great in 4 years. I’m not saying I will never get a hysterectomy, I’m taking things day by day. But I know that I wasn’t supposed to get it on the day I had scheduled it for because of this heart condition. The timing of it all just feels so serendipitous and the fact that I’m feeling so much better physically is only a sign that it all wasn’t meant to be. The most beautiful thing about this entire story is that life really does reveal itself in the moments that you need it to the most. Sometimes we can white knuckle, fight or flight, research and schedule our way through life using our brain… but sometimes, we just have to listen to our heart.

I had my heart ablation surgery this morning. I cannot thank the incredible team of healthcare workers and my doctors for making me feel at ease. Now, I’m back to bed and going to take full advantage of my in-house room service and binging Netflix (wink, wink).

Cheers to a fresh new chapter!

A lot of you took a strong liking to my complete paranoias that I shared on social media yesterday.

Heavy rain has been causing massive mud slides and scary effects in California the past few days. It was a strong reminder about how quickly weather and unexpected events can take you from a state of “normal” to “emergency” in a matter of moments.

Because so many of you asked about my emergency kit section of the garage, I thought I’d throw together a little blog post of what’s included in mine.

1. Judy Kit

I discovered Judy in an IG ad and I have to say that it’s one of those “why didn’t I think of this” type of brands. The below emergency backpack is the one that I have which is filled with everything from glow sticks and food to water kits and warmth for up to 4 people. It’s kind of a one stop shop type of emergency kit specifically for hurricanes, earthquakes and more.

2. Lanterns

I feel like I hit the personal jackpot when I discovered these 200 hour, USB charging lanterns. You can use them to plug in a charge and they have super bright lights (800 lumens if I’m speaking your language). We have two of these in our home in case the lights go out. I also have 4 of these smaller collapsable lanterns which work great for kids rooms, bathrooms or smaller spaces. You can also hang them!

3. Best Flashlights

I grew up with a Maglite flashlight in every nightstand drawer. I don’t know what it is about these Maglite’s that make them so special but they’re approved by my dad and that’s all that matters. We have one in our room, June’s room, the kitchen and in the garage for good measure.

4. Batteries!

Don’t be a fool and make sure you are fully stocked on all sorts of batteries. It’d be a true shame to have all of your emergency kit gadgets but not be able to use them because you ran out of a good ole battery. We have all of our home items stores in these organizational boxes and a full bin is dedicated to batteries.

5. Water Purification Tablets

Here is where I start to kick my emergency kit into high gear. If you are hoping to really cover all of your bases, then a few jars of tablets never hurt anyone. After all, you never know when you might lose access to clean drinking water!

6. First Aid Kit

I hope you already have this in your home but just in case you don’t, no judgement! Every house needs a first-aid kit. In fact, I think it’s a wonderful housewarming gift! We have a big black tackle box that’s very similar to the one below. I also have smaller first-aid kits in our cars.

7. GO BAGS

Whether it’s a surprise visit to urgent care or a massive earthquake that you need to bolt out of the door for, I have a go bag for every member of the family. Here’s what I did: packing cubes (one for each of us). Adults have a fresh set of clothes, toothbrush, medicine, water, extra phone chargers, cash etc.. For the kids we have things like a change of clothes, diapers, lovies, medicine, extra blankets, pacifiers, bottles, snacks, milk, etc.

Our packing cubes are inside this utility tote bag at the top of our guest closet. It’s ready to grab and go but also has enough space to add misc. items. There’s an extra utility tote handy for any food or other supplies we may need to pack in a moment’s notice.

The other night we had to take June to urgent care for an ear infection. The trip came on quite suddenly in the middle of the night. Instead of worrying about forgetting something, I just grabbed her packing cube and tucked it inside my bag. I had very strong peace of mind knowing that I had already run through a pre-check list on a less stressful day and had remembered everything I really needed in the event that she had to stay the night away from home.

Also, I took a poll on IG asking for a great back up battery and across the board you guys recommended GENRAC. I will definitely be looking into this and thanks for the rec!

Happy New Year everyone!

Let’s try things different, shall we?

There’s a collective “burn out” happening right now and I am feeling it too. I recently posted “How I Do It All” where I slightly touched upon my own personal burn out. However, I didn’t really dive into the realness behind why I believe it happened. In my post I explain how I signed up for more than I should have in 2022, but why? Were we making up for “lost time” post Covid? Were we revenge traveling, working, parenting and socializing more than before or did we just feel it differently?

Whatever the reason, it seems as though everyone I know is feeling it. I find solace knowing that we’re all in this together. After all, where are we all rushing to be? What are we rushing to do?

This post will not include a list of resolutions or goals I will set for myself, rather a guidebook and reminder of where I am today and where I want to be in a year from now. To be honest, I would be perfectly happy to be exactly where I am sitting in this moment, emotionally, physically and spiritually in one year from now. I say this because I have not felt this clear probably ever before. However, life moves, shifts and changes and I know that with every breath I am given and take there will be an opportunity for me to be more present and grow. What fun would life be if we didn’t change?

I wasn’t really inspired to write this post until I saw my favorite fashion gal, LSD, post her new stylish 2023 agenda on Instagram. I immediately ordered one for myself with my word of the year on the front. I want to use this agenda as anything but an agenda at all, yet a daily log of my inner well being. My thoughts, my reflections and use it as a guidebook to remind me of my intention for the year.

My word of the year is “soften.”

I have started to say it to myself all the time: Soften my words, my touch, my breath, my approach, determination, hard headedness, even my snuggles with my children. I need to soften around the hard edges that I have built up around myself for nearly 40 years of survival. Without realizing it, I have been operating in a full state of fight or flight since I can remember. It doesn’t matter when my fight or flight mode began, but it matters where it ends.

With every single thing that I do this year, I will approach it with my word, “soften.” Outside of this, I guess I could muster up a few more things that I hope to achieve but for the first time in a very long time I do not have a list and I really don’t want to make one. For years I have been dreaming up big picture things that I’ve wanted to do. Whether it was traveling to new countries, writing a book or launching a new brand, I was constantly focused on what was next instead of what was right infant of me.

This is the year I do less. This is the year I will receive more. This is the year I will soften.

“What do you eat in a typical week and what does your workout look like?”

This is probably one of the top questions I get on my blog and Instagram so I thought I would make an official post to touch upon it. First of all, I think it’s ultra important to note that as I write this post, it’s nearly 10am and I’m still in my pajamas having not touched a piece of food today (ha!).

Due to my hormone imbalances and weird health issues that I’m still trying to navigate, my month to month looks very different. My weight fluctuates by 20 pounds every other month (no joke!). 

However, when I’m “in the zone” I do the below routine and it’s when I feel my absolute best. As we enter a fresh start to a new year, I thought it’d be nice to outline what that routine looks like for those of you who are looking for a little reset.

Morning/Breakfast

When I’m feeling my best, I allow myself to sleep until 7:30am. Grant will take the morning routine with the kids to allow me extra sleep. I usually start my day with (in this order):

• A full glass of water before anything else
• One (only one) cup of black coffee with no additives
• Smoothie: Handful of spinach, blueberries, strawberries, banana and Justin’s Almond Butter. I made these in my Magic Bullet which is easy for every day use and clean up. I purchased extra cups.
• If I’m in the mood to cook, I’ll make eggs (scrambled, omelette, boiled) with sausage or bacon and lots of fruit.

I will usually get my workout in first thing in the morning (at 8:30am), but lately I’ve been finding that a mid-day (12pm) workout is great for my workflow. We take June to school at 8:15 so it allows me to fire through work from 8:15a – 12pm in a quiet space at home. Then, I head off for my workout (see below). Afterwards I grab a lunch on the go and either head to meetings at Wyeth or back home where I tend to emails and/or content creation.

Snack

I’m a big fruit and peanut butter snack person. I usually do apples and peanut butter around 11am. This ties me over until lunch.

Lunch

I’m always out on the move and have a hard time figuring out what to do for lunch. My biggest issue is putting off my decision until I’m in the “red zone.” In effort to curb this bad habit, I make a choice in the morning while I’m making my morning smoothie. It sets my intention for the day. My lunch usually looks like:

• Chinese Chicken Salad from Joan’s on Third
• Noodlerama Salad from Health Nut
• Veggie board with Hummus at home with a side of sliced turkey or chicken
• PROTEIN. I always make sure to have a full hand serving of some sort of protein (fish, chicken, steak)
• When I’m at Wyeth, I’ll have a tuna salad or skirt steak from Bianca’s (yum!)

Water, Water, Water!

Afternoon Snack

Again with the apples and peanut butter OR I’ll grab a Kind Bar OR handful of almonds. This afternoon snack is an absolute must. If I’m feeling like my energy is dragging, I’ll make a green tea with honey to tie me over.

Dinner

We eat dinner in our house every night at 5:30pm with June. Most nights I’m cooking one of the below or ordering in:

• Salmon, 1 cup of white rice, broccoli or squash
• Frozen Chicken. You will find about a hundred of these in our freezer. We live off these Tyson chicken. I make them plain, with salads, in rice bowls. We’re obsessed. You can find them at Target too. I like the plain version best.
• Rice bowls. We love a good white rice bowl with beef and broccoli, or chicken and peppers, sausage with pinto beans. Honestly we just toss whatever we have laying around in the bowl and make it easy. You can add pasta sauce for a craving or soy sauce. We make this at least once or twice a week.
• Lettuce wrapped burgers with all the fixings!
• We’ll order Sugarfish about once a week (sushi) and Greek
• Sometimes Grant will take June to pick up food from Erewhon (our local grocery store that has a healthy counter). They’ll bring home cauliflower, steaks and tons of yummy sides

Booze and Cravings

I’d be lying if I said the “kitchen is closed” after our 5:30pm dinner, it honestly takes a bit of training to not eat or drink anything after that point. It’s definitely possible, but I have to be really focused. I’m usually able to fight the urge when we have a beach trip on the books (wink!). Grant and I will do some “detoxing” where we take weeks off from drinking and that usually makes it easier too.

Typically this is what we have:

• Reposado tequila (Casa Amigos) with Soda and a splash of lime
• Reposado tequila (Casa Amigos) with Propel and Soda mixed

If I’m really itching for a late night bite, I’ll opt for a scoop of Talenti Sorbet or a Sugar-Free popsicle.

Workouts

It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for pilates and yoga. After I had June, I started doing pilates with Pilates by Amanda and I was amazed by how my body transformed. When I’m not in my routine, I can see it and feel it on my legs, bum, and abs (or lack thereof). I love pilates so much that I recently got a reformer for my home! I purchased the Allegro 2 which is exact same one that Pilates by Amanda uses in our classes. We can now train virtually instead of me driving 1 hour each way to class which saves me a lot of time!

I try to do pilates Monday, Wednesday, Friday when I’m at my best. You can download her workouts here and subscribe to her “Core Club.” You don’t need a reformer at home and I swear her mat classes are just as good as the real deal.

For yoga, I live and swear by Urban 728. Joe Komar has literally changed my life with my yoga practice and I’m only 2 years in. I aim to go as much as humanely possible, but with two kids and two full time businesses to run, that usually looks like three days a week. I’m typically practicing yoga on Tuesday, Thursday and I take the 90 minute on Sundays. You can also do yoga online with Joe by clicking here.

Read my post: Why I Used to Hate Yoga and Now I Love It

Okay, that about does it! I’ve spilled as much as I can possibly think of. Am I missing anything? What do you guys do when you’re “in the zone?” Share some tips in the comments!

When I took a recent poll on Instagram for blog topics, a very frequent question popped up which was “How do you do it all?”

Managing business, motherhood, being a good wife, a good friend and good neighbor and a good citizen all at once and you guys want to know…

How does she do it?

The quick answer: I don’t.

The last few years has been a true struggle for us and at the end of 2022, I snapped. The book, the baby, the brand… in the final weeks of the year I hit a rock bottom unlike anything I’d ever experienced. The burn out finally took its toll as my heart started having major episodes of SVT to the point of my doctor saying I need an ablation, to my period lasting a full 80+ days (yes, you’re reading that right). The mental stress of the past year (or two, or three) was finally taking its toll on my physical health and it was a true wake up call for me.

So, when you guys asked me “How I did it” the answer is that I can get everything done at the risk of sleep, stress and sanity. The true answer is that I signed up for far too much in 2022. I didn’t do it intentionally, but we ended up doing three major life things in the same year.

So what happens now?

I took a full two weeks of doing absolutely nothing to reset. To be honest, I couldn’t move. I’d never felt more exhausted in my life. Thankfully, my supportive husband picked up the slack. Thankfully, our businesses can run themselves for short amounts of time. Thankfully, I have a wonderful support system of friends, family and childcare that stepped up to the table.

Lesson #1: Know What You Need Before Everyone Else

Before I can be a good mother, a good wife and a good partner in business, I absolutely must make sure that I am taken care of first. For me, that requires a few things:

1. A full 8 hours of sleep. That means having a partner who will support me in this (thank you Grant). That also means setting myself up with other types of support. We now have our nanny arrive at 7am instead of 8am so that I can get an extra hour in the morning to start my day instead of jumping out of bed like a mother chicken with my head cut off with two screaming kids. It’s a major adjustment that we’ve had to make around the house but it’s also had the most major reward because I can function fully.

2. Working out only when I want to. During my time off, I realized that I had a workout scheduled 6 days a week which I thought I needed and wanted. In reality, it was starting to weigh down my schedule and become something that I really resented. Having some space to realize this was important and now I only schedule my workout a day before when I’m feeling up for it.

Lesson #2: Everything You See Affects Your Insides

A good friend recently described this best: She explained how every single thing she consumes (TV, Media, a view of your backyard) will drain into your gut, informing it as to what is happening in the outside world. Think of an IV on a slow drip in the back of your brain. Everything you are seeing with your eyes is the fluid that’s being dripped throughout your body. Be careful about what you choose to consume as it will 100% affect your normal balance and insides which will affect your health, your mood, and your overall wellbeing.

I personally steer clear of any horror films, articles that feel triggering to me emotionally, people that I don’t like seeing on IG because it makes me feel bad about myself. Anything that stirs up a negative feeling and triggers my “fight or flight” hormone is getting removed.

Outside of these lessons learned, there are a few things that I do on a more logistic level that I thought would be helpful for those of you who are feeling like you are in the pressure cooker:

1. Take something off your calendar

At the beginning of each week, I look at my calendar and I cancel three things (depending on how full it is). I always do this and I almost always feel better for it. Whether it’s a dinner plan, an unnecessary meeting, a workout I’m dreading, or something like getting your car serviced, I promise there’s something that can go.

2. Buy Gifts in Bulk

For some reason, birthdays and presents are always a last minute added stress that pains me. I feel like such a jerk when I don’t have a gift wrapped perfectly for a close friend or kid’s birthday. So, I buy in bulk and pre-wrap them in my garage. I have about 4 kid’s gifts and 5 candles that are wrapped so that if I need one in a pinch, they are there. I can’t tell you the peace of mind this gives me. I still try to get everyone something original, but there are here in case of an emergency and we’ve used them more times that I’d like to admit.

3. Delegate Like A CEO

I’m really bad at this because I fully believe that I can do everything myself and the only way for it to get done the “right” way is when I do it myself (argh). But, you are the CEO of your own life and CEO’s of major companies don’t refill the toilet paper or stress out over the pantry organization. Even though I still agonize over my pantry once a month, I’ve learned to ask for help from others.

Whether it’s asking your partner to be in charge of certain household tasks or enlisting in the help of a caregiver, I’ve learned to delegate more things around the house to others so that I can focus more on running our businesses. If you are a full-time mom, enlist in the help from your kids, family members to make meals, fellow mom’s at school, grocery store attendants (help with bags), honestly anything and anyone who can help ease some of the weight off your shoulders. Our class mom does a great job at texting us reminders about birthdays and special days at school. You can ask for help from anyone! Planning a dinner with friends? Ask one of them to make the reservations. Cut corners anywhere you can.

I currently run two full-time businesses and have two children (a toddler and an infant) and managing these things, plus having time with friends and Grant can be very challenging. We currently have two nanny’s who rotate. Nanny #1 comes from 7am – 3pm and Nanny #2 comes from 11am – 7pm and spends the night 1-2 times per week. This allows Grant and I the space we need to both work full-time and also feel present when we are home with our kids. We both work from home and to say that we’re always with our kids is an understatement. In fact, June just ran into the room playing and screaming with 2 of her friends who are over for a playdate while I sit here and write this post. Having an extra set of hands, sometimes two, in our home has been pivotal for both of us and we are so thankful and lucky to have this help so that we can work and rest well. This is what works for us right now. It might not be right for everyone but it’s been really great for us right now.

4. Say “No”

Just say “no” more times than you say “yes” and watch what happens. You know the saying, “If you want something done give it to the busiest person you know.” Don’t be that person! Sometimes I look up and question why on Earth I’m spending time labeling light switches in the store or replacing batteries

5. Value Yourself

If you were to give yourself an hourly rate, what would that be? I know what I’m worth by the hour so when I find myself doing a task such as changing the batteries out of the remote control, I ask myself if it’s worth my hourly rate? Is there something else I could be doing that is a better use of my time, energy and effort? Probably. Again, delegate the tasks that aren’t worth your rate.

6. Dates At Home

As a parent, it can be really hard to schedule dinner with friends or your spouse and leave the kids behind. I totally get it. Try planning a dinner at your house after the kids go down and invite friends over. Crank up that noise machine and pour the wine!

7. ORGANIZE EVERYTHING

If you come to my house and ask for a battery, there’s a bin for that. Need a phone charger? There’s a bin for that too. Drugs, plugs, pajamas, winter attire and extra toothpaste, I literally have a place for everything in my house. This took me a while to fully organize, but it now saves me an incredible amount of time and headaches on busier days when I need something. Do one area of your house at a time. I’d suggest starting in the kitchen!

I also keep “back stock” of things like toothpaste, razors and shampoo. Just purchase double each time you are in need and it will save you time on the flip side.

Also, organize your calendar. Everything we do goes on the calendar. From PO Box runs to dry cleaning pick-ups. I also set reminders for birthdays a week in advance so I remember to get a gift or make plans. If it’s something that is important to you, it must go on the calendar!

8. Time With Kids

Save the best for last. If you do not carve out quality time with your kids each and every day the entire ship will sink. The kids will feel insecure and clingy. You will feel guilty and like a bad mom. I have a new house rule that I play with my kids for at least one hour a day. Whether it’s play-dough, dollhouses, or rolling on the floor with Hugh, we carve it out because it’s food for the soul for everyone. This goes on my calendar just like everything else!

Phew! That was a lot. But it’s genuinely everything that I can think of that I do. What about you guys? Any tips to share? I’d love to hear how you manage your busy lives!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours from snowy Aspen.

We know that this year may look very different for many. With all of the flight delays, my parent’s ended up getting *stuck* in Aspen with us which we couldn’t selfishly be happier about. They were supposed to be in Texas with our extended family but we’re so happy they are here. My brother and his family were grounded in Los Angeles and supposed to be in Washington today.

When I reflect on the last year I can’t help but think about where we were a year ago today. Grant and I were quarantined at home with Covid-19, Hugh had yet to be born and we felt very sad to miss Christmas with our family.

Today, I could not feel more blessed. We have so much to be thankful for.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I am sending you love, hope and comfort this holiday season.

I can count on one hand the most pivotal moments in my career and today is one of them.

Today I am launching a new brand that I am co-founder and Creative Director of called Wyeth.

The American artist, Andrew Wyeth once said:

“One’s art goes as far as and as deep as one’s love goes.”

My love of fashion started from a very young age. Growing up on a cotton farm, I not only played dress up and make believe, but I also learned how much work and how many people go into making the garments of clothing that we wear. My love of fashion only grew more as I moved to Chicago where I worked in my Aunt Celeste’s boutique, where I learned all about what goes into developing a relationship with customers, putting together outfits and how to manage a business in the fashion world. And the love affair blossomed into a creative expression of working as a fashion blogger, content creator and influencer where I’ve been sharing my perspective right here on this website for over a decade. Through this experience, I’ve attended fashion week shows around the world and worked with some of the most prestigious brands in the industry.

My love for fashion runs deep. As a blogger who has been sharing her life with the world for 11 years, I wanted to create a new brand that wasn’t about me, but about you.

Meet Wyeth, a new Modern Classic. Timeless, relaxed styles inspired by California.

Every piece you will find on Wyeth is hand selected and curated just for you.

Our Wyeth collection is made and wearable. We want you to reach for your Wyeth pieces every day: the perfectly tailored white shirt, a buttery cashmere sweater and a timeless nautical stripe. I do hope you’ll visit our website where you will discover our edit of hand-selected brands and in-house line of cotton and cashmere essentials. And if you’re in Los Angeles, please visit our flagship store that was beautifully designed by the talented Martha Mulholland.

Just like a beautiful painting’s colors, a farmer’s harvest, and a new fashion brand, there were a tremendous about of individuals who worked together to make this dream possible. I want to thank Runyon Group for believing this brand from the very beginning, Velvet Clothing for helping us to create the highest quality clothing that we’re proud to put our Wyeth name on, and last but most importantly, Grant for being my partner in life.

{In the feature image, I’m wearing our Presidio Cashmere Dress}

You can find images of the store below but be sure to view more images from our fall look book and collection at ShopWyeth.com.

When we were gearing up {pun intended} to welcome baby number two into the family, I felt very confident about what gear I would need and not need.

I did a ton of research while I was pregnant with our first born, June, and really loved a lot of the products that we used with her. So, with the exception of a few new things that hit the market since my last go around on the newborn track, such as the Artipope Carrier, I pretty much stuck to the same line up I used the last time.

I thought I’d break down a few of my all time favorite pieces of gear that we’ve used on both June and Hugh to date, plus a few newer things at the bottom of the post that June really loves right now.

June is currently 3.5 and Hugh is 2 months old. Shop my baby favorites list on Amazon by clicking here. 

Doona Carseat + Stroller Combo

The Doona is without a doubt my all time favorite piece of gear for the first year of your child’s life. It serves as a car seat, stroller combo so when you’re hopping in and out of cars or airplanes, you don’t have to wake your baby from their precious naps. Hugh seems to love it just as much as June did. I’m using this as my primary car seat (I purchased the base) and it is an excellent choice for travel (airplane approved). You can stroll your baby down the aisle of the airplane and buckle them straight into the seat. Trust me on this one. You won’t regret it.

Sleep Schedule

This book was and still is my bible when it comes to sleep schedules. I’ve never been keen on a cry out method or too strict of a plan, but this book hits a sweet spot between setting firm and loving boundaries for your baby while also offering a very quick and easy guide to getting your infant on a solid schedule. It has worked for me for both of my children like a charm! Speaking of schedules: From the very first day both June and Hugh were born I have kept a log of their feeding/bathroom/sleeping in this journal. Up until June was fully sleeping through the night we would track everything and it made it super easy to look for patterns.

The Best Wagon Of All Time

The Veer Gear Wagon is well worth the hype. Any time we take it to the farmer’s market we get stopped and asked all about it. We’re so obsessed. We’ve used it for many, many years and even purchased an addition one for the lake house. If you can splurge, I hands down recommend investing in this beautiful piece of gear that will last you many years to come!

Monitors

Monitors suck, this one does not. Neither does the Nanit. We have 3 Nanit cameras: One in Hugh’s room, June’s room and in the playroom. I also have this monitor for Hugh and really love it.

June’s Dining Chair

To say I love this chair/step stool for June is an understatement. It’s absolutely perfect for her to sit on at the dinner table and isn’t too hard on the eyes for design. I also love pulling it into the kitchen on night’s she’s trying to help me cook.

I’ve had this for 4 years

This nifty little organizer cart has probably been my biggest saving grace with a newborn. We put everything from a changing station, change of clothes, burp cloths and bottles on this rolling rack that we wheel all over the house. You’ll be amazed by how tired you feel from walking from one diaper change to the next. It also serves as a great bathroom storage option. I’ll never get rid of this puppy!

There are a lot more products that I swear by on my Amazon Baby List. I have tested and LOVED everything that is on here and cannot recommend these items enough.

What’s something that you’ve loved? Leave a comment below!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for a change of the season.

This summer felt extra hot in Los Angeles and I’m really looking to cooler months ahead and a more structured routine for June. I absolutely love our schedule and little routine moments with June. Taking her to school is one of my favorite moments where we sing in the car, bond, and catch up on our day.

There are a few key basics that we use for June that I’m linking below, along with a few other back to school basics I think you’ll love.

Lunch Time

For June, we had a few Yeti’s made with her name on it. Our school makes sure that everything has kiddo’s names on everything. She loves this pink rambler and we had “June” monogrammed on it. Unlike last year, I also got ahead of the curve and ordered a Stoney Clover lunch tote with her name on it {see above}. I was pretty proud that I thought ahead on this one! I also got a few ice packs to pop into the bag to keep things cool until lunchtime.

Here are a few more cute ideas: You could DIY monogram this simple lunch tote and/or have your little one add stickers. If it’s your first year, we did this bento box for June’s lunches last year. I got letter stickers and put them on the box. It lasted me almost a full year before they started peeling off!

Backpack

When it comes to backpacks, my girl is a bit obsessed. She loves collecting backpacks and demands that they’re all hanging on hooks in the playroom so she can pick which one she wants each day. Lately, her favorite is this new Stoney Clover one that she got as a gift (see feature image).

However she equally loves this monogrammed one that I scored off The Tot a few months ago.  It’s slightly smaller than our Stoney Clover one.

Clothing

Don’t even get me started on June’s undies and tanks collection. This is ALL she wants to wear 24/7 and even underneath her clothes she’ll have a tank and undies on. Her favorite are by H&M.

Here are a few of June’s favorite pieces: Rain Jacket, anything 1212, Favorite Jacket of all time, Keds Sneakers

Now that June goes to the bathroom by herself at school, I try to only dress her in shorts and tops versus dresses because it’s easier for her to do. However, she is crazy obsessed with these Masion Me dresses and they’re so easy to order multiple colors of. They also come in long sleeved!

Don’t forget to order name stickers for all of the clothing!

Swim, Sports & Sunscreen

Our school does “water Wednesdays” during the first half of the year and June absolutely loves Minnow Swim. She’s at the age where I try to let her pick out her own clothing and swimsuits and she gets so excited when new things arrive in the mail. She’s also more likely to wear them with no protest.

It was shockingly rather difficult for me to find June some shorts for soccer that she loved. We narrowed in on this trio-set and now everyone’s happy. You guys also know how much we love 1212! They have the absolute best basics that are 100% organic cotton.

Lastly, don’t sleep on the new Minibloom sunscreen stick. June is obsessed with applying this “all by herself.” I pop one in her backpack just so she has one on hand for backup.

Here we sit in the final month of summer and I’m only left questioning: How is it all flying by so fast?

It’s been quite some time since I’ve done a little life check in so I thought I’d share a few updates on life lately.

As you know, we welcomed Hugh in to the family last month and it’s been one big love fest since. It was quite scary on week 2 when June sadly gave us all RSV {a very scary cold for infants to get}, but Hugh seems to be fighting it off like the little champ he is. He tested positive and has been in and out of the urgent care but hasn’t had to stay overnight which we are incredibly thankful for. Even though we were all sick the first few weeks of his life, it was also a very nice reminder to never take our health for granted and we hunkered down and rested together as a family of four.

During the in between moments, I have been plugging away on Wyeth. Wyeth is a new brand that we are launching in October and while I haven’t talked too much about it here, I am going to start to share more and more in the weeks to come. I have been designing a full collection and helping our team with the store build out, branding and marketing strategy, building our e-commerce and popping in and out of showrooms for multi-label wholesale. It’s all been so fun and I love flexing the creative muscle that I’ve been slowly building through this blog over the past 10 years.

In other news on the Homefront, we are thinking of moving June’s room into the playroom. We’ve been exploring the idea of welcoming an au pair into our family this fall. I only recently started researching this and I really love the idea of bringing someone into our lives that can offer a different cultural perspective on a daily basis. I truly want my children to experience different languages and cultures throughout their upbringing and what better way than to become a host family for someone. We are narrowing in on criteria and I’ll have more information on that soon.

But (the fun stuff) that also means redesigning the playroom to suit June’s needs and making her room and space for the au pair. I’ve been eyeing new beds and started a new Pinterest “toddler beds” folder. That’s a little project that’s been keeping me busy at night.

We also finally did our house shoot just before Hugh was born so I’m hoping to share some images with you soon.

Side note: I need to re-order these AMO denim in a size down because I loved them when I tried them on in the above photo.

Here are a few other things that I’ve ordered and loved lately:

I’m sorry to say that these $$$ pair of denim are sold out but if you can hunt them down, they’re definitely a favorite purchase of the season!

I saw this Jenni Kayne sweater on a fellow influencer and have loved it since day one. While I’m on it, a lot of you asked about the cable knit sweater I wore in the hospital and it is also Jenni Kayne.

This white dress was also a fan favorite on IG and the top 5 sellers on Amazon last month were: My favorite white swim cover up, my all time favorite socks (set of 3), my husband’s favorite undies, the only bike shorts I will wear, and this incredibly soft and easy to wear comfy set.

On a splurge bend I pulled the trigger on these Roger Vivier slingbacks and boy am I happy I did. Order a 1/2 size up and thank me later. The leather is incredibly soft!

This was one of my favorite purchases of the month!

Toward the end of August, June goes on summer break and we are planning to take her to Idaho with our friends. I’m looking so forward to one last summer trip as this year felt a little more low key than past years for us. In no way am I upset about it because we got the best gift of all which has made us truly sit still and soak in these long summer days.

I’m really hoping to stretch this month out in to one final crescendo to celebrate balmy summer nights, BBQing with friends and daily swims in the warm pool. However, I’m also looking ahead towards fall and the turning of a season on the calendar with excitement and anticipation.

It’s been one week since our little boy was born.

I’d like for you to meet Hugh Lawson Leavitt.

We are completely bursting at the seams with love and cuddles over here. Hugh is such an angel. He hardly ever cries {only when he’s having a nappy change} and he’s been very patient while big sister June sings and dances around him 24/7.

In case you missed it, People.com did a beautiful birth announcement story sharing our surrogacy journey. We were quite humbled that they wanted to share our news with the world. Thank you People!

“Ssshh, I have a secret,” says June. “I love you,” she whispers in to my ear.

Grant, June and I play this little game in the house where we sneak up in our ears and say “Ssshh, I have a secret.” It always gets us laughing because it tickles, and it’s the most adorable thing when June uses it as a way to say “I love you.”

On the day this photo was taken, June said “Ssshh, I have a secret…. two!”

We’ve been keeping a secret, a big, big secret.

We are expecting a baby boy soon via a surrogate! 

I have been bursting at the seams to share this news with you all, but for what I hope are obvious reasons, we chose to keep this on the DL until he was born. Outside of privacy concerns, I think one of the biggest reasons we were waiting to share this news is because I am very much still in the process of my endometriosis and adenomyosis journey. I still do not have all of the answers and while I want to share where we are with our pregnancy and surrogacy, I also felt weird not fully having a “button” on my own physical and health stuff.

Does that make sense?

I thought that maybe it would be helpful to share a bit of a timeline to catch you guys up to speed on all things surrogacy. I’m literally smiling as I type this I am so excited to finally share this news!!!

Okay, so here we go…

February 2020: IVF

As you may already know, Grant and I chose to do IVF to freeze embryos back in February 2020. Gosh we were so lucky looking back. We did this RIGHT BEFORE Covid hit.

It was during this process I was told by my doctor that I had adenomyosis. While she was not able to fully diagnose me, which requires surgery, she was most confident with her declaration. I saw multiple doctors after this to get confirmation. I also began to very quickly put the dots together about my symptoms and how they matched up with not only adenomyosis, but endometriosis too. A doctor shortly after this told me I had both endometriosis and adenomyosis.

During the transfer we got 4 embryos. We did not find out the sex. We had zero intention at the time of using a surrogate. We chose to freeze embryos because I was 38 at the time and was nervous that by the time we wrapped our minds around having another baby, I would be in my 40s. I wanted to do IVF as an insurance plan to getting pregnant in my 40s.

March 2020 – December 2020: A Whole Lotta Nothing

Covid-19. All talks of having a baby were on hold. Grant and I were getting our feet wet as parents. June was only 1 year old and we honestly never really talked much about another baby. We were just trying to survive like everyone. I was battling through awful endometriosis and adenomyosis symptoms and with very little doctors taking appointments during this time, it made it more challenging to find answers.

February 2021: Finding an Agency

Covid slowly but surely started to lift a little bit. And after finally having several doctors and specialists advice me that I needed to accept that I had secondary infertility. Secondary infertility can mean that you either cannot conceive and/OR you cannot carry a baby to term after previously giving birth. I cannot carry a baby to term. The reasons for this are both my endometriosis/adenomyosis AND postpartum depression issues.

Grant and I thought we were do a little bit of research on surrogacy. My brother and his husband used a surrogate for our nephew, Finn, so I knew a lot about the process. But we wanted to really do our own looking around and set up a few consultations. We ended up meeting with a boutique agency in California that a very dear friend of mine had used for her children. I fully trust her and she spoke highly of the company.

(For privacy reasons I will not be sharing what agency we used. I also will not be sharing how much it cost. If you are interested in surrogacy, please use outside resources to learn more about the specifics.)

On our consultation call we were told that it could take anywhere from 6 months to a year or even two to find a match. So, they suggested we put a deposit down and get on the list. It doesn’t hurt to just get on this list! You can always back out.

So, we did.

May 2020: Emotions

Even though we had logistically signed up to be on the roster for surrogacy, I had not emotionally accepted that this was going to be my reality for a second child. Night after night I stayed up with Grant, crying on the couch about “what if” scenarios. I had a very difficult time accepting the fact that my body would not be able to carry another baby. The messages of outside noise, trying to help by offering resources, articles, stories from their circles of friends, only made things feel worse for me. The battle with what I felt versus what I knew was a thunderstorm of internal emotions.

I would go to yoga class and silently cry during shavasana. “Why couldn’t my body do what it was made to do?” I threw pity party after pity party. I even got angry at my body and drank night after night. Screw it! I would eat pizza, stuff my face with donuts. It just felt like if nothing I could do made a difference, then who cared.

Once I was finally able to accept that I was truly grieving and that this wasn’t just something I could research or work my way out of, I was able to start to heal. And by “heal” I do not mean overcome. I mean I was able to accept that this was a part of who I was. My story, while it is definitely unique, is not uncommon. Knowing that there were other women in the world who had gone through exactly what I was experiencing made me feel a lot less alone. I started reaching out to them. I started asking around and trying to find people to talk to on the phone about their experience. This helped me tremendously.

After about a month of really battling through whether or not Grant and I wanted to go through this process to have another baby, we decided to move forward emotionally.

August 2021: A Match!

One day I was working in my office when I received a random e-mail from our agency. “Potential Surrogate.” I immediately froze. It was exactly 6 months later and felt very quick. I also had zero expectations for this e-mail on this exact day. A rush of butterflies rushed through my heart which gave me the answer I needed that we were on the right path.

I opened up the e-mail, smiling from ear to ear. I took a deep breath and called Grant.

The agency sent us a profile report about the surrogate, her family, her background, etc… We were incredibly thrilled to learn that she lived in the same city that we did which is very rare to find – a diamond in the rough!

September 2021: Meeting our Surrogate

We set up a Zoom call to meet with the surrogate and her husband. To be honest, we were kind of dragging our feet in the scheduling process because it all felt like it was happening so fast. Grant and I were so nervous but we told ourselves that we would just “feel it out.” No pressure!

The moment we hung up the phone we both looked at each other smiling and joking “Oh mannnn we are in it now!”

The surrogate and her husband were so amazing. They’re fun, funny, caught on to all of Grant’s dry humor, and most of all they really seemed to care about who they were being matched up with.

October 2021: Contracts Signed

Insert a whole lot of not fun stuff about lawyers, money, paperwork right here.

November 2021: Transfer Day

Again, we were really lucky with the timing on everything with this surrogacy. With menstral cycles, etc. etc. it just all worked out and happened so quickly!

Do you guys remember when I went to NYC and I ended up in urgent care? I’m kind of laughing about it now and I’m so damn happy I can finally share this story.  That was on our transfer day!

First of all, watching your embryo get transferred is such a COOL experience. We were so lucky to be able to attend the appointment {Covid restrictions were just lifting}. The entire room grew very quiet while the doctor carefully placed our embryo exactly where she wanted it. “Okkkkkk,” she said “There is it.”

Grant naturally made a joke in the heat of the moment, “Well, that was a lot less fun than the first time.” The entire room erupted in to laughter.

It was a pretty quick procedure and then we were left to wait (tick tock). It was so hard to wait!!!!!!

I had an early flight scheduled to head off to NYC for market for the new store we’re opening in the fall. I couldn’t miss this work trip and (of course) it just so happened to fall on the date of our transfer. I woke up the morning of the transfer and went to yoga at 6:30am. Then I went to the transfer and from there I went straight from the doctors office to the airport and flew to NY. I think I was completely overwhelmed and utterly exhausted. I definitely had some sort of hormonal imbalance happening that is a very common side effect for me with my endometriosis/adenomyosis. When I get overstressed, my hormones do not know how to balance themselves so it can lead to me getting very sick.

January 2022: The Sex

Because we didn’t know the sex of our embryos, we told the doctor to pick the “strongest.” We were in Aspen when we got the phone call and I put her on speaker. Grant and I were fully convinced that we were having another girl. Like, whole heartedly had already began thinking of names.

It’s a BOY!

I laughed, cried, hugged Grant. Excitement continued to build.

January – July 2022: Pregnancy

During the last 6 months there were many doctors visits and catching up with our surrogate. We absolutely adore her. She’s so easy going and nice. I text with her about once a week and we’ve tried to get together as much as we can between her children and our schedules. I was able to attend most of the doctors appointments, especially the “bigger” ones.

While the pregnancy experience was very successful and positive, I will admit there were moments of difficultly for me from time to time. If this had been my first pregnancy I really think it would have been much harder, not knowing what the process is like.

We are so blessed.

My anxiety levels are so much lower than what they were when I was pregnant with June. Thankfully, I was able to breathe through the sticky parts of my mind on harder days. Thoughts of paranoia would try to creep in, but I just had to have faith. When I focused on how much positive was coming out of this experience it was hard to let my mind go anywhere negative. I walked back through photos from my first pregnancy. Grant and I talked through how difficult that was for me. We also have June, the greatest gift of all, as a daily reminder on what is in store for us.

July 2022: Delivery Date 

As I sit here typing, it is July 10th and we are 5 days away from welcoming our son in to the world. I feel a bit superstitious typing this. I don’t have the flutters, kicks and daily reminders of a growing belly to tell me that is healthy and doing okay. Is he okay? I text my surrogate and she will tell me that she feels him kicking. All is okay, she reassures me.

Less than a year ago, I did not know this woman, and now I sit here texting her as if I am texting my son who I have never met to check in on how he’s feeling. Her voice is the voice that my baby has heard every day for the last 9 months. The food she’s eaten, he has ingested. The emotions that she has carried have been imprinted on my child. It is her womb that has become his home. How could I not feel sad. Yet how do I even begin to thank her for providing me with one of the most beautiful, life-changing experiences I will ever be privileged enough to be a part of?

Surrogacy is an option that I never thought I would consider. When I was a little girl, I never had dreams of “first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes another woman carrying my baby.” This choice comes much, much later after every single option has been exhausted. It comes after every realization that you have no other choice has left you gutted and drained both emotionally and physically.

This journey, while it is very much about me, is not about me at all. It is about our son and how we brought him into this world with the help from one of the most incredible human beings I’ve ever known. When you become a mother, you are instantly given some sort of extra superpower that no matter how difficult something may be for you to do, you find the strength, the willpower, and the love to do it for your children. There is truly nothing that I would not do for my two children.

The month of June was a complete and total whirlwind for me.

My book launched on June 7th and I don’t think I really realized how much it was physically weighing on me to finally birth this project in to the world. It was one thing to write and purge and publish, but to actually have the body of work circulating around the world felt like a rollercoaster of emotions.

Now that I have had a minute to really breathe and absorb everything that has happened, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you. A million thank you’s. 

I wrote a little note to you all in the “Acknowledgements” section of the book, but since this blog is where it all began nearly 12 years ago, I find it necessary to also document my gratitude here. I am absolutely humbled that my book was a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. I’m floored and speechless that I was given the opportunity to go on a book tour! Seeing so many of you after so many years apart was exactly what I needed! I missed you guys!

The overwhelming outpour of support and love from this community that we have all built together over the last decade has been outstanding. Every single comment, DM, e-mail and note that you have sent my way has brought me to tears. I feel more connected to you all than ever before. Hearing your own personal stories, triumphs, failures, struggles, and everything in between has reminded me about why I wanted to write this book to begin with. And that was in hopes to reconnect with you all.

I want you to also know how strange it felt not sharing a lot of the stories that were in my book. As I’m sure you can imagine, it is impossible for me to share every single aspect of my life on this blog or on social media. There are a lot of things going on in our lives that I have to keep private for so many reasons, but the stories I chose to include were the ones that I felt would contribute to the overall themes of the book. They were the stories that I hope you will be able to relate to the most.

Without getting too far off topic, I just wanted to say THANK YOU. Thank you for following along in the journey of my life, our life. Thank you for always coming back to check in on this little blog that I started 12 years ago. Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for being here. And most of all, thank you for being open to my words and for trusting me with your time.

Love you all.

Raise your hand if you have some sick trips planned this summer?

While I won’t be bouncing around Europe this summer {darn!}, I’m certainly venturing on a few trips that I’m beyond excited about. I thought I’d share a few tips that I’ve picked up along the way for all of you who will be road or jet setting.

1. Packing Cubes are your Friend

I don’t know why it took me so long to come around to packing cubes but I swear once I did it made travel so much easier. This set of packing cubes are my favorite because it comes with a really snazzy (yes I just said snazzy) toiletry bag that hangs in the bathroom. The reason I really love packing cubes is that the second you reach your destination you can unpack in seconds by simply taking each cube from your suitcase and putting it into a dresser drawer.

2. The Controversial Carry-On

This might rub some of you the wrong way, but I always (always) bring along a carry-on with at least one day of essentials. With so many delays, lost bags, and cancelled connections, you just never know where you might end up amongst your travel days. If any of the above were to happen, at least you’d feel comfortable knowing you have some key pieces to help get you through.

3. Don’t stress over wrinkles

I always, always pack my favorite steamer unless I can count on my hotel having one.

4. One Straw Hat

I know you have a bazillion straw hats that you are excited to bust out, but unless you’re staying somewhere 10 days plus, I would highly suggest only bringing one straw hat. My new favorite straw tote just so happens to carry my all time favorite straw hats and it’s by Janessa Leone.

5. Get Clear

Not only do I strongly suggest getting your TSA Pre-Check, Global Entry & Clear to make travel days feel seamless, but I also suggest putting all of your things in these easy clear toiletry bags inside your carry-on. I use one for phone chargers, one for beauty, and another for misc. items. You’ll never find a random thing wandering around in the bottom of my tote. Everything is perfectly tucked away in these toiletry bags.

Do you have any pro travel tips? Leave a comment below!

Because it was our first official Spring Break with a kiddo, we really wanted to make a splash.

Plans took place for June’s big trip to Maui many, many months ago. And when the Andaz Maui reached out about teaming up on a stay, I knew we were in for a treat. A lot of our friends make annual trips to Andaz and have raved about how welcoming, kid-friendly, and nice of a stay they’ve had.

Honestly, if you’re looking for one of the most kid friendly resorts on Maui, look no further. From their adorable kids pool (that has a beach landing) to the activities offerings they have (Lei Making, Bingo, and Ukulele Lessons and more) the Andaz is where it’s at if you are traveling with kids. We also had a roomy 3 bedroom villa and June’s room at bunk beds which is perfect for larger families.

The food was also amazing for little ones and the staff to extra special care of us by having groceries in the room waiting for our arrival. We had basics like bread, peanut butter and pasta all stocked in the pantry. This is an amenity that you can take advantage of through the concierge.  I also strongly suggest the market place they have on the main floor where you will find delicious coffee, smoothies and sandwiches you can pack for the beach. Oh! The beach! We spent almost every day posted up on beach chairs at the beach where June spent hours and hours splashing along the shore. It was perfect!

We cannot thank the team at Andaz for taking such good care of us and making our first Spring Break trip as a family such a memorable experience for the record books.

Below you’ll find a lot of snapshots from our trip along with links to everything I wore on our travels.

We made a quick pit stop in Oahu on our way to Maui to visit Grant’s family.

I have never been to Honolulu, but have heard so many fond memories from Grant who spent every summer visiting his family here. 

We stayed at the same resort he grew up coming to, Kahala, which truly hasn’t changed at all. It felt like stepping back in time in the best of ways. The beautiful beach was steps away from the pool and we spent all day sunbathing with cousins. It was truly magical.