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.

Easter Sunday is one of my favorite days in the year.

I look forward to it year after year and ever since we had June, it’s become an even more special holiday for our family to celebrate. It’s also an opportunity that I take to spoil June with sweet little surprises.

Find a few favorites below!

This was definitely one of the best trips to Cabo we’ve taken.

And as you know, we love Cabo. It is hands down one of our favorite vacation destinations. It’s so easy for us to pop down there and the options for hotels feels endless. I’d heard amazing things about Chileno Bay and when our friends Amy & Wade invited us to join in on their Dallas Spring Break time, we jumped at the opportunity.

Chileno Bay is perfect for families traveling with kids. I would 100% recommend it and we will definitely be going back. We did a lot of meals in our 3 bedroom villa and the kids pool was perfect for June and Ralph to get some swimming in. Below you will find a few snapshots and products that I wore on our trip.

I’m kind of rolling my eyes as I typed out the word “tips” because I’m still thanking my lucky stars that June did well on our flight from Aspen to LAX.

She had a complete and utter melt down on previous flights to Texas and the only other time we’ve really flown with her {insert: Covid baby} was when we flew with her before she was walking, talking and expressing her options.

I did a ton of research online after our miserable flight in July 2021. We flew to Texas to see my family and June lost her s-h-*-t on the flight there and the flight back. She was kicking, screaming, wailing in the middle of the aisle. She pushed me, resisted any bribes, efforts or love from Grant and I. It was a mess.

But, I do have a few takeaways to share just in case there’s some mama out there who is reading this and feeling my pain.

1. Don’t Fly Between 2 and 2.5 years of age {sort of}

Kidding. Sort of. At least this was the age that was most difficult for June. I think the main take away is “Don’t Fly Between x and y” ages with your child. Do a gut check. You know your kiddo better than anyway. I knew, deep down, that June was going to lose it last July. I just knew it. But I pushed us to fly to Texas anyway and guess what? We all paid the price. This particular age was right when June was learning how to talk and communicate, yet not 100%. So we could somewhat understand each other, but she couldn’t really reason with us quite yet. Now that she’s through that developmental phase, we can really communicate in a better way. We explained ahead of time what she could expect on the airplane. We would have her repeat the steps of the travel day and ask her a dozen times, “What do you do on the plane?” and she would say “Stay in seat. Wear my seat belt.”

2. Have New Activities/Toys

I used to pack so many toys that my bag would weight a TON. This time, I packed 3 new activities that I knew June would love. They were also things that I had done a lot of research on. A lot of blogs suggested the below toys and I must say, they really kept her occupied. The key is to not let your toddler see any of these toys until you on board the plane. In fact, pull one out if you need to bribe them to put their mask on, put on their seat belt and settle in. Thankfully, June did that part seamlessly. I pulled out this weekly pill box organizer with these Pom Pom Balls stuffed inside as we were taking off. I told her once we were in the air we could play with it. This stretched out the entire moment.

It’s all about slowing down and stretching out all of the activities.

Another amazing recommendation was this LOL Surprise Doll. Parents: If your toddler doesn’t know about LOL dolls, save them for the plane. The novelty will eventually wear off but June is obsessed with these.

One of June’s favorite movies is The Grinch so I just knew she would love playing with this small set I found on Amazon. She played with this for nearly the entire flight and I joined in on the make believe.

3. Shows Shows Shows

We aren’t the household that deprives our kid of screen time (I’ll take all the judgement you want). We introduced June to a few new shows that she really took to over the holidays and I made sure to download them to her tablet for the flight. I also showed her videos of other kids wearing headphones and she was super excited to get her own pair {I let her pick out the color!}.

June’s favorite shows/movies are: Peppa Pig, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, The Grinch, Peanuts Movie, Charlie Brown, Do Re Mi.

4. New(ish) Snacks

Someone, somewhere, recommended this snack dispenser and boy oh boy was it a HUGE hit for June. She thought it was a toy! Also, bring suckers for take-off and landing for ears popping!

In hindsight, I think what really worked for us was the timing. June is at a pretty sweet age where we can explain, reason and communicate with her so it’s much easier to avoid red-zone meltdowns. We also pulled a last minute decision to ditch her car seat and let her sit with the seatbelt. Grant really thinks that this was more comfortable for her, which inspired her to stay in her seat the entire time.

Whatever it was, I’m praying and hoping that her new in flight attitude sticks around because it made for much friendlier skies for us and fellow passengers.

Do you travel regularly with a toddler? Please leave any tips below for our future travels!

We were a year in to the pandemic when Catt asked me to go with her to hot yoga.

“Just come! You’ll love it. The room is so hot, it feels great,” she said. All I knew is that I hated yoga. But I was also exceptionally restless from a year of quarantine and looking to do something, anything, to get out of the house in a safe way.

So, I went.

It was February 11, 2021 and Catt took Lina and I to Urban 728 Yoga where we took a private with an instructor named Joe. Little did I know it at the time but this studio would quickly become my home away from home for the next year, where I would spend at least three to six days a week visiting.

After my first class, I didn’t get the buzz quite yet. But, I agreed to attend once a week with the girls because it was a nice, healthy, fun thing for us to all do together. I honestly figured I could bail after a week or two.

Me, Catt and Lina at of our first classes.

After a few months, we slowly moved from the main room in to a much smaller room where Joe holds private sessions.  And the more I went, the more I craved going. I wish I could remember the exact moment that it all started to “click” for me. Before each practice, Joe would ask “How are you?” And whomever was in the class, whether it was just me in a solo or all four of us in a private group, the conversations would often times lead into 20-30 minute discussions about life, love, loss, struggle and triumph.

I slowly learned how to bring my personal life stories in to my practice which, in return, has allowed me to bring my practice with me everywhere I go.

Maybe I wasn’t full ready to love, or even like, yoga before 2021. Maybe I didn’t have the right guidance to teach me how yoga isn’t really about the poses or flexibility at all. But I honestly used to hate yoga. The breathing, sometimes moaning, would drive me absolutely mad. I’d roll my eyes at the cult-like obsession people seemed to have with going to yoga. I just didn’t get it. I also didn’t understand how people thought this was truly a form of exercise. I preferred running, pilates, kick-boxing or dance cardio or anything else over yoga. I always thought it was just a bunch of stretching and moaning because I never really had anyone teach me that it is so much more than that!

I was always drawn to the idea of meditation but I couldn’t sit still. The reason why I think hot yoga works for someone like me, with my ADHD mind, is that it combines so many various elements all at once that I am literally forced to only think about one thing: breathing.

If we do not control our breath, the breath controls us. Before this year, I didn’t realize how much emphasis you need to put on your breath to really understand how yoga works.

The room is hot, really hot. The music is loud but not so loud that it overtakes Joe’s voice which shares inspiration, wisdom, and empowerment. All of the teachers at Urban 728 Yoga are excellent and have their own style of teaching. I’ve slowly started to venture in to other instructors and even taking the online classes which I strongly recommend. There are a lot of things that can serve as a distraction from breathing, but if you allow that to happen then you simply won’t make it through the entire 60, sometimes 90, minutes of class.

Sure my mind has wandered towards “What’s for dinner?” But if I let it hang out there too long, about 3 poses later I’ll be struggling to keep myself from falling flat on my face or giving up. The challenge is making it to the end of the class.

There have been days that I want to think about anything but breathing in yoga. My mind loves to work in triple over time to mask and bury down, deep down, any past pain or triggers. I’ve spent 38 years learning how to avoid feeling complicated, painful feelings and when I’m in yoga all of those things are slowly starting to unwind, untwist, and unfold.

The deeper I go in to a pose, the more I breathe, the more of my past feels like it is releasing.

Have I pushed myself too hard at times? Absolutely. I’ve walked away from sessions thinking “I’ll never do that again!” but I usually have a smirk on my face when I’m thinking that, because I know better.

For me, I think the biggest take away from my past year is learning to trust my body again. After giving birth to June back in 2019, I suffered a great deal of trauma to my body that I had deeply stored. There were a few sessions that ended with tears streaming down my face. That’s when I started to really see and believe how much my mind and body are connected. I had been storing my emotional pain in my body.

If I’m being honest, back then I really believed that my body was broken. I had been repeating a script to myself for two years that “my body cannot do what it was made to do.” When faced with the reality that I have secondary infertility, I went down the pity party rabbit hole asking, “What is wrong with me?”  If I was in a yoga class and saw someone doing a pose or stretch I couldn’t do, I would chalk it up to yet another thing that my body wasn’t letting me do. But instead of beating myself up over why all of this was happening to me, the narrative slowly started to shift to why all of this was happening for me.

Yoga has offered a holistic healing for all of the layers of my being. My body knew what it needed to do to heal itself, yet my mind kept getting in the way with distractions from the pain. And when I say “healing” I do not necessarily mean that I am cured or “fixed” or that I have gotten “better” in any way.

For me, healing means letting go of the things that are not who I am, and letting go of the expectations to be something that I am not.

I realize now that I’ve only began to scratch the surface of what it means to heal trauma that is buried within the core of our bodies. But I can already see a true difference in my mind, body, and soul after spending nearly a year dedicating myself to practicing yoga. I have slowly began trusting myself and my body, day after day. It’s a slow and gradual process that I don’t think really has an ending and for that I am so incredibly grateful.

This post simply would not be complete without dedicating it to my incredible teacher, Joe Komar and Catt for introducing me to this magical practice.

So, do you hate yoga? I did too. I encourage you to maybe give it another try some day.

And just like that, another year is over.

Is it just me or did 2021 fly by with the blink of an eye. One minute Covid-19 was running rampant, the next we thought it was all over, and then we closed out the year with yet another wave of this awful pandemic ruthlessly making it’s way across the world.

As I reflect back on 2021, I have a few things that I’m very proud of and a lot things that have room for improvement. Rather than beat myself up over the things I wasn’t able to accomplish last year, or feel sad over what we weren’t Abel to do, I’m closing out 2021 feeling very thankful for everything that we have. This year and last felt like a survival mode. I really “cut the fat” on things in my life that no longer serve me. I also streamlined my energy and focused on things that are worth my time, energy, and effort.

One thing that I did for 2021 versus years past was I gave myself a word (or a phrase) of what I wanted that year to be.

For me, 2021 was the year of wellness.

I did a big deep dive down the health habit hole. I checked off all of the my Dr’s visits, which let to 2 MRI’s, a physical therapy journey and finally finding a solution for my adenomyosis and learning more about secondary infertility. I took up yoga, which has truly been serving me in the strongest way possible both mentally and physically {more on that soon!}

As we venture in to a new year, I’m planning to mirror the same alternate idea to setting a resolution with a word/phrase/intention.

From this day forward, I will make choices that my future self will be proud of.

Because every single moment of our lives we are faced with a choice: to smile or not to smile, to take the trip or to stay home, to accept the project or decline politely, to play with your daughter or clean the house, to call your parents or keep watching Netflix, to workout or not to workout…. SO MANY CHOICES.

Every thought, word and deed is creating your future. So, my intention for 2022 is to make each of my choices count as much as I can so that when I look back on my life I am happy, proud, and feel confident with the choices that I made. Here are a few things that I have already brought into my daily practice that will help support this.

Trust Your Intuition

The more time we have to sit still, the more in tune we can get with our intuition which is our strongest superpower. Any time I was invited to an event or gathering in 2021, I took a pause to really think about whether or not I wanted to attend. In the past I was always go-go-go to work events and gatherings because I felt like it was something I “had” to do or something that I “needed” to do. But my gut always dreaded it a bit. I would much rather be home on the couch with my daughter or spending time with my family. This isn’t to say that I do not enjoy the occasional social setting, I’m just really zeroing in on the times I take time to do so.

Be Honest

Being truthful with yourself and with others about why and how and when you are spending your time. I am no longer interested in putting the needs of others ahead of my own. Outside of Grant and June, I will be honest about the time and space that I need to live up to my fullest potential.

Set Boundaries & Expectations

I have found that the more boundaries and expectations you are able to set up early on, the better. The minute a plan or conversation gets started is the minute I will jump in and say “No we will not be able to host that dinner” or “Yes, we would love to volunteer our time.” There is nothing worse than getting too far down a rabbit hole of commitment with your time that you end up setting yourself, and others, up for disappointment.

What are your intentions for 2022? I would love their them in the comments below!

What a whirlwind trip that ended up being one of the best yet.

As always, we stayed at a villa through our friends at Wimco. This year we stayed at Villa K which had an amazingly large pool and beachfront access which is super rare in St. Barth. We absolutely love the team at Wimco. They helped us organize everything from groceries waiting upon our arrival to a magnificent boat day that we’ll always remember. Their concierge team also has their hand on the pulse as to what the latest and greatest spots are on the island so we always feel “in the know.”

At the bottom of this email is our itinerary and below you’ll find all of my photos from the trip as well as things that I wore.

If you haven’t made it to St. Barth’s yet, I highly suggest putting it on your list. It’s hands down one of our favorites places to visit {this marks our 4th time!).

The below is an itinerary that Grant made and it was absolutely perfect. We love getting a chef the final night so that any early departures don’t have too bad of a hangover and can pack while we wait for dinner.

Friday 

Arrive at leisure

Lunch at Pearl Beach

7PM Drinks at Bonito

8PM Dinner at Petite Place

Saturday 

1:00 PM Lunch at  La Cabane at Cheval Blanc

– Stopped by the Dior Pop-Up Show at Cheval Blanc

9PM Dinner at La Guerite

11PM Dancing at Bagatelle

Sunday 

-Shops around Eden Rock

2PM Lunch at GySea

4PM Table at Nikki Beach – Sunset

Sunset swimming at Nikki Beach

8PM Dinner at Eden Rock

Monday 

Half Boat Day at 1PM

7:30 PM Private Chef at House

It’s finally here!

The cover of my book, LIKING MYSELF BACK, has officially gone live at retailers across the internet {see bottom of post}. I will continue to add to this list as our additional retailers become available!

I cannot wait to share more about this journey with you all and I’ll be sharing tour information as soon as it is available!

The book will officially release May 3, 2021.

LIKING MYSELF BACK

Entrepreneur and lifestyle influencer Jacey Duprie shares her inspiring journey of going from farm girl to fashion icon and her lessons about personal growth and self-made success.

With millions of followers and a thriving lifestyle brand, Damsel in Dior,  Jacey Duprie is one of today’s top fashion influencers. Her beautiful Instagram photos capture a life of glamour, luxury and elegance. But Jacey’s life offline has been far from perfect.

In this candid memoir, Jacey reveals that behind her gorgeously curated photos was a woman struggling with deep insecurities. She shares intimate details of a difficult childhood growing up in rural Texas with an alcoholic father and her own battles with PTSD and mental health. Through resilience, hard work and self-reflection, Jacey eventually triumphed to become the strong, empowered woman she is today.

In Liking Myself Back, Jacey takes readers behind the scenes into the seductive world of fashion and influencing, and reveals how she overcame hardship to achieve her dreams. With raw emotional honesty, Jacey shows that conquering self-doubt and embracing your imperfect, authentic self is not only possible, but is the true key to happiness.

I’ve been dreaming of staying at the Carlyle in New York for too long to admit.

The famous Bemelman’s Bar has drawn me in dozens of times with its moody jazz nights and luxurious bar. It’ the epitome of New York City nightlife to pay a visit to this iconic establishment. Staying the hotel has always been a bucket list for me and I was beyond excited when the property invited me to experience the Carlyle on my first trip to the city in over 2.5 years.

In a nutshell: It exceeded any and all expectations. The staff was incredibly warm and welcoming, the room had so many exquisite personal touches and everything from the delicious food to beautiful spa were the top of the top when it comes to what I love in a good hotel. I was upgraded to the Central Park Suite which looked like something that movies are made of. The views were some of the best views I’ve ever seen. With sweeping landscapes of Central Park that kissed the NY city skyline. It was incredible!

I hope to return one day in the near future because it’s official: the Carlyle New York is my #1 choice.

I spoke a little bit about the cleanse that Grant and I are doing on social media and a lot of you seemed quite interested in hearing more.

Diets are really my thing, but a few times a year I will do a 10 day reset for my mind, body and soul. It usually naturally presents itself to me at the start of every new season. It’s kind of interesting how nature almost naturally pushes me for this quarterly reset.

10 days is usually the goal I set for myself because it feels very manageable and very realistic. If I’m feeling strong, which I usually am, I take a free day to eat and drink and not worry about my plan and then  re-up for another 10 days.

Here’s a quick run down of what we like to do. Please know that this is not for everyone. This is just what we have found works for us!

10 Day Sugar Free

By sugar, I mean processed sugar. Basically anything that has a label must read 0g of sugar on the back. You’ll be surprised by how many things you eat have hidden sugars in them which can really add up to your overall intake. Sugar messes with your overall mood, energy levels and metabolism. We definitely allow ourselves to enjoy natural sugar {i.e. fruits} but no processed sugars during the 10 days.

One of my best friends produced the movie, Fed Up, which does a deep dive in to how we are all addicted to sugar. I strongly recommend watching this documentary to give you a very strong toolbox of inspiration, motivation and guidelines to doing the 10 day “Fed Up” sugar free challenge.

Not only do Grant and I both feel better after doing the 10 days, we always come out a few pounds lighter too (which doesn’t hurt!).

Healthy Grains, No Unhealthy Carbs

I love me some carbs! But for me it’s a very slippery slope and before I know it I will find myself sweeping through the Popeye’s drive through for a quick popcorn chicken snack. During our 10 day reset, we try to eliminate as many heavy carbs as possible. I think it goes without saying that we do not allow any fast food during this time.

Rather than white rice, we eat brown rice. Instead of packaged oatmeal in the morning, we enjoy a smoothie or take the extra 5 minutes to make grains from scratch with almond milk.

Honestly, the entire process just takes a bit more planning but we always feel better eating cleaner and leaner.

No Raw Fish

This has been a newer addition to our 10 day reset: No fish, no raw meats, and nothing uncooked! Grant and I have a Chinese herbalist that is focusing our attention on getting a nice gut cleanse plan for Grant which means eating more soups, broths, and cooked salmon, beef and chicken.

In the past, we would typically load up on sushi thinking that it was doing wonders for our system. She has course corrected us and I’m excited to see what it results in.

No Alcohol

Enough said.

Move, Move, Move

First comes food, then comes movement. 9 times out of 10 the quickest way to increase your mood and energy, along with shed a few inches off the belt, is by improving your diet. You can work out every single day of the week but if you eat cheeseburgers for dinner it’s going to be counterproductive.

Once we have our meals planned out, I do a deep dive into my work out plan. I already naturally work out 5 days a week, so during my 10 day reset I like to do something a bit outside of the box. Maybe I’ll try a new class or two that I’ve never done, or increase my workout times.

For this 10 day, I’m really hoping to do hot yoga more. I don’t want to set an expectation. I’m just promising to do more. 

Clean, Clean, Clean

We pick one room or one area of our house every other day of the 10 days and tackle it. It’s amazing how quickly stuff, just stuff, will pile up around the house. I like to use this time to not only do a deep clean, but really dive in to my home organizational skills and order bins and drawer organizers that I’ve been meaning to check off of my to do list.

My favorite are these adjustable drawer inserts as well as these adjustable dividers. I love the modular system for bathroom drawers too.

Clarity Cleanse

I always love to revisit one of my favorite books a few times a year, The Clarity Cleanse. If you haven’t read it, I cannot recommend it enough. It’s just a nice little reminder to continue in my practice of supporting emotional cleansing and allow negative emotions to pass rather than attach.

Phew! I think I covered it all! Was that too much? I just wanted to give you guys a full rundown of what our life looks like during our 10 day reset as I’ve mentioned it a few times but never really explain.

Is this something you guys do? Leave a comment below!