Stitch Fix

I did it, I jumped on the Stitch Fix bandwagon. And I loved it! Such a fun concept to have a "personal shopper"! I thought it was super easy to sign up for and was so excited for my box to arrive to see what they had picked for me.

 

I had asked for causal, comfortable clothes that I could wear while running errands/taking Rocco to the park. I wanted things that would work for Fall, things I wouldn't normally pick myself, something I could dress up for date night or a girl's night out, and no jeans. I really hate wearing jeans. I feel like everything they sent me met the descriptions of clothing that I said I was looking for. I did choose the "as cheap as possible" option in every price category and I'm not sure how much that limited what they sent me, but I was pretty excited with what I got, even thought it still ended up being more expensive that what I would buy in the store.

 

Matata Faux Suede Pocket Knit Top ($44)

Danny Knit Pant ($68)

I really liked the colors in this top, I thought they worked great for Fall. I like the color blocking as well. I loved the length of the shirt as well as the length of the sleeves (I often have problems with sleeves on shirts not being long enough). The material was flattering and super comfortable. It was almost a keeper....I just couldn't get past that pocket. It just seemed so awkward. A weird color, mismatched material, and odd placement. I wanted to love it, but I just couldn't. With the price tag being what it was for essentially a long sleeve t-shirt, I needed to love it 100%, and I just didn't. So, I sent it back.

I loved these pants. They fit perfect and were so comfortable. I always have trouble getting the correct length in pants, but these were spot on. I even thought the price was decent as far as pants go. Unfortunately, I already have a pair exactly like this in my closet. So, I sent them back.

 

Lyoni Open Cardigan ($58)

Maybe I'm just not a cardigan kind of girl...I really hated this cardigan. It was a strange feeling fabric, the length of the sleeves were awkward, it was baggy, and a very blah color. It left everything to be desired. Definitely sent it back.

 

Lawford Knit Top ($58)

I was so close to loving this top. The length was perfect, the fabric was super soft, & the colors were nice for fall. But I just couldn't get past the leather trim on the V-neck. It looked cute enough to have a different detail to it, but it just didn't lay flat, and I'm certainly not going to iron a shirt to go to the park. On top of it I really wanted shirts with long sleeves for the coming cooler season and $58 seemed a little steep for a dressy t-shirt. Sadly, this one went back too.

 

Waltie Back Lace Panel Blouse ($68)

 

I loved this shirt. This was the idea I had in mind when signing up for Stitch Fix. I wanted something totally different than I would pick out myself. I'm not a huge blouse type person just because I don't have a lot of reasons to wear them. But I would love to have a few dressy shirts in my closet for date nights or nights out with friends. I loved the fit of this shirt, not fitted, but not baggy. I loved the fall colors. I wouldn't normally be drawn to floral patterns, but I loved the pattern on this shirt. The sleeve length is great. And I love the lace panel detail on the back. This shirt could go with several different pairs of pants - white jeans, black leggings, regular jeans, etc. I definitely kept this shirt and plan on wearing it for our fall family pictures.

 

Even though I only kept one item from my box, I really feel like they sent clothes that fit my style. I would have kept the pants if I didn't already have some just like them. And the other shirts I sent back were great, just not 100% perfect. I'll definitely do Stitch Fix again! It won't be an every month thing for me solely because of the price of the items, but I think it will be fun to set up for special events and a way to treat myself every now and then.

 

Much Love,

B.



I Am My Response

Yesterday started out with a lot of time in the car and literal kicking and screaming from the back seat for an obscene amount of time. It ended with an over hour long bedtime routine that usually takes 10 minutes. Countless tantrums filled the space between the kicking and screaming and the marathon bedtime routine. I lost my patience an embarrassing number of times and was full of regret all day as I thought about my response to each tantrum thrown my way. I was exhausted and frustrated as I laid down and caught up on some blogs. This article came up as a Friday Favorite on one of my favorite blogs to read. It really hit home for me especially after the day I had. Such a great reminder to pause for a few seconds before making knee jerk reactions to every frustrating situation. Had I stopped and considered the cause for each tantrum I may have noticed that he was tired, sick of being in the car, not feeling well from the cold he had been fighting, was in need of some extra snuggles, or all of the above. Or perhaps it was none of those things at all and he was just being a cranky almost 2 year old, but I would have spared myself some regret and shown a little more grace. And that would have benefited both of us. I'll never get it right ALL of the time, but I sure will keep trying.

 

Much Love,

B.

 



4 Years

4 years ago on 9-10-11 we were married. It was seriously the perfect day. The weather was beautiful and all our hard work planning over the previous year paid off. Everything went as it should and every detail was perfect. Everyone we loved and cared about was there to share in our day. I would relive that day over and over if I could.

We were able to sneak away from our jobs for a quick lunch date on our actual anniversary and then we went on a dinner date the weekend after.

 
It really seems like 4 years just flew by. I started my career (2 days after our wedding), we bought a house, went on vacation, got pregnant, had a baby, grew closer, and learned so many lessons along the way.

These last 4 years have been: easy, hard, inspiring, rewarding, and full of love, laughter, and lessons. We've learned so much since getting married and have grown both as individuals and as a team so much more than I ever could have imagined. They say marriage is tough, and it is, or at least it can be, but the positives definitely outweigh the hard parts and I can't imagine spending this life with anyone else.

Looking forward to celebrating our marriage for the rest of our lives.

Much Love,

B.

Deer Tracks Junction

Since we had no set plans on Labor Day weekend I really wanted to spend as much time together as a family as possible. I wanted to get Rocco out of the house and was trying to think of things other than the park since we had several park dates planned for the long weekend already.

There's a website called grkids.com that lists all sorts of things to do in the area that are kid friendly. I wasn't sure there would actually be anything going on since it was a holiday weekend, but I decided to browse the site just incase. On it for Sunday was Deer Tracks Junction. The website sold it as an old west type attraction with a petting zoo and homemade ice cream. I was sold on the ice cream :)

Admission to the petting zoo was only $3 for adults and free for Rocco, so it was definitely a cheap outing. It was so so hot while we were there, but we headed out to look at the animals first. There were goats, pigs, donkeys, and rabbits. Some were roaming free and some were in pens. Rocco was pretty interested when we first walked in but then a goat snuck up on him and nipped at his shoe and he was traumatized for life. He screamed for a good 10 minutes and clung to me like I was his sole path to survival. Any time we would be in sight of an animal he would start to shake and his whole body would tense up. The animals were cute and totally harmless, he just wasn't having any of it from then on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a cute playhouse that he thought was really fun. We let him calm down while playing in there for awhile and then coaxed him out. He was ok after that walking with Joe, but he really had no interest in seeing anymore animals.

 

 

We decided at that point to head inside to cool off. We played in the jail for a few minutes, Rocco rode the wooden horse, and we indulged in some homemade ice cream.

 

 

 

After that we headed out front where there was a huge play structure, wooden train, and old carriages to play on. We let Rocco play for awhile, but it was just way too hot to stay for long.

 

 

 

 

It was definitely fun to try somewhere new and I'm glad we checked it out! Rocco will hopefully get over his fear of the goat real soon so we can head to a few other petting zoos nearby.

Much Love,

B.

Labor Day Weekend Park Tour

There are few things I look forward to more than the weekend, and a long weekend is even better. Labor Day was a much needed extra day off. The weather was great and we had no set plans. I love taking Rocco to the park and have been trying to do it as much as possible lately since summer is coming to an end quickly. I don't know what we are going to do when the snow starts flying...this guy loves being outside more than anything else!

Saturday morning we decided to head to the dog park in Holland. We've been there tons of times in the past few years. Hugo loves to run and pester the other dogs and Rocco loves to play at the kid's park nearby. There was a thunderstorm the night before, so all the play equipment was soaking wet...but it didn't bother him at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had seen signs for two different parks while driving between Rocco's daycare and the new outlet mall and I had actually put the names in the notes section of my phone so I wouldn't forget to check them out. Sunday afternoon we made plans to visit the first one. It was really cute and had the perfect size play structures for Rocco. Some parks have really tall slides and lots of places that he could fall off, but this one was just his size. I could keep an eye on him just fine from the ground without having to climb up with him every time. Hugo had a great time on everything too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Monday morning we decided to visit the second park I had written down. This one had two separate play areas which was really nice and entertained him for a long time. There was also a cool bridge and walking trail that Rocco loved exploring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These warm sunny days are going to be gone before we know it and Rocco will be so sad when he's not able to go to the park every weekend. I'll bundle him up for as long as I can so we can keep exploring and finding new places to play and enjoy the outdoors.

Much Love,

B.