Our Memorial Day Weekend


We had a nice, WARM weekend...which was so fun!  Summer is officially here!

On Saturday, we went down to the river outside our house.


That night, our friends had us over for dinner and the boys ended the night with a bath and popsicles...how fun to be a kid, right? 


I wore my new romper and love it!  I think it's super flattering and comfy--win-win!  The pom pom trim is super cute too!



On Sunday, we hung out in the backyard...and filled the pool for some fun in the sun!


That night, we had date night at one of our favorite restaurants, Freshies.  The rooftop deck opens Memorial Day Weekend and we love the views.

My dress/top is old but here are some similar options!

Dress Options herehere + Jeans + Sandals


Monday was the best day because we had our first beach day of the year!  It was gorgeous and it makes me SO excited for the summer.  It's my favorite time of year here!  We got to spend time with Wyatt's little girlfriend Emerson and Ethan tried hanging with the older girls, his cousins!


That night we made protein-style turkey burgers!  These were amazing and from Sun Basket...and it made for the perfect Memorial Day meal. 


I hope you all had a great weekend...and scored some fun things during all the sales!

xo natasha

Memorial Day Steals + Deals




Memorial Day Weekend is in full swing so are the sales!  To prepare for summer, I've got flatforms, flared denim and fun accessories on my list.  What's on your list?

I hope you have an amazing holiday weekend!

xo natasha

Baby's Bedroom Routine Tips


Ahh the bedroom routine...otherwise known as the song + dance leading up to happy hour(s) for most of us!  Bedtime with two kids is no joke...and we still do it in two phases.  Wyatt goes down between 7-7:30pm, which for the record, is about an hour earlier than we ever put Ethan down.  Ethan goes to bed between 8-8:30pm, so it is about a two hour routine every night!

After dinner, we usually try to give the boys a bath...though, lately, Ethan prefers to shower with us.


It's kind of hard to see here, but both our boys have suffered from bouts of eczema that flares up at bath time.  We try to give a bath every other night--but you know how it goes with boys!  More on our solution below.

After bath time, I get Wyatt dressed in his jammies and then we have some quiet time in his room...


Soft, cozy pajamas are super important and we were recently introduced to Softsie, an amazing brand of pajamas that is incredibly soft and they're infused with aloe, jojoba oil and vitamin E to soothe baby's skin.  This has been a life savor for Wyatt...his eczema has definitely cleared up since he started wearing these.  Definitely check them out if your baby has had similar issues, or you are just on the hunt for cozy PJs.  There are two patterns, the mint and black + white pendant...adorable!


Wyatt loves to read before bedtime {normally it's me reading to him!}.  He loves all the touch and feel books...his favorite is Pat the Bunny.

Afterwards, he'll drink a bottle and then we brush his teeth...


And then right as we're about to go down for bed...


He'll usually want to rough house with his brother and dad...typical!

A couple additional tips for bedtime...

+ We use a white sound machine {pictured above}
+ He still sleeps in a sleep sack
+ He LOVES his blankies

Even though it's quite the song and dance to get him to bed, we are really lucky that he sleeps through the night and typically wakes up after 7am.  Can't complain about that!

What are your tips and tricks for getting baby to sleep at night?

xo natasha

Lately


First, thank you for all the kind, supportive and heartfelt comments from my post last week.  It means so much to me and gives me courage to keep an open dialogue.  I am beyond appreciative of this community for allowing me to share.

The past week has been a whirlwind with family in town and nicer weather.  Here's what we've been up to lately!

We're loving the outdoors {great for your mental health too!} and Wyatt is just discovering the jungle gym at the park!


My dad and step-mom like to stay at a place on the lake...and of course the boys love running around on the beach!


We decided to go for a family hike out to Cascade Falls.  If you're visiting the area, I highly recommend it.  It's a pretty easy walk and it's the trailhead is located behind the lookout to Emerald Bay.  This time of the year, the waterfall is flowing big time!


In other news...I have been craving a charcuterie plate so we had that for dinner the last couple nights!


Ethan got his pre-school photos back!  Dying over that hair...


I found a vest that I love...


And Wyatt just gets cuter by the day!


Oh and The Bachelorette starts tonight!!  So excited!

xo natasha

Talking about Suicide


May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the topic hits very close to my heart.  I've had the fortunate opportunity to step into a career--where I am supported in talking openly about mental health and work towards making a difference.

Some of you know, but many of you may not know that my family has dealt directly with mental health and illness.  For us, it lead to suicide, and I'm hoping you'll oblige me today to read more about my journey, struggle and hope regarding this topic.


Suicide is an ugly, misunderstood word. The mere fact that we use the phrase "commit suicide" is worse.  My brother committed to many things, but suicide was not one of them. I would argue that suicide, or rather--mental illness--committed to him.  I challenge myself regularly to change this language and reinstate the integrity behind the real problem: mental health.  No one "commits suicide", but plenty die from it...

Let me back up and tell you more about my brother.  Grant was a smart, confident, athletic, strong-willed, passionate, and yet stubborn individual.  He made friends easily and could pick up any sport with ease.  He was much more of a leader than a follower--and had two younger brothers that would easily attest to that fact.  As his older sister, I was both impressed and dismayed with him--or rather his outlook on life.  Grant could always find the short cut to success, whereas I would follow the rules, hoping it would bring about the same result.   He was very much my polar opposite in a lot of ways and yet I knew he would drop anything for me. His charisma carried him through many challenges in life.  Simply put, Grant was an enigma--people loved to be around him and most would agree that he had big things ahead in life.

Which is why I was beyond shocked to learn he died and in the manner that he did, and at such a young age...only 21.  Sure, he was stubborn and would have a bad temper, but nothing that we found unusual.  He just seemed like a typical, young twenty-something guy.  I will forever replay our interactions and playful banter for the rest of my life--and dream of the relationship we were meant to have.  But all of that is gone now.  My boys will never know their uncle--and yet I see so much of him in them. 

Perhaps the worst part about his passing was the shame--the sheer misunderstanding--that we had around the circumstances.  Ten years ago I did not talk about how he died or why he died.  There was stigma, fear, doubt, guilt and judgement around suicide. And I would say that it is still there today.  There are a lot of "what ifs" and "should haves".  There is a lot of misunderstanding.

So I am here today to talk about it.  To talk about him.  Grant.  My wonderful brother that I would give anything to have back.  I would not hesitate to take part in another one of his debates...or indulge him in his latest, greatest idea.  He was a smart, dynamic human being and I hope that by talking about this topic today, he will be honored and remembered.

If you want to join me, I humbly urge you to take part in the national movement.  Research.  Talk.  Take action.

We talk so openly about our physical health--sharing on social media without a second thought.  But why don't we talk about our mental health--something that is equally, if not more important?  

I challenge you to tag a photo on social media with #eachmindmatters and let's work together to reduce stigma and raise awareness.

Thank you for listening today.

xo natasha

New York Outfit Details


I can't believe it's been a week since we've gotten back from New York!  You can catch up on our trip here and here.  I thought I would recap on the outfits I wore.  My number one tip is to really wear comfortable shoes...for as much walking as we did, it was absolutely necessary!








Jeans + Top

Pant-SimilarPumps


Shoes


Dress + Jean Jacket + Necklace + Flats

Also, a little secret of mine for wearing dresses all day long is to wear a pair of slimming shorts underneath.  It's a huge lifesaver for me!

Did I miss anything?  Let me know!

I hope you're having a great week so far!

xo natasha

Sunday Steals


I hope you are having a great weekend!  Just stopping by quickly to share some recent steals I've found...everything is under $100!





J.Crew V-Neck One-Piece + 25% off with code: SHOPNOW





Old Navy Peep Toe Flats + 40% off with code: ENJOY

Happy Shopping!

xo natasha