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why the walls will forever be beige
Our new house has 5 freshly painted rooms. We were just going to do 2. I messed up and we had to paint the ceiling. I don’t think I’ll be painting for a while. Let me back up… When we moved to our new home, my best friend and realtor kindly offered to paint the 2 rooms that looked like they could use a fresh coat. Looking through paint chips for a cool color was an option, but the choices are overwhelming and I didn’t have the headspace to go through that process. We decided to go with beige. She likes to paint, knows the process and I was super…
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How to Build a Gift Closet
Do you have a gift closet? I started one not too long ago as a way to have gifts on hand for birthday parties that I would forget about. Since COVID has given us a way out of kids’ birthday parties for a little over a year, I love that I don’t have to frantically look and buy a gift at the last minute. This is why I like the gift closet idea so much. While it’s mostly for kids, there are some adult-friendly items in there as well that serve as a last-minute hostess, acquaintance, or birthday gift. We are now starting to slowly ease up on get-togethers and…
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Are we talking about bathing suits and summer yet?
After being a year into this pandemic and so many plans being put on hold, canceled, and then canceled again, we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Spring is here, the weather is getting a bit warmer and the kids had their first swim class this week. Summer is being planned out and it’s looking like I’ll actually be able to see my parents in over a year. If you’ve got summer fever and starting to dream about vacations and beaches and sipping sweet drinks poolside, check out my post on Zulily on bathing suits for body types. I’m a firm believer in wearing…
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the loss of the mid-day nap
We are getting to that point where my son doesn’t want to take a nap anymore. I know, it’s happening. I’ve been milking the mid-day sleep break for as long as I can. I think I’ll have to come to terms with the fact that it’s slowly going away. I knew it was time with my daughter when it took longer for me to get her to nap than the actual nap. She would just play around until we both would decide a nap isn’t happening. My son still takes 2.5-hour naps and it’s gloriously quiet in the house during that time. I’m considered one of the lucky parents whose…
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Do you have a workout routine?
Everyone has been home for a year and a workout room is basically your bedroom/living room/garage/spare bedroom. That’s where we’re at. While some gyms and studios are starting to open, the safest bet is DIY. I’ve been getting into the FitOn and Apple Fitness workout apps and finally bit the bullet and got a 6-piece weight set from Amazon (no longer in stock). Strength workouts are awesome, but a lot of them required some kind of weights and the water bottles/canned vegetables weren’t cutting it. I was into the workout routine about a month and a half ago. I would set up my girl in her room on her iPad…
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Why walk when you can skip?
I remember when my little one was just starting to walk. The push for those early steps. Google searches and advice from other parents on how to do it. Eventually, she did it on her own time. Now she’s twirling and learning ballerina moves. That reminds me, I gotta put that girl in dance lessons once everything settles down a bit more. We thought our son would learn earlier, wanting to catch up to his sister. We got the same suggestion scroll on how to get him to walk but with him our response was different. “He’ll walk on his own time, we are in no hurry” I would tell…
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Do you wear jeans?
There are those who live in a pair of jeans and there are those who don’t. The average person owns 7 pairs of jeans. With it being such a fashion staple for everyone, it’s no wonder around 450 million pairs are sold every year. I’m not a denim girl. To me, they are a hard pass next to my joggers and leggings. I know, I’m not in the popular camp, but to be honest, I never was. I remember growing up my mom HATED jeans. Denim was bought and worn a lot, but it was in the jegging, dressy pants-style. She thought jeans were “fachosa”, or informal. If she thought…
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House Hunting: Bathrooms & Closets
When did it become acceptable to have bathrooms and closets so small? We are currently trying to get all of our clothes from walk-in to a reach-in closet and it’s been, well, challenging. When we were house hunting, we saw one where the half bathroom was in the garage. Can you imagine having guests over and being like “oh yeah, just go downstairs where we PARK OUR CAR and go ahead and use our guest bathroom”. I’m laughing as I’m typing that. We’ve also seen some beautiful bathrooms and closets, largely at the expense of the rest of the house. We saw a townhome where the 2 bedrooms were on…
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Dance it out, seriously.
Do you have a favorite at-home workout? For me, it’s dance. Dancing has always been my jam, moving the body, learning choreography, and letting my alter ego out. Dancing was always around growing up. I’m part Mexican, so any excuse my mom had to party, she was down, with music and dancing being involved 99.9% of the time. It became something that just naturally happened at parties. As I got older, I discovered hip-hop and it’s honestly my favorite. I love the beat, the choreography, the dress code (no heels! As comfy and loose as possible!), and the way it encourages you to release that sassy, diva-like, confident self. I…
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Packing Ritual
Do you have a packing ritual? I was talking to my mom on the phone the other day and how we miss each other, how my kids miss their grandparents, and how I just want to get on a plane and go somewhere. Anywhere. We went to Yosemite during COVID and was so needed. Now with a new house, I don’t know if we’ll be traveling anytime soon. I consider myself a fairly decent packer. There is no trick to it and I usually end up stuffing my clothes in my little carry-on, surprising myself when everything fits. It’s the little things, guys. Now with kids involved, it’s a little…
