Carter's Back-to-School

“I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Carter’s. I received a complimentary gift card to facilitate my review and thank me for my participation.”

Today is the big day for our family! It's the official start of the school year! The Summer has come and gone and we are gearing up for all things Fall. Over the Summer Savannah and I had so much fun shopping for her back-to-school wardrobe. Her size hasn't changed much since last year but her legs are getting longer by the minute.

One of my favorite places to shop for the kids (all of them) is Carter's. We headed there to get started on our wardrobe update. Carter's now offers sizes up to a size 8 so I knew we would have no problem finding pants that fit her long legs. Adjustable waist bands help keep her pants up and that's another reason I love Carter's.

Carter's has a cute and colorful variety of easy outfit sets. The Fall collection was full of well coordinated outfits that I know my PreK kid will have no problem putting together on her own. She loves picking out her clothes in the morning before school. That's one of the fun things about going back-to-school. I remember being so hype about my back-to-school clothes as a kid and teen!

As a Mom, these days I'm more excited about the value I'm getting for my money. Quality is important to me and it feels good knowing that the items we get from Carter's will wash and wear over and over again with no problem. Savannah plays hard so I need clothes that can hold up.

I would describe Savannah's style as fresh, happy and modern. We were both so happy to see that the Fall collection matched our style. She loves leggings, dresses and floral prints and that's exactly what we got during our trip.

Here she is in some of the new items we picked for back-to-school...

This blue dress was her favorite item from our shopping trip. She loves a dress!

Floral print leggings are adorable on her. When I saw these as part of the doorbuster sale I had to get her some. They are so cute with the matching lace inset tee.

Another school wardrobe staple for us is a super cute warm-up suit. I absolutely love this one. 

How cute is she? I know her first day of school is going to be filled with so much learning and fun! It makes me feel good when I know she feels good about herself. Confidence is key when going back-to-school and I know she has that.

Now what kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you save money while shopping too? I know you guys love Carter's just as me! Their doorbuster deals make getting ready-to-play outfits so easy. Use this coupon to save while you shop!

Save BIG during these upcoming sales!

Count Me In Preschool Sale (Up to 50% Off): 8/5 - 8/31:

- Doorbuster 2 or more: $6 leggings, long sleeve tees, boys terry pants & slogans

Labor Day Weekend 50% off Entire Store or More: 9/1 – 9/7:

-Doorbuster $12 5-pack bodysuit, $9 2 pack pants, $10 turn me around sets (9/3 -9/7 only)

How was back-to-school shopping for you? Share your little ones Carter's Back-To-School style online using the hashtag #CountMeInCarters. 

Back to School Fashion Haul

I finally got a chance to film and upload Savannah's back to school fashion haul. We got some really great deals by using coupons, our military discount and taking advantage of tax free weekend.

She got some really cute stuff. I wish some of it came in a mommy friendly size. How was back to school shopping for you? Get any good deals?

Birthday Part Two: Date Night

Ugh. My computer has run out of memory and has been tripping. I apologize for the infrequency of posts but I hope to have my little situation resolved soon. Jesus be a terabyte.

Anyway. My birthday celebration continued on Saturday. My Mom and I (with the kids) went shopping during the day. We had a blast. I don't get girlfriend time like that often and I thoroughly enjoyed going from store to store and out to lunch. There's something about beautiful weather, a clean car with a full tank of gas and time out and about that makes me happy.

After shoe shopping the day away we headed back home. I opened all of my gifts before getting ready for our night out. Savannah and Little Mike gave me a card with a single one dollar bill in it, so sweet.

Since I didn't know exactly what my husband had planned for the evening I decided to wear a tuxedo blouse that I scored on sale years ago from Black House White Market. I paired it with some leather leggings and some of those strappy lace up booties that are in style right now.


We started off at dinner. I had been wanting to try out a japanese restaurant here so we headed there first. The food was okay and the service was slow. Luckily, my date was handsome and full of fun conversation.

Our next stop was to the SoHo Wine & Martini bar. There aren't enough good things to say about that place. There was live music, attentive and talented bartenders and pretty drinks. The drink below tasted just like a spiked Oreo cookie, yum!


I also really liked their mojito and the chocolate strawberry shortcake martini. I would go back there in a heartbeat. We ended the night dancing at a riverwalk hotspot before grabbing cake and more drinks at another popular place downtown. 
I had so much fun. I'm looking forward to our next adventure out. We already have a couple places in mind that we want to visit.
Happy Birthday to me. Cheers to 31!

Chic Mom Style: Leather Leggings

A while back I did a post about Fall Fashion that included some of my fashion staples. One of the items included in that post was faux leather leggings. I could never quite bring myself to take the plunge and buy them. Mainly because I was afraid that they would look more like pleather and less like faux leather.

There is a big difference between the two.

leather pants by stacy-gustin featuring black gloves

I am drawn to them because they can be dressed up or down. You can go from day to night in these by changing your shoes and accessories and I love that. Not that my life requires me to go from day to night on a whim BUT  if it did these would be the perfect pants for that.

Olivia Palermo! by cheymbabe featuring a leather trousers

Yesterday I received an early birthday present in the mail from one of my favorite stores. After doing a bit of looking around online I see that their faux leather leggings have great reviews. Today I'm going to finally take my butt to the actual mall (I shop online) and try on these pants. 

I have so many plans for them thanks to Pinterest. Visions of outfits are dancing in my head and I am beyond excited. I think I'll wear them for my birthday this weekend if the fit is as good as I expect it to be. Have you tried the faux leather legging trend?

Chic Mom Style: Fall Fashion

Living in Texas doesn't allow me to really dive as deep into Fall fashion as I would like. The mornings and evenings are pleasantly cool but the afternoons are like an east coast summer day.

During the Fall I tend to wear my Fall stuff and I layer up when it's cool enough. I also like wearing black. A lot of it. I could probably wear black everyday and never get tired of it.

My Fall fashion vibe is still all black everything. This is the Mom I want to be everyday…

Nothing extremely fussy. Very chill.

Mommy's Morning Out Part One by thechicsahm featuring black plastic sunglasses

When I am in the mood to wear color I normally go for a print. I love big bold prints. Printed dresses are my go-to when I feel like stepping it up a bit. 

Into FALL by giginicole featuring heel booties

Free Falling by moomoofan1972 featuring MICHAEL Michael Kors

I have determined that my style is a mix of two different women. Part of me is the woman that wears lots of denim with neutral colored blouses and graphic tees. Very safe. The other part of me is a woman who is drawn to prints, color and lots of dresses. I love a good sheath or shirtdress.

Moto jackets, blazers, cardigans, denim - touches of leopard. Those are my Fall staples. What are your's?

Out and About: H&M Grand Opening

Last week the kids and I had the opportunity to attend the grand opening of H&M at The Shops at La Cantera. I knew it was going to be crazy out there but I had no idea it would be as crazy as it was. The line started at H&M and was wrapped all the way around the mall to the Cheesecake Factory. Bananas.


The city has been waiting on H&M for quite some time. I normally shop the trendy retailer online so it was nice seeing all of the merchandise in person. I saw lots of cute stuff for the summer. Bathing suits, accessories, shorts and shoes all at affordable prices. Love.

Their kids stuff is pretty cute too. I buy lots of Savannah and BabyM's clothes from H&M. They wash and wear very well. No shrinking or fading of colors. Here is Savannah in a head to toe H&M look. (peep the line of people)

Before leaving the store I snagged a couple summer essentials. I didn't have much time to look around but I found these cute speckled shorts, black blouse and statement necklace. I wore the necklace yesterday and got tons of compliments.


What do you think of my outfit? What do you consider to be a summer essential?

7 Days of Love: Sexy Date Night Outfit

I am going to keep it all the way real with you. We hardly ever get out for dates outside of the house. We don't live close to friends or family so a true date night is hard to come by. Since most of our dates happen here at home that's the outfit I'll be sharing with you today. 

Once the kids are asleep my husband normally preps the living room for our movie or DVR mini marathon. While he's doing that I shower and find something to wear. My husband appreciates the dressed down, relaxed, girl next door look. If I'm being honest I love it too. There's something so sexy about not being so over the top.

My favorite date night outfit has to be some shorts that fit perfect. Short enough to be inappropriate for public wear but still long enough to not be considered panties. I normally pair that with a fitted tank top but I'm also loving these new sheer crop tops I recently bought.

pajamas by thechicsahm featuring tall shirts

So what do you think? You probably didn't expect to see this. Don't worry. I have plenty of 'real' outfits    coming up in my Vegas recap. To see more sexy date night outfits visit Baby Teems, The Green Eyed Lady Blog and So She Writes by Miss Dre.

30th Birthday Countdown: Airport Attire

I originally planned this post to share an idea that I had for an airport outfit. I always like to be comfortable while I'm traveling. It's so much walking and sometimes rushing that I'm not normally decked out in an airport. So. I was originally planning to wear the outfit you see below. That was before we switched our flight time.

Now that we'll have to be up and out before it's cute to be up and out I don't know what I'll look like, LOL! Cause honestly five AM doesn't look good on anybody. Anyway. Should I decide to not wear sweatpants this is what I'll probably be wearing. (But no. Really. I'll probably have on some cute sweats that early. Judge if you must…)

Airport Ready by thechicsahm featuring blue jackets

If we weren't going so early I was thinking of wearing something like this below. My grey sweater coat is much cuter (if I do say so myself *in my Jay-Z voice*) than the one here. I like this look. Very cute and casual. The heels might be a stretch that early in the morning. We'll see how I'm feeling when I wake up…

Airport Ready by thechicsahm featuring hobo handbags

What do you wear on travel day? Do you try to do it up or do you rock sweats and sneakers?

30th Birthday Countdown: What I'm Wearing in Vegas

I have finally narrowed down my options for my trip to Vegas. I didn't want to spend a lot of money shopping before our trip. Mama wants to make sure she has money to spend in Vegas you know what I mean?

Just when I thought I was going to have buy one of the dresses I showed you before Jesus smiled down on me with a 50% off sale at Express. While checking out the sale I saw that they had restocked my initial birthday outfit that was previously sold out. So happy that I'll get to wear sequins on my birthday and it cost less than dinner for two at a Vegas buffet. Win.

Party Looks by thechicsahm featuring a blue dress

Now y'all know I love black. I have said that many many many times here on the blog. So it's no wonder that almost all of my night looks are black. I can't help it. To switch things up a bit I am taking this blue dress with me. It's cute, comfortable and it has an exposed back zipper which I love. I'll be pairing the leather skirt with a sheer black top. So cute and sexy. 

I have this whole strategy for packing and doing a carry-on bag. It can be done. (i hope) What do you think about these looks?

Mommy Style: 12232013

Since this pic got a such a nice response on IG & FB I figured I'd share the details of what I'm wearing.   The hat is from Target. The sunglasses are Tommy Hilfiger. The scarf is from Express and I'm wearing a burgundy Express dolman sleeve sweater.

The weather here has been so nice. It's been in the upper 50s to low 60s. Loving it.

30th Birthday Countdown: What to Wear

In an effort to get more excited about my upcoming Flirty30 celebration I decided to start pulling (yes, pulling. cause i'm stylist for myself and all the other people that live here lol) looks. I'm not too worried about what to wear during the day but I wanted to go ahead and start putting some thought behind what I'll wear at night.

I haven't been to a nightclub since college and I've never been to Vegas so I want to have some fun with my style during this trip. The black skater dress is currently hanging in my closet. I plan to wear it with my black booties and some accessories that will make it pop more. That outfit will take care of night one.

Birthday Looks for Night by thechicsahm featuring a reversible dress

Our second night there will be my actual birthday. For some reason I feel like sequins are the way to go for that night. I just want to sparkle and shine that night. I'm looking for the perfect dress. Asos had several that I love but I just want to make sure it's thee dress before pulling the trigger. If I can't find one that I like enough then I'll probably go with a LBD. The one with the cutout back is cute.

And for our last night I am going to wear a leather mini skirt. I already have the skirt so I'm currently looking for the perfect top to pair it with. So what do you think of my options so far? Let me know if I'm headed in the right direction in the comments!

Chic Mom Style: A Tee and Jeans

Today we went out to run a couple errands and grab lunch. The typical family Saturday outing. I wanted to wear something relaxed, casual and cute. I decided to wear a cute tee and some skinny jeans. I scored the tee shirt during the big Labor Day sale that Express had. My sneakers are the Steve Madden wedge sneakers that I've been wanting since last year. I was able to get them at half the price during the Nordstrom Labor Day sale. The jeans are my favorite skinny jeans. They're probably six years old by now and they have the best fit. Skinny but not skin tight. 

Oh. And I wore my hair up in a top knot. It's so rare that my hair is straight and I'm loving wearing it up. I bought some of the marley hair I need to make twists so I'm thinking about attempting that this coming week. We're having our family portraits done tomorrow so I may start them after that.

What do you think of my easy Saturday style?

Chic Mom Style

Alright. I said that I was going to share when I wore the Pinterest inspired denim cut off shorts outfit. I feel like this pic isn't really doing the outfit justice, haha! It looked great! Instead of the Tory Burch leopard print shoes from the inspiration pic I paired my outfit with my gold spiked toe Sam Edelman flats.

Since I was planning on getting matched up for some new makeup my face is fresh.

Here I am trying on some booties. (That are now living in my closet!) Check out my husband wearing the ergo and photo bombing me in the background, haha!

Shirt - Express (The Portofino Shirt) Shorts - H&M Booties - Steve Madden Flats - Sam Edelman Watch - Michael Kors Bangle - a gift

eShakti Fall Collection

I wanted to quickly share a promo offer that just hit my inbox! You all know how much I love eShakti. Well, their Fall Collection is now available and it's full of feminine classic modern items. Remember eShakti always has your size because you can provide your measurements and have the items customized to fit you. It's like having a personal seamstress and tailor via the web and I love it! 

You know I've been doing a lot of online shopping lately and any time I find out about a great sale I spread the word on my Facebook page. Here is another offer. Take 20% off while you shop eShakti's Fall Collection. They have everything from the very now menswear inspired look to the very pretty cobalt blue. I can not wait to start scrolling through their new line. Check me out in some of my past favorite eShakti looks.

Hello September...

I can not believe it is already September. This is a very fun month for our family. I spent the majority of Labor Day weekend laying in bed fighting sinus pressure and shopping online. I got some great deals! Very excited about getting all those shipments this week. 

All of Savannah's activities start back up this month and I could not be more excited. It is going to feel so good to have a scheduled activity every day. We'll be out and about Tuesday thru Thursday. On Mondays and Fridays we'll do more "Preschool at Home" activities, run errands, clean and do whatever else the house needs. Savannah will also be turning three in a couple weeks. This year she wanted a trip to the beach for her birthday so we'll be having a family party/getaway. I'm not even mad or sad about her not wanting a party. That's one less thing for me to plan...

We'll probably at least have cake and ice cream with her girlfriends though, but that's it.

I've been trying to gather things for our beach trip and plan my outfits. I found a cute outfit on Pinterest that seemed really easy and comfy. Since it was repinned over 200 times I decided to recreate the look. Cute, right? Can't wait to share my finished look!

I also want to try something different with my hair. I'm not sure if I want to put in some marley twists or if I should invest in a good flat iron and wear my hair straight or blown out. I would really love to do the twists but from the reviews I've read they don't really last that long. We'll see.

I'm so ready for this much needed break. My husband's birthday is at the end of the month so we'll be celebrating all month long. As I've said before Fall is my favorite season. I'm looking forward to this season and all the changes that will come with it!

How Nature Celebrates...

Summer is finally coming to a close. (Oh. Wait. I live in Texas and it's still going to be hot here.) Finally. My favorite season is Fall. I love it. I love the smell of Autumn, the changing leaves and the cooler temps. As I have mentioned before on the blog I am planning to have quite the style transformation this season. I plan to celebrate the end of summer the way nature does during Fall and change up my look. 

I find it so extremely cool that the beautiful green trees that line the streets of our neighborhood will go from being vibrantly green to a multitude of colors. I figure if the trees can have a seasonal makeover so can I. Ever since I decided to really try to get back in touch with who I am since becoming a Mom the one thing that seemed natural to me is the color black. As I've said before black outfits are like second nature to me.

Mommy's Morning Out Part One by thechicsahm featuring dog boots

Some may find this collection boring but I feel inspired. I see myself toting these babies to play dates, lifting them in and out of the car in style. Looking and feeling my best. Don't get me wrong I love prints and color (and you'll see that in parts two and three) but my love for black is close to my heart. It's simple and easy. Just like my parenting style. I see lots of comfy tops, black blouses and red lipstick in my future and I'm excited about it. Celebrating the beginning of a new season and a new me.

Every Friday, Deer Park® Nature's Blends™ Fruit Flavored Beverages is sharing beautiful ways that nature celebrates with a reminder to treat yourself to a celebration, too. Head over to the Deer Park® Facebook page every Friday for inspiration to celebrate naturally and share your own story on their page.

 Thank you for supporting the brands that allow me to be a Chic Stay at Home Mom.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions express are my own.

Chic DIY: Maternity Cut Off Shorts

Hey y'all!! This is a quick late night post I wanted to do to show my DIY maternity jean cut offs. I initially wanted to just buy some shorts but after losing several eBay auctions I decided to try something else. Over the weekend I went to Target to find some shorts while my Liz Lange coupon is still good but I didn't like what those shorts did to my butt.

Today I ventured out to Goodwill. After trying on several jeans (and some cute overalls) I finally found a pair that I liked. They fit perfectly. I knew it was meant to be when I realized they were going to get marked down an additional dollar due to their pink tag. So for $3 I'll have some super cute cut offs to take me to the end of my pregnancy. Love that!

This is what I used. You can always use chalk or a marker to mark your jeans but I already had this white pencil in my sewing bag. 

I measured 6 inches down my the inseam. You could always go shorter or longer if you want. I did 6 inches because I wanted to make sure that I didn't cut too much off on my first cut. I was very happy with the length after cutting.

Can you see the white line I used for my guide?

Voila! I haven't decided if I am going to cuff them or wear them as real cutoffs. We'll see. I tossed them in the wash after taking these pics. I plan to wear them tomorrow for a play date to the splash pad.

Just to give you an idea of the length... I could probably go shorter but I don't think I will. I think the shorts that are being sold right now at Motherhood have a 4 inch inseam. The additional two inches make me feel like I could bend over, sit down and stand up without pulling at my shorts. No one wants to see a pregnant woman's cheeks.

And these are the overalls that I just couldn't make work. They were so cute until you saw me from the side or from the back. I couldn't get them to fit both my stomach and my butt properly. It was weird. If I was pregnant during the Fall I probably would have gotten them. I just didn't think I would be happy with the results had I turned these into cutoffs. 

I hope y'all enjoyed this little mini project. I'll try to Instagram a pic of me tomorrow. Goodnight!

- posted from my chic iPhone

Chic Celeb Mom: Kim Kardashian

I know the title on this alone is going to make some of you roll your eyes. It's okay. Roll away. Since I have been pregnant during the same time as some of the most famous women in the world I've been doing a lot of style watching. I've been watching everyone from Princess Kate to Kim Kardashian. Everyone has their own since of style and I've enjoyed watching all the celeb bumps hit the red carpet.

Credit

Kim Kardashian has been getting it from all sides during her pregnancy and I feel bad for her. Mainly because when you're pregnant you never know how your body will respond. You don't know how you're going to physically change. I think all women want to still feel like themselves while pregnant and one of the ways to do that is by your personal style. With that being said many people would argue that she can afford to dress a different way. Critics and tabloid magazines would say that she should be wearing more maternity friendly outfits.

Credit

For the record. Unless you are in Kim K.'s body how do you know what is comfortable to her. If you watch her on her show or in the press you know that her look is one that embraces her curvy body. Did you really think that would change? Did you really think she was going to wear flats every single day? You're an idiot if you did. As someone who is pregnant right now I can tell you that I've still been wearing heels and non-maternity clothes that hug my growing bump. 

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The media has been having a field day with her. If she's comfortable with the way she looks then what is the big deal. Not to mention that some of her looks really haven't been that bad. If she wasn't pregnant there would be no story. I'm so over hearing about what this woman should and should not be wearing. I'll be so glad when she has her baby so that the focus can be shifted to something else. And can I remind these tabloids that you guys will be the same media outlets clamoring for the rights to the first pics of her baby. So. Choose your insults wisely because I'm pretty sure Kris Jenner is going to charge an extra milli for every negative story you write about her main money maker. 

Chic Style: eShakti's Spring Collection for Mother's Day

Happy Friday!! I for one am very happy it's the weekend. This is our first day of the week being home and I am not complaining. I'll be spending this unusually chilly San Antonio day hanging out with my mini me and of course doing some things around the house. I start my speaking appearances with the HEB Little Texans tour on Sunday. With a full week ahead of me I thought it would be a good idea to get my outfits together for the week.

I need an outfit for Sav's recital tomorrow, three outfits for my speaking engagements and something for Mother's Day. Can you believe it's Mother's Day already? I can't. This year is literally flying by. I plan to wear a dress that I was given at no cost from eShakti's Spring collection. I am such a huge fan of this customizable clothing boutique. I chose a very pretty maxi style dress and had it altered to knee length. It killed me to do it but part of our agreement this time was to actually customize something instead of ordering an item as is. The print on the dress is gorgeous and I can't wait to wear it. 

It's not too late to get your Mother's Day look. eShakti is having a great sale right now! There are so many amazing designs to choose from. If you're planning a wedding right now check out their Bridesmaid dresses. The prices are great and you can send in the exact measurements for your wedding party. I'll be instagramming all my looks for this coming week so please be sure to follow me there! Have a great weekend!