Maternity Style: One Dress Five Ways

Happy Sunday...

Today I am styling the dress I received in my box from Preggonista® five different ways. I thought it would be fun to share how I would wear this dress several different ways, mixing and matching it with items already in my wardrobe.

The dress that I received in my box was a Seraphine Side Ruched Gray T-Shirt Dress. It's a fun soft neutral that can be worn casually or dressed up for a fun date night out. I used the style guide that came in my box to help me select my outfits.

The first look I decided to try was inspired by a pin I saw of Reese Witherspoon wearing this exact same dress, so cool. I liked how she wore it with the touch of turquoise and natural colored sandals.

To glam the dress up a bit I paired it with black and gold accessories and sandals...

This chambray top makes it easy to transition the dress to a look ready for the Fall season...

My favorite grey sweater looked great with it too...

My green light weight trench coat and leopard print scarf paired with the neutral dress seamlessly...

What did you think of my outfits? Which one is your favorite?

 There is still time to enter the giveaway to win a Preggonista® style box!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chic Bump Watch: A Hospital Stay & Bed Rest

Last Tuesday I got a call from my doctor. She asked me to come up to the hospital to have some lab work done and to have my vital signs checked. After getting the kids ready, I dropped Savannah off at school and Little Mike and I headed to the hospital. 

Once we were there I did all of my lab work and headed up to Labor & Delivery to have my vitals done. Due to some of the complications that I experience while pregnant I am very use to being seen and checked on frequently so my doctor's request to do a pop-up check didn't alarm me in the least bit.

After having my blood pressure drawn the nurses and residents were concerned. It was running higher than they like to see. Personally, I wasn't concerned. My blood pressure has been high with all of my pregnancies so I thought this was just par for the pregnancy course. I was wrong. This time it was going to be much different.

Somewhere between, "Mrs.Smith we want to keep an eye on you for a few more minutes and Mrs.Smith we're going to admit you to the hospital" my mind went into overdrive. All I could think about was Sav being in school on the other side of town. My husband was giving a lecture at one of the local colleges and he was too far away to make it to her before school got out. Luckily, a friend was able to pick her up for us so that mini-crisis was averted. 

Let me just say that I felt fine. I felt completely normal. Like myself. I was admitted and Little Mike and I were put in a room. My husband made it to Sav and then to the hospital and that's when things got more real. The doctor wanted me to have as little stimulation as possible so my family left and I began receiving treatment.

Enter magnesium via IV. I have never experienced anything like that before in my life. "Mag" as the the doctors were calling it makes you feel a little crazy... and sick. I was nauseous and felt like I was having an outer body experience. I was told that would happen before the IV was started so I was expecting it but that didn't make it feel any better. It was the worst.

Magnesium is used to treat all kinds of things but in my case it was being used to prevent any type of medical condition that can be caused by high blood pressure, like a stroke. With the right medication and the "mag" my blood pressure returned to normal and I was moved to a different room on Wednesday morning.

My blood pressure was closely monitored and I had more blood work done to rule out the possibility of preeclampsia. Once those tests came back negative my doctors thought it would be best to keep me in the hospital on bed rest until my blood pressure dropped back down to a range they were comfortable with for at least 24 hours.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday rolled by and I was still on bed rest. During my stay I learned a lot about my body (which is a good thing) and became a big fan of the salad and baked potato meal. It was delish. I ate it everyday for lunch and dinner.

On Sunday afternoon I was released. My family was there visiting me when I got the good news. It was perfect timing because they packed me up with the quickness and we were out of there before the ink dried on my discharge papers.

So for the next few weeks I'l be on what my doctor calls "couch potato" rest. There's a list of things I can't do and list of things I can. I'm thankful that I'm not on a strict bed rest. Honestly the little bit of going out that I am allowed to do wears me out so I've been limiting my trips to school drop off/pick up and doctor appointments.

I have been getting tons of rest and keeping a blood pressure log at home between prenatal appointments. I can not wait to meet our baby in December. The weeks are rolling by and I am getting more excited as the time passes. I think I'll do one of those fun pregnancy updates with a bump pic in a few days to share more about my pregnancy journey with #grandfinalebaby.

All prayers, positive thoughts and vibes are greatly appreciated. Has anyone else been on bed rest while pregnant?

Preggonista® Style Box GIVEAWAY

Whew.

Last week was a doozy for me and I will be sharing what happened this week on the blog.

I am glad to be back home. I'm also excited to be offering my readers a Preggonista® style box giveaway!!

In case you missed it, I received my first style box and was in love with it. If you are expecting or if you know someone who is this is a great subscription box for them. This is what I received in my first box...



I can not wait to show you how I'll be styling the dress from seraphine. I plan to use the style guide that came with the box. That makes it so easy to use the dress in several different ways.

So here's your chance to win a style box for you or someone that you know. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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. 

Preggonista® Maternity Style Box

Here I am a little more than halfway through my pregnancy! I cannot believe how fast the first twenty-two weeks have flown by. Hopefully the next half will zip by too because I can't wait to meet our new baby!

One of my goals during this pregnancy was to fully embrace my bump and growing body. Something that I can say I didn't really do during my first two pregnancies. Now that I'm feeling much better I have been embracing my bump and rocking it in style.

When I first learned about the monthly style box from Preggonista® I just knew I had to give it a try! I love the idea of a curated box that has some of the latest fashion and beauty items for moms to-be. I received my first box on Friday afternoon and it did not disappoint.

Here's what came in my first box...

● Preggonista® Style Guide

● Seraphine Side Ruched Gray T-Shirt Dress 

● Oopsie Loopsie Waist Extender 

● Bella B Glowing Skin Lightener 

I am beyond excited about this dress! Next week I'll be showing you several different ways to rock this piece for your bump. There will also be a giveaway starting on 8/31 for your chance to win a style box of your own! This is a great gift for a mom to-be. A winner will be announced on Labor Day.

You can watch the opening of my first box from preggonista® on my YouTube channel!

What was your favorite thing to wear while pregnant?

Back to School Fashion Haul (VIDEO)

School starts for Savannah on Monday! Check out her back to school fashion haul featuring apparel from Journey Kid's, Kohl's, Old Navy, H&M and Carter's.

I'll be sharing more on our visit to Carter's next week along with a coupon for your own shopping trip! You know I love a sale and a coupon so I'm in heaven when the two collide. Don't miss out on those savings next week!



What's your favorite item from Savannah's back to school wardrobe? I'm still on the hunt for some black hi-tops for her.

Organizing Mamas: Kid's Play and Homework Space (AFTER)

I may or may not be in a very early nesting phase. When I first started decluttering at the beginning of the Summer I had no idea we had this much crap. Cleaning off the desk in the kitchen was very enlightening. Let's just say that I found a pencil sharpener on the desk after clearing it off.

Mimi and I are revealing our spaces for the Organizing Mamas: Kid's Play and Homework Space Challenge.

This was our desk area before... This was definitely my "Devil Wears Prada" moment of everyday. I'd just slap stuff down on this desk and keep it moving.

The after... This clean desk was achieved by utilizing the empty file cabinet that has always been located directly next to the desk. Don't judge me. Everything that didn't deserve to get filed got thrown in the trash or shredded. I took all of the books upstairs to their new home along with the photo album. Who has a photo album in their kitchen? We did. The pencil sharpener was found behind the photo album. 

I can see our calendar again. There is also a place for my computer now. This makes me so excited!

I had been looking for a bookshelf for weeks. Every thrift store within a decent radius from my house met me and my kids. I didn't think I was going to have any luck finding a shelf. I was tempted to just hop on Amazon and order one but because we might be moving soon I didn't want to buy anything new.

I try not to buy any big ticket items before a move because things always get broken, scratched or "lost". My plan was to find a wooden bookshelf that I could give a face lift. Something that would serve it's purpose in this house before we find new roots somewhere else.

All of the books were located in Savannah's room. I thought it would be a better idea to bring the books out into this spot between the kid's rooms. My hope was that I could free up enough space to make room for a crib in Savannah's room. Savannah has decided that she no longer wants to share a room with her new sibling. I will cross that bridge again when I have to....

Here is the new bookshelf. I found it on Sunday afternoon. It was originally $29 and I got it for $19. If you could have seen me in that Goodwill celebrating... 

I thought I was going to paint this shelf but my husband had a hard time getting it upstairs. I don't think I'll make him take it back down and back up again. That might be overcooking his grits. So I gave the shelf a nice cleaning and filled it up with books.

It fits perfectly in the hall. While putting the books on the shelf it dawned on me that if I made the kids swap rooms that it would be more than enough space for Little Mike and the #grandfinalebaby to share a room, and I wouldn't have to lose my guest room. We'll see. That's another bridge for another day as well.

Our next Organizing Mamas Challenge will focus on a kitchen storage area. I'll be figuring out how to make our kitchen pantry function a bit better. Here is a before of the pantry...

I'll be taking some cues from Mimi on this one because her pantry makeover was amazing. Visit her blog to see how she transformed her kid's play and homework space. Then come back in two weeks to see how we pulled our kitchen storage areas together.

Join our challenge on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Share your before and after pics using the #OrganizingMamasChallenge hashtag. 

 What home projects are you working on right now?