Fashion

  • Fashion, Kids Fashion

    Dapper Style: Boys Suit with Leather Sneakers

    Dapper Style: Boys Suit with Leather Sneakers

    If you follow me on social media, you’ve probably seen photos of my son that I shared recently from his  his Pre-K graduation looking dapper. It was his first time wearing a dress suit, we never forced it before because he complained about wearing ties and bowties and would take them off.

    Dapper Style: Boys Suit with Leather Sneakers

     

    Outfit details:

    shirt: Janie and Jack

    blazer, bowtie and pant: Zara

    sneakers: Amazon (affiliate) or Zappos

    Dapper Style: Boys Suit with Leather Sneakers Dapper Style: Boys Suit with Leather Sneakers

    I asked all of my girlfriends with sons for suggestions on where to purchase a boys dress suit and everyone mentioned Zara. While Zara is one of my favorite stores to shop for clothes for him, I wasn’t sure what the quality of their suits would be like. My husband took him to the store to try on suits and when they called me on FaceTime from the dressing room I was in shook by how handsome my little guy looked.

    Dapper Style: Boys Suit with Leather Sneakers

    We decided to skip dressy shoes for sneakers for comfort and value for our money since he could wear it would get more wears out of sneakers. I knew that just any sneakers wouldn’t work so I combed through the Zappos site until I found this cool pair of Florheim leather sneakers. You can also get them on Amazon if you have Amazon Prime. These sneakers are great quality leather and they’re easy for my 4-year-old to put on himself since he doesn’t have to tie the laces which is convenient and gives an overall neater look.

    Dapper Style: Boys Suit with Leather Sneakers

    We’re all about the details so my husband picked out a bow tie with golden giraffes on them, a reminder to our little guy to keep reaching for the sky. It wasn’t until the day before the event that we remembered that he didn’t have a shirt but lucklily we found a white Oxford shirt at Janie and Jack.

    Dapper Style: Boys Suit with Leather Sneakers

    The look  came together really nicely and my little guy received compliment after compliment. We’re excited to remix this outfit, we’ve already gotten him a tee to wear instead of the shirt but he can wear all the pieces separately over the summer and as we travel. I think this is a good suit option whether your child needs one to attend a wedding, graduation or ceremony.

    When did your child wear their first suit? 

  • Baby, Fashion, Kids Fashion, Motherhood

    My Truth About The Third Child and Mom Guilt

    It’s no secret that I’ve struggled with mom guilt over the past few years. I can’t say that I no longer have rough days, but those days aren’t as frequent as they used to be. I’ve intentionally been gentle with myself especially over the past year. Honestly, I’ve been scared that I would dig myself into a dark hole if I didn’t stop trying to be the perfect mother. I think pregnancy really helped me to let go of a lot of things that I thought I needed to be and do. I celebrated what I could do with the kids, and I didn’t worry about what I couldn’t do. It was so simple, and they were happy. I did worry that my mom guilt would be back in full force once the baby arrived. It was fear, but I made it through the first six months without driving myself nuts with guilt. Guilt that she’s not getting as much of me as they did since I am also caring for them or guilt that they are no longer getting the same amount of time and attention from me. Once I made peace with the fact that everything is different but it’s okay, I was fine. Trying to treat my third child, the way I handled my first or second is not realistic. So I focus on just enjoying her when I can.

    third child and mom guilt

    Baby: Dress Carter’s, Mom: Pants: Target, Shoes: Steve Madden

    [Tweet “When it comes to mom guilt, the third child’s a charm. #MomGuilt”]

    Yesterday, I hung out with a fellow mom Denise @brooklynbabe at the Brooklyn Bridge Park with the baby and her gorgeous little ones. When I told my son that we were going to his favorite park expressed that he wanted to go too. In the past, making this plan to do something while he was in school would have made me feel guilty. Almost as if I was cheating, and I probably would not mention the outing to him, but instead I reminded him of all of the things he and I had done together by ourselves when his big sister was already in school before he started. Kids understand turns, they take turns at school, so when I told him that he would get a turn, he was happy again.

    Just like I have special memories of hanging out with the big kids, it’s okay for me to bond with the baby and create special memories with just her. So we dressed in her our almost coordinated outfits, thanks to our early summer-like weather, and we had a good time (cut short thanks to Brooklyn parking) but good nonetheless.

     

    ps: I’m a little mad, my Steve Madden mules got a little dirty during our excursion. They’re super comfy though, grab a pair here.

    Do you ever feel guilty about hanging with just one of your children?

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Fashion, Lifestyle, Mind and Soul, Motherhood, New Born, New Mom

    Self-Preservation and Motherhood

    What does self-preservation mean to you? Do you give it any thought? To me, self-preservation is protecting Adanna from depletion and loss of identity. Things that I am at risk for as a mother of 3 small children under 7. I’ve written a lot about self-care over the past year and my self-care journey. Alone time, journaling, spirituality, exercise, sleep, and therapy are some of my self-care practices and combined they serve self-preservation. They keep my cup filled, head leveled and feet planted firmly on the ground.

    So how do I maintain this? I started to view myself as another child and treat myself with the same gentle love that I treat my children. Just like I would find the time and energy to take good care of an additional child, I do that for myself. I try my best to turn the noise off to listen to myself and hear what my needs are from me and not from the world.

    self-preservation and motherhood
    Coat: Boohoo, Jeans: Zara, Sunglasses: Amazon Shoes: Target

    I’m also working on establishing boundaries, something admittedly I’ve been terrible at but is now necessary is for me. I’m an open book for the most part about my ups and my downs so when I feel the need to protect or keep something sacred. I need to be bold about that. It’s hard to establish new boundaries in old relationships but one thing that helps is recognizing that in many instances the people who I have no filter with or no boundaries have from day one established boundaries for me that I’ve always respected. I know that over time it might seem odd that I’m about to toss up those boundaries but I think they will eventually understand why this is important to me.

    I’ll keep you updated as I continue to feel my way through motherhood, self-care and meeting my goal of self-preservation.

    I would love to hear your thoughts on self-preservation and motherhood in the comment section below.