Summer Edit '18

Sorry for the delay in getting out my Friday post... I was up late last night texting with my bestie Paulo about how our SOs think they're cooler than us because they sometimes teach us things on Instagram and will call our photos trash and not good enough. The gall of our nerds. The. GALL. (!!!)

KNC Beauty Lip Mask  // Collagen - say what?! I've only used this collagen lip mask once and have a few more trials before I'm ready for a verdict but it's been a nice change of pace to have time to pamper. 

Liewood Holger Pram Chain Toy // This stroller panda string brings so much joy to our bambino. And you know Henry's current love for black and white has me swooning all day long!

Clare V. Bandana // In anticipation of our Paris junket in July, I've already been dreaming about what keepsake to bring home. I'll be a newbie to the croissant laden city but for some reason a silk scarf just says bonjour! Once we find THE scarf, I plan to have it framed to adorn our wall and remind us of our first family adventure as three f-o-r-e-v-er!

Vio Palm Pom Structured Tote // Every time I bring out this cheery straw tote, the Hubs rolls his eyes. But you guys! I can't tell you how much this bag makes my heart skip a beat, which means (duuuh) it's now on regular rotation #sorrynotsorry

Greenwich's Ina Garten Card // Royal wedding, say what?! Sorry, I was too distracted by Ina, the domestic goddess! But in the interest of full disclosure, we no longer have cable so we watched Molly Shannon and Will Ferrell host the royal wedding via HBO Now and it was too funny! Have no fear though folks... You know I went deep on googling all the things about the new Duchess and Harry's nuptials. And damn was their ceremony gorgeous!

Soludos Knotted Linen Slides // We could not have timed our baby bundle's arrival better! My maternity leave will span both spring and summer so clearly these simple slides would be a hot addition to my closet!

Quay Australia Sunnies // Now we have an active boy on our hands, I'm ditching the Pradas for these sleek and cheap sunnies. Highly functional and ready for anything!

Crazy Rich Asians // I picked up this book in anticipation of its silver screen block buster and loved its Big Little Lies vibe. It's the perfect summer read and a trilogy... Heck YAAAS!

InvisiBobble Traceless Hair Ring // I'm anti-scrunchy for many reasons. Mostly because I hate 90s fashion and my hair is too thick to pull off a scrunchy as a mane-tamer. Buuuut these hair ties are my happy medium and a great option for wrangling my coif.

Madewell Skinny Overalls // My first attempt at breastfeeding in public was a bit of a comedy (and that's an understatement... Read on...) Needing a few supplies from CVS, the Hubs and I parked in a loading zone outside of the pharmacy for a quick minute. Baby Henry started to fuss while my dutiful Hubs was inside picking up a few items so I thought, "I can solve this!" Perhaps famous last words?! Regardless, I joined Henry in the tinted backseat area of our car, donned my full coverage nursing scarf and began to breastfeed. Not even five minutes in, I heard a knock on the car window. I proceeded to roll down the window a crack and was greeted by a uniformed police officer who promptly asked me where my parents were. Not able to utter anything more, I screeched - "I AM the parent!... I'm breastfeeding, Sir!!!" Immediately the officer reddened, told me to take my time and bolted away from the car after he said he almost ticketed us for parking in a loading zone - HAHA! I only wish I knew the officer's name because I want to dedicate these overalls to him and keeping my youthful glow!

Alrighty team, enjoy the long weekend - here's to rosé, sun and THREE days!!

Brief Assembly Pop-Up

It's easy to be ALL consumed by my little man (I mean have you seen how cute Henry is?!) But I stole an hour away - okay let's get real... 45 minutes - to explore a new pop-up shop in DC's Union Market District: Brief Assembly. As stated on the website, this untraditional concept features independent designers and makers who specialize in apparel, jewelry, accessories, lifestyle, beauty and home decor. 

This shop is just the latest to grace the urban factory neighborhood and it does not disappoint. Although a close sister to Salt & Sundry around the corner, the goods here remain individual and you won't see many - if any - repeats. Know the bohemian vibe feels familiar but even if this is Salt & Sundry 2.0, I'm sure to return. Whether it's for unique gifts for girlfriends or maybe even an item or two for the Hubs, me AND Henry... I'll be back!

The details...

HOURS // Th-F 12-7 / Sat 11-7 / Sun 11-6

ADDRESS // 1287 4th Street NE, Washington, DC 

WHEN // Now through July 1st, 2018

Life by Design

Henry's first museum and exhibit... Burning Man at the Renwick, obviously!

Our best shot at living colorfully (photo via Josh)

This boy and ALL the patterns (one month!!)

Henry's first dinner out... Little Pearl (get the mussels and the burger with your wine, enough said!)

Lately life has been in the fast lane but in a really old and slow minivan... Let me explain... My days are now broken up into three hour chunks devoted to feeding, changing and easing Henry into naps. While individual tasks seem slow, life is in warp speed. How is our beautiful boy already five weeks?! FIVE WEEKS! You guys, that seems impossibly long because I swear we just came home from the hospital. Somehow the calendar says otherwise but I'm still in denial...

Regardless of my conflict with time, I am 100% loving motherhood, maternity leave and being home together as a family. As predicted, we continue to stay busy with walks, dinners, museums, family and friends. We are truly smitten with our life by design.. now just to get this boy out into the woods!

Weekday Musings

With one month under our belts, I'm ready to get back into the swing of things with my adorable sidekick baby Henry! So bear with me while I dive back into the blogging game, I may be a little rusty...

EATING // Everythaannng! Y'all, I thought I was hungry when I was pregnant but that was before I'd ever breastfed. Holy buckets! Nothing prepared me for my constant desire to eat. As a consolation prize - it seems the more I eat, the more milk I produce... Winning, right?!

HOME*WORK // No surprise, our new addition requires a lot of stuff. Which means my work on the house right now is pretty basic - i.e. finding places to hide ALL the things so our house doesn't become THAT house. You guys know what I'm talking about... Today, I pledge to maintain some sense of style and design regardless of the baby gyms and play mats. Please keep me accountable!

CRUSHING ON // Gwyneth Paltrow and the Goop Podcast. You guys! It's fire. Her first episode is an interview with Oprah... OPRAH! Load it up on your phone ASAP. Word on the street is that listening to this podcast goes well with coffee and/or rose!

READING // Orlando Soria's Get it Together. This book is laugh out loud funny and the perfect read while Henry naps or feeds. Yes, it's a design book but it's also about life and in the words of the wise Tim Gunn... making "it work!" Plus Orlando himself is just awesome, follow him on Instagram for an instant social media feed brighter, this guy is GOLD!

THANKFUL FOR // My growing mom tribe. The sisterhood among moms is strong. Through social media and technology, I've reconnected with so many mom friends near and far. The outpour of love and support for this new adventure was unexpected but I count my lucky stars because these wonderful ladies have given me strength on the hard days and also helped me learn to celebrate the small wins.

THINKING ABOUT // After reading Bringing up Bebe, the Hubs and I are much more conscious about how we parent Henry. We are working on not becoming American helicopter parents and  maintaining a version of our previous no child lifestyle which means continuing to meet friends out, a daily walk at the Congressional Cemetery and going out to eat. We know it may not always be possible but we also know that these are the things that make our daily lives full so here goes nothing!

WATCHING // Handmaid's Tale. Admittedly, the first season of this show sucked us in with its dystopian state and our parallel worries given the last major election. And now with season two, we're back in... Despite our growing annoyance with June and her carelessness, we look forward to Hulu's new episode release every Wednesday.

WEARING // All the beauty products. While pregnant, I created an extensive list of beauty products I wanted to try during maternity leave - including everything from liquid eyeliner to these collagen lip masks everyone and their mother seems to be raving about... And thanks to AmazonPrime, the arsenal of goods has arrived. As I work my way through these new beauty products, look for my reviews and advice here... My critiques may not be as titillating as a Bravo Housewives reunion but I PROMISE to be honest - no sponsorships here (although if you want to sponsor anything, contact me! Seriously... my email is mrsonhst@gmail.com)

* Image credit and inspiration via Anthony Burrill. We love Mr. Burrill's "Work Hard and Be Nice to People" and may just NEED this one for our walls too!