a week of spring dressing. dark florals.

who says spring has to be all about the brights? if you tend to shy away from bright florals, take on spring with neutrals. remember, it's more important to feel comfortable and confident in what you're wearing, so go on and rock black this spring! i'm all about spring lips, tho...wearing creamy lip pencils 'toots' with a bit of 'shambolic' from LAQA & Co. if you prefer more shine, they just released four new lip lubes which have a high-gloss and lightly pigmented formula...perfect for summer when we tend to lighten up our makeup.

today is mini-he's birthday. of course, i was up all night making friggen cupcakes for his class, but i think they turned out alright despite the color printer malfunction. he's all about that minecraft, so these are supposed to be dirt/grass blocks in case ya didn't know. yeah, yeah, they're supposed to be dirt on the bottom, grass on the top, but this mama ain't got time for green frosting!

how do you feel about wearing black this spring?

7 years old today!

(Patty's Closet top; Forever 21 skirt;

JustFab shoes & bag; LAQA & Co. fat lip pencils)

weekend in photos. summer love.

it's rare that we have a weekend completely free. someone always has a game, practice, class, or birthday party. this past weekend was one of those free weekends, so we headed to the beach house. it was the ideal summer weekend just hanging out, eating, and hitting the beach to surf, paddle, and swim several times a day. in the evenings, we'd play [with the neighborhood kids] on the street till dark, wind down by playing cards or games, and finally pop in a movie to end the night.

how's your summer so far?

carrot juice to kick off the weekend.

soaking up the last bits of sun.

sun protection essentials.

having fun letting the waves push us around.

iphone stack...plus the one i'm using to take the picture.

pork quesadillas from killer tacos.

[mini-he and me] on top of the world alligator rock! 

strawberry + coconut shave ice w/ice cream from my fave general store.

mini-she.

something i've always wanted to try for mini-he. i think i got more of a kick out of it than he did.

playing in the streets till dark...mini-he had the best time riding bicycles and scooters with the neighborhood boys. they were racing down a hill, and being the protective mom that i am, i followed along...cheering but also reminding him to use his brakes and slow down if he didn't feel comfortable. at one point, he actually shoo'd me and said under his breath, "i know, mom, go. go." i laughed to myself at the time, but thinking about it makes me sad...he's growing up!

a week of summer shorts + shoes pairings. flats.

the last pairing for this 'week of' is short shorts and flats. pretty sandals are the easiest way to dress up denim cut-offs, even if you are wearing shorts and a tee. plus, it's a great way to show off those manicured feet and bright summery polish. i paired my denim with yet another button up; dressier material, but the short sleeves keep it appropriate for these frayed shorts.

and if your hair is anything like mine, it's a tangled mess after the beach. but those salty tresses are the perfect texture for creating a low chignon. the messier the better. and with that, you're ready for lunch or a matinee.

scroll down for today's inspiration board.

summer love...dinners at the beach til sundown.

(top via gilt; f21 shorts; sole society shoes;

h&m bag; shop lately necklace)

short shorts + flats

[oomph.] on polyvore

in case you missed it:

monday's knee length shorts + high heels

tuesday's mid-thigh + mid heels
wednesday's inspiration

product links:

linking up to summer cutoff style.

love thy children.

anyone with kids knows that there are days.
good days. bad days. extremely bad days when you wanna scream F@CK! and pull your hair out.

yesterday was one of those extremely bad days with mini-he. he was whiny and rebellious. he grumbled about anything and evvvrything from the moment i walked in the door. and yesterday, maybe it was the hour and a half of traffic i had just sat through, i just couldn't take it. my patience had worn thin. by the time we struggled through homework and a snack (or two, or three) he had to have, i'd had it up to my ears with his crap.

i kinda stormed out of the house, and went to pick up mini-she from a school event. i purposely arrived about 10 minutes early so that i could just sit, de-stress, and have a few quiet moments to myself.

in that time, i decided to scroll through my facebook feed and came across a video someone shared. i saw it earlier, but didn't have the desire to watch it then. not sure why i decided to watch it now, other than the fact that i could. i had the time. there were several captions because it was a share of a share, etc., but one said, fyi, this is a girl, and my friend's caption was, this is so disgusting and sick!!!. the screenshot was of a mother (i'm assuming) sitting on one side of the bed, her back to us, with her baby (on her stomach, face down, maybe 7 months old) in the other corner against the wall.

i hit play.

and then kinda wished i didn't.

the baby was whimpering and crying, so the mother whacks the baby on the head with a pillow, repeatedly. mother stops. baby cries. mother continues to whack the baby's head with the pillow. she stops. baby whimpers. next she hits the baby on the head with her fist, repeatedly. baby cries. baby whimpers. this continues with a few slaps on the face in between. baby cries and whimpers. she proceeds to pinch and twist the skin on the baby's arms, body, and legs. she stops. baby cries.

if you're not feeling sick in your gut, or even tearing up yet, this next part got me.

after a few (long!) minutes of this, the baby gets the strength to prop herself on her knees and reach out to touch her mama's knee. the mother flicks the baby's hand off her knee and pushes the baby away on her forehead, causing the baby to fall backwards and roll away. baby cries.

the unconditional love that this baby felt for its mama, even after all of that...wow. the baby instinctively reached out to her mom to be comforted. she just wanted needed a hug.
to feel safe.

the beating continued with her hand as well as with something hard like a remote control. what's worse? you can see two older children standing off to the side watching. not in awe and not scared. just watching, expressionless, while eating a snack as if this was nothing new to them.

i felt sick to my stomach.

i'm not a religious person, but i can only believe that god made me see that video for a reason. to put my feelings and situation with mini-he in perspective...that in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, trying to get everything done in the short time we have at the end of the day, amidst the orders i'm giving out and the demands he's making, sometimes all mini-he needs is a hug.

needless to say, i went home and cuddled with mini-he.

love your children.

ps. the video has since been reported and removed, but it popped into my thoughts while driving to work this morning, and i couldn't contain my tears. even while typing this. i give my sephora pitch black all-in-one waterproof eyeliner a hundred million stars for not budging or running!

and if you read this...thanks. you're awesome.

leopard shorts.

ending the week with a casual outfit. these animal printed shorts, while not the best quality, serve its purpose as being cute and comfortable. i'm wearing it here with a sweater that i've been wearing constantly. it was a lukewarm black friday purchase that i got just because it was 50% off. besides, i had been wanting a basic black sweater. turns out, it's navy. those darn gilly hicks / abercrombie / hollister stores are so dark, you can't see what you're buying. anyways, i still love the sweater and will probably grab a couple more because they are the perfect loose fit and are comfortably warm.

in my efforts to get mini-he more active and prepared for real hikes, i took him on this fairly easy trail up to the lighthouse. my niece came with us. i posted pictures of the makapu'u lighthouse trail before, but i never tire of seeing the big blue.

what are your plans for the weekend?

(leopard shorts c/o Sammy dress; gilly hicks sweater; h&m bag)

mini style + small feet.

it's not often that i stalk websites.

until i want something. badly.

and right now, i'm wanting shoes. shoes that fit. 

[begin rant]

as someone who wears a size 5 shoe, it's frustrating to find that more and more companies are not making or stocking size 5s. if they do, it's a very limited section of crap. small-footed women want cute shoes, too! so while my closet may be filled with shoes, you'll notice that i wear the same ones often...because they fit. for once, it would be nice to wear cute heels that aren't stuffed with inserts or boots that don't have to be double or triple socked. for once, i'd like to give my toes and heels a break from all the toe-clenching and rubbing i put them through just to keep my shoes from slipping off.

[end rant]

last year, i got lucky and found a cute pair at zara, so i've been frequenting their site in hopes of finding another one. nothing yet, but i did find this cute tee for mini-he. they have great deals on their spring/summer items, but they're going fast.

anyone else out there with small feet? holla!

where do you find cute shoes that fit?

i'm done.

(zara kids tee (sale! buy); nike shorts (similar), osiris shoes (buy))

*     *     *

kids aren't cheap!

if back-to-school supplies and clothes are on your list,

check out these great giveaways:

$150 Target Gift Card

$150 Old Navy Gift Card

the wedge sneaker.

there are some trends you just gotta have.

there are ones you can't see yourself wearing. ever.

and there are those you feel lukewarm about and wait to see if they grow on you...like the wedge sneaker. i actually liked some of the original sneakers that first hit the scene but wasn't willing to pay their $600 price tags. so i waited.

sure enough, along came JustFab's Keena shoe with a much friendlier price tag. now that i've tried them, i'm a believer. they give just enough lift to lengthen the legs without being uncomfortable. now, why did i wait this long?

are you a fan of wedge sneakers?

if so, how do you rock yours?

nooooo...where has mini-he gone?
i begged him not to look into the light!
stay tuned to see if he returns.

(basic top & faux leather shorts via local boutiques;

JustFab Keena in navy c/o; billabong hat; ray-ban arista sunglasses)