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Fall Flannels for Mommy and Me

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October in the Midwest means flannels, apple orchards, and pumpkin patches.  We've been having the best time enjoying fall festivities across Chicagoland and dressing the part while we're at it. One of our first pumpkin patch visits was to Bengtson's where we wore matching flannels from Old Navy.  These are incredibly soft and kept us plenty warm on a 60 degree day.  If you need something warmer, Old Navy also has matching shackets available, too! Bengtson's had the perfect amount of toddler friendly activities to keep Addie entertained throughout our morning there.  She enjoyed riding in the spinning honey-pots and on the jumping frogs.  We spent lots of time on the playground and then relaxed on a brief hayride.  Adelaide LOVED the tractor ride where she was able to "drive" and take in all sorts of animatronic sights.  She also got to pet lots of animals and run through the pumpkin patch.  The haunted house was a little too spooky but the corn ...

Toddler Travel Hacks

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We flew with Adelaide for the first time in mid-September.  As a first time mom preparing to take her toddler (17 months old) on her first flight, to say I was nervous is an understatement.  Thankfully, I found a few things that made killing time at the airport and on the plane a breeze.   The first were these window-cling stickers from Amazon.  They came with a set of 5 booklets and themed stickers.  Adelaide loved moving the stickers from the booklets to the windows in the airport and on the plane.  Plus, when we arrived to our vacation rental, she continued to play with them on the refrigerator and windows throughout vacation (hooray for toys that take up virtually NO luggage space!).  A few weeks later, Addie still plays with these around our home or when waiting on food while we're out to eat.  I cannot recommend these highly enough.  The next thing I found useful were these toddler-sized headphones to use with our Amazon kids tab...

Hey All You Cool Cats and Kittens

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Okay, so we finally jumped in and binge watched  Tiger King .  I want thank Carole Baskin (who definitely killed her husband) for reigniting my love of animal prints.  I've always been a big fan of leopard print, but I just recently snagged this leopard print puff sleeve fleece sweatshirt from Express.  I love this shirt because it's comfy for working from home and dressy enough for video meetings with students and parents.  I paired it with the Kinsley necklace from Park Lane and my Spanx faux leather leggings. I've talked about my Spanx faux leather leggings before, but I'm going to talk about them again because I cannot get over how comfortable they are and how well they've held up after so many wears and washes.  Normally, I would never spend close to $100 on a pair of pants (and I didn't on these; they were a gift from my husband), but I can honestly say that I will be buying a new pair for myself when these are too worn.  They fit like a glov...

Alex Erinn Try-On Haul

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I want to share several pieces with you that I discovered while shopping a new online boutique called Alex Erinn.  What I love about this boutique is that they're always receiving new inventory and staying on top of the trends.  When I was approached by Alexandra, the owner of the boutique, and asked to check out some of their pieces at a discount, I was thrilled!  Below are a few of my favorites.  You can check out the full boutique here , and save 15% on your order with code rachael15. The first is this lace peplum blouse.  I've been trying to find one of these shirts for a long time, and finally found one that fits!  What makes this blouse different from others I've tried is amount of  movement it allows.  The lace sleeves are not restricting, and the bodice is lined with a satiny material that is super soft.  I also adore this particular top because I can still wear a normal bra.  The stitching on the shoulders is thick enough ...

Cozy Joggers

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 Another day, another jogger.  I am living in joggers lately like a #quaranqueen, and these have got to be the softest pair I've found.  Yes, the pattern is a little out there, but the pants were less than $15.00 on Amazon and I'm about go order a second pair (there are more than 30 colors and patterns).  Plus, they have pockets!!  They are a juniors fit, so if you prefer your pants on the looser side, I would size up. I'm also wearing one of my favorite long-sleeve tees.  This one is from Ross, so there's no way to share a link to shop it.  Instead, I linked a similar style "Bee Kind" crew-neck lounge shirt from Amazon.  It comes in black, pink, green, and yellow in a long sleeve style, or you can choose from additional colors if you opt for short sleeves. I took some self-care time today sipping on Fizz (B-vitamin energy drink) and reading  The Most Fun We Ever Had  by Claire Lombardo for my virtual book club next week.  T...

Finding Balance

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How are you finding ways to stay balanced and practice self-care?  I’m a Type A personality, and am used to having my day mapped out minute by minute with a color coded to-do list (thank you, Passion Planner!).  Even while working on a modified schedule from home, I write out each day’s to-do’s and often feel like I’m rushing from one task to the next. Today, I reminded myself that it’s okay to slow down.  It’s okay to prioritize yourself.  It’s okay to take a pause, acknowledge that things are hard right now, and breathe into the discomfort.  It’s okay to make space for the small things that bring you joy for no reason other than that they make you feel good. I've been reading Super Attractor , by Gabby Bernstein, and it's been a great reminder that when we focus on the positives and actively seek what feels good, we open ourselves up to welcoming more joy into our lives.  So, take the time to do yoga, read a book, journal, call a friend, have a danc...

Fierce Comfort

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It's a beautiful day in Chicago and I'm getting ready to don my mask and run some errands.  I had a quick protein shake and am about to head out but I wanted to quickly share one of my favorite tops with you since it's on sale for $9.99 today!  Today, I'm wearing a a Miselon twisted knot leopard print shirt.  It's honestly one of the softest shirts I own.  I love that it has a dressy look but is comfortable enough to lounge in.  I also like the knotted front because it gives the shirt some shape and accents your waistline.  The back is long enough to pair with leggings since it just covers your butt.  This shirt comes in 8 different colors/patterns, and I just ordered another one for myself! I'm also wearing my Spanx faux-leather leggings in a medium (usually, I wear a small).  I ordered up a size because they are snug by nature but I like a little extra wiggle room.  I love these because super stretchy and soft on the inside, and conce...