It’s that time of year… when you have to bribe your husbands and kids to hold it together and smile for the camera for an hour so you can *hopefully* get one good photo for a holiday card. If you leave your session without any meltdowns, tears or feeling like you’ve run a marathon you are ahead of the curve. We’re taking ours tomorrow so I’m preparing myself for the worst and packing a bag of lollipops and other necessary bribes.

One question I get asked pretty often is how to chose outfits for family photos, so I wanted to share some tips.

First off, I pick out what I’m wearing. That might sound selfish, but I think I have every right to be a little selfish here, that way I know I’ll be wearing something I’m comfortable in and can fill in the blanks with the rest of the fam. I typically wear a maxi dress so I’ll share all the options I considered this year.

top left, right

botton left, right

top left, right

botton left, right

This year I went with the blue and white, also our photos are at the beach, so I wanted a blue/neutral look for the family. I went through Crosby’s closet and found a dress she already had that I knew she’d love to wear, then went through Wilder’s and Jeff’s and picked out shirts for them that would coordinate.

You don’t want everyone in the same color or it will look too uniform. Keeping in mind our beach location, I went with blue and white for me and Wilder, dusty rose/mauve for Crosby and tan for Jeff.

I also like to take a picture of the clothing together to make sure nothing is clashing and everything flows.

Crosby’s dress is old – similar here, here and here

Wilder’s shirt is old – similar here and here

Jeff’s shirt is old – similar here

Tis the season… to buy matching family pajamas! I know, I know… it’s not even Halloween yet but these things go fast! Usually by mid-November lots of sizes are sold out, so if you’re thinking about family jammies, now is the time to buy.

Last year we wore these red and white rugby striped sets and they’re back in stock (baby, toddler, men’s, women’s, kid’s). They’re classic and perfect for any gender. The come in one pieces for babies and two pieces for toddlers (12 months and up). I’m thinking about ordering Crosby and Wilder each a new pair and wearing them again this year. Mackie could even get in on it and wear Crosby’s 2T top from last year. 🙂

Burts Bees makes the best pjs. The have some other cute matching family options, like these in fairisle print; toddler size, baby, men’s, women’s, kid’s.

There are lots of cute options at Target too. Loving the print on this pair.

These are so festive, I love the dark green Christmas tree print.

Bedhead even makes matching pairs for dogs! There are several cute options here.

Coming to you a little early with my top five products from December. I have loved doing these post the past few months and plan to continue into 2020. I also plan to do one with my top five products of 2019 – that’s coming early next week. Hope you have a happy and safe new year!

As usual this month’s top 5 is all over the place… with the top selling product coming as a total shock to me and my first repeat top performer. Let’s break it down…

1. Red Hair Bows – SOLD OUT in red, but available in white

I bought these for Crosby back in November thinking they’d be perfect for the holidays. She’s worn them so many times… mostly together but occasionally with just one bow. A great staple!

2. Tribal Rug

This rug is back on the list! In October it was the #5 top seller and now it’s the second. It’s actually the third rug we’ve had in our living room and I couldn’t love it more. It’s soft and completely brightens up the space.

3. Cariuma Sneakers – SOLD OUT

So bummed these sneakers sold out. They’re my first pair from Cariuma and I’ve been really impressed. They’re the perfect mom shoe. They have lots of other fun colors and styles and this pair is really similar.

4. Spanx Faux Leather Leggings

I’m a little late to the Spanx leggings train but happy to be on it nonetheless! I snagged these on Cyber Monday and they’ve been on heavy rotation ever since. My day-to-day momiform is usually leggings and a sweatshirt so they’re getting a lot of use. Super flattering as they hug you in in all the right places.

5. Drape Front Faux Fur Cardigan 

A cozy cardigan that’s currently 50% off and comes in five other colors. Such a win and the perfect winter staple. I wear it around the house, running errands, to the park… etc. Love this shade of pink, it pairs perfectly with jeans.

Here are the links to my past months top 5’s:

November

October 

September

We’re in that weird holiday fog between Christmas and New Year’s where every day blends together and I don’t really know what to do with myself. Truthfully I’ve been pretty lazy and it’s been amazing, but I’m starting to get a little restless and ready to do a little work. Today I wanted to share a blog post with four very different outfit ideas for New Years Eve.

20’s Theme

dress here and here

I got this dress a few months back and tucked it away for a special occasion. It’s such a fun sequin cocktail dress, but my favorite part is the fringe on the bottom. I think it would be perfect if you’re going to any 20’s theme party… or just want something a little different.

Cocktail Attire

dress here and here 

This dress is a bit of a splurge but it’s one I’ll have for many years to come. It’s vegan leather and runs pretty TTS. Also comes in a really pretty tealish blue.

Festive but Warm

top, pants

I included this outfit in my holiday party outfit post too, but I the top also works for NYE. If you’re looking for something a little more casual than a dress but still want to be dressed fo the occasion. Love it with these dressy joggers, you could also pair it with black jeans or leather pants.

Comfy on the Couch

joggers

If you’re staying in this year, these joggers are the way to go. They’re so soft (I sleep in them pretty often), have pockets and come in a few fun prints. There’s also a matching hoodie if you want a coordinating set. Honestly a night of comfort sounds like an amazing way to ring in a new decade.

I’m actually still trying to figure out our plans for the night so I have no idea what I’ll be wearing.

Hope you’re having a relaxing holiday week!

Our Christmas tree has been up for a few weeks already, but that didn’t stop us from making our annual trip to the tree lot. And of course, we had to dress the part. I bought these beanies when Crosby was a baby and purchased a second set this year so she could still match us. Guess who didn’t want to wear hers? Ha! At least Wilder is still willing to match with me.

on me: beanie, jacket, top, jeans, shoes

on Wilder: beanie, onesie, pants, shoes

on Crosby: hair clip, outfit, shoes

Obviously comfort is key when I leave the house with the kids. Lately my uniform has been sneakers, high waisted jeans and something comfortable on top that works with the current weather. I missed my high waisted jeans SO MUCH when I was pregnant, I knew they’d be big for me this winter and needed a new pair to add to my rotation. I got this pair from Aritzia and could not be more in love. I probably wore them for a week straight after I received them. So flattering and true to size.

If you follow me on instagram you know we had a tragic incident with Hippo yesterday. He goes everywhere with us (literally everywhere) and somehow got lost at South Coast Plaza when we were there in the morning. Luckily we have a spare (which Crosby doesn’t know about), but after a day of frantically calling and retracing our steps we gave up on Hippo #1. We did order a replacement so we can continue to have a spare. I feel like any mom of a toddler can relate to this.

on me: beanie, jacket, top, jeans, shoes

on Wilder: beanie, onesie, pants, shoes

on Crosby: hair clip, outfit, shoes

Hope you have a great day! Thank you so much for reading a following!

Two years ago when Crosby was just a baby we got matching family holiday pajamas. It was so fun for us all to match… even Mackie. They didn’t have any for dogs so we bought a toddler pair for her to wear. (I think we started a trend because now there are dog pj’s included in a lot of them.) Bonus, Crosby wore the toddler set last year. 🙂 And last year just Crosby and I had matching pjs, but it’s one of my favorite traditions this time of year. Holiday pjs always sell out FAST so today I wanted to do a round up for you in case you’re shopping for any.

I actually just ordered our family these. I love the red and white stripes for everyone and am excited to get Wilder into a pair this year!

I’m also loving this set – onesies for the whole family!

I love these tartan plaid sets. So festive!

These green and white striped onesies would be fun if you can get everyone on board…

Old Navy is another place I check for family pjs. They have so many cute ones this year.

These plaid pjs come in green and navy and red and black. So cute if your kids are toddlers or older.

This pair is darling for babies up to adults.

Hanna Anderson always has a really amazing selection.

I’m loving these and these.

I found several cute pairs from Rachel Parcell’s line at Nordstrom. A lot of these would be cute to coordinate/mix and match with.

This emerald green pair is my favorite. Would look so cute on both boys and girls and even adults.

Looking back at these pictures it’s so wild to see Crosby change from year to year. Can’t wait to continue this tradition with Wilder!

Thank you so much for reading and following – hope you’re having a great week!