Showing posts with label mommy and me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mommy and me. Show all posts

May 4, 2022

Berry Sweet Mommy & Me


Gals, I love matching with my little darling. (I share that surprising no one hehe ) I even love matching with my own Mamma! I often purchase us identical blouses. I find it precious to imitate the ones I love most and plan to do so as long as I can! (Vivian may disagree come her teenage years but I will cross that bridge when we get there).

With Mothers' Day this Sunday I find it perfectly fitting to share these mommy and me dresses!

These sundresses are such an easy breeze and berry sweet option for the summer.  They are available in several prints and colors, with one sure to suit your fancy. The crisp cotton is cool and the design is perfectly fitting for movement and accommodating undergarments (I avoid a strapless bra). 

I encourage you to enjoy the warm sunny weather in a sundress, matching or not.




The moment I showed Vivian our matching dresses she was so excited to have her picture taken.



My Darling




Dress Beautifully in Matching Dresses

XOXO Sarah-Louise

Nov 9, 2020

Mamma Monday: Heirloom Keepsakes for Little Girls

 Gift giving season is upon us and while toys are terrific, I love to blessing others with something that can be cherished and last through time. 

Vivian has received jewelry since she was a baby.  These fine pieces will grow with her over the years and can be passed down through generations.  

She wears them to church and on nice occasions.  While they are delicate, I've shared with her to be gentle and that they are super special.

Note: All of Vivian Louise's pieces are from Kiddie Kraft and are sourced through fine jewelers rather than online retailers.  I recommend visiting your local jeweler to purchase a fine piece of jewelry. 

Here are some heirloom keepsakes for little girls ...










It's not fine jewelry but so pretty and they love to open in and see a picture inside
I often gift this necklace


also in Silver
Mammas, you can wear and pass down


another piece to pass down


I LOVE this to hold the special pieces I'm saving
Available in several colors, fabric lining & monogram options



We are planning to give her this one for Christmas
Available in 3 colors and several sizes


We gifted this to Vivian her 1st Christmas


color options and engraving


A strand of pearls is a quintessential heirloom piece for every lady's jewelry box

Dress Your Darling & Yourself Beautifully in Heirloom Pieces

XOXO Sarah-Louise

Nov 18, 2019

Mamma Monday: Perfect Match


O Happy Monday Mammas! I know I've told you over and over but Monday's are my favorite!!! I just love the start to a new week - fresh and full of possibilities. 

I started off this week hosting a play date this morning with a new gal pal I met through Vivian's preschool.  Her daughter is in Vivian's class & she's in my MOPS group.  I legit picked her up!  I met her over the summer just at drop offs and pickups during Summer Camp and have just loved her friendly and happy spirit.  Her name is Sarah and a local from Charlotte so I mean she must be fabulous! 
Just like dating finding gal pals can be challenging but have a little courage and don't be afraid to ask for her number :)

You gals know I love dressing myself so having a little girl was double the fun! And since we're two of a kind we should look like it. I don't coordinate our outfits every day but I most certainly give it my best effort on Sundays for church and fun occasions when I can. 

These cozy pullovers are just as precious and perfect as they can be! And practical!
And for my sweet boy Mammas, they come in Navy too.
And don't be discouraged, if you want to match your little boy you go right ahead - twinning isn't just for the girls! 

If you're not totally into the exact replicated pieces just choose the same colors or prints. 

Here are some other Mommy and Me matching outfits ...


Lilly Pulitzer has great options HERE

Vests: Mamma & Mini

Pajamas Here Here & Here




Shep Shirt for Mamma & Mini & Bigger Kids

Dress Beautifully in Mommy and Me

XOXO Sarah-Louise

Jul 29, 2019

Mamma Monday: Toddler Activities

Happy Monday Mammas! In case I haven't told you enough, Mondays are my favorite day of the week.  I feel like I start the day with so much fresh energy.  Vivian Louise is as busy as can be and that means so am I. Thankfully I've never been able to sit still so me and my mini fit perfectly.


And since we are on a mission to have the best Summer ever with all the fun we can squeeze in, I've had to embrace toddler activities.  I say 'had to' because I'm NOT a crafty person.  I don't want the supplies cluttering my home and I HATE messes.  I'm leaving a good portion of activities to her pre-school teachers! But I do want to experience some of them alongside her.

Tip:  Doing them outside is the key to enduring the mess.

So here are some toddler loved activities I've found that I hope you'll enjoy ...

Finger Painting (or watercolor for older kids)




I taped the large paper down on a shady spot on our drive way and had her down to a diaper.  This paint come out super clean (praise!). After we were done I carried her up the stairs and straight into the bath. I probably could have washed her off outside but she was due for a good soak and was excited for more play time.  Two of my Mamma friends recommended getting rolls of paper to use for these projects.

Play-doh



Her Aunt Rebecca got her some for Easter and we've gone outside to play with it on top of clear plastic so it doesn't pick up dirt.  She LOVED it! I have actually seen Mammas make it homemade #NOPE.  By all means enjoy yourself but my version of Motherhood has me making as little as possible.

Paint the Fence


I saw this on Pinterest and it is easy enough for me and water is a mess I don't mind.

Frozen Paint


I'm actually going to put forth the effort to try this.


There's also classic coloring! 

Toddler activities are WAY OUTSIDE my box so I'm going to refer you to the Busy Toddler for lots of fun ideas on keeping your toddlers busy!!!


19 months yesterday!

Be the Mamma that you are! That's what our children love about us, just us.  So if something isn't your style don't do it. I certainly don't. Gracious, you couldn't pay me enough to make her baby food or stock shelves of crafting materials. BUT I will happily have all the play dress up clothes :)



Dress Beautifully
(in casual/discard worthy clothes)
Doing Toddler Activities

XOXO Sarah-Louise

Mar 11, 2019

Mamma Monday: Shopping Small

Good morning Mammas!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

I survived Vivian Louise's first time being sick this weekend and I dare say we both handled it pretty well.  I've been anxiously awaiting this to happen, I mean she's 14 months old. She's been blessed to have gone so long without even a cold.

She woke up Friday late afternoon burning up. And although her afternoon nap was longer than usual she was a bit restless.  I tried to feed her supper but she was more disinterested than normal and all she wanted was for me to hold her.  So that's what I did. After calling her Daddy who was ironically working the Pediatric unit of the ER I decided to give her some ibuprofen.  Only 2 minutes later as I was walking into the kitchen she threw up right between us, all her dinner down my shirt UGH

I just stood there. She was scared (me too!)

I stripped us down right there and went upstairs to put new night-nights on her and some for myself.
I gave her some milk before bed ... and she threw up again thank goodness she missed her nursery chair and rug. Sigh I had to again clean that up and ourselves.
She was beyond exhausted.
I got her changed and put to bed.
She slept restlessly until 3 and then she was just crying. I held her in my arms and she slept on me until 5.  I was so tired as all her little cries kept me from sleeping. But I had missed rocking her and her sleeping on me. I gave her some milk at 5 am and that's just what she needed. I knew then she was feeling better because she was hungry. She slept sound until 8 and we spent Saturday snuggled together.


What an honor it is as a Mamma that it is our heartbeats that comfort and heal!

So moving on, as Mammas our time at Target is not just multiplied but it becomes our escape from home and into a fun outing.  We buy all the baby things and treat ourselves to coffee, snacks and ALL the things we had no idea we wanted or needed.
So thanks Target for taking our money, filling our days with fun and our homes with stuff (eh maybe not thank you for that).

But as great as the big box stores are, I believe it's very important to support small businesses.  I came from a family of entrepreneurs and truly believe that it is the American dream.
It's hard work, long hours and true dedication to embark on owning your own.

So here are a few of my favorite small businesses that you can find things for yourself and your littles:


The make the cutest smocked outfits but my favorites are their personalized pieces!
You can customize fabrics and colors.  They also smock bags.
Just go check them out! They are local to our NC coast.



They're not all that small.  They have a fantastic online shop with tons of adorable pieces at great prices.  I've preorders some cuteness for this Summer.  Although I'm pretty sure our petite princess can wear this and some other dresses again this year.


oh TBBC you get the most of my spending on Vivian Louise! And I'm not sorry about it at all (Daddy can confirm). The clothes are just darling and the bonnets, be still my heart! My Mamma is proud.
They even have Mommy and Me outfits :)


This cute online shop I discovered on Instagram (oh the things IG has made me buy!).
I love the classic smocking and colors.


SS is just a fantastic gem! They are savvy in their creation of the swap-a-smock line.  They offer a line of garments that allow for interchange smocked tabs. Genius! And you can even order personalized tabs, see above. And as they grow the tabs still fit the outfits. Cost saver gals. 


Our favorite local boutique here in Charlotte for clothes, toys and gifts!


The best for last! This shop is full of treasures not just for your littles but for yourself and your home.
They offer interior design services, lighting, furniture, home decor, clothing, jewelry, kids clothing, toys and even their own line of pj's!

So go ahead and go to the big box stores for your basics and necessities but for the all the cute things shop small!

Dress Beautifully by Shopping Small

XOXO Sarah Louise









May 31, 2018

Lemon Love

Hey gals, so when it comes to my favorite things lemons are at the top of the list.  They're bright and light and just plain tuity fruity! I was even gifted a lemon necklace and a lemon tree for my 31st birthday - sadly the tree didn't make it (I blame our move that summer) but I'm hoping to try again.  I always have lemon cake for my birthday, and even for my baby showers.  I cook with lemons (when I cook) as much as possible.

I even love lemon clothes! She says surprising no one.  In 2014 Kate Spade's Spring line was ALL about lemons.  Y'all I wanted one of everything.  I opted for the necklace since I already had a dress. And when baby Vivian Louise came along, I of course wanted to dress her in lemon prints too.

4 Years ago this month I blogged about my lemon dress, and it's still one of my favorites.  Now, when it comes to loving something you can go overboard.  This is the only lemon garment I own.  Even for baby girl I didn't pick a nursery theme with a character or animal for her.  I did however go with the color lavender/purple.

So in honor of #tbt (throwback Thursday) here's to this post 4 years ago and lots of current lemon pieces I've found for you and for baby girl 🍋

Lemon Dress circa May 2014

CURRENT PIECES






Banana Republic has a ton of lemon pieces right now (shirts, tees, even a bikini!) ... I just may have to add this broach, definitely this tee ... and maybe this scarf too :) too much?? haha





I almost bought this a few weeks ago but see above, you can go overboard!








FOR BABY GIRL







Dress Beautifully in Lemon

XOXO Sarah Louise