People have been asking me how I curl my hair and what products I use to get it so long. Despite my fear (and general dislike) of being on camera I went ahead this morning and filmed my whole how to. You can watch it on my new YouTube Channel:
Here are the products I used in the video and the tags to each of them:
XOXO
Kendall
With Father’s Day right around the corner, I thought this week I would share some of my favorite gift ideas for that guy in your life. Some of these are things my husband would want (or asked for).
I post about this company a fair bit but I LOVE Welly Merck Watches. I have the Los Angelas for women and love it. This one is the Paris for Men and I think it’s very nice looking. Their watches are high quality swiss without the expensive price tag. Use code Lattes15 for 15% off your order!
I absolutely love the espresso machine my husband got me for mother’s day. If your guy is into coffee, starbucks, and smooth espresso I love the Breville Espresso Machine.
I don’t even buy Dave normal shirts anymore – if you (or your husband) hasn’t discovered UnTuckIt shirts – go buy one. They’re shorter so they can be worn untucked, high quality, and fit GREAT. It’s all David wears now. They have a ton of cool colors and prints and make polos now too. They also do matching father/son shirts…yeah. Amazing.
I’m not going to go into too much detail here (LOL) but MeUndies boxers…they’re soft, loose enough to be comfortable, and double as shorts. JK for that last part. I got David a membership of these last year for fathers day (mostly because he needed new undies) and he likes them better than more expensive brands like Tommy Johns.
David just bought these Gray Jeans (does anyone know the difference between grey & gray? Like is one British? I can never decide which to use LOL) and he swears they are the most comfortable jeans he has. Plus the grey color goes with everything and makes the outfit look a bit nicer than just denim. I recommend their slim fit pair – he tried on the straight leg and they were really baggy.
David has super wide feet and finding him comfortable shoes is always a HUGE pain. I can’t tell you how many pairs of shoes we have returned or he goodwills because they are too narrow. This Hawaiian shoe brand makes a REALLY cool sneaker, that can get wet and has pores to air dry, and looks sleek that actually fits his foot. Make sure your guy tries them on though because as I mentioned they are wide.
My husband does the lawn work. He loves it (which is good because I would have no idea where to even start) but he always wants new lawn equipment. His preferred brand is Echo and this year the top of his list is a new blower. I’ve already replaced his weed whacker, lawn mower, and trimmer/edger so this is the last one. For a bit…LOL.
Hopefully this helps you ladies out there still looking for good Father’s Day gift ideas.
XOXO
Kendall
IS there anything worse than the first few weeks with a baby who won’t sleep? For both of our kids swaddling was the secret to a calm baby and we relied heavily on sleep sacks (since in class swaddling a doll with a muslin cloth was really easy but a squirming baby in real life was dang near impossible). Recently I’ve discovered my new favorite baby product: Swado Swaddles. They sent mean to try and they are amazing!
These swaddles are super soft and come in tons of patterns, but thats not why I like them so much. Instead of velcro like other swaddle companies (which are not just loud but also really jarring when you open them twisting around the baby) they have…I don’t even know what to call it – Magic fabric? It seriously sticks together even though I can’t explain why and comes apart way easier than velcro but is just as strong when it’s on the baby. I can’t recommend it enough.
I do not receive any compensation for product purchased but I really love it! Highly recommend.
XOXO
Kendall
Everett is officially One Month Old today. I seriously cannot even believe it. Recovery this time has been so much easier! I’m already cleared for exercise (3 weeks earlier than with Kensington) and totally feel like myself. It’s a miracle. What’s even crazier is how similar and yet different they are. We had Everett’s Newborn pictures done and this about sums it up:
Where Kenzie was super independent, slept great right off the bat, and was just hanging out (get it? get it? Pun Intended) Everett loves being held, wants constant attention, isn’t a bad sleeper but struggles a bit more than Kensington. We had our amazing photographer (if you’re in Dallas she’s amazing – see her website HERE) recreate this favorite from Kenzie’s shoot with a “boy” spin so that we could have some parallelism with their shoots. Both my beautiful woodland babies. LOL.
We wanted his pictures to be outdoorsy and have lots of earth tones like his nursery (see Nursery blog post HERE). As per usual she did an AMAZING job and totally hit it out of the park.
I swear she is the baby whisperer to make our grumpy old man baby look so peaceful lol. Over the last month we’ve really gotten familiar with his “SOMONE BETTER PICK ME UP RIGHT NOW” cry, finally gotten to see his beautiful eyes (he didn’t open them for days after birth, They’re Navy like Kenzie’s was so I anticipate them changing), and been able to see what a newborn with crazy intense head strength is capable of – caution when holding: he will flip out of your arms with his crazy old man baby strength. #Fact
My photographer also had this incredible idea of doing a vampire setting for one of his pictures. David and I used to camp ALL THE TIME when we first started dating and really bonded over our love of the outdoors. TBH I think it was that ability to travel and love of camping/being outside that really solidified our relationship so of course we jumped at the chance. It’s the cutest thing ever:
Then because Dave is such a sports guy, and played baseball for years (even was able to walk on in college), we made sure to get an ADORABLE baseball picture of our little boy.
I know everyone says having daughters is more fun because you can dress them up and put them in bows etc. but I am unbelievably excited for sports with this little guy. I’m gonna be that mom who knows all the players stats and goes to every practice. Sorry in advanced.
Then Last, but certainly not least, we took some family pictures. Ugh. They are the best. Seriously.
Are they not the cutest siblings ever? Seriously…
Me just loving on our newest addition. He’s so squishy and I love him.
Dave just looking like a model…like always. And trying to brainwash Everett into being an Aggie and getting a corporate job. I don’t think he’s having it though LOL
And the worlds best family photo (but I’m biased LOL) Laura was amazing and brought Kensington’s face in from another picture, smoothed out wrinkles in our clothes and made the lighting perfect. I can’t believe it. I’m glad I like it since I ordered a huge canvas for our house. God help us LOL.
Ultimately having two kids under one is…a lot. It think it would be slightly easier if Kensington could walk, but ultimately its not as terrible as everyone warned us (maybe I can thank them for setting bad expectations so I could be pleasantly surprised). It’s definitely more challenging if one of us wants to go do something and the other person ends up 2 on 1 but its still a beautiful suffering. LOL.
XOXO
Kendall
I love a good lipstick. I always feel naked if I’m not wearing one (i’ve eve been made fun of for showing up to 6am Barre with no makeup but lipstick on lol). And of course, needless to say, I have a bit of an addiction trying out new ones. So today I’m sharing my favorite brands, colors, and uses for my lipstick collection.
Fresh Sugar tinted lip balm in “Petal”. I wear this all day every day. It’s hydrating, not super thick or extreme, and gives a really pretty color. It’s super hydrating but word of warning not very long lasting.
RMS Beauty Wild with Desire Lipstick in “Brain Teaser”. This is a super pretty natural shade, and if you haven’t heard me brag on RMS Beauty and their all natural ingredients…well…I like them a lot. And their ingredients. and this super thick long lasting lipstick. Yeah.
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in “Hepburn Honey”. I like this color a lot. Its a smidge bolder than the Brain teaser and really great for a night out without being dramatic.
Yves Saint Laurent Vinyl Creme Lip Stain in “Rose Mix”. This is an awesome lip stain that goes on more like a really thick gloss. It lasts a long time and comes in SO MANY cool colors. It feels really velvety and expensive on too. Just Saying.
XOXO
Kendall
Shop it all HERE
Real Life: After I had a baby I had stretch marks on my stomach & chest, loose skin & extra fat on my low tummy, and Diastasis Recti ( the separation of your abdominals). It’s not like my body immediately snaps back to my pre-pregnancy bod. In fact, it takes 6-12 weeks for your uterus to shrink back down (faster if you breastfeed) and a year for your body to get its organs back in the right spots (they move out of the way so baby and grow). That means recovery is a long path, and I’m an impatient person lol. Not a great combination.
Today’s post is twofold. First, I want to be honest with my readers and by doing so hopefully help some other mamas out there who are dealing with the frustration of a slow recovery. Even with being in good shape before & during pregnancy, eating well, breastfeeding, and doing small workouts I am still nowhere near where I would like to be fitness/strength/tone-wise. I can still grab and twist my “bubblegum tummy” as a fellow blogger would call it.
I have friends who six weeks after they had a baby they look even better than they did before kids. They say breastfeeding and eating clean is the secret to their success and they look amazing. Not the case for me. Breastfeeding makes me retain water (and my boobs huge which of course makes me look 3 sizes bigger in about half of my tops). So despite being a great calorie burner and way to shrink my Uterus down, I don’t really get to enjoy the benefits until I stop. If you’re out there in the universe thinking “LIES! Breastfeeding is the worst and I don’t look/feel skinnier.” you’re not alone. It happens. If you expected to come home form the hospital in our smallest pair of pre-pregnancy jeans and its not happening the way you expected, don’t worry. Take your time and be patient (as patient as you can be) and make sure your getting back in shape in a healthy way.
Which brings me to part two of my post. I want to talk about getting back in shape in a healthy way post-baby and how to heal Diastasis Recti. If you’re not sure if you have Diastasis Recti, lay flat on the ground and curl your head and shoulders up as if you were doing a crunch. If your stomach cones or presses up higher in the middle and when you press on it with your fingers it is soft to the touch with no resistance – you have it. We’ll start with how to heal it.
DO NOT jump back in to a serious core routine. That will undoubtedly make it worse. This separation can get bad enough to require surgery if you’re not careful. Instead work primarily on core stabilization exercises (standing Marching high knees, bird dogs, side planks, glute bridges). There are a few good YouTube videos on some HERE, HERE, and HERE. Definitely avoid crunches, sit-ups, and any “twisting” where you are wringing your core out side to side (such as russian twists).
Additional ways to start getting back in shape include:
Hopefully this helps some Mamas out there recovering from their wonderful childbirth.
XOXO
Kendall
This week’s Friday 5 is going to be all about 5 accounts I love that you should follow (yeah I’m bossy like that JK). Going into Memorial Day weekend, we’re taking a road trip up to Oklahoma to visit one of Dave’s sisters for a few days (‘m REALLY excited to get out of the house, go do some new things, and spend time with family). So to tide you over until I get back, even though I’ll probably still post the whole time, here are some accounts I obsess over:
Brittany Dawn – She’s super chill, eats donuts, but is of course a fitness whiz and looks amazing. I love her account, and if you’re a starbucks addict like I am, she is always positing new drinks.
Pinteresting Plans – she posts the cutest (and affordable) outfits! Plus she’s super down to earth and real.
Lauren Kay Sims – she is the who’s who of shopping/fashion bloggers. Always on top of sales and with great taste – if you want to buy more than you need…she’s the gal to follow. And she’s expecting her first baby. YAY!
RRAYYME – ugh. This girl. Remi is so cute, into fitness, great hair, always dressed super well, and about holistic natural skin care. I love her.
Amber Fillerup – Last but not least this is the woman who made me want to be a blogger. She has fabulous hair (owns an extension company), her family is too cute, and she is so fashion forward.
Hope you like these accounts too as they’re my faves!
XOXO
Kendall
Ladies!! I wanted to talk today about my favorite All Natural beauty products. When I had Kensington I got a lot more into health and reading about the effects of different things on the body. I had been into fitness for a few years (even did a bikini competition a while ago) and had “Eaten healthy” but had never done a ton of research into the effects of different foods/products on the body until I was trying to figure out what to feed/use with Kenz. Basically what I learned shocked me (but I won’t terrorize you or push my holistic beliefs).
Surprisingly a HUGE issue for skin (mine is SUPREMELY sensitive) is all of the paragons/sulfates/phthalate/toxins they put in makeups & skin care products. So lately I’ve been opting for all natural, vegan, & cruelty free products and it’s made a world of difference for me. Today I’m sharing some of my favorite products/brands with you guys.
First off, I LOVE Savor Beauty products. They recently started carrying them at Nordstrom and they are amazing! Inspired by the Korean skincare regimen, its an all natural line that is SO good for your skin. I use steps 0-3 (I can’t use creams on my face because they make me breakout so I don’t use #4) and love them all.
Second, RMS Beauty & Jane Iredale – both lines are all natural and surprisingly amazing. Un-Cover Up by RMS beauty & their lipstick are both thick enough to provide good coverage, hydrating, and really nice. Probably my favorite concealer of all time. Jane Iredale’s Glow BB Cream is nice and thick without feeling oily, provides good coverage, and comes in a ton of shades to match your skin. Finding the right color can be a chore but its so nice once you do!
Lastly, I love this Beauty by Earth Self Tanner. Its organic, smells nice, and I haven’t had any issues with streaky-ness. Its also a really natural looking color.
You can shop all these products & my robe HERE
XOXO
Kendall
With everything going on at home (Kensington being 1 and unable to walk, Everett being 2 weeks old and unable to do anything, breastfeeding, and general life) its hard to carve out time for David and I. I’m a huge believer in continuing to date your spouse after marriage/children and we both try really hard to assure the other person that they come first. Before Everett – we always do a date right after work before we pick up the kids on Wednesdays, Dinner out at a restaurant on Fridays, and once a month leave the kids at “Parents night out” and go spend some time jut the two of us.
With two super young kids this becomes a little more complicated because honestly we need 2 babysitters. I wouldn’t wish bottle feeding & regular feeding & two sets of diapers & crying kids who cant get places on any one person. This means all the things we did before are still possible, but with us both being home on leave and the kids not being in daycare we need another plan of attack. Bring on the dual babysitters.
I’ve seen so many couples grow apart after they have children either because they don’t spend any time together or remember to thank one another for all they do or even just kiss in passing. David and I try really hard to make sure we make time and I highly recommend it. Plus, its pretty therapeutic to get some time away from the kids and spend with another adult. Really.
My advice for all first time parents (and even 8th time parents) is not to forget this. Your spouse is the person you CHOSE to spend forever with. In a perfect world your children will grow up, leave the nest, and your spouse will still be there. Annoying you by not closing the cabinets and leaving their shoes around the house. Don’t you want to still like them? To still know who they are? So take the time, go on some dates, and stay in love (and lust). Yeah. So here are some date ideas Dave and I are going to do this summer:
Feel free to steal our ideas 🙂
XOXO
Kendall
Shop my Look HERE
We’ve replaced almost all of the flooring in our house. All 3 bathrooms, the entire “living space”, and finally the Laundry Room. Now there was nothing wrong, per se, with our old tile but it was the 8″x 8″ slightly off white tile of the 90s and we wanted to freshen it up. We’ve also redone our Kitchen, Landscaping, Bathrooms, Dining room, and Closet and you can see the associated posts. This one wasn’t super complicated but if you ask David it was the worst. LOL.
Here is what we started with.
Day One: Dave Chisled up the old tile and cleared out the space. He also took the time to scrap up any chunky concrete and smooth the surface for laying tile on day two.
Day Two: Dave spread a thin layer of concrete, laid the tile, added spacers (we did really thin ones so we could fit as much tile as possible), and then cut along the final wall to fit. This space is pretty rectangular so we got lucky and most of the cuts were at the end (we used a wet saw to make the cuts).
Day Three: Clean off the tiles, spread grout, clean off tiles AGAIN. And VOILA. New tile. We also added our front entry washer/dryer, a heavy wooden shelf over the top for folding clothes, and 2 three section cabinets for storage. The ones on the bottom each have a hamper in them (one for dirty colors, one for dirty whites, and one for clean clothes. Yes I’m OCD.) and the ones up top have our detergent/bleach/irons/etc. in them. We want to add a door up top but at this time we haven’t.
I love THIS printed ceramic tile from Lowes. It wasn’t very expensive and really makes the space look spectacular. Just check them out side by side:
I’m so happy with this space! Kensington really loves the tile – every time we turn around she is sneaking in there to play on the tile. Now the only thing left to renovate in this house is our outdated Master Bath. We plan on doing it in the spring and then…I’ll probably be bored and want a new project LOL.
XOXO
Kendall
Littles & Lattes 