color me.

Sweater: J. Crew | Similar

Scarf: Target | Similar

Shirt: LOFT

Belt: Gap | Similar

Jeans: Gap

Bag: Rachel Zoe

Shoes: Madewell

I'm busy burning the midnight oil because my baby is in no mood to sleep. So instead of trying to unsuccessfully catch a few zzz's, I decided to blog. Sleepless baby means more productivity. That's an exhausted mom looking at the glass half full.

Every day I draw my blinds, the sky is gray and the ground is white. I am completely over this colorless, cold, brutal winter. And I'm starting to crave color so my days don't all look the same. It's funny. At the beginning of winter all I wanted was grays, whites, blacks and blues. 

Now those colors are taking a backseat (or being shoved to the back of my closet). Now is the time for color, pattern and punch.

What about you? Are you keeping the winter blues at bay with a good dose of color? Or are you still sticking with your neutrals?

Linking up with Because Shanna Said So, The Pleated Poppy and Style Elixir. 

*I'm still working on finding a groove with my blogging so please bear with me! I'm hoping to get back on a somewhat regular schedule as soon as possible, Thanks for continuing to read!

getting ready on the fly.

Coat: Ann Taylor Loft

Scarf: Old Navy

Blazer: Gap | Similar

Shirt: Old Navy

Cords: J. Crew

Boots: J. Crew (on sale!)

Bag: Madewell

So my style has changed now that I have not one but two kids. There are a lot of things that are different. Silk? Keep it far, far away! High heels? With a toddler on the loose? Necklaces? More like choking hazards (for me not them)! 

My "get ready" time has drastically diminished now that there are two wiggly, opinionated, somewhat difficult beings that need to be cleaned, dressed and fed. Who knew that a two-year-old boy would have such strong feelings about clothes. Every day we have the same conversation: We cannot wear our basketball shirt to bed, accidentally pee on it and then wear it out in public the next day. And the clock just keeps on ticking through every fiasco and the next thing I know I have 10 minutes to pull myself together. I always feel like people should pat me on the back when they see that I have dressed myself and my two littles.They never do, so maybe I'm wrong on that account.

If I want to look like something other than a tired, frenetic mom of two and actually select an intentional outfit (rather than digging through the laundry pile) that means we cannot leave the house and the iPad plays a very, very important role. This is obviously me on one of those better days.

Here's hoping I have a few more of them!

date night!

{Jacket: Similar | Shirt: Similar | Necklace: Target | Clutch: Similar | Jeans: Gap | Shoes: Similar}

My mom was in town this week so hubby and I got a little bit of a date night. Yay! Babysitters are good but it's even better when you know your kids are with family. We went to a really cool English gastropub and it was so very good. Lots of beer and good food...my kind of date! I even broke out the heels. It's been awhile folks and my feet are feeling it.

I'm also happy to announce that I am no longer wearing maternity jeans. Thank goodness! I'm trying really hard to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight but it's full of ups and downs. I'm trying to be patient but it's hard! I just want to be back in full force with my workouts and my wardrobe! Soon Lindsay, soon.

And let's talk about the little lady who's upstaging me in my first photo. I feel like we should have been taking her photos. I mean that jacket...it's quite the statement!

Linking up with Style Elixir, Because Shanna Said So and the Pleated Poppy.

my style: two weeks postpartum

{Top: Similar | Pants: Similar | Purse: Similar | Shoes: Similar}

I have to commend every woman blogger out there who has documented her pregnancy and postpartum style. I think it's really hard to put yourself out there. Your body just changes so much during pregnancy and it's really hard to figure out how to dress it in a way that makes you feel good about yourself. I never really felt like I was embracing my true style while pregnant. Really I was just trying to get through it in a sort of stylish way.

And now that I've had the baby, I feel even more self-conscious than I did before. I keep expecting my body to go back to what it was. And unfortunately that doesn't happen. I still look kinda pregnant. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled non-maternity stuff off my shelves in the hopes that it will actually fit this time and it doesn't at all. Such a blow to my self-esteem.

My sister-in-law sent me the best article about how women should feel about their bodies postpartum. We need to give ourselves time. Our bodies spent nine months growing and stretching to nurture the baby that we now hold in our arms. And somehow we expect that they should shrink back to pre-pregnancy form in a shorter amount of time. We look at our bellies with embarrassment instead of wonder. We tug self-consciously at our shirts. We cringe every time we see our reflection in a store window. And we should stop. We just need to be patient and give ourselves time.

And this is what I"m doing here. Giving my body time to heal and that's okay. My goal is to get back in shape and feel good about my body one day in the not too distant future. But that day is not today. Right now I just need to nurture my body and my baby and that's okay. The bumps and lumps are okay for right now. They are a part of my story, the story of how I have given birth to two beautiful boys.

Linking up with the Pleated Poppy, Because Shanna Said So and Style Elixir.

summer whites.

So this outfit didn't translate as well as I would have liked it too. I was going for a pretty neutral outfit with a big pop of neon only the the neon didn't photograph very well. And let me tell you these shoes are in-your-face-neon. In fact, someone commented on how they needed to put sunglasses on because my shoes were so bright. I know so original, huh?

I usually wouldn't share this look with you guys but I am so burnt out and exhausted and we still have to pick a rocker for the nursery and fold clothes before I can just chill. I hope you will accept my excuses just this once (okay it may happen more than once).

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy and Because Shanna Said So.

seeing blue.

{Necklace: Similar | Blazer: J. Crew Factory | Sweater: Gap | Jeans: Similar | Shoes: Similar}

I do not understand what's happening with this weather! Aren't we supposed to be on the verge of summer? But our forecast for the rest of the week is in the mid to high 60s! I really shouldn't complain because let's be honest when I'm this large, I feel much better in layers upon layers of clothing. 

But still! I feel like I won't get any summer before this baby comes. And then I won't get any summer after this baby comes because well I'll have a newborn and a toddler on my hands. 

And can we talk about being 7 1/2 months pregnant with a toddler who wakes up in the middle of the night? That means this mama wears something similar to pjs all day (yes, I just admitted that on my style blog) and she has trouble getting off the couch as her toddler keeps trying to pull his much-too-pregnant mama to a standing position while asking, "bye-bye?" over and over again.  Needless to say, we did not go bye-bye until daddy came home.  Poor kid. He certainly has learned to identify the "fun" parent these days (hint: it's not me!).

And that's pretty much my life these days in a nutshell.

black, white and a little indigo.

{Coat: Similar | Shirt: Similar | Pants: Similar | Purse: J. Crew | Shoes: Similar}

Happy Monday friends! I just got back from a girls trip this weekend and it was so much fun! Granted I got very, very little sleep but it was totally worth it. It's nice to not be a mom for just a weekend or to be known as something other than a mom. Does that make sense? Having said that, I was very excited to be reunited with my family. The smiles I received from my little guy at the airport were just about the greatest thing ever. 

We have a super busy week coming up as I turn around and leave again on Thursday (not the best planning on my part). So it will be a week of cleaning, doing laundry and repacking. After this though, we are at home for a long while and I'm a little excited and a little nervous to not have anything on the horizon.

How was your weekend? I hope it was wonderful and that you are starting to see signs of summer like we are!

color shock.

{Shirt: Similar | Scarf: Similar | Bag: Target | Shorts: Ann Taylor Loft | Sandals: Ann Taylor Loft}

Hello friends! I am back from vacation and it was absolutely wonderful. Exactly what I needed. And I'm happy to be back in Chicago, where the weather has taken a definite turn for the better!

I think while I was away I definitely "popped" so to speak. My belly is big at this point. And without actually looking at the days and weeks, I know I am now in the third trimester. It's like one day, you wake up and bam, your body is big, unwieldy (I often mow my son over because I can't see him) and everything hurts. I suppose cleaning all day and scrubbing our floors on my knees doesn't really help those aches and pains. But I guess I am a glutton for punishment. And let's be honest, how can you get away with not scrubbing the floors when your toddler decides that he wants to paint the room with his oatmeal> Ah welcome back to real life Lindsay. Welcome back.

knockout white!

{Denim jacket | Dress | Eyelet blouse | Sweater | Sleeveless top | Skirt | Contrast blazer | Necklace | Eyelet dress | Pajamas | Eyelet blazer | Sweater}

There's just something about white that says spring. It's a blank slate. You can wear it by itself, add a pop of neon, contrast it with black or pair it with statement jewelry. You can pretty much wear it however you want. And honestly that's what is so great about white. It's versatile, classic and beautiful. 

Here are a few of my favorite pieces. I absolutely adore the Gap blazer with black piping, the Gap eyelet blouse and that open weave sweater from Loft. Those are just a few of the things I would like to snag from this list!

Do you guys like white this spring? What are some of your favorite pieces? I'd love to know!

stripes on stripes.

{Sunglasses: Kate Spade | Jacket: Ann Taylor Loft | Shirt: ASOS | Shoes: Sole Society}

It's stripes on stripes today because I wanted to give this new jacket (scored during a 40 percent off sale) a whirl. And guess what? I love it. Surprised? I doubt it.

We had a wonderful weekend here full of sunshine, bike rides, iced chai tea lattes and lots of other wonderful things. Getting dressed on weekends like this gets a little harder for two reasons (besides the obvious one which is that I'm pregnant), one we usually take a bike ride so I need practical, comfortable clothes, and two we usually want to get out the door as soon as possible so we can enjoy as much sunshine as we can before nap time. So I need outfits that aren't too fussy and easy to put together. Hence, the stripes on stripes. Always a winning combination.

How was your weekend lovely ladies? I hope it was wonderful and full of sunshine too!

bright white.

{Jacket: Similar | Sweater: Gap | Shirt: Similar | Jeans: Gap | Flats: Similar}

This is the cardigan that I wasn't too sure about, but now I've decided I love it. I love the bright pop of neon against white pants. But white pants are dangerous...dangerous around these parts. 

Not only do I spill food on myself on a regular basis (the good news is that my belly is so large at this point that it usually catches most of the runaway food), but I also have a two-year-old.

We went to Starbucks for breakfast one morning and I was wearing these adorable new white pants when my son decided it would be fun to put his shoes on them. Now there are faint pint-sized dust marks on them. Of course, once I said no, it was the most fun game ever invented. So it just looks like a toddler ran all over the lower portion of my body. Fun. Very fun.

Linking up with the Pleated Poppy and Because Shanna Said So.

first skirt of the year!

{Necklace: Similar | Jacket: J. Crew | Tee: Gap | Skirt: Similar | Shoes: Target}

Happy Tuesday friends! I do believe this is my first skirt this year. Can we say amen to that? The weather this weekend was gorgeous and I was able to don something other than pants. Yay! 

You may be wondering what the heck GroopDealz is or maybe you already know about this wonderfulness. It's another one of those deal sites (yeah I know...another one) but it's actually really good deals. My friend Chris mentioned it and I had to check it out. I got both this necklace (which looks just like the BaubleBar version that is now sold out) and this super cute striped skirt. I was a little nervous about whether I would like the items but when you are paying $10 or $15 it doesn't really matter, does it? The good news is I love everything I've gotten! I love that it's trendy and cheap. Two big perks in my book. Don't worry this isn't sponsored or anything. Just trying to share with my fellow fashionistas.

Oh and I have been on the lookout for flat booties. I wanted something a little more mom-friendly than my heeled ones. And I found these beauties at Target. Trust me you will see them...a lot. Have a good day!