Family Fashion + Style Working Mom

Work to Weekend Style

March 21, 2016

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I love button-up shirts. Paired with the right denim or a pencil skirt, this classic top can be perfect for the office. Just throw on a blazer or cardigan to dress it up even more and make it work for multiple seasons. Styled with skinny jeans, it’s a go-to weekend outfit. Silk button-up shirts are easy to dress up for dinner out or for work, too. I have a few fun, printed silk shirts and colored silk buttons-ups that I’ve had for years.

Work to Weekend Style

Saturday afternoon walk in the neighborhood with B. He loves sunglasses now and I may have an obsession with all things from Baby Zara and Toms shoes for toddlers.

I’ve been finding quite a bit at Banana that I like lately. This linen shirt is casual and light, and I could see myself wearing it with shorts once that Houston heat hits. Who am I kidding – we are having some sort of fluke spring weather, but I’m sure it will be short-lived and we’ll be back to humidity soon.  I wore this shirt 2 weeks ago with yellow shorts when running errands in fact. The weather was amazing this weekend, and we took advantage by walking  around our neighborhood Saturday afternoon, hitting up our favorite toy store, Big Blue Whale, and getting some frozen yogurt. This outfit was perfect for this fun afternoon with my favorite toddler.

BigBlueWhaleSaturdayafternoon

Big Blue Whale in the Heights is the most magical toy store! If you live in Houston, definitely check it out. We frequent it weekly. 🙂

Sometimes long-sleeve shirts like this can be hard to find the right fit. I’ve curated quite the collection, so I know what brands work for me and my long limbs. I buy tall long- sleeve shirts and blazers when they’re available from Banana, in particular. Banana Republic, J. Crew and Ann Taylor are 3 stores that sell tall sizes, which means a little more length in the arms and width in the shoulders, which makes this 5’10 gal a happy camper.

 

 

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Family Loving Lately...

Loving lately: How do I have a 19 month old?

March 20, 2016

Life has been kicking us in the butt lately. Between a terrible stomach bug for Braden, which I then was lucky enough to get too,  and a few episodes of night terrors in the past week (whhhhyy?) coupled with my busy work season,  I’m pretty exhausted.  I know it’s the season of life we’re in though and it soon will pass.

I know I’m kind of slow to the Snapchat bandwagon. I got it when it first came out, but never cared for it. But, what we soon realized is that Braden thinks it’s pretty hilarious. Thus, it’s turned into something I’m loving lately since we’re getting some infectious giggles out of it. My husband has especially taken it to some new levels, as you can see here with his obsession with face swap.

My name is laureenlucas9 on Snapchat, so follow along if you want some of our stories filling your feed. 🙂

 

Makeup Mr Potato head

My little mini recently turned 19 months. It’s shocking how quickly it flies by. He’s surprising us daily with his ever-increasing vocabulary. New words include: crackers and cartoons (dang it). And, “mine!” is also starting to creep up pretty often. :/ He tests our patience, makes us laugh uncontrollably and makes me realize that I love him more than I could have ever imagined.

More soon,

LL

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Home Design + Decor

First steps

March 14, 2016

A lot of steps go into deciding this whole building a house thing. We definitely thought a lot about it and made lots of plans over the past few months, but I guess it’s starting to really feel real now that we can see progress. Baby steps…literally. My baby, who just turned 19 months, ran so freely in the foundation forms yesterday evening. It’s like the ultimate baby gate. 🙂

Foundation Form

I know some days it’ll seem like forever, but then it’ll be complete before we know it. I’ll be documenting at #lucasfamilyhome along the way.

More soon,

LL

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Fashion + Style Healthy Living + Food Working Mom

Mary Poppins Moment: What’s in my bag

March 9, 2016

Does anyone have a soft tape measure?

Me: Yes! I do. Here you go.

This is a real conversation I’ve had with a coworker. I’ve been known to have everything under the sun in my handbag. Just call me Mary Poppins. Before I was a mom, I assumed the mom role among by friends and co-workers, always ready with meds, snacks, a hair tie or whatever else was needed by someone.

I decided I would show a real snapshot of what I carry in my bag day-to-day.

First off, let’s talk about the bag. Unless I’m going to a wedding or a night out where I can carry a clutch for just a few hours, I just need a big bag. I’ve always been this way, but when I became a mom, this rang true tenfold.

I’ve been carrying this Tory Burch tote for nearly two years. It’s a plum color that doesn’t seem to be available anymore, but there are some other classic colors available.  I swap it out with other similar-sized bags occasionally, but it’s a simple everyday bag that can double as a work and diaper bag when needed. I have my eye out for a new spring bag…or ten. P.S. It’s my birth month dear, sweet husband.
Speaking of diaper bags, I have a basic navy messenger baby bag that I use mostly for weekend outings to the zoo, travel or other trips out and about, but mostly I just throw a few diapers, changing mat and travel wipes in my everyday purse and I’m all set. I’m thinking I’ll buy ToteSavvy, an insert that will keep things a bit more organized, especially when you’re in the bottle-toting stage. Not in the bottle-stage anymore, but still toting a sippy cup most days since I have a 18-month-old.

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Home Design + Decor Loving Lately...

Loving Lately

March 2, 2016

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I’ve been curating a few things I’m inspired by, trying to figure out what the overall look-and-feel of our new home will be. My goal is to create a space that’s inviting, functional and livable. Not magazine-page livable, but real-life, my-kid-plays-with-stuff-he-pulls-out-of-the-trash livable because that’s the season of life we’re in. I have a kiddo who is exploring and destructing, and I want a home that he’s able to do that in. But, I’m also praying there’s more exploring than destructing going on!

I have an actual mood board with a few of these items pinned to it. I’m kind of old-school in that I like to see things right in front of me. I also use Pinterest to keep tabs on things I like. Some of these things are pieces we already own like the adorable Pillowfort teepee tent I gave Braden for Valentine’s Day and a couple of items we’ve selected for the new home like this bathroom sink fixture.

I’m still figuring it all out, but for now I’m looking for inspiration so I think about it holistically. I’m a big fan of rustic pieces like this driftwood mirror. I think this mirror would be nice in a powder room with shiplap. I have a vision. I just need to figure out how to make it come together and then make sure Ben is on board with all of it. Details, details…

But first…foundation! Crews are scheduled to come out this week.

P.S. It’s on my to-do list to figure out a regular rhythm for posting content. I kind of chose my busiest work season of the year to start this blog. Whoops. So, I will at some point practice what I preach to clients and create a content calendar so I don’t go a week before I post again. (Maybe by writing this I’ll be held accountable!?)

More soon,

LL

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Home Design + Decor Working Mom

New year, new blog, new house

February 22, 2016

Hello…happy new year!  Wait, I know.  It’s not a new year anymore.  But I actually started to write this post and launch this blog in early January but life kind of got in the way.  But I’m able to finish it up on the plane back home after two back-to-back business trips.  Two sentences in and I’ve already digressed. Anyway, I am in denial that we’re almost in March in the year 2016. In my head, 1997 felt like two years ago.

Back story: I attended my first blogging conference about eight years ago when I started working at a new job in Houston.  It was when blogging was really starting to get huge, and I worked with national food brands who were interested into tapping into the influence that “mommy bloggers” had in the digital space.  I began to develop PR and social media strategies for reaching this new group everyone seemed to be so hot on lately. I attended conferences and met some really amazing, regular moms  and “non-mommy” women who were sharing their everyday lives in fun ways. I thought to myself, “Hey, I feel like I could do this.” So, I  started writing blog ideas in a notebook. It seemed that I would often feel inspired about launching a blog when I worked with bloggers. (It’ll be interesting to share some of that content at a later date.) Then I never did. So, eight years later here I am. I’m kind of a procrastinator.

One of the main reasons I felt compelled to write and share the things I love is because of a pretty big change my family is experiencing: building a new home. This process started in June, and we are STILL waiting on permits, but we will likely be laying foundation in March. Seems crazy long, right? The process has been a true learning experience for us, and I want to offer some helpful tips about building a custom home in case anyone is thinking about doing that. It’s been exciting, stressful, enlightening and fun all at the same time. So expect a lot more on that on a regular basis.

But, in the meantime, I also want to share the things I love with you because I think you might just fall in love with them, too. My friends know me as someone who will share some of my favorite things, including latest clothing or restaurant discoveries, places I am addicted to working out at or even a recommendation on a hair stylist or doctor. I want to have a spot to share those things with you, and I hope this place becomes that.

And bear with me as I navigate the whole blogosphere. My intent is to create a place that feels authentic and comfortable, and for me, that means some trial and error. And googling. Lots of googling.  So while I am figuring this out, please feel free to share your thoughts along the way. Thanks for stopping by!

More soon,

LL
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