Valentine's Day is where I live - it's my holiday.  Go ahead get the sighs and eye rolls out of the way.  It's always been one that I love.  I mean, how could you hate a holiday that encourages people to spread love? Amiright?! Which is why I adore the shirts that JCrew released for the season.  And though they are Valentine's Day appropriate, they certainly are a year-round message I can get behind.


What we might do for Valentine's Day might surprise you - we don't actually go out.  I loathe messing with the crowds on Valentine's Day.  We also, generally, don't cook.  We fix Liam dinner, get the kids to bed, and then Scott & I will have a dinner on our own.  I also like to make the day special for our littlest valentines.  We deck the house out, give small gifts, and shower them with extra love.  It's a fun little way to celebrate the day as a family.  I also made an (adult) Valentine's Day playlist. There are sure to be some fun ones that you'll enjoy on there.




on the girls:  [tulle overalls // freshly picked mocs // tights // hat]

on liam: [shirt // jeans // kicks]

on me: [pants (old, similar here) // shirt // kicks (old, similar here & here) // 

[jacket // sweater // midi skirt // kicks // baubles: bracelets (here | here), watch, ring // sunnies // purse]

Last week in Charlotte, schools were closed and there was a snow/ice mix on the ground.  This week, the highs are in the upper 60s/low 70s and it is truly amazing out which provides the perfect opportunity to go tights-less.  I am a lover of tights, but mostly only out of necessity.  I'll take any chance to bear my legs when I can.


On to this skirt, I mentioned in this post, I was coming full circle on midi skirts.  And this one, swoon-worthy.  Not only is the print awesome, but there's an extra layer of crinoline underneath to give it the extra ooomph and structure.  It's oh-so-good.

With Valentine's Day just a few weeks away, I am taking full advantage of any opportunity I have to rock a good Valentine's Day theme.  This also includes finding pieces that I can bring into the Spring as well.  I've rounded up some of my fabs to nab now, but also rock through the Spring.

[sweatshirt: F21 (similar) // skirt: ASOS // kicks: jessica simpson (similar) & dolce vita (similar) // baubles: michael kors, stella & dot, jcrew // clutch: kate spade (similar) // sunnies: prada]

I'm frequently asked who takes the photos for my blog; most of the time is it my husband who snaps the shots for me.  It usually goes a little something like this: I walk downstairs, Scott looks at my outfit and either says he loves it OR some commentary about the look, to which I usually roll my eyes and tell him to grab the camera.  This time he looked at my outfit and asked me 'what about those pink suede pumps you have?' <insert my blank stare because 1) I don't exactly remember the pair of shoes that he is mentioning and 2) I'm worried that the fact that my husband knows my shoe collection better than me might mean I have some cleaning out to do> Regardless, I decided to bring it to the masses and we took a few with both.





However, a tangent on how we take pictures was not the original intent of this outfit.  My favorite holiday, Valentine's Day is coming up.  I love this time of year because also being a big fan of a theme, I plan on integrating as many pieces as I can over the next few weeks.  Starting with this sweatshirt - I loved the original and F21 did a version last year as well.  Lip prints are still trending, especially this time of year.  And if you are looking for your own to rock, I've found a couple other options below for your shopping pleasure.

As I shared last week, Valentine's Day is a big deal in our household.  Scott had told me that for Valentine's Day this year, there was an experience to go along with our date, but I honestly had no idea what that meant.  Since it was 10 years ago that we spent our first Valentine's Day in Paris, Scott set up a tour of Charlotte which mimicked our weekend in Paris, calling it the Power of 10 (la puissance de dix). It was amazingly fun and beyond getting to reminisce about our first Valentine's Day a great opportunity to explore our new city! Check out what we did after the jump.

To say that Valentine's Day is a big deal in our house is actually downplaying the holiday.  I actually think my love of the holiday started with my mother who always made a big deal of it and has continued my whole life, gaining exponentially through the years.  Basically, it's the best holiday ever. hands down.  So in preparation of this glorious holiday, I'll be sharing several looks for your plans, whether they be a fun night with the girls, friends, or with your loved one.

                               

Whelp 1 for 2 ain't bad.  Sadly no arrival of Baby Mac, but a Giants victory makes Hubs and the Mac household happy.

What many of you may (or may not) know about me, is that my day job is actually in the science field.   Yes, beneath all of my labels and gloss, I am a science nerd at heart.  That's why it is a testament to my sheer and utter desperation to get Baby Mac out of me that I resorted to old wives tales to coax him out over the weekend.

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that there are certain things that work to naturally induce labor: spices (basil, oregano, etc.), spicy foods, pineapple, walking, yoga poses, sex, chinese food, eggplant, castor oil...the list goes on and on.*  So this weekend, I threw myself into the natural labor induction process -  To no avail.  Apparently Liam is just particular (as my dear friend assessed after I passed my due date). And so begins the long process of me learning that I am no longer in charge of my life or the events in it.  I also am back on the scientific-evidence train.



Other than that, I pretty much reveled in the upcoming Valentines Day.  I adore the holiday and pretty much everything that goes with it.

And what weekend wouldn't be complete without the appropriate love of our furchild, Coco.  Hubs snapped the below pic over the weekend. I love that face!


*Please note that I am not a doctor, nor am I qualified to provide medical opinions or advice.  All of the information regarding natural induction was provided via the internet.