New Beginnings + Basic Outfit Details


Hey babes!  Today I’m sharing a simple outfit I’ve been wearing a lot lately.  The embroidered tee (under $35!) is still in stock, which if you read my blog a lot you’ll know this is a rarity!  Not because I’m super awesome and help sell them out super fast ? but because it just takes me so long to get my posts up these days!  Which BTW, school started today.  Boston is in second grade and my sweet Savy just started Kindergarten.  I’m reminded of a quote:  “She is delightfully chaotic; a beautiful mess. Loving her is a splendid adventure”.  I’m not sure if it’s that she’s a girl, or the middle child, or just needing more attention than we can possibly give her right now, but she has been so hard this summer!  She totally thrives on attention… ? wonder who she gets that from!  And I know God put her in the middle to teach us something?  We try to do little one on one dates with her and really give her all we can, but man I just feel like we’re constantly failing her.  Does one of your kids just take all your energy?  

Okay, sorry… tangent!  My point was that school started and that leaves me with two uninterrupted hours a day while the twins nap and I’m literally feeling on top of the world.  TWO HOURS!!!  Do you know what I can get done in two hours?  Well this post for one!  I’ll be able to shower.  I’ll be able to make beds and cook dinner!  Fold laundry, edit videos.  I mean, the things I have planned you guys!!  But let’s stay on track and get back to this outfit !  I wanted to tell you about these jeans because it’s taken me 5 pairs sitting in a return pile to find them.  White jeans can be tricky.  They need to have enough stretch so you can move in them, they need to be thick enough so they don’t show the world you didn’t stick to your diet at all the past few months ha ha and I personally like a pair with a little bit of distressing and a higher waist.  These jeans are totally that.  Do you know what the best part is?  They’re only $64 ??.  It’s pretty impressive because I have some that are over $200 sitting in my return pile.  These ones are still my favorite!  Proof that expensive does not always mean better.

I did just splurge on a new bag, though ?. I don’t usually spend this much on a purse… I’m feeling a little bit of guilt.  I don’t mind spending money on jeans or shoes, but for some reason spending money on bags is so hard for me!  Is that how you are?  I just needed a bag that didn’t scream mom, something that would go with every single outfit, something that held up for years and I was looking for one that fit nicely on the shoulder.  This is a little bit slouchier of a bag which I like but it is a little bit annoying that it doesn’t stand up when I set it down.   Anyway, I’ll let you know how it wears but it has three huge pockets on the inside which I’m obsessed with!  Have you splurged on a bag lately?  Which one?  I literally have commitment issues with bags you guys! ?

Top | Bottom | Shoes | Bag | WatchEarrings | Necklace or Similar | Lipstick (Strawberry Shortcake) 
Similar Bracelets ONE | TWO | THREE
Dry Shampoo | Spray | Pins

Photography: Trina Harris Photography Blog | Facebook

Alright well, I love you, thanks so much for reading.  I’ve honestly just craved typing out random thoughts on this keyboard.  I feel like this summer I’ve been spinning my wheels.  Working so hard to keep up with the house and the kids and the vacations that it’s left me running on empty at the end of the night.  I’m so excited though, for new beginnings!  I’m excited for new goals and a routine that can keep us all happy and fulfilled.  Do you have kids starting school?  Are you feeling that same boost of energy I am?!  Until next time babes!

xo

Abby Smith

Leave A Comment
Join the Conversation

19 thoughts on “New Beginnings + Basic Outfit Details

  1. I just sent two books to a friend of mine. “Setting Limits with your Strong Willed Child” by Robert J. Mackenzie and “The Temperament God Gave Your Kids” by Art Bennett. I love the 2nd book so much because it gave me a little insight on how my daughter’s mind works. Not necessarily how to “fix” her (which is what I was hoping to find, haha), but how to step back for a moment and see how the situation looks in her eyes. Because God made her that way for a reason! Best of luck! You are doing a great job!

  2. So I absolutely LOVE the book “How Talk So Your Kids Will Listen & How To Listen So Your Kids Will Talk.” The fundamentals of the book work on kids and husbands. 😉

    It’s so worth the library rental or the audiobook listen. But I do warn you it is a VERY different way of child rearing.

  3. You look lovely Abby and I love when you wear Asos pieces as they’re so much easier to get in the UK. Good Luck to Savy starting school x

  4. I feel for you! I feel like the summer before kindergarten for some kids is the worst time for them. That was so true for my 8 yr old that sucks every last bit of patience out of me. Kindergarten and the responsibility changed lots of things for him. He still wants to argue and negotiate every single thing and it’s exhausting. Once he started reading to learn his behavior improved. When he reads for an hour he feeds his brain and it calms him down. I can totally tell when he hasn’t had his book time because he makes us all crazy! You are an amazing mom and you are doing a great job. Just remember a hug can solve just about anything. Also try to fill her bucket with positive things. It’s not easy in the moment when they are driving you nuts but they definitely act out when their bucket isnt full. Starting the day by giving her a compliment will remind her that you see her in the chaos. Wish I had a book recommendation. I don’t have the attention span to read lol

    1. Love this! We definitely need to make reading a bigger priority. Boston thrives off of lists and charts, he’s so much like me ha ha! Hopefully this is just a phase and school will help!

  5. I read a book once, and I cannot for the life of me remember it, but I remember this. It said that each child needs 10 minutes of undivided attention twice a day. It’s like a canteen, when it’s empty Savy is desperate to fill it, but if you fill it twice a day when she’s running low it will prevent her from feeling like she’s missing something. She could also be someone who needs to learn how to entertain herself. Though she loves attention she doesn’t alway NEED attention, so having a mandatory quiet time, every day, where she has to be in her room and entertain herself without technology will help her to learn that the world doesn’t revolve around her (not trying to sound mean!!) which is a hard lesson for a lot of people. We do quiet time for 45 minutes every day. The kids can read, do homework, nap, plays quietly, etc, but they can’t come out for that time. I hope that helps. Sending hugs.

    1. I LOVE THAT!!!! We can for sure do ten minutes twice a day. I feel like we’re doing that in some aspects, but I think it just needs to feel a little more one-on-one. Thanks for sharing!

  6. As a former kindergarten teacher, this will be the best thing for her. She’ll shine like the star she is in school, she’s just naturally going to mature a bit with the super structured days of classroom life, and she’ll have kids her own age to figure out how to maneuver in the world. I would not be surprised one bit if her teacher raves about how good she always is and what a model student she is (good job, mama) but still tests limits at home. Check out the Parenting a Strong Willed Child books by Dr. Dobson.

    1. I actually get this a lot from teachers at school and church. They always adore her and talk about how well she listens. I’m always like, wait… who? haha!!! Thanks for the book recommendation! I’m hoping this is just a phase and she soon outgrows her hot and cold behavior. She’s so sweet when she wants to be!

  7. I am a Prekindergarten teacher and I highly recommend a system called Zones of Regulation. It teaches them how to self regulate and identify types of moods. It’s the cutiest thing ever! They create thier tool kit and come up with techniques that bring themselves up or down. Check it out Zones of Regulation 🙂

  8. My Book Recommendations are One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid and
    Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. Both are amazing fiction reads.

  9. My book recommendation is “Children: the Challenge” by Rudolf Dreikurs, M.D with Vicki Soltz, R.N.

    I feel like its approach and how it teaches to parent is exactly how our Heavenly Father parents us. Here is just a few of the chapters to peak your interest in what it covers: “Our Present Dilemma”, “Understanding the Child”, Encouragement”, “The Child’s Mistaken Goals”, “The Fallacy of Punishment and Reward”, and “The Use of Natural and Logical Consequences”. It is in lines with the book “Love and Logic”, from what I have heard… I love that this book gives different real life scenarios. I learned so so much about my own struggles as a child and about why I felt like I kept failing my own children and what I could do differently
    It is a must read! My favorite part is that it was introduced to me in a Marriage and Family Relations Class, so my husband and I were both reading it. Totally a must do; read it with your husband!!

    1. Such great advise, thank you!!!! And I’m all about mimicking how our Heavenly Father parents us. He definitely lets us learn the hard ways some times, but always there to pick us up.

  10. Okay, so I totally came to READ the
    comments because I also have a Savy! My daughter, Aubrey, is about to start 2nd grade and is a FIRECRACKER. She is my only child, but I seriously can’t imagine having more! Lol. She is SO DRAMATIC.. which is so much fun, until it’s not. She feels every emotion to an extreme, never stops talking, requires a lot of attention, throws attitude around like confetti, and zaps all of my energy, every day. We have a lot of talks about being allowed to FEEL anything she feels, but needing to voice/show it respectfully (“I feel sad because ..” etc). The book The 5 Love Languages of Children has been helpful in ways to connect with her on her level (I would recommend the regular one for any marriage as well, love these books!) but other than that, my only advice is to love her fiercely, acknowledge her feelings, and give her solid boundaries to flourish in a safe space. I feel like that sounded better in my head.. but truly I couldn’t imagine a world without my Sour Patch Kid.. and the fact that you and I and all the other mamas out there take the time to reflect on our parenting and what our children need is a gift in itself ❤️

    1. No that was amazing! And Savy to a T! I literally couldn’t have said it better myself! Thanks for the solidarity mama!

  11. Handsfreemama. She has a blog, insta the works and 3 books. She is amazing. I have a version of Savy. Middle child and drama drama drama. Her blog and books etc have helped me a ton in finding better ways to love her and handle the drama and keep myself in check when helping her work through her stuff. She is amazing. Hang strong Mama. We all got this.

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

There may be an issue with the Instagram access token that you are using. Your server might also be unable to connect to Instagram at this time.

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

There may be an issue with the Instagram access token that you are using. Your server might also be unable to connect to Instagram at this time.