It's almost the unofficial end of summer, even though in Miami it will feel like summer for another couple of months. I've shared my love of white shirts and white summery dresses before, and this shirt dress marries those two categories perfectly. It's casual enough to wear to a Labor Day BBQ but chic enough to dress up for brunch.  And actually, it's not a dress at all - it's a tunic (and it's on sale)! I picked it up in the store thinking it was a dress and was surprised when I put it on in the fitting room and it was open all the way to my hips. I didn't think I would like it over pants, but I knew it would be perfect as a dress. 

I asked my mother-in-law, who is an amazing seamstress, to sew up the sides for me, and this was the result! I was really happy with how it turned out, and it really was the perfect addition to my wardrobe. 

One important thing for me right now is how nursing-friendly pieces are before I add them to my closet. Because this one unbuttons, it is really easy to nurse in! 

I love this look for brunch! I paired the dress with a wide-brim straw hat, a red lip, some neutral sandals, and a colorful bag. White nails polished off the look and kept it really fresh and clean. 

I've already been thinking of how I can transition it into fall - maybe a chunky oversize cardigan and some boots - even though right now it feels like fall will never come to Miami (and truthfully, it won't). 

Go ahead, make those brunch plans for this weekend. ;) 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

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A couple of weeks ago I flew from Miami to New York to attend a product launch event for JOHNSON'S. I documented some of my trip on Instagram, but I didn't mention something. That was the first time in over ten years - since before Eddie and I were married - that I had really traveled alone. I've driven to Orlando from Miami before and met Eddie there, but in the almost NINE years we have been married, I haven't had a reason to travel anywhere alone. Add to that having a child attached to me 24/7 for the last nearly 4 years, and well, there went the time! 

I always have a little bit of anxiety about traveling - mostly when I am in the packing stage. The morning I was leaving to New York, my stomach was a mess, I was so nervous, and I packed and re-packed no less than 3 times. I texted my best friend, and told her how nervous I was and she told me, "Of course you are, you're leaving your kids and husband behind." In my heart I knew my kids would be fine and well taken care of. Eddie is an amazing, hands-on dad and is so good with both of them. Plus we had the grandparents lined up to help out, too. There was nothing to worry about. 

But then I thought, "What if something happens to me?" I literally created dozens of scenarios in my mind and stressed myself over things that, were they to happen, would be completely out of my control. Finally I snapped myself out of it, took a deep breath, and put my fears in God's hands. 

Off I went, to do the airport on my own, get an Uber on my own, check into a hotel on my own, figure my meals out alone, sleep on my own, and attend an event where I didn't know anyone. But something happened along the way there. I relaxed. I enjoyed myself. I listened to music. I walked alone. I enjoyed silence. I walked like I knew where I was going. I met up with a friend for drinks and stayed up later than usual. And I felt good about it. I missed Eddie and I missed my babies, of course. I thought about them every moment. But doing this on my own made me feel capable, and it made me feel like I had a little bit of my self back. 

When I was in college, I went to New York with three of my girlfriends. On our last day, we were tired and went back to the hotel room to nap. Well, I ended up being the only one who woke up from the nap and needed to eat, so I left the hotel and wandered around Times Square on my own for a little bit. The next morning my friends gave me some grief about going out on my own, but I never once felt uneasy about doing it. This whole trip kind of made me feel like that. 

I have this fear of growing older and being so reliant on Eddie that I am incapable of doing things on my own. Eddie loves to take care of me, and I absolutely love that about him, but I don't want to be in my 60s and scared of doing things because someone else always did them for me. And while I don't want to leave my husband and kids all the time, I think doing it was really empowering for me. 

Some of you might be thinking - what a baby, I do this for work all the time! And girl, do I salute you, but I have never had to travel further than Orlando for work, and even that was with coworkers. So for me, this was a big deal. But it was a reminder that I can do things I'm not always comfortable with, and that sometimes, stepping out of my comfort zone can be more rewarding than I anticipated. For me, this wasn't just a "work trip". It was about finding a little piece of myself, and growing in a way I didn't know I needed to. 

So the next time you get a chance to do something that is new to you - don't hesitate. Take the step. I don't think you'll regret it. 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

P.S. As soon as I decided to go on this trip, I went looking for an outfit. I found this look at New York & Company - it was on a mannequin and I loved the combination of the polka dots and stripes. (Shop the look below.) I also loved the movement on the pants, but this bold of a print mixing was also outside my comfort zone - so you could say I tried several new things this trip! 

I scheduled a shoot with Lauren of Laurel Creative and when we met up to take these photos, it was raining! (You can probably tell in the first couple of shots if you look really closely.) But we stuck it out, and got it done in under 30 minutes. I felt like a sweaty mess and my hair lost all it's curl after the drizzling rain stuck to it, but I still love what these photos represent (And hello, how amazing is that taxi shot?!). 

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Two weeks ago I took a plunge and cut my hair. I feel like there are two kinds of people: those who rarely ever change their hairstyle, and those who love to change it up constantly. I definitely fall into the latter category. I’ve never been scared of cutting my hair or changing my style up. I’ve had my hair really long, very short, and every length in between. I’ve also played with color a lot. Since I have a lot of grey hair, dyeing it is a must.  I figure if I have to dye it, I may as well have some fun with it!

I decided sometime in late June that I wanted to cut my hair. My four month postpartum hair loss had begun, and my hair was falling out like crazy. It was so long, and while I loved it, each strand that would fall out would seem to get tangled or caught somewhere. I’d find strands in Chloe’s diaper, in my bag, everywhere. I was constantly checking her fingers and toes to make sure there weren’t any hairs wrapped around them. Between the length and the loss of volume, my hair was weighed down and looked flat all the time, too. And while curling my hair would always make it look great, the reality is that from all the dyeing and heat styling, my hair was damaged beyond belief. 

I figured that cutting my hair would give me good volume, would improve the health of my hair, and would reduce the volume of hair that was falling out and ending up all over the house. 

Once I make the decision to cut my hair, I don’t usually second guess myself. I may go back and forth on the exact style, but once I decide, I’m pretty committed. I have never doubted a haircut, and I have always been happy when I’m done in the chair. I’ve been pretty fortunate to never have that “I hate this” feeling after a haircut. I know part of that is luck, but there are also a few things I do to make sure that I love my haircuts. 

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July has been a busy month! It's obviously my favorite because I celebrate my birthday, but I love the laid back vibes that July always brings because it's summertime. I'm not crazy about this heat, but I can't change that, so we embrace it with trips to the beach and lots of indoor activities. Anyway, here's what I've been loving this month!

1. What I’m Watching: Netflix, because summer TV isn’t that great since Pretty Little Liars ended (lol, yes I was one of those people!). Specifically, I’m watching Nailed It, and Queer Eye. Nailed It makes me laugh so hard, and Queer Eye makes me laugh but also gives me major feels.  
2. What I’m Reading: Still reading A Place for Us. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is on deck. 
3. My Current Obsession:  Packing tools - anything that makes packing easier. Electronics roll ups, packing cubes, etc. 
4. Favorite Beauty Find: Sephora Collection Brow Builder - helps keep my brows in place and gives some color but doesn't require major filling them in on the daily. 
5. What I’m Wearing: These kicks that hubby got me. 
6. Best Meal I Ate: Nusr-Et Steakhouse, aka Salt Bae. I was surprised that I liked it so much - I thought it was going to be total hype, but the food was actually fantastic. 
7. What I‘m Listening to: The Coffee & Crumbs Podcast and also the Hey Dad podcast. It’s so funny to hear it from a guys’ perspective. 
8. Favorite Purchase This Month: This shirt, which I had my MIL close up the slits and turn into a shirt dress for me! 
9. What I’m Most Looking Forward to Next Month: Caleb starting school again! (Sorry teachers!) Chloe turning 6 months(!) and a couple weekend trips we have lined up. Also - NY for the night tonight! 
10. Wish List Item: I’m looking for some nude wedges, but aside from that, I’ve got all I need! And actually, hubby got me my wish list item from last month for my birthday! Okay okay, twist my arm for something - these new Soludos slip on sneakers are perfect for fall! All the heart eyes. 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

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I'm not quite sure how we are already headed into July!  June has been a really busy month, and July is shaping up to be pretty busy as well, but in a great way! Here's what I've been up to this month. 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

1. What I’m Watching: The Handmaid's Tale. If you haven't watched it, do yourself a favor and binge.
2. What I’m Reading: I just downloaded a thriller called The Perfect Mother. I'm a little scared to read it and have crazy thoughts run through my head, but I also think it might be normalizing in some ways? I don't know. It was on the top charts on Amazon and on Apple so I figured it was a worth it.
3. My Current Obsession: Coconut Milk Ice Cream. This one from SoDelicious is my fave.
4. Favorite Beauty Find: Selah Skin Studio's products are seriously amazing. They sent me some samples for Mother's Day and I cannot begin to tell you how amazing my skin feels. Try the serum - I mix it in with my foundation or I wear it on its own with some undereye concealer and my skin looks amazing.
5. What I’m Wearing: ​These high waist culottes from H&M. Totally outside of my comfort zone, but my mom was wearing them one day and I complimented her on them. She gave them to me for Mother's Day and I decided I should definitely learn to rock them, and guess what? I feel awesome in them!
6. Best Meal I Ate: We ate a delicious meal at Amara at Paraiso. It's also got some beautiful views. We ordered several things to share, but some standouts were the crispy octopus and the wood grilled calabaza with coconut pesto.
7. What I can’t stop humming: We're still on a Greatest Showman kick over here!
8. Favorite Purchase This Month: This baseball cap. It describes my life perfectly.
9. What I’m Most Looking Forward to Next Month: Some quality time with both kids, our cousin visiting from Luxembourg, and Chloe's baptism!
10. Wish List Item: Is it weird that I don't have one right now? I mean, I guess that's when you know you have everything you could want and more, right?

xoxo,

​Jenise

When we moved into this house, we knew that there were a lot of things we wanted to do to it, including basically doubling it in size. When we were having the plans drawn up for the addition, which included our master suite, I really wanted my close tot include a vanity somehow. That was the original plan, but once it was built, I realized the space wouldn't work for a vanity. So I put it off because there was always something going on. 

For a while, we had an exercise machine in the corner of our bedroom, and we recently sold it because it had become a glorified towel rack. I finally decided I wanted the vanity enough that I started to do the research for it. I convinced Eddie that it would be a beautiful corner in our room and that it would make a space that had been wasted for so long finally useful. 

He agreed, and I got to work picking everything out. It took me a few weeks to settle on the actual vanity, which is actually a writing desk. And once Target came out with their Opalhouse line, I knew what I would use for accents. 

I ordered two toothbrush holders to hold my makeup brushes, and a soap dish holds my perfumes. I also ordered a drawer organizer and a magnifying mirror from Amazon (you can find it on myAmazon Influencer page). 

I've been able to sit and do my makeup quite a few times, but it's really a space that just brings me joy. I walk into our bedroom and it's the first thing I see, and it's a pretty, feminine space that goes so well with the rest of the room. The space feels very glamorous, and there's nothing this mama loves more than a chance to feel a little glam (cause Lord knows I don't get to glam up every day). 

Dress is New York & Company. 

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The other evening, we had an event at Caleb's school. It was a mass and reception. I had bought these gaucho pants a couple weeks before, and I had been wanting to wear them for something. I usually default to jeans, but for certain occasions I like to switch it up, and I wanted to dress up a little. Because I am still nursing, most dresses are pretty tough to manage, so I'm wearing a lot of two piece outfits these days, for easy access.  These linen gauchos are really pretty and so comfy. The linen is soft and not scratchy at all, and the elastic waist is pretty much heaven sent!

I also had these slides that I purchased before Chloe was born. I've worn them a few times, and they are so comfortable. I really like the idea of mixing prints, but I'm always a little hesitant as to how to make it work. I feel like a great way of easing into mixed prints is by using a printed shoe.  

Another tip for mixing prints: Stick to the same color palette. This works because they are both blues. But I do love the red floral accent on the shoes, and I tied it all together by wearing a red lip.

The blouse I've had for a long time, but I love the subtle lacy detailing in the front and the V in the back. I finished off the look with some navy blue tassel earrings and a blue envelope clutch. 

I'd wear this look again in a heartbeat, maybe for a meeting, or for brunch even - it's a pretty versatile look that is cool and comfortable, but still looks put together. 

And since I know you guys really just come here to see my kids... 

Keep it cool, babes. 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

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So I missed my lists for February and March, but I told myself I would definitely get to it this month! It's been a busy one with having both kids sick and being at the pediatrician's office to what amounted to once a week this month. But I guess that's life with two, amirite? 

Anyway, without further ado, here's the April List for ya! (some links are affiliate links and will make me a couple cents if you click on them, just FYI)

Enjoy the rest of April, and I'll leave you with this meme of JT that made me laugh a little too hard! 

January has been a busy month, and while February looks to be a bit slower, it is definitely going to be month filled with anticipation. With baby girl due in the very first week of March, I know I want everything to be ready in the next couple of weeks just in case she decides to make an early appearance (which I am 100% okay with). I'm hoping to take it easy over the course of the next few weeks, but I'm also hoping this means I can get some really great posts and content out for you! In any case, here's the January List! 

There you have it folks! 

I'd love to hear what some of your list items are! Share them in the comments below! 

xoxo, 

​Jenise