Easter Dress Roundup!

ASOS Tea Dress

Sonnet James Millie

Madewell Tie Waist Maxi

ASOS Vero Moda

Anthro Rosamund

Anthro Gaina

FP Mood Mini

Target Tie Back

Target Striped Midi

J. Crew Striped Jumpsuit

Target Fit & Flare

ASOS River Swing

Nordstrom Linen Midi

Anthro Gingham Mini

Rachel Parcell Dutch Flutter

Rachel Parcell Blushing Bell

Mara Hoffman Jumpsuit

Gap Shift

Anthro Yamba Striped

Sonnet James Playsuit

FP Lace Mini

It's been a while since I did a style round up, and I had so much fun putting this one together! Easter is such an amazing holiday, and I admit I still get giddy about Easter dresses like a 5-year-old girl. I blame my mother - she let us wear the frilliest dresses to church for Easter when I was growing up and all that twirling can really go to a girl's head.

Also, I included a few rompers and pant suits because gosh, there are so many good ones these days. If I had a million dollars I would love to wear the Mara Hoffman romper this year, but I will actually probably just wear a dress in my closet. I have so many that have gone unworn for a while (omg my postpartum body is so crazy - what size even am I??) Also, if Kate Middleton can re-wear her dresses, then I think it's mighty princess-y to wear one of my old frocks. Plus, that leaves room in the budget for SHOES.

What are you wearing this Easter?! I'd love to hear what colors and styles you're gravitating toward this season! xx

Soccer Mom with a Sweet Tooth.

This post is sponsored by Taste Nirvana and all opinions are my own.

Is it so bad that on this particular day, I raced my son and didn't let him win?

He's wasn't thrilled about it either. I think he expects adults to let him win at things like racing, but I don't want to coddle him in that way because you guys, he's actually really fast. And I want him to learn how to be a good loser because I know he will win at things in life, too. And it's all about handling victories and losses with equal grace, right?

Or maybe I just get crazy satisfaction out of beating a 3-year old at a sprinting competition. The world will never know...!

In all seriousness, I really do my best to keep my kids in the healthy eating zone, and as their appetites grow, I'm continuously searching for ideas and ways to nourish them without throwing processed snacks and sugary drinks their way. I've been an avid coconut water drinker for years now, but my kids have never quite gravitated toward the taste. In the past I've hidden that herbal taste in smoothies, especially for Everett, because I want him to experience all the incredible benefits of coconut water, like the mega-hydration, electrolytes and potassium.

Little Tip - As someone who has dealt with dehydration migraines in the past, I've learned that coconut water is my go-to drink if I'm planning to be in the sun or exercising intensely. My favorite beach trip beverage is coconut water on ice with a whole sliced, squeezed lemon. Yummmm.

Since giving Taste Nirvana a try, I am thrilled and so pleased that my kids will actually drink this, too! Taste Nirvana is unique because it is actually made in Thailand from the Nom Ham coconuts (which literally translates to "fragrant water coconuts"), which produces a much sweeter water without the use of added sugars. Which makes my sweet tooth a happy tooth. These coconuts are harvested at their peak, when the water and meat composition are perfectly balanced, and then bottled within hours on the same day of harvest. The pure, flowery-honey taste is so different from conventional coconut waters, and I appreciate how sweet and fresh it is without tasting overly earthy.

Our family  has been drinking Taste Nirvana lately on and off the soccer field, because it's so great to consume when you need to boost your electrolytes, potassium and hydration, making it the perfect sports drink (straight from the earth!) I will be keeping these in my soccer bag all season long so that my son can boost his energy and quench his thirst without compromising nutrients or taste. I'm used to regular coconut water (because I like to add lemon to it!), but Taste Nirvana has some pretty rad additions to their water - you can drink it with aloe, with coconut meat and even with passionfruit seeds! It's making me feel real exotic... and also like I'm maybe missing out on a much-needed trip to Thailand :)

We do a lot of "cheers!" with our drinks, and sweet Daxton is beginning to catch on to our little practice... he basically wants to do whatever he sees his big brother doing! I have a feeling soccer is just around the corner for him. Along with some sprinting sessions with mama. Not gonna lie, I'm thinking this kid will be able to beat me soon.

I'd love to hear from you about how you and your your family stay hydrated during the warmer seasons of the year, especially with exercise, sports and so much time in the sun! Stay tuned for more about this coconut water find - I'm excited to share more about the ways our family is weaving this beverage into our everyday life! And if you're interested in snagging some for yourself, you can shop Taste Nirvana here. Happy hydrating, friends! xx

Following the Life of the Tan.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own!

'I'm a better person when I'm tan."

I read the funniest thing on Instagram this week - "I am a better person when I'm tan." Now I'm not going to speak for women at large, but I have to say, I DO feel better when I have a bit of a glow captured in my skin. Something about a good, golden flush just makes me feel confident and ladylike.

I know that every woman has her "thing", the grooming/cosmetic/beauty ritual that makes her feel like a million bucks (heck, some of us have several of these things... ;), I admit that I am a girl's girl at heart and I like treating myself to a few of these beautifying affinities when I'm able to. I'm thirty and unapologetic these days about things like this - I like hair and makeup and getting my nails did and while none of these things are necessities AT ALL, they do help me feel cared for and a bit pampered. Self care is so necessary! And goodness gracious, when I discovered an organic spray tan that made me feel like a million bucks WITHOUT the harm of the sun's damaging UV rays or toxic chemicals, I was immediately hooked. And you know what happens when a blogger finds something she loves? Yep - she tends to shout it from the rooftops. Guilty as charged, friends ;)

RAW Bronzing Studio is located just a stone's throw away from where I live in my suburb outside of Atlanta (they also have a location in the city). The first time I visited RAW was with my mom, of course, because she's always in the know on the latest natural-beauty craze. She treated me to my first bronzing session as a Happy Mother's Day gift, and I was so intrigued (almost dumbfounded, really) by this mesmerizing place. It's a secret utopia I've driven by dozens of times and never taken a moment to stop in and experience. And I just have to say, not only is the bronzing session amazing - formulated with organic ingredients and free of gross orange-y preservatives - but the studio itself is just so surprisingly warm and luxe, all at the same time. Imagine yourself stepping into an upscale resort boutique in Palm Beach; a true one-stop shop for an exotic, adventurous getaway. Everything you need for a beach trip can be found at RAW from organic sunscreen (that won't strip your spray tan color!) to beach hats, designer sunglasses and gorgeous woven bags, billowy cover ups and lush towels. Gang's all here!

After spending some time gabbing with the amazing ladies at RAW, I decided to give you guys a peek at the life of a RAW Bronzing sunless tan. Some of you may have never even considered getting a spray tan before, or maybe you are a pro and it's one of your "things", but I just want to share my experience with you and give you the opportunity to have the same! I have loved my pampered bronzing sessions at RAW so very much and I'm excited to share it with you AND offer you a crazy discount on your first bronzing experience! See below :)

before

skin clean of lotions, perfume and oil

Before the Session:

My olive skin takes on a green-ish tone in the winter, so I'm always up for a little color to even out the score.

Before the Tan: Protocol
1. When you arrive to RAW, you want to make sure that you are freshly showered, shaved and that your skin is free of makeup, perfume, lotion and body oil. For those of you know me, this means no essential oils on my skin!

2. You also want to make sure to wear dark, loose-fitting clothes, because when you are done with your spray tan you want to give it time to set in without restrictive clothing. You wouldn't put on socks and shoes immediately after getting a pedicure, right? (P.S. - my outfit is not an ideal example of what you should wear, but I wore this so I could show you guys a little bit of skin without stripping down to my skivvies. And also, if I was wearing less I think my Dad might have a heart attack knowing his daughter wasn't wearing clothes on the Internet).

3. RAW provides hair ties, makeup remover and mesh undies, so you can get prepped for your bronzing experience with everything you need. And don't be nervous about stripping down - they are so professional and kind in the bronzing room. It's amazingly un-awkward.

after!

Will continue to develop over the next 8-10 hours

After the Tan: Protocol
1. The best way to care of the tan is to take quick, cool showers and avoid tight clothing or heavy lotions/oils.

2. Do not get wet or sweat for 8-10 hours after the session.

3. Don't plan to get a manicure/pedicure. Make sure to schedule those appointments before your bronzing session.

4. Once the tan has faded, RAW recommends proper exfoliation with a cleanser like Acure Body Wash with a bath mitt to completely remove the color before coming back in for another bronzing session.

Here is a Tips & Tricks guide that is super helpful for extending the life of the tan. In the past I've been able to extend my RAW bronze for 10 days or so. My face was the first to fade (since it gets washed probably the most frequently), but in the case that I felt like the color was significantly uneven, I could always go back in to get a face touch up! But I actually prefer my face to be a bit lighter than the rest of my skin because I think it looks more natural.

My tan is still going strong from this session last week! I'm on Day 6 and I still see a lot of pigment in my skin.

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Following the tan throughout the week

I tracked the tan - get the play-by-play on my Instagram Story Highlights here!

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And while I'm talking about Instagram, I'm running a giveaway over on my account for a kit of bronzing must-have swag. You can enter here! These goodies are GOOD.

RAW is generously offering my readers 25% off the price of a full-body bronzing service at the RAW South location with the code OYKRISTEN. I hope you give it a try! Please let me know if you have any questions about the experience - you can comment below or reach out on Instagram if you have specifics!

Happy bronzing to you, friends!

Spontaneous Trip to Florida!

We took the most spontaneous, last-minute, throw-stuff-in-the-car-and-GO kind of trip last weekend. The kids had a winter break, which means they were off school all week long, and of course, I'm always dreaming of sunny days. My sister-in-law Lauren texted me and my other sis-in-law Katie and said, "Wild idea - wanna take the kids down to the beach??" We were all like, YES. Lauren has taken like 10,000 church group trips down to the Panama City area over the years, so with her hook up we found a last minute rental that was available. Then we all basically tossed our children into their carseats and HIGHTAILED down to the ocean.

The water was too cold for me, but kids are so resilient! Everett and Daxton had such a blast with their cousins. These kids are the cutest - they really love each other and it brings back such amazing memories that I have of growing up near my cousins.

And I have no idea how I ended up with no pictures of Katie here, except that she must have been avoided my paparazzi eye. She wins mom of the year award, because she toted her kids down to the beach solo while pregnant. #momsohard

Daxton was so much fun at the beach this year! Last year it was a ton of work with him, because he was still so little. But this time around he just crawled everywhere, ate a lot of sand, and really played, with sand toys and everything! It was so much fun to see him coming alive in a new way! Also, he started walking while we were down here. Just another sign from the LORD that the beach is always, always a good idea.

Oh - and we biked! In the same impromptu fashion, we bough a bike trailer while we were down there so we could take both of the boys on the back of our bike and ride to dinner! I've wanted one of these for a while, because I know it will come to good use this year. Everett is learning to ride his bike right now (he's getting really good!), but when we want to take longer rides this is such a great option and you guys - they hold hands while riding. I could just die.

I mean. We weren't having a bad time you guys.

These two just make me laugh SO MUCH. I cannot handle Brent's shenanigans. In all honesty - I lucked out in the in-law department. I love them so much!

Found a purple wall that was incredible. Unfortunately it was a little too dark when we tried to take some pics in front of it - but I love this one of the kids jumping off the ledge!

I think this trip was just so refreshing to my soul because it was just so spontaneous. January was such a crummy month, haha. Everyone in our family dealt with different forms of the flu bug, so we were kind of down for the count. And February was suuuuuper busy for me - my essential oils business has really picked up the pace and I'm still figuring out the "balance" (muahahah the elusive myth - BALANCE!) of how to work and still do all the mom things I love to do. This was actually a really busy week for me, when we decided to come down to the beach, but I figured that working with an ocean view is still way better than not! Plus Stevie was able to take a few days off and it was really great for all of us to be together down there.

It makes me want to simplify our travel - less planning time meant bringing way less stuff and it was easier to make decisions when we were down there - pb & j for lunch because that's all we've got! This ONE tube of sunscreen because that's all we brought! This ONE bathing suit - because that's all we grabbed when we packed!

Simplicity and spontaneity. I think they might be my new love languages. xx

A Blue Scalloped Dress, 3 Ways.

Thank you to Pinkblush for sponsoring this post.

I love finding style inspiration online and through Pinterest and Instagram, but the thing is... a lot of what I see isn't actually feasible for my actual REAL life. Being a mom and living in the suburbs, I just don't have many reasons throughout the week to put on my slamming-est high heels and smokiest eyeliner. I love those things, but it's not really apart of my everyday life.

But I really do love fashion and as I'm getting older I'm learning to be more confident in the things I gravitate towards. I love pairing different colors and styles together, and I really love being able to chameleon every so often and incorporate pieces from all "genres". Although I will say it makes for a kind of funny wardrobe. Every time my extremely, insanely stylish sister comes to town, she's always like, "What do you actually wear?!" Because my closet is such an odd hodgepodge of artistic/boho items, a bunch of leggings and t-shirts and then a bunch of classic, ladylike things. Style is so interesting, I could talk about it all day.

But instead! I wanted to show you 3 ways I styled this blue scallop dress, courtesy of Pinkblush, in ways that are actually true to my life (and hopefully yours!) As much as I love putting on a good pair of sparkly heels and painting the town red (gosh I miss the New York days of my life), the truth is that most days I am in my purple Vans and doing #momlife and work-from-home life.

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1. Pre-School Pickup

Blue Ruffled Sleeve Scalloped Blue Dress, Old School Lilac Vans, Mama & Little Teresa Silicone Necklace, Land's End Junior Original Backpack

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^ Don't worry, I don't actually bust this move at pre-school pick-up. This one is just for you guys ;)

Pinkblush is mostly known for their maternity clothes (which is how I was introduced to them and their pieces make a pregnant gal feel GOOD) - but they actually have a ton of women's clothing for non-baby-growing seasons, as well. Things I love about this dress: the loose shift cut, the perfect spring color (!), and the super sweet bell sleeves. It's got a really great throwback Mary Tyler Moore vibe, especially styled below with a structured work tote - I love it! P.S. - Everett zooming by me in the pic above just makes me SO FREAKING HAPPY. That child loves to run.

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2. Work Meetings

Blue Ruffled Sleeve Scalloped Blue Dress, blush flats (out of stock, similar here and here), Kate Spade Wright Place Tote, Stella & Dot Blair Choker

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3. City Sightseeing

Blue Ruffled Sleeve Scalloped Blue Dress, Sebago Boots, Felt Hat (similar here), Leather Jacket (a gift from Stevie!), Madewell Knotshine Necklace, Michael Kors Leather Watch (many seasons old, similar here)

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There you have it! Three ways I would actually put this dress into good use. Although I admit I would still love to slip on some glitter heels and give this baby a whirl somewhere downtown. But let's be honest, the only dancing I'll be doing in this dress is going to be with my 1-year old, because he tolerates my Disney vocal stylings and will actually twirl around the room with me without his hands over his ears.

Where is the most likely place you would wear this dress? I'd love to hear back from you in the comments section if you feel like posts like these are helpful! xx