Laurin and Kelly Talk

I've Moved!

Hi there. I have a brand new home. Please come visit me at my new blog, Laurin Evans. My first post will explain everything. Don't forget to subscribe and thank you so much for reading.

White Shirt Wednesday - Daftbird

Today the focus is on the Daftbird line. Their beyond basic tees are a celeb favorite and I can see why. Joshua Christopher designed the line around the concept of the comfortable boyfriend tee. I like the details: uneven, raw-edged hems, slouchiness, buttons, and the slanted tags sewn with contrasting thread.

Here are a few of the tees I would like to buy once the shock of the back to school clothing spending for the twins wears off. Perhaps just one would be okay.

 

     Scoop Button Detail Tee
      $85 at Revolve Clothing

         Back Seam Cardigan
      $118 at Revolve Clothing

 

          Deep V Slouchy Tee
        $83 at Revolve Clothing

 

            Scoop Tank
     $74 at Boutique to You

 

     Slouchy High Collar Tank
     $52 at Revolve Clothing

       Raglan Long Sleeved Tee
        $83 at Revolve Clothing

I Love Them! And I Will Stand in Line to Get Them.

I am a flip-flop fanatic. I'm very tall, a good three inches taller than my husband, and I live in Florida. Nuff said. I fell in love with these simple, skin-tone colored sandals by Trove Tkees from their Foundation line the minute I saw them. I gravitate more and more to neutrals and simplicity in design and I think it is inspired to make shoes that blend with your complexion, making them infinitely wearable.

These sandals are obviously popular because they are sold out in a few places, but they can be pre-ordered at Singer22.com. They are $44 and come in Sea Shell, Sunkissed, Coco Butter, and Beach Bum. They also come in the Highlighter line: Blink (gold), Bronzer, and Fairy Lust (silver), and the Liner line: Sable, Smoke, Coco, Charcol, and Twilight.

I ordered the Foundation sandal in Sunkissed, but they don't ship until September 15th. Sea Shell, the lightest color, doesn't ship until October 15th. I'm also pale, but not pale enough to wait until mid-October for these babies.

 

 

 

Not Today. I Have A Headache.

Originally published at Aiming Low on August 5, 2009. I'm on vacation so you are getting re-tread greatness today. You'll be happy to know vacation has been headache-free, fun and fabulous. If you are a migraine sufferer, get yourself over to Aiming Low and read the comments on my post. There are some amazing stories and tips from other migraneurs. Plus, the boy who made me want to be a writer ever since first grade left me a comment about his migraine saga. I haven't spoken to him in years. Freaky, huh?

There is a term for being a frequent sufferer of debilitating headaches – migraneur. It’s an awfully fancy word for the most common cause of unrelenting pain, after backaches. I’ve suffered from headaches since puberty and they weren’t such a big deal when I was younger. Sudden, severe pain, a little throwing up, then right back at it. I learned to live with it.

About three years ago, as I turned 40, I started waking up with horrible, nauseating headaches which didn’t abate with the inevitable vomiting. They lingered, sometimes for two days or more. Waking up with migraines as a mom of two little kids was inconvenient in the extreme, and it kicked me in the teeth.

My doctor ordered an MRI, which was reassuringly negative, but the quest for a cause and a cure had just begun. I became a star in my own annoying episode of House,  without the dramatic and speedy resolution. I’ve tried courses of beta-blockers, anti-seizure meds, sleeping pills, and just about anything made for anxiety and depression – despite never feeling particularly afflicted by either of those conditions – and nothing has lessened the frequency of the beastly, throbbing monsters that rob me of my life a few times each month.

I have tried many things to break the cycle of headaches. I even tried acupuncture, but any soothing benefits of this procedure were hard to discern after freaking out from being left alone on the table for 45 minutes. Do you know how hard it is to get up and kick someone’s ass while covered in needles? It really can’t be done with any sort of efficiency.

I’ve tried to identify patterns and triggers, to no avail. I’ve gone months without a single cocktail for fear that alcohol was the problem, and still got headaches. I convinced my husband that the cat box produced an aroma that was ruining his life and was able to avoid that chore for a while. Headaches. I became convinced hormones were the culprit, but all the tests were normal and, apparently, I’ve still got a perfectly productive womb and many periods in my future.

I consider myself a strong person and I am otherwise rarely sick. I’ve never even had the flu. I’m not an addict and I don’t like attention, at least the medical kind, so that rules out my being a drug-seeking, Munchausen Syndrome-suffering, faker. I realize that sounds defensive, but I am uncomfortable with the diagnosis of person suffering from intractable pain.

At times I feel disabled and that’s as much about the blow to my self-esteem as it is the decline of my physical health. It bothers me to tell people I can’t do something because I have a headache. I sometimes wonder if they think I am exaggerating or plain making it up as an excuse, and it makes me mad that the overused lie, I have a headache, is my honest and frequent state of being.

Some people simply don’t get it. To those who have never experienced a migraine, it’s a hard thing to explain. Yes, I took something for it. It didn’t help. And, for the really bad ones, I will definitely take something in a few hours as soon as the vomiting stops and I won’t just be flushing a tiny $10 pill down the toilet.

I am almost positive my friends and family understand this condition I have. I do everything I can to keep this from affecting my kids, my marriage, and the work I can thankfully do from home, wearing the latest in headache-chic accessories. I don’t want my kids to look back and think that Mommy was always sick. I don’t want my husband to look at me and see something less than, when I fully counted on always being his more than.

Perhaps I’ll grow out of this soon. There are many things I want out of this life and I’ll be damned if I’m going to miss out. And, despite my insecurities, I know my people love me and believe me even though, after all, it’s all in my head.

The Best Laid Plans

Originally posted at Aiming Low on July 21, 2009.

I’m an anti-soda mom with about a 12% failure rate, more or less. I also subject my kids to all manner of food indignities like cardboard pop tarts, cereal not endorsed by colorful characters, and organic juice boxes. My daughter asked to change schools last year, so severe was the shame she experienced from not carrying full-throttle Capri Sun in her lunchbox.

I feed my kids very healthy food most days, but I am not above bribing them with sugar if necessary. Sugar is delicious. Sugar motivates. Today I needed to bribe. We went to the playground with some friends and their kids and, despite having one tired little guy on my hands who hadn’t slept well for the last couple of nights, planned to go to lunch afterward. My son wanted to go home, but dammit, I wanted to go to lunch. Clearly, concessions had to be made.

The kids know they can’t order soda at restaurants, unless it is a special occasion. I am fairly hardcore about this since they like restaurants and will readily accept, If you want to go out to eat, no soda. With zero leverage today I agreed that Yes, you can have Sprite. What’s a little sugar and abandoned family values when mama gets to talk to adults about bloggy things?

The restaurant we chose has the most dreaded of all kid drinks, duhn, duhn, duhnnnn – red fountain Hi-C fruit punch. I learned the hard way what stuff with red dye can do to my kids, and they know they aren’t allowed to have it, special occasion or not, no matter what, and they accept it. They respect me, you know.

It enrages me that, like high fructose corn syrup, red dye is in everything, even in foods that aren’t red. Foods that don’t need to be red, like yogurt. Adorably packaged, heavily marketed during SpongeBob stuff, that promises utter delight. I am ever vigilant. My son is particularly sensitive to red foods and he knows the deal. No red dye, ever! He will tell strangers he’s not allowed to have red dye. He reminds his father.

The soda fountain punch is the worst of the worst. It is humiliation hooch which causes otherwise moderately well-mannered children to flip out to the point of flinging food and chasing their tails until you double the tip and slink out dragging your jittering kids. I’ve heard.

So that is why, when I sent my son to the counter today to get his Sprite refilled so I could chat some more and he came back with a full cup of the shiny red liquid and a cheesy grin, I never saw it coming.

Photo Credit: Funkyah

White Shirt Wednesday - Get Graphic

My latest and greatest tee is a white burnout one with black graphic flowers from Erge Designs. I couldn't find a picture to show you since it's sold out, but I have assembled a collection of graphic tees for your shopping pleasure.

This one would look great under a boyfriend jacket. Blurry wings graphic tee. $24 at Urban Outfitters.

Lauren Moshi tees are constantly seen on celebs, but I must confess that I've never really been a fan of the graphics. This seahorse tee changed my mind. $88 at eModa.

The Chinoiserie-inspired graphics on this tee are lovely and I think I could scrounge up $14.50 at Old Navy for something this cute. It also comes in purple, blue and pink.

Feel good about buying this cute Signorelli peace sign burnout tee because the company makes generous donations to charities. Also available in blue. $64 at Couture Candy.

The best bargain of the bunch. This sweet floral tee is only $9.99 at Gap.

Better Breakfast in Bed

Only something this fabulous could break the monotony of my long-standing FTP - failure to post. This breakfast tray with built-in flower vase is the greatest thing I have seen in a long time. I think a vase makes a breakfast tray, but also creates the stress of trying not to dump flower water in your frittata. I believe this solves the problem nicely. I can't think of a better wedding or anniversary gift. Le Petit Dej' breakfast tray. $92 at A Plus R.

I Have a Good Reason, Friends. CHECK IT OUT!

This is one of those why I haven't been posting explanations, but hear me out. I've been working on 2 amazing new projects which I am finally able to share with you.

First, my new fashion blog Basic Closet. You may have noticed that I have a thing for white shirts. Well, I really have a thing for all fashion, but I'm a buyer of basics. There are those key pieces that just work for my lifestyle and I buy them over and over again. I look at all the pretty fashion eye candy on the blogs and sites and then I buy white tees, dark jeans, black pants, repeat.

Basic Closet is where to go to find the latest and greatest pieces that form the backbone of a great wardrobe, all neatly separated for you in categories like Suits, Sweater, Day Dress, Black Pants. I scour the store sites and blogs for the things you actually need to buy, so you don't have to spend your valuable time hunting them down. There's even a Beyond Basic category for those pretty, pretty things that may not be basic, but are definitely a must-have in my closet, if there's any money left.

Today is the soft launch, which means I can't wait another second to show it to you, but there are some things that aren't quite completed. I'm working on it. Sorry, I'm a blogger, not a freaking web designer! I had some amazing help from my friend Maria of MommyMelee and Jamie at Shatterboxx, but there's only so much they can do on a tiny budget. I blew my web design money on white t-shirts. Priorities.

Second HUGE announcement: If you know me in real life or have come to know me here or on Twitter, you know that I try very hard to get it all done and be a good wife, mother and friend. You also know that I'm one fry short of a happy meal at all times and finally, the mother ship is calling me home!

A truly amazing group of women and writers are letting me be a part of Aiming Low, a blog where the "women/moms/bloggers/friends/writers that believe that there’s no shame in serving mac and cheese for dinner three nights in a row, Febreeze was created to make a questionably clean shirt smell ready-to-walk-out-the-door-fresh and that slack isn’t a way of life…it’s an art."

Yeah, what Anissa said! Please come by and check out the writing by these unbelievable women I can't believe I get to hang with. And me. I'm so proud, y'all.

Head Whip-Cracker
Anissa from #FreeAnissa

Editorial Staff
Janet from IzzyMom
Brittany from Barefoot Foodie

Writers
Meghan from A Mom Two Boys
Allison from Tales From LaLa Land
Maria from Mommy Melee
Tena from My Therapy
Amy from Assertagirl
Katie from Motherbumper
Laurin from LaurinandKellyTalk
Angie from A Whole Lot of Nothing
Heather from The Spohrs Are Multiplying
Hilly from Snackiepoo
Rachel from A Southern Fairytale

White Shirt Wednesday - Big Lebowski Edition

I bought this open-front slub vest a couple of weeks ago and it has had the magical effect of tying my whole closet together, like the rug in The Big Lebowski. Click here if you don't get that movie reference, but if you don't, you're dead to me.

I won't bore you with the list, but it goes with nearly everything and is a great addition to outfits I have become meh about. It's an airy wisp of a garment, otherwise I wouldn't be wearing it right now in Florida, The Humidity State.

It's a simple little thing, but so versatile. I work around the house in tank tops and camisoles and I throw this on when I have to run out or when someone comes to the door. If I worked in an office, I would put a skinny belt on it and rock that look. It also comes in black, pink and gray. $17.48 - $19.99 at Target, where else?

Groovy Gilt Sales This Week

You've heard about Gilt, right? If not, best look away now because it's going to cost you. The secret sale site has an unbelievable lineup of designer sales this week. I'll be hovering over these sales at noon every day this week.

 

Monday:  Tracy Reese and Frye Shoes

Tuesday:  Dr. Hauschka Skin Care and Diesel Clothing

Wednesday:  Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

 

Thursday:  J Brand Jeans

Friday:  Shoshanna

They have many more sales this week, but these are the ones that have me excited! If you need an invite, click here for my invite link. I get a $25 credit if you sign up and buy something, and I know you want me to look fabulous. When you join you get your own link to pass on to your friends, who want you to look fabulous, too. See how this works? Pay it forward fashion!