day four. are you tired of me yet?

you're probably asking yourself one of two questions:

either

"where was she yesterday? i missed her soooooo!"

or 

(more likely)

"when is she going to be done with this ridiculousness? i'm over the vlogs..."

well.

i was busy in the rain yesterday, sorry. 

i missed you, too.

also.

i'm not sure when i'm going to be done with the cleanse, but i will definitely try and break up the videos so you don't end up hating me and my eleventyzillion facial expressions. 

pinbinge wednesday action mañana. 

are you cleansing? 

are you dirty?

let me hear it.

and in case you were in need of a silly hat fix for the day... 

a few things to note:

*i'm learning to edit as i go along. don't hate.

honestly, i have like five minutes to put these up 

(in between having shoes thrown at my head by one kid, my pants tugged on by another kid asking for a snack, trying to schedule my life and use my pinterest app simultaneously. you dig?)

*"i feel like i could go forever without sugar..." i'm lying. 

*"balls of wonder". yup. i said it.

*finally, and most importantly:

i do realize this is not rocket science, and that there are much more important things going on in the world. 

as i write this, a friend's mother is fighting for her life in the hospital, and i pray she'll be alright. 

this just happens to be a medium that i really enjoy creating (hate watching myself afterward, but that's neither here nor there) and i really love and appreciate you watching!

i got a super rad surprise yesterday that i can't wait to share with you this weekend!!! 

i'm thinking of taking this act on the road; 

the mean streets of la, that is.

you wanna see me learn to surf? 

(insert riotous laughter here)

go shopping on melrose?

climb some awesome rocks?

(that can actually happen)

take a pure barre or trx class?

(again, with the laughter)

ride horses through the canyon at sunset?

take sailing lessons?

drink too much vino and completely embarrass myself on a winery tour? 

give me your honest thoughts and opinions.

really, i can take it!

(i know jenny will comment--TY, sisterwife!--but who else?!)

if you tell me to never make another video again, that's cool. 

but i won't listen. 

xo

antioxidant love

ok so. day 2.

not four hours later, i was out and about without an arsenal of healthy snacks, the caffeine withdrawals had taken over, 

and i was a hot mess. 

lesson learned. 

as i said on the video, 

thank you for your support and encouragement! 

these cleanses can be a bit isolating, and having "my people" support me is everything. 

i love hearing about your experiences, any special tips and tricks you may have (the herbal teas are helping!), 

and just that we're in this together. 

it means the world. 

here's the recipe for my newest fave antioxidant smoothie:

(i have since discovered that adding a scoop of sugar-free whey protein makes it heartier & smoother)

(via)

martha's antioxidant smoothie

(serves 2)

2 c (9oz) mixed frozen organic berries

1 c unsweetened pomegranate juice

1 c water 

combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

enjoy!

*interested in starting this cleanse? its never too late!

research which option looks best for you; i'm doing this one. 

duh, i'm not a doctor, so please do your homework, 

and listen to your body.

xo

maybe she's born with it...

nah. 

pretty sure its fotoshop.

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

how. friggin. genius.

right?!

thanks, jesse.

tell all the girls you know. 

and the boys, too. 

;)

xo

unimaginable grace

forgive me for going all emo on you, but 

i read this today and just had to share it.

(thanks, scott!)

the lessons of lily, sarah, and grace

go there.

take 5 minutes, read it, and let this sink in. 

(via)

such an unimaginable tragedy, yet so inspiring.

i pray that i can handle the losses and challenges in my life with as much grace and love as this woman does hers. 

just a little reminder to be present today.

to be grateful today.

to be aware, focused, and dedicated today.

we really are all miracles, and i feel fortunate to get to share this story with you. 

thank you so much for reading anything i write.

service is so very important, and its easy for all of us to slip into our daily routines without a second thought of helping another; if you're like me, getting through the day 

can often be hard enough.

*how exactly does one be a grown up? fitting in the workouts, showering (!!!), paying bills, working (is your career even your true passion?!), eating, drinking (and drinking...), playing, reading, martha stewart-ing my house (haaaaaa.), crafting, gifting, planning, following through (or more often than not, unfortunately, missing out), reading, writing, stressing, traveling, family, friends, faith?...*

but if not now, when?

i think now is the perfect opportunity to stop, think about how you can help someone else, and act on it.

really. 

do something with the unique gifts that only you have. 

you were designed for greatness... 

share that light with the world.  

"small acts of kindness" are only small to some... i can tell you from being on the receiving end of so many blessings and so much kindness recently, that what may seem like a small gift to one person, can be monumental to another. 

take a deep breath, sit in the sunshine, enjoy a glass of wine (or coffee!), a beautiful meal, give a hug--a really BIG one--or ask for one, play with your pet, play with your kids, take a walk, take a drive, create something, go to bed early...

and be grateful for it all.

even the hard stuff.

especially the hard stuff.

at least we're here, getting to feel it and experience it. 

then think about how you can do even a very small thing 

for 

someone

else. 

i promise it will feel wonderful. 

i hope you have a beautiful day. 

love!

xo

ever have one of these days?

(all images via)

i'm definitely spending too much time reading really well-edited blogs.

you know the ones. 

the ones where the women seem to have it all together, family, social, career...

it can put a lot of pressure on a gal!

"i'm doing my best. i'm doing my best." 

am i?

i think i can i think i can...

(but to be honest, i could really use a shower/nanny/housekeeper/stylish/chef right now)

here's hoping your wednesday is lovely... 

xo

ray of sunshine

(via) 

hi y'all. 

i hope you're having a wonderful wednesday.

(gah. that sounds awful, like something they say at one of those horrible offices where "hawaiian shirt day" still exists. 

"its wonderful wednesday! bring your favorite quiche to share!" nothing against quiches, but still.)

so. yeah. 

i know its pinbinge wednesday, but, 

i'm kind of having a week.

(via)

aside from getting sick, not getting enough sleep, etc., i am

--and i'm sure i'm not alone here--

scrambling to get the christmas cards, holiday gift shopping, crafting, memory-making, movie watching, stocking monogramming, gingerbread decorating, hot cocoa sipping, classroom project creating, teacher gift buying, don't-forget-to-do-that-because-goodness-knows-we'll-never-have-christmas-again things, all done. 

and man, is it a challenge!  

(tim walker via)

what exactly did they do before iphones, the internet, 

malls, and target, i ask you?!  

cavemen were happy with a sharp rock or a new variety of grub to enjoy; my mother tells me of when she was little and would go to the 5 and dime ... "some people got glue, some got pencils..."; now every morning i wake up to a brand new batch of 

gift guides in my face via my inbox 

(which i feel obliged to read, every last one of 'em), 

sale after sale of the latest and greatest 

(its the "time is almost almost running out" sale!), 

and i am 

just. 

plain. 

overwhelmed.

shocker.

if you've read this blog for more than five minutes you may have picked up on more than my incredible good looks and acerbic wit.

i have a tendency to go all in. 

as in, or nothing. 

go big or go home. 

its how i roll.

i am trying to evolve, honest i am; 

its just a slow process for us over-doers. 

i saw a few things today that were kind of awesome. 

lucky for you i share. 

the dear anne sage 

posted this earlier on fb; i read it, agreed with its awesomeness, and had to share:

11 things you should know by 25 

(or 35, or 45+... some are relevant to us ALL!)

via shauna niequist for relevant magazine. 

goooooood stuff.

also.

i have hashitmotos thyroiditis. 

(no, i know what you're thinking, its not another term for amazingly awesome. i know!)

its a super frustrating auto immune disease that causes all sorts of fun symptoms, and generally affects my well being and all around heath and frame of mind. super fun, right?!

after fighting this disease for more than 10 years, i am finally finding some light, truth, and action i can take to really heal. 

so exciting!

if you have any auto immune issues (or really any health issues at all, are curious about quitting sugar, finding a leprechaun at the end of a rainbow, or befriending a unicorn, this is for you!)

sara wilson, i love you.

i hope you all are enjoying your quiches (with wine, duh), and that this helps make your wednesday a little more wonderful. 

who knows? 

you may just want to go and put on a hawaiian shirt. 

xo

why?...because i like you. and i'm exhausted.

hope you all are having a fabulous weekend!

yesterday we took the girls for their first-ever, 

remember-it-always trip to disneyland. 

it was epic.

(the only thing that could have made it better would have been these sweet, matching, vintage wool suits. am i right?) 

i am toast.

still coming down from the sugary, sparkly, sensory overload that is disneyland.

need to detox; i think a long, hot bath + good red wine 

+ a silent, black and white film (with people, not animation) 

is the perfect antidote. 

see ya tomorrow. 

sparkle kisses and glitter hugs!

xo

...in the face!

things like this help me start my week off right.

 not sure where this is... but i'd definitely like to go. 

wouldn't you?

i can say that i've never been "called a 'nerd'", per se, at least not to my face...but after reading this, i have to wonder why?!

its me in a nutshell. and i'm proud of it! ;)

right? monkeys. 

word to your pugger.

my mantra for life, much less a monday morning. 

hope you have a good one!

xo

*all images compiled from pinterest, therefore are not, unfortunately, properly credited. if you know where credit is due, by all means let me know 

and i'll make it right! 

baxter, you know i don't speak spanish!

feel the love?

right now i have a loved one going through an exceptionally tough time; we all occasionally do, no?

my mama calls them "FGO's"... 

or "f*cking growth opportunities". 

i don't know 'bout you, but i've been through my share, 

and whenever i'm lost in the woods, its my gorgeous 

family and friends who get me through.

and god, of course.

anyway, for you, my very special friend; 

you know who you are. 

and for any of you going through 

an FGO of your own...

hang in there.

know that you're in this season of your life for a reason, 

that you are strong as hell, and you will get through it, 

and you will be wiser for it. 

blah blah blah, i know. 

i've been there, too; i really don't mean to sound condescending. 

when you're over all the "supportive talk", 

sometimes its best to laugh. or even just smile. 

know this. more than anything else. 

 

there is still so much color in your life. 

look around, seek it out, soak it in. 

 i get butterflies thinking about your unique, specific gifts; 

no one else in the world is you. 

you are more special than you know.

laughter is crucial. 

always. 

until your very last breath. 

hold fast to courage, make the tough choices, and don't look back.

play your own song. 

even if you're the only one who likes it.

even if it sounds like me playing the recorder in fifth grade.

...and possibly makes the neighbor's ears bleed.

...and perhaps anyone within a five mile radius.

play on.

at first you might feel timid, but just GO for it.

its always better to regret things you've done, 

than things you haven't.

you are beautiful. no matter what sex, color, religion, size, shape, age, ability... you are beautiful.

especially if you look like this.

(he's all kinds of special, and he is owning it.)

its true. 

and that's a lot. 

a whole lot.

remember i love you. and i'm always, always here. 

even though i'm here

not there.

have a wonderful weekend.

sparkley, gropey hugs & glitter puppy kisses, 

xo

keepin it RILL.

i was really torn about posting this because, well, this girl acts like a total moron, and i truly believe her existence alone takes the womens' movement back at least 100 years. 

but then i remembered that i am an educator, and that it is my duty to show you this horror in the hopes that we can begin taking the necessary steps to eradicate this kind of behavior in our great nation's youth. 

or, at the very least, help save just one girl considering her future as the next 

courtney stoddenkardashianmontag.  

there are almost no words. almost. 
it actually breaks my heart as much as disgusts me.


anderson cooper says it better than i could, 
and without vomiting in the process. 
or laughing hysterically and throwing things at their faces. 

wow. right? 

scary as hell. 

funny only if it weren't so...rill. 

he nails it. 

my mama sent me a really interesting article written by lisa bloom in regards to the very subject of the future of our girls, based on how we talk to them, and the culture we've created, obsessed with appearance and youth. 
its a quick, to the point read, but well worth your time. 
go here and check it out for yourself. 


i'd love to hear some of your thoughts on all this...


xo

oh my MISSONI!

true story:

when i was a fresh young thing of only 22, i went on an incredible holiday to italia; venice via naples, to be exact. 

it was only 5 days, but it was just as i had imagined it would be: a magical, whirlwind romance of a trip... 

but it got off to a rocky start when the airline lost my luggage. 

the ensembles i had spent so much time coordinating and considering, laying out on my rooms-to-go bed at home, carefully packing and dreaming of swirling around piazza san marco in... gone. 

unfortunately venezia doesn't exactly have 

the gap, j crew, or even a target... 

but fortunately for me, my generous companion was kind enough to offer to take me shopping at some of the local boutiques, and purchase whatever i fancied.

i remember walking into the missoni store thinking 

"hmmm, interesting... but is this too...old for me? 

where are the sexy, 'i want to stop him dead 

in his tracks' clothes?" 

and then i said, 

*pause for dramatic effect*

"no, thanks. lets go see what's next door." 

silly girl. 

silly, silly girl.  

if i could see her now, i would literally shake her. 

slap her in the face. 

and then i would explain a few things about how "sexy" really works. about how timeless the missoni aesthetic really is. 

about what having style means. 

sigh.

i'm hoping to atone for this dreadful oversight today,

by writing this post. 

i am now by no means a style icon, but i believe i've learned a thing or two since that time, and i can only imagine 

if i were able to go back 

(srsly stephen hawking, where IS my time machine?!),

 i would have snapped up a few of their iconic pieces, 

at the very least.

but you can't go back, can you?

fortunately, we don't have to.

because target is bringing missoni to the masses!

i've been spending time with some very stylish ladies this week

--more on that to come!--

and when i saw the leaked photos for the 

missoni for target collab (in stores and online september 13th!), i knew i had to share them with you, stylish reader! 

perhaps my excitement over the calypso st. barth collection for target a few months ago was a tad... premature. 

turns out the fabrics, materials, even the prints they used, while some were adorable (the kids lines were mostly awesome) and wearable (the womens silk tops), even stylishly affordable 

(i got the gold pouf for bunny's room, in lieu of the nate berkus one...probs should have forked over the extra 40bucks, 

but whatever), as a whole it was less than earthshattering.

i don't want to end up the "blogger who cried fabulous" and have this missoni collection be a disappointment...

but how could it be? 

just take a look for yourself...

(all photos via allthewayuphere)

the photos were leaked wednesday via a tumblr feed by "little marina", margherita missoni's "go-to doll" who established a blog account in early april, and has been featuring lust-worthy fashion, food & lifestyle photos to whet our appetites since. 

and then she dropped the bomb that is the 20 photos above; 

a veritable lookbook of the collection which will feature over four hundred marvelously zig zagged pieces, ranging in price from $2.99 to $599.99 (that bike is as good as mine), 

with most items less than $40! 

it looks gorgeous, no?

(we all know i love a zigzag...just look at my blog header!)

what's your favorite piece?

the collection stands to be, dare i say it, legendary.

i mean come on. high fashion items at bargain basement prices? 

yes yes YES! si si SI!

(i'll have what she's having.)

know this. if any of you are looking for me in the wee hours of the morning on september 13th, you best believe i will be waiting outside my local tarjjjay, cash in hand, ready to storm the shiny linoleum and nab a little piece of fabulous for myself.  

after which i'll be making bellinis and listening to pavarotti, trying to recapture some italiano magico.  

buona fortuna!

xo