1. My friend recently introduced me to a caffeine-free coffee blend, teeccino. You can make it in your Keurig so it fills the room with the coffee smell and you can still have that morning moment of peace before the day’s craziness starts. She had a hand held frother too and it was perfect touch to the delicious coffee! Shop coffee faves here!

2. Yesterday as I served my 4-year-old his lunch (rice, potatoes, veggies meatballs), he looked at the plate and exclaimed, “where are the greens on this plate?! No tomatoes, no carrots….” I burst out laughing. A moment I never want to forget.

3. One of my mom friends moved off island. I had recently met her but felt close and connected! Is it just me, or does it seem harder to make friends as adults?? (so then when I do meet someone where we just click, I’m extra grateful for them.)

4. Even though we’ve lived on Kauai permanently for 7 years (and seasonally since 2010), there are still beaches we haven’t visited and trails we haven’t done. That fills my adventurous heart with excitement. (Photos in this post are from the first time we went to a new beach).

5. My husband purchased a physical therapy practice March 2020, days before the COVID-19 pandemic caused our island to shut down. The sweat equity this past year has been a lot. But I saw a new side of my husband. A resilient, dedicated and passionate side I hadn’t seen before and I love him so much for it!

6. Crossing items off of my to-do list give me such a high.

7. I feel like I’m constantly cleaning and organizing! Does anyone else wish they could empty their home and start over haha?!? Wardrobe included haha….and unlimited budget, of course. 😉

8. I had terrible ab separation (like 4 fingers!!!) with my first pregnancy in 2016 and it didn’t close before I got pregnant again. This past month I’ve noticed some healing/ab closure and I’m so so happy about it!!

9. I honestly feel like I could eat Mexican food and pizza for the rest of my life and be totally happy about it.

10. In the past month I’ve been told twice I look like I’m 20! This used to get me so upset when I was 25, but now a decade later, one of the nicest things you can say to me haha!

11. I love wearing dresses! It’s a little harder these days, with 2 active kids, but they are still my favorite. Dresses are so comfortable and much less decision making goes into the outfit.

Spring Dresses Round-Up

Like I shared, I love wearing dresses. Writing about it made me realize I don’t wear them as much as I should. With an every fluctuating body (2 pregnancies in the last 4 years/nursing boobs/hormones), I haven’t updated my dresses in years, so I found some spring dresses that I’d love in my closet.

Shop spring dresses round-up here and here!

I was worried I wouldn’t have 11 things to share but it turns out there’s a lot going on in my head and heart. 🙂

Thanks for reading and learning more about me. What are some of your random thoughts or recent life experiences? Have a great day, my beautiful friend! -Melissa

ps. Also wanted to note, that if you purchase from our links we make a small commission.

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I believe its important to wear what makes you feel happy, without getting caught up with dressing for body type, age, trends or occupation (sahm ). When you feel happy in what you wear your confidence will shine through! For too long I stressed about looking “fat”, not covered up enough, or how others thought I should dress, so it feels great to dress without all of that internal dialogue!!

If there is a certain fashion trend you’re wanting to try, try it! A blogger I follow said she also struggles with stepping out of her fashion comfort zone, but usually after 3 times wearing the new item, it feels more her. I took that advice to heart.

Say “yes” to new things

One of the benefits of this pandemic is that it’s caused me to say “yes” to new things and not overthink as much. Anyone else have some serious self growth during the pandemic?? So I decided to buy a lounge set!! Not a huge victory but baby steps, right?? Seriously though, I’d see so many women looking amazing in a lounge set and would tell myself I would never look good in one because I’m short and curvy. (We can be so unkind to ourselves!) But I ignored those thoughts and got a lounge set anyway!

1 lounge set, 3 ways

I found a super cute lounge set from Hello Honey, a small shop I discovered on Instagram and decided to style 1 lounge set, 3 ways.

It’s the perfect green for winter, super soft and ribbed. Check out the lounge set here (it also comes in other colors)!

Lounge set-Style 1

For style 1, I wore the complete lounge set. As I shared above, the material is so soft I felt super comfortable. The pants are high waisted and have an elastic waist band, which is a combo I love. I also love the wider leg of the pant. I get so hot wearing fitted pants so I was on the hunt for non fitted pants for our tropical winter. The shirts is slouchy/boxy, which I love as well.

The top and bottom together for option 1 was a lot of fabric for my frame but I didn’t mind it! The strong winds the day we were out, however, gave the impression of a looser fit. If they had a smaller size it would be nice to compare. If you prefer a more fitted lounge set, I’d suggest sizing down.

Lounge set- Style 2

For Style 2, I wanted to see how the lounge set top would look with more fitted bottoms. So I paired the top with my Abercrombie mom shorts. (Side note: these shorts are super flattering and work it you have more athletic legs and a butt. They are currently on sale for $12!) The wind get even stronger and it started raining so we had to run to the car after a couple shots so I didn’t get to try other styling I had planned. I later tried tucking the hem of the shirt into my bra and loved that look too!

Style 3

For the final variation, style 3, I chose a fitted top with the lounge bottoms. I wore an Abercrombie body suit, which is comfortable and has good stretch. I also added a straw hat to the outfit! This was actually my favorite of the 3 looks because I think its perfect for winter in Kauai!

Wear what makes YOU happy

I hope that me taking a small step outside of my fashion comfort zone has inspired you to do the same and wear what makes you happy! Or even just try a style that you never considered! Life is too short to limit your closet due to self-sabotaging beliefs. 🙂 Have you tried any new fashion trends recently? Share them with us!!

A great way to try fashion trends before committing to them is with the Nuuly subscription box, check out Kari’s post on it to learn more about it!

Shop my look here!

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Rain season has started on our little island. After an entire day of enjoying the showers we decided to search for the last bit of the sunshine and enjoy a Kauai sunset and turtles.

Since Kauai began requiring visitors to complete a mandatory 14 day quarantine, less visitors have been vacationing here. As a result, our wildlife has flourished. Our friends saw 30 turtles come up to Poipu beach at sunset. This is unheard of since that beach is a tourist attraction and filled all the time! So we decided to go see if we could witness the magic of turtles at sunset. 

We enjoyed golden hour at the tide pools and wondered why we hadn’t headed south earlier! (Typically when it’s raining on the island, there is sunshine in Poipu….remember this for the next time you visit!!) After some time at the tide pools we headed to the beach. When we first arrived there was one cute turtle enjoying the sunset alone. By the time we left we counted 12 turtles on the shore. Turtles are such magical creatures, people of all ages enjoy watching them, making turtle watching a perfect family activity!! We found a beautiful Kauai sunset and turtles. It was the best way to end the day!

more Kauai sunset + turtle magic

cute + comfy

This Legoe jumpsuit is one of my favorites. It’s a maternity piece but I’m still constantly reaching for it (am I the only one still wearing maternity clothes 1+ years postpartum?!?!). It’s super comfortable and is easy to slip in and out of for beach days, river adventures, or hikes but is also cute to look put together enough for errands and play dates!! I love adding hats to my outfits. They are functional here in Kauai and add a fun change to my mom-iform. I borrowed the hat I’m wearing from my son, but I don’t think he minds sharing 🙂 One of the pros for being 5’3!

I hope the Kauai sunset and turtles brought you as much joy and peace as they did to me. Have a beautiful day, beautiful friends.

Melissa

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