I’ve pretty much figured out what I have in my closet now and how to put it together, so I’m not going to post my weekly outfits anymore.  I’ve also figured out that I don’t have to hit it out of the park every day to feel good about how I’m presenting myself.  A couple of great outfits a week is a win, and the rest just need to be “put together” which could simply involve a good pants and shoes selection.

So on Fridays, I’ll post my favorites of the week, and this is going to be all over the board.  Parenting, fashion, projects, productivity, activities with the kids, etc.  There is no “fomat” to this.  “Formats” can be boring!

Favorite Parenting Moment of the Week:

This has been a tough week with Bryson – he is very needy and clingy after his naps and whines for about an hour every day.  Matthew, on the other hand, has been so easy and sweet, it’s a nice balance.  We’ve had a really good month or so with him, and I think 4 is treating us much better than 3 did.  This morning, Matthew climbed into our bed because “my toe hurts,” which is code for “I want to snuggle.”  I said, “get in and snuggle buggle with me,” and he was out cold almost immediately.  It was 4:15 and I could not sleep, because he was in full-on snuggle mode and I couldn’t get comfy.  He woke up around 5:30 and couldn’t get comfortable, and I was in a lot of pain  in my belly, but he snuggled up on my tummy and finally fell asleep again.  He slept like that until 7:15, and it felt magical.  I couldn’t sleep from the belly pain, but I was more than happy to let him stay where he was!

Favorite Outfit of the Week:

I LOVE this outfit – and so does Hottie!  He sent me a text an hour after I left the house telling me how much he loves it, and asked me to send a pic so he could show his coworker (a female who I talk clothes with).  I got lots of compliments on this outfit which was surprising since those pants are love ’em or hate ’em.  THIS is what I was going for with these pants!  And I now know why people love cardigans!

Favorite Meal of the Week:

When we eat at home, we’re pretty much a paleo family.  We do not bring grains into the house (unless they’re in the form of Or.eos – HA HA HA!) and there are ABSOLUTELY NO WHITE POTATOES.  As people know from my “Paleo Adventure,” I have a fantastic cookbook that we use quite a bit.  We bought a quarter hog (free range, grass fed, from my friend’s farm) that’s in the freezer so I made pork and apple sliders last night with my famous carrots (skin on, roasted) and they were great!  I ate my 2 patties (5.4 ounces total), Hottie ate his 2 patties, and Bryson ate 1 patty and asked for another (he ate 1/4 of the second one)!  (Matthew ate leftover pulled pork – still a win!)  The free-range pork is so much better than anything you can buy in the grocery store.  Living in Iowa, I know all about hog farms and it’s not good – so we buy very little pork labeled as Hor.mel or grocery store brands.  We buy local pork almost ALWAYS, and it is the best choice out there!  (My friend also sells me free range chickens and eggs – she’s delivering some this afternoon!)

Favorite Purchase of the Week:

I have found a new store (Zara) and it is going to be a very addictive relationship.  I love their sweaters and tops, and really want to try a pair of their colored jeans.  I ordered our family photo outfits from there and the prices range from cheap ($20 for a dress) to rather expensive ($300 for a coat – don’t worry – I didn’t get one and won’t).  Their kids clothes are great and the quality is fantastic.  The mens sweaters seem good enough ($22) and the women’s things are just so fun!  SPOT ON for me!

I’ve had my eye on this top for 2 weeks and finally ordered it when I ordered the cardigan (above) and our holiday clothes.  When it arrived, I knew I was going to love it as much as I had hoped!  There is a little ruffle on the back, which I did not realize when I ordered it, but it added a feminine touch.  I can always use that!

Favorite Project of the Week:

I have been moving things around, making room for the Halloween stuff.  We’re also gearing up for new family photos since our family is complete, and I decided to get out the last ones we had taken and printed that I never got framed.  I don’t know what my problem was, I just wasn’t into it.  But now with this new wave of energy, I’m actively looking for things to do with the house.  I went out and bought reasonably priced frames and got to work.  The photo in the middle is a canvas from 4 years ago, and the others are from 2 years ago.  I also replaced the “Daddy/Matthew” photo with the “Daddy/boys” photo from our photo shoot 2 years ago.  I LOVE this.  Our house feels so much warmer now!

I also moved the first birthday “cake smash” photos into the kitchen frames and am moving the photos that were in those frames to our bedroom.  Because of the difference in how I feel in my house with photos up versus no photos up, I am in a hurry to make our bedroom “warmer.”  And I cannot wait to get the photos from our family shoot in a week – I hope they’re as great as the last two shoots!

What were your favorites of the week?