Author Archives: laurenkahan

Itching for spring…

The nugget has been sick the last 3 days, and it’s been pouring. By Sunday, we were both chomping at the bit to get outside! I’ve also been dying to wear some more “spring” clothing. Don’t get me wrong, I looooove sweaters and boots, but by the end of winter, I’m sick of them. I want to wear lighter colors and sandals! Well, sandals weren’t really that practical since it was barely 50, so…I just went with white and a lighter denim jacket. Heels aren’t really all that practical as a mom chasing your toddler, but when they have a wedge it’s a little easier/steadier/more comfortable. Truth be told, these got swapped out after a bit for some moccasins 🙂 And here comes the Huz with Max! She couldn’t have been happier. ROCKS!! haha. She just kept taking handfuls and making piles. Hey, whatever makes her happy 🙂

On me…

Jacket- Rhyme & Echo (similar here, less expensive here and more expensive here)

Top- StyleMint (old, found here)

Jeans- Genetic Denim “the Shane” (similar here and less expensive here)

Wedges- Bolero (old, but love these here)

On Maya…

Jacket-Gap (thrifted, but similar here)

Sweater- Zara (thrifted, but similar here)

Jeans- Levi’s (thrifted, but similar here)

Shoes- Converse (thrifted, but similar here)

Keeping it Real…

Maya was really so happy to be outside that there weren’t that many keeping it real moments, except when I tried to take her back inside for nap time. She wasn’t too happy about that… 🙂

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Greek Yogurt Biscuits // Healthier Strawberry Shortcake

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I saw this original recipe from Lovely Little Kitchen for Greek yogurt biscuits on Pinterest, and I pinned it right away. First of all, her photographs are all beautiful! I wanted to eat everything just from the looks of it! Then, I read the ingredients…and made it the next night for friends haha. I tweaked a few things (my tweaks are in italics), and turned them into a healthier strawberry shortcake. They were DELICIOUS!!!

Kind of trying to convince myself that they’d be an acceptable lunch 😉Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons very cold butter, cubed
¾ cup nonfat Greek yogurt (she used plain, but I used honey flavored-YUM!)
1 egg
Strawberries
Extra container of either vanilla or honey flavored Greek yogurt
1-2 tablespoon of honey

Directions (taken directly from here)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Using the paddle attachment, mix in cold, cubed butter until you have a crumb mixture. If you don’t have a paddle attachment, you can cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two forks by hand. You want to keep little pea sized clumps of cold butter in your dough because this will create little air pockets in the biscuits as they bake and make them nice and fluffy.
In a separate small bowl, beat the egg and then stir in the Greek yogurt.
Add the egg and yogurt to the dry ingredients on low speed until a dough ball forms and pulls away from the edge of the bowl.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough about ten times.
Roll out the dough to 1 inch thick. Using a 3 inch round cutter or the rim of a glass, cut out biscuits and place them on a Silpat lined or greased baking sheet. I greased my cookie sheet with coconut oil, which added a delicious light coconut flavor.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. The tops of the biscuits should be golden brown.
Slice the biscuits in half. Layer with strawberries, a dollop of Greek yogurt, drizzle with warm honey and ENJOY!!!

All black kind of day…

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So, I mentioned in yesterdays post that Maya had been a bit of a butt. Well, the more I thought about it today, the more I realized that-

A) She hadn’t been that big of a butt. She really never is… Did she want to run around the house in her diaper for an hour longer than I wanted her to? Yes. Did she want to make a mess out of things I had just put away? Yes. Did she cry for a few minutes when I told her she had to put some clothes on so we could go play outside? Yes. Did she demand to wear a “Princess dress” instead of the original outfit I wanted to put on her. Yes. Was any of that really that bad? No. Which brings me to…

B) It was me who was being the butt. Lack of sleep and a few other things contributed to my mood/lack of patience, but basically she was mirroring my attitude! And I needed an attitude adjustment. For her sake as much as my own. She is inherently happy, which I absolutely love and am grateful for. Which I need to remember and not take for granted.

C) This, I honestly should have known. She woke up the next morning with a hacking cough. Then when she woke up from her afternoon nap, she had a 102 temperature, so…mother of the year? Not going to me. :{

I absolutely LOVE that I get to stay home with her and hang out with her. She makes me laugh, makes me feel more love that I ever knew possible, and really is my little buddy. All that said, we need a break from each other sometimes. My parents were kind enough to offer to hang out with her for a few hours while I went and ran errands by myself. It was exactly what we both needed.

My mom got these next few pictures of me and of me and Maya when I dropped her off. I only got a couple of her as we were walking over to my parents house, because she is on a mission to get to Meme and BOPO’s once she knows that’s where we are going 🙂 On me…

Jacket- Doma (similar here and less expensive faux leather here)

Top- Collective Concepts (ebay, but similar here)

Jeans- DL1961 Amanda (ebay sold out, similar here and less expensive here)

Boots- Born (thrifted, similar here)

On Maya…

Cardigan- Old Navy (thrifted, but similar here)

Tank- Gap (thrifted, but similar here)

Jeans- 7FAM (eBay, similar here in blue and here gray)

Shoes- Zulily

Keeping it Real…

I think the intro was “real” enough 🙂

I stole the Huz’s shirt…

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Truth be told, he was getting rid of it. It has a small tear on the back collar (like I care!), so…I tried it on. Of course I love it 🙂 Do I even need to say what kind of day it was leading up to this if she’s holding two “friends”? That look says it all. Look out teenage years! We both needed the calming effect of the water today. LOOK!!! A FERRYBOAT!!! haha 🙂Seriously, no matter how difficult she’s been earlier in the day. THIS erases ~~it all~~ MOST of it 😉

On me…

Shirt- The Huz’s 🙂

Jeans- Current Elliott (ebay, similar here)

Boots- Cafe Noir (thrifted, but similar here and less expensive version here.)

On Maya…

Sweater- First Impressions (thrifted, but similar here)

Dress worn as a Top- Vintage (thrifted)

Jeans- Naartje (thrifted, but similar here)

Shoes- Converse (thrifted, but similar here)

Keeping it Real…

Phew…it’s a good thing I didn’t have my camera out earlier in the day. Maya was in rare form. I’m super lucky that she really is the happy go lucky kid you see on the blog…a majority of the time. That said, the rare moments when she’s a butt…she makes it count. Really have no idea where she gets that (shush Dad! :}) Anywho, we both needed to get out and have the calming effects of the outdoors/water. Did a world of good for us both.

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Dear Big Me…

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If there is one thing I can say unbiasedly, it’s that Maya is super funny. If I’m laughing in any of my shots in this blog, it’s usually because she’s dancing, singing, rambling, or doing something else off to the side. She never fails to crack me up. EVERY DAY. Love her!!! In this particular shot, she was taking a cape that she’s obsessed with/insisted we bring along and flung it over her head (so she couldn’t see!) and was running around yelling “Super Maya”. Honestly, it’s a miracle she didn’t knock the tripod over, which is why I only took one shot of me. My outfit wasn’t all that photo worthy anyway 🙂Tried to get a few pics without the cape, but she wasn’t having it 🙂 SUPER MAYA!! haha.

A friend of mine made her this cape and gave it to her for Christmas. Off and on ever since, she goes in phases where she wants to wear it all the time. “dear big me,

i can’t wait to see who i become one day.

-the little me”

Words cannot describe how excited I was to buy this top from Little Boogaweezin. They’ve been sold out, but just got more in stock with their Spring Summer 2014 line. I snatched one up before they sold out again (you should too!) I LOVE the message!! I can’t wait to see the little girl/young lady/woman Maya becomes! She already blows my mind… On me…

Sweater- Zara

Jeans- Joe’s Jeans (thrifted, but similar here)

Boots- StyleMint “Lily”

On Maya…

Cape- Handmade by a friend

Shirt- Little Boogaweezin

Jeans- Gap (thrifted, and distressed by me, similar here)

Boots- Simply Petals (thrifted, but similar here )

Keeping it Real…

HAHAHA. Don’t mess with Super Maya 😉

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Weekend Casual…

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It really doesn’t get more comfortable than a sweatshirt, super soft and stretchy ripped skinnies, and Converse.

Pretty obvious that the StyleChallenge is over, no? haha 🙂 Maya loves to jump off anything!! The only problem is that she just jumps assuming you’re are going to catch her. I’m pretty prepared, but the other day she totally belly flopped about 3 steps up because her brother had no idea she was going to attempt to jump into his arms :{ We are working on saying “I’m jumping! Catch me!” She’s starting to say it mid jump now. Baby steps… I love looking back at these and knowing exactly what she was saying. “Woah! That’s a reeeeally big stick. It’s HUMONGOUS!” It was a fallen tree 😉 And here, she heard kids playing off in the distance. “KIDS!”

On me…

Sweatshirt- StyleMint (old)

Jeans- Rock & Republic”Berlin” (thrifted, similar here, and less expensive here)

Shoes- Converse (thrifted, similar here)

On Maya…

Jacket- Gap (thrifted, but similar here)

Top- Hanna Andersson (thrifted, but similar here)

Jeans- Old Navy (thrifted, but similar here)

Shoes- Converse (thrifted, but similar here)

Keeping it Real…

Such a classic Maya look…

Blog Stylemint Sweatshirt Rock Republic Skinny Converse-13

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

All Lavender…

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The Huz’s favorite color is purple, so I’ve amassed a bit of the hue in the last 6 years… 🙂

Oddly, my favorite color is green (which may or may not be obvious in all my outfits ;)) I wasn’t much of a purple girl before meeting the Huz, but I really like this pale lavender. Almost like it’s a neutral, yet not. Omg, I love this shot. The look on her face is hilarious, and it’s hard to tell, but she caught some pretty serious air!!

On me…

Sweater- Zara (sold out, but loving this one here)

Belt- Vintage/thrifted

Jeans- Mother “The Rascal Cuff” (more styles here)

Boots- Bought these 20 years ago. 😐 Similar here and here.

On Maya…

Sweater- Gap (thrifted, but similar here)

Jeans-Old Navy (thrifted, but similar here)

Shoes- Zulily

Keeping it Real…

Sometimes, we need 4 animals to get out of the house. And of course they want their picture taken too 😉

Blog Zara Sweater Mother Jeans Vintage Belt Boots-11

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Boyfriend Jeans and Tutus…

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Of course they go together 🙂 No joke. Maya was itching to go run and play, and I said. “Can I have one hug and a kiss before you go play?” This was the only shot I got… And, that’s all I needed! 🙂 Impressive Peanut!! She threw it over the edge too! And then she was off… Nope, this NEVER gets old for me… On me…

Sweater- Banana Republic (from Funky Janes Consignment)

Top- Mossimo (old, but similar here)

Jeans-Current Elliott (from Funky Janes Consignment, similar here)

Shoes- Converse (thrifted, similar here)

On Maya…

Sweater- H&M (thrifted, similar here)

Top-H&M (thrifted, similar here)

Skirt- Gap (thrifted, similar here)

Leggings- Osh Kosh (thrifted, but similar here)

Shoes- Converse (thrifted, similar here)

Keeping it Real…

She wasn’t THAT happy at first when I told her it was time to go haha.

Blog Banana Republic Sweater Current Elliott Boyfriend Jeans Converse-14

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

A scarf can do wonders…

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I’m a big fan of scarves (duh)! In the winter to keep warm/add a chunky knit texture, and also in the summer for coverage/pop of color. They are great as we transition from winter to spring too. When it’s cold, but not too cold. A scarf can add the right amount of warmth and add a little oomph to an otherwise basic outfit. Yes, that would be her sticking her tongue out at the last moment! Motherly love at its best 🙂 Our weather has been so cuckoo lately. Admittedly, not as crazy as some parts of the country! One minute it’s overcast and raining, and the next the sun comes out. Well, thankfully, someone is a tad obsessed with sunglasses… 🙂

On me…

Sweater- Yoon (old, love this on sale here)

Scarf- Thrifted, similar here

Jeans- Jeans- Current Elliott (ebay, sold out, but similar here, here)

Shoes- Converse (old, similar here)

On Maya…

Sweater- Hanna Andersson (thrifted)

Top- Carters onesie that I cut into a T-shirt

Jeans- Gap (thrifted, distressed by me but similar here)

Shoes- Converse (thrifted)

Keeping it Real…

She’d had enough licking me I guess…

Blog Yoon Sweater Current Elliott Converse-13

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Me and my shadow…

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So, when you try to take pictures inside when it’s raining…your toddler pretty much always wants to be part of it! Totally ok with me 🙂 I mean, really? LOVE HER!!! Best photobomb ever 🙂 On me…