I am always curious about what trends other people are watching and what people have their eye on…am I weird? I know what makes me feel good about myself, but I wonder how that aligns with what someone else may like. If you have followed us for a while, then you know that we have shop-able looks that we share with you almost daily. You can also see what we have been buying on Amazon on our influencer page too!
With the long weekend coming up I am grateful for what a chill month August has been. September has a lot going on and in life I feel like you need both busy periods and chill periods to appreciate each for what they are, you know what I mean?
This week was particularly fun since I was able to catch up with several old friends and do some online shopping. There are so many looks I have been lusting after that I finally looked up bucket bags and found one that is just right for me. A look that I also have been rocking a lot are dresses with sneakers. With sales blowing up my inbox, I thought I would share with you what is in my bag and what all is on sale this weekend.
We’ve reached the 8 month mark with our second child, Ayan, and now that we’re in a groove with sleeping, nursing and hormones have even balanced out, I wanted to share a few of my favorite newborn necessities. The 4th trimester is no joke and while it’s easy to accumulate so much unnecessary baby gear, I 100% recommend all of the items here.
The first few weeks are such a struggle and blur. The endless nursing, the long nights, and over fatigue from birth recovery. The snuggle nest goes directly on your bed and it’s so easy to just reach over to grab baby in the middle of the night to feed. No need to get out of bed!
We bought this stroller with my daughter, Nara, in hopes to expand it when we had our next child. It has been the perfect double stroller for my two littles! My toddler sits in the front and the baby goes directly on top with the car seat adapter. LOVE this stroller and how it has grown with my family.
The battlewounds of breastfeeding are real. SO REAL. The first two weeks of breastfeeding are never fun for me. In fact, they’re down right painful. Even with my second, I just know I have to make it through those two weeks. This nipple butter is god-sent: easy to apply and don’t need to wipe it off before feeding. It healed me overnight!
Why I didn’t think to buy these with my first child beats me. IT HAS SAVED MY BABY’S TUMMY AND MY PEACE! A gassy baby is a cranky baby. Occasionally we have used the windi to help immediately relieve Ayan’s gas pains. It literally whistles as they pass gas. It’s the craziest thing only parents find amazing.
The amount my newborn sleeps vs. the amount of noise my toddler makes. A constant battle. Having the dohm sound machine in my newborns room during the day has helped drown out my toddlers loud, high pitched, voice. Results: A well-rested baby. WIN.
Used this pillow with both kids. It really helps with support in holding baby while nursing and not putting as much pressure on your arms. It is also great to use for tummy time and casual laying post feeds since it keeps the baby elevated
Baby wearing is something I love to do. Especially when we go out in the early days with a newborn (no one can get in their face with germs), but also around the house when they are napping and you can’t afford to hold them for endless hours. It provides a great opportunity for skin-to-skin in the early days.
I’ve never been more thirsty in my life. Having a water bottle by my side is 100% a must-have. I need one that I can hold a lot of water and can operate with one hand—because let’s face it, that’s all I have these days.
I use this daily on Ayan. I mix one drop with almond oil and massage his whole body before bed. It really calms him down and he smells glorious. I give credit to this oil for making bedtime so easy with my little.
Lactating stains are not hot. I’ve been there with my first – sitting in a restaurant with a huge milk spot on my shirt. I quickly invested in these disposable nursing pads and still using them with my second.
I cannot say enough about this. I came across it with my second child and did not have to pump for a very long time. While I was nursing on one side I would attach the Haaka on the other breast to catch all the leaking milk. I just don’t have enough good things to say about it. TRY IT!
The most compact and easy to travel with pack and play. I can even move it around my house with easy or place it in the back yard while I play with my toddler. It really is the most efficient pack and play.
There are a ton of great baby items out on the market! I surely have not been able to try all of them. Pick the ones that suit you and your parenting style. Check out some of our other posts on parenting here.
The Boutique
Hope that you found this helpful!
Your Chick,
Neema
Check out my post on the importance of Dry Bushing here.
How is it even possible that summer just started and now my trip to Chicago is already almost over! Time really does fly when you are having fun! As some of you may know, I am part of a fabulous book club (shout out to the Guilty Wives Club) and as I do every summer I take on a summer reading list with a combination of best sellers, recommendations and this year I have included some self exploration too! As a woman I constantly second guess myself as an individual, as a wife, and of course as a mother. I am always wondering if there is a better way to do what I am doing or how I can make sure that I am giving my kids the tools to be amazing individuals and citizens.
This year’s list had a little bit of everything but I wanted to share the life books that I really enjoyed that gave me just enough pep in my step each day to see things differently and offered some new ideas and perspective into my day to day life.
Don’t feel bad about pepping yourself up sometimes- isn’t that what power posing is all about?? This book offers hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word to help you stop being self deprecating and change the way you see yourself and your future.
With social media shifting our focus to other people all the time, You Do You reminds you to spend just as time and energy on yourself as you do on other people. If everyone is busy doing ‘their’ thing, shouldn’t you be busy doing yours?? This easy read may be the reminder by your bedside that you need to just do you!
If you are like me and asked yourself if there is more out there for you in this world or this life then author Paul Arden has some words of wisdom for you! He takes on issues as diverse as problem solving, communicating, playing your cards right, making mistakes and creativity- all things I try to tackle each and every day!
Yumi Sakugawa shares a wide range of useful and unexpected tips for looking and feeling better, streamlining and improving your home life. Everything from creating fun and artsy DIY projects that can brighten your living space. Everything from removing dark circles from under your eyes, making cold brew iced coffee at home, throwing the perfect party on a budget, working out at home without a gym membership and (my favorite!) taking the perfect afternoon power nap…and more! You can peek in and out of this book at will and get a whole lot out of it!
Parenting Recommendations
My next two recommendations are heavy on the parenting side of things.
I have two daughters, both are amazing yet incredibly different, one is self motivated, one is not, one is independent, the other is not. I have read both GRIT and The Power of Habit and these books have taught me so much about behaviors that successful people have and where and how they were taught them. It allows parents the freedom to exercise a little tough love to teach your child a lesson – I find tough love to be so hard sometimes. I always make excuses for my kids for example, I think that they don’t understand, or that they are too young, but these books have given me the gumption to challenge them. To my surprise, I have watched the kids step it up. If you need a scientific perspective with a track record on parenting then check these books out, you won’t regret it!
Well I hoped you enjoyed my book recommendations, what did you read this summer?
Any other younger siblings out there? I know I am! I am one of four children in my family. I’m number two in the order. I am almost 2 years younger than my older sister (Rina), 9 years older than my younger sister (Shelly), and 12 years older than my brother (Jay). Naturally given the age difference with my younger siblings, I have always had a different kind of relationship with my older sister.
Sonia’s Ring Purse is lined here | Rina’s Zac Posen Bag is linked here |
Sonia’s Strappy Sage Block Heels are linked here | Rina Favorite Summer Block Heel is here
Our Matching Tops are $12.99 and lined here (size down) | Wear With A Bralette like the one here
Growing up, we fought like cats and dogs. Both being girls, there was a lot of competition. Sadly, being the younger one, I usually lost each fistfight and each debate. After all, isn’t it the job of an older sibling to be bossy and convince the parents that they should get the new clothes so that the younger sibling can wear the old ones?
But like all things, getting older comes with getting wiser. It didn’t take us long to realize that we actually were more similar that we were different. Well into our college careers, we would often talk of starting a business together. Our original business idea was to start a daycare called “Sisters,” but life took us in different directions. My older sister got married and moved to Georgia and I got married and stayed put in Chicago. Trying to start a daycare business from two different places seemed nearly impossible, especially after having kids of our own.
It wasn’t until about two years ago that my sister started Chicks And Salsa that we realized we had an opportunity to bring our strengths together and create a platform to and empower women. Chicks And,Salsa has been our reminder of how well we work together, what our differences are, and what unites us together despite our distance from each other.
