Practical Fashion - Make 'Em Laugh

My 'lil peanut is 11 months old now. He's super cute, super active, and super used to all my tricks. If you have a kid, you know how addictive their smiles and laughs can be. If I stumble upon a way to make my peanut laugh, I will continue to do it until either I'm too exhausted to continue or until he gets bored.

I've been experimenting lately with using fashion to make him happy. I have lots of clothes, so why not dress up and make him smile? Here are some my successes:

1) Wear orange

My 'lil peanut loves it when folks wear orange. Random, but he really loves him some orange. In addition to his favourite TV fella, DJ Lance Rock, I discovered that he loooooooves these folks.

Even though I want to make the peanut smile, I don't want to dress like a complete weirdo. Luckily, there are lots of cute orange pieces out there this summer.

2) Glasses, Glasses and more Glasses

If you wear glasses, my peanut already loves you. He will wave his little arms at you, and will smile his 5-toothed smile at you whether you like it or not. When I venture out into the world, I normally wear contacts. At home, however, I'm always in my Oliver Peoples glasses. Yay team glasses!

3) High Contrast

All babies are interested in items that have a high contrast, especially black and white. Why not try a black and white printed dress? At the very least, your kid will stare at you a whole bunch...and you will look cute.

4) To Top It All Off...

Hats! My 'lil peanut hates to wear one, but loves to play with mine when I do. He is a big hat fan.

So, yeah, if you're looking for new ways to entertain your little one...try wearing something funny or flashy. Party!

Horkelia Shift (anthropologie.com)
Elizabeth and James Centinela Glasses (shopbop.com)
Souvenir Dress (jcrew.com)
Fedora Nina (lilliputhats.com)

XOXO,
Emily

Phillis Diller pic via mediabistro.com

Max Out Yo Credit Card - Derek Rose Robe

Well hellooooooooooo...

Long time no see! I'm back from my trip to Ireland, but have been laying fairly low...taking a vacation from my vacation if you will. Isn't it always the case that, when you have a great time on a trip overseas, you end up looking like shit when you get home? Bags under eyes, acne flare-ups, weight gain...the sure signs of too much vacation fun. I'm keeping a low profile for a couple more days until I'm back to looking more like myself again.

At least I have some pretty fantastic lounging clothes! For example...

Derek Rose Striped Silk Dressing Gown (mrporter.com)
Tilly Bra (agentprovocateur.com)
Bamford Fine-Knit Cashmere Pants (net-a-porter.com)
Bottega Veneta Lagoon Nappa Slippers (bottegaveneta.com)

XOXO,
Emily

Gone Fishin'

Not literally, but I'm out of the country right now and getting access to the Internet here is tougher than I expected. I will be back next week with lots of new posts. Until then, hope you have a rad week.

XOXO,
Emily

The Requisite Un-PC Rant

All bloggers have to post a rant that is not politically correct every once and awhile, yes? Here's mine - I am sick of weirdos thinking it's cool to touch my kid.

My 'lil peanut is a friendly little guy. He loves smiles and smiling, so if you smile at him he will smile back. This is adorable and most people give him a little smile and a wave. I like this and am totally cool with chatting to strangers about my cute little guy. Who doesn't like compliments? Things start to get a bit dodgy when the person gets into my personal space or - surprisingly - try to touch 'lil peanut. Not happening.

There have been a few times when I've had to endure a rant from a seemingly crazy person on the streetcar or in a store ("more coats...he needs more coats"). Getting unsolicited advice from strangers in general is kinda lame, but it is especially lame if the person makes no sense. Luckily, 'lil peanut is too small to figure out that the weirdo gesturing maniacally at his mom has some issues. Unluckily, he will continue to smile at them...essentially egging them on. I normally just smile in these situations and listen to the crazy (unless I'm in a hurry). I chalk it up to being out during the day in a big city. Not a big deal.

If you try to touch my kid...that's a whole 'nother story. I had a bit of a tantrum today in Starbucks. Embarassing, but whatever. There's a lady that I see walking around the neighbourhood sometimes. She appears to be what my Grandma would call "slow". She totally reminds me of Rosie O'Donnell in that Riding The Bus With My Sister movie, but with straight hair.  She's spoken to me before once or twice, telling me she likes 'lil peanut's eyes and that I should buy him the Baby Bullet. Today, she went in to touch his face not once, not twice, but three times! Are you kidding me? I physically got in her way the last time, after politely asking her not to touch him, and she wasn't happy. God damn it, I hate awkward situations!

This isn't the first time I've had to deal with strangers trying to pat the 'lil peanut on the head or pinch his cheeks. It's normally old people that want to touch him, and I usually just walk away from them before they make contact, with a "gotta go". Today, I was in a tight space and waiting for my splurge Frappuccino to be concocted. No escape.

You might think I'm being weird or paranoid about this, but the last thing I need is my 'lil peanut getting Tuberculosis or even a cold because his mom is too polite to tell a stranger not to touch him. If I don't know you, you don't get to touch my kid. End of story. To the strangers in Starbucks who gave me looks for being mean to the mentally disabled lady, go fuck yourselves. I bet, if she tried to touch your kid, you'd hit her harder than Aaron Rome hit Nathan Horton. Thankfully, not too many people witnessed my little "incident", as Ron Sexsmith was also in Starbucks and a superfan was complimenting him at the same time. Thanks superfan!

I'm not into stereotyping, and by no means am I trying to paint all persons who have a mental illness or disability with the same brush. I've had some fantastic encounters with strangers who appear to have a mental disability - they've been really friendly and sweet to the 'lil peanut...and haven't tried to touch him...and he loves the attention. I've also had tons of positive interactions with street folks while walking the 'lil peanut. They normally give him a nod or say something like "God bless you little one".

So, to conclude, please don't touch babies that you see out on the town unless you know their parents. You might end up getting yelled at by a jerk like me.

XOXO,
Emily

Rosie pic via cbs.com

Practical Fashion - Summer Looks

Hey hey hey,

Here are some looks for the pregnant ladies that I think will work well this summer. Enjoy!

First Trimester

A cute little dress should keep you nice and cool (and keep your bump under the radar)!

Second Trimester

Show off your bump in a cute romper!

Third Trimester

Brighten up with a blue maxi dress!

Fourth Trimester

Try a coral strapless number (with easy nursing access) when toting your new little one around the town!

Electric Ikat Silk Dress (madewell.com)
Tibi Sleeveless Romper (shopbop.com)
Maternity Cobalt Blue Maxi Dress (topshop.com)
Picacho Dress (anthropologie.com)

Mood Music - The Felice Brothers

I had such a great time in the sunshine today. My parents watched the 'lil peanut so that I could run some errands, and it was awesome to walk around in the heat. I missed out on most of the super-hot days last summer, so it was rad to be outside and feel hot.

Hope y'all are able to keep cool! If you don't have air conditioning, make sure to drink lots of water and keep your pets as cool as you can! Don't forget the sunscreen!

XOXO,
Emily

Max Out Yo Credit Card - Stanley Cup Edition

Have you been watching the Stanley Cup finals? Yeah, me neither. We should be though, because the Vancouver Canucks need our support. Yay team! Here's what I'll wear to cheer them on in a fancy box at the hockey arena.

Thakoon Embroidered Linen Top (net-a-porter.com)
Current/Elliott Ankle Mid-Rise Skinny Jeans (net-a-porter.com)
Repetto BB Suede Ballet Flats (ssense.com)

XOXO,
Emily

Mood Music - Bon Iver

It's beautiful outside. The weather is absolutely perfect. Can't ask for a more pleasant day. I've already taken the 'lil peanut out for one walk, but I think we'll have to go out again.

I'm taking 'er super easy today. I'm totally about to have a quick nap (before 'lil peanut wakes up). Today is a jean shorts, iced coffee and reading magazines in the park kind of day for sure. I hope you find yourself on a patio or in a park on this fine Friday afternoon.

XOXO,
Emily

It's Tyra!!!! - Team Drekitude

I noticed that the CW are rerunning episodes of ANTM cycle 15 on Wednesday nights this summer. It gave me an idea - why not use my noggin' and compile some ANTM related lists? Everyone likes a good list, yes?

I thought I'd start by compiling a dream cast. We all know who will be participating in the All-Star cycle in the fall, and I've weighed in on the cast. What I'm thinking is a list of girls that would participate in the opposite of an All-Star cycle, a "best of the worst" cycle if you will. I've titled my dream cast "Team Drekitude", in honour of the great Andre Leon Talley who obviously would not participate in the fantasy cycle as he is fantastic.

Great Moments In Soap History - Kimberly's Scar!

Words can't really do this justice. This is one of my favourite tv moments of all time. Do yourself a favour and go back & watch season 2 of Melrose Place. Amaaaaaaazing.

XOXO,
Emily

I Like You...Cutie + Grandpa

I took the 'lil peanut to the mall today. Poor bunny had to go bra shopping with me. Sorry hon! Anyways, while we were hanging out on a bench, sharing some snacks, I saw the cutest little girl and her grandpa.

First off, the girl had curls like Annie, but brunette. Second, poor sweetie had a hot pink cast on her arm. I hope it doesn't still hurt, but it looked mega-cute. So, yeah, already cute but she took it over the top by playing a game with her grandpa where she picked out her favourite outfits from the mannequins displayed in the store windows. The grandpa would say, "Which one would you wear?", and then she would point to her favourite mannequin. He would try to get her to explain why she liked that particular outfit, but she would just yell "PRETTY!" Love, love, love.

I couldn't find the outfit that the injured cutie liked the best online, but it had a similar vibe to this Notte by Marchesa dress:

XOXO,
Emily

Max Out Yo Credit Card - Fendi Dress

Holy crap! There is so much construction going on in Toronto right now! I'm being hypnotized by all these orange and black pylons. Well, if I'm gonna be sitting in traffic for most of the summer, I better look damn fine doing it.

Fendi Two-Tone Combination Dress (bergdorfgoodman.com)
YSL Embossed Cuff  (net-a-porter.com)
Prada Leather Tote (prada.com)

XOXO,
Emily