The Mom Edit Home contributor. Fierce lover of momming, 3 amazing kids, blessed with the most wonderful family and friends, likes coffee black, wine dry, chocolate dark, and salt chunky, resting position is in motion, particularly where salt water and wind are involved. Moderately obsessed with home design. Feels super lucky to be a part of this community. xo

FAQ
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Let’s get the basics out of the way:  where you live, how many kids, etc.

Philly Girl, born, bred, and proud.  3 kids:  Boy (9), Girl, Girl (7,5)  Loves of my life, lights of my world.  7 Koi Fish, 1 Turtle, 1 Hermit Crab.  Divorced.  Yup the Big D word.

Three words to describe your personal style. Go.

Light (in an East Coast we’re actually kinda heavy kinda way)
Happy (in an East Coast All Black kinda way)
Easy (in an East Coast not really at all but still are kinda way).

Who are your style icons? How do you integrate those tastes into your own wardrobe if at all?

Oscar de la Renta – Clean lines, lots of clean lines, but only just as many as we need, and pockets, plenty of pockets

Aaron Cooper, Justin Taylor, Jon Warren, Tinker Hatfield – A girls gotta have some kicks

Jacqueline Kennedy – Classic Perfection

Amy Cecilia Daly – My Maternal Grandmother, always dressed to the nines, on no budget, often with mismatched shoes; otherwise she’d have been perfect.

How has your personal style changed since becoming a mom?

Armani Suits and 4’ Manolos have been traded for Lululemon, kicks and Birkenstocks for daywear.  My downtime, date night, weekend time, and summertime is really all the same as it’s always been and probably always will be.  My jean shorts are a little longer than they once were.  And I’ve sized up in just about everything.

What’s your most-worn piece? (If it’s sweatpants…we won’t tell.)

American Giant Joggers.  Because they are long enough.  Done.

Sometimes it’s hard to gauge height from an Instagram or blog post – SO…how tall are you?

6 feet.

Your top three beauty products?

Colleen Rothschild Beauty Dual Enzyme Polish
Channel Le Lift Eye Cream
Neutrogena Sunscreen

What drew you to blogging and when did you start?

I’ve always had a rep for not being able to tell a short story and for writing a nice note.  If I left all my feelings in my heart and thoughts in my mind they’d both explode.  It’s an outlet.  And my friend Shana offered me a gift when she asked to share an email I sent her once, and so the story…well…to be continued.  For sure.

What does a typical day look like? How do you manage time with kids vs blogging (or work)?

What exactly is a typical day?  And if you know where to find one, please pick me up three of them in a row???  Please????  That would be amazing.

In a few words:  Organized Chaos filled with Love, Laughter, and Fun.

In many words, assuming everyone is healthy:
Up at 4:30am with anxiety
Throw in a load of laundry
Sucking in news at 6 on a handheld
Throw in a load of laundry
Kids up, dressed, bake breakfast pack lunches, pack backpacks, finish unfinished homework, get to school JUST in time.
Clean the kitchen, prep dinner, order more Instacart, manage everything at home that’s broken, throw in a load of laundry, manage email, get frustrated, shop for home finishes, paints, furniture and home goods for people
Yoga, Run, Eat an egg.  Or two.
Morning chocolate with S.  Scheme.
Go to a morning meeting for school, or a board, or a home, or a friend, or visit a project.
Pick up the littlest.
Lunch.  Stories.
More work online.
Pack stroller for after school activities.
Cook dinner.
Make 2 necessary phone calls.
Pick up bigs from school.  And many of their friends.
Get 3 (or 10) kids to three after school activities in 3 locations at the same time, and enjoy watching them, while also picking them each up, almost on time.
Home, family dinner, wine, homework, clean the kitchen, sometimes the kids bathe, read stories, try not to fall asleep putting the kids to sleep.
Fold the laundry.  Clean up the house.
Decide a shower isn’t worth it.
More online mom work.
Crash.
Repeat.

Thursdays are date night.  That’s always fun.  The rest of it is fun because the kids are.
Laundry stinks.
Illness stinks.
Divorce stinks.
Punctuality is hard.

Someone would serve me well to set a governor on how many balls I throw in my own air at any given moment, but then what would I do with my adult ADD/OCD?

The rest of it really is amazing, every non-freaking-typical day.  Who needs typical anyway?

After the craziest, worst days we all find salvation in seeing our kids. What’s your favorite thing to do with them to decompress?

Cook, Listen to loud music and dance or cuddle and read.

If you could give only one piece of advice to a timid, new mom (we’ve been there), what would it be?

Breath, Sleep, Exercise, Laugh, Love, and know that everything will be OK.  It really will.  And accept the help.  All of it.  At any cost.

What did you dream of being when you were young?

A pilot.

What’s one fashion risk you love to see on others but would NEVER take yourself?

Strapless Dresses.  For obvious reasons.