Weekend 3.4

So…we didn’t get to Park City. Vermont (and other New England states) seem to have this cool thing called “winter break” which is not holiday break nor is it spring break and while it surprised us last year, this year we were prepared. Or so I thought. We had booked flights to Park City and found a really cool place to stay and THEN…a storm hit Burlington airport. By the time it was all said and done, our only option was to fly out on Thursday, returning home on Friday.

Which was…not ideal. So we canceled our trip.

As a consolation prize, we drove up to Quebec and went skiing at Mont Tremblant, which was actually kind of amazing. I had found a very fancy hotel, we all did one of those Scandinavian spa things, and tried to catch up on sleep.

Pax, in particular, was exhausted. It’s been a pretty big month for that kid. He decided earlier in the season that he wanted to try and qualify for the all-around at Nationals, which means that he’ll need to get an invite for all snowboarding events: GS, slalom, bordercross, slopestyle and half-pipe. So he’s spent the last two months competing in all of these crazy competitions, trying to earn his Nationals bid in each.

Here’s the thing: I don’t actually know if this kid is going to make it. But I do know he’s been working harder than I’ve ever seen him work. Pax has literally competed every weekend in February, including some Friday and/or Monday competitions. He trains Wednesday and Fridays (as well as the weekend days he’s not competing), and has been doing trampoline training twice a week, too. Competition days are often far enough away that Mike will wake him up at 4:30AM to get in the car and drive. It’s been really intense.

I keep waiting for Pax to call the whole thing off. Last year was his first foray into Nationals, and he – quite frankly – had a love/hate relationship with competitions. He seemed to be happy once the competition started, but getting that kid into the car for a competition he had asked to do was one of those Herculean Parenting Tasks that Mike and I tossed back and forth like hot potato.

Who bells the cat?

So this year, Mike and I have both been tip-toeing around Pax’s whole idea of qualifying for – gack – all the events. But instead of the detonation we’ve been expecting he’s just been…doing his thing. He’s been focused, working hard, and getting up at 4AM without a single complaint. For more than a month.

Sunday should be Pax’s last qualifying competition before Nationals. And, well, then…we’ll see. At this point, I’m fairly confident he’s getting a Nationals bid for a couple of his events, so fingers crossed on the rest.

I just can’t get over the difference a year makes. Watching him find his passion – and then work for this wild goal – has been really gratifying as a mom. No matter what happens with Nationals…Pax has shown so much grit. I couldn’t be prouder.

(And, uh, thank goodness Mike has been able to drive him. Otherwise…oof.)

---

Must order immediately. With just a few subtle tweaks from last year’s model, these Birkenstocks are the most chic pair I’ve ever seen (in the ‘sandcastle’ color).

Translates to ‘red leather’. I’ve been looking for a fresh update to my usual ‘vamp’ pedicure, and Chanel’s ‘rouge cuir’ is it. It’s not quite pink, but not quite coral, either, nor is it red or brown. Yet it is the most gorgeous mix of all of them, and reads almost like a neutral.

Oh, sale, thy name is Frame. Saks has a sale event going on – up to 25% off depending on how much you spend – and allow me to just summarize it in one word: FRAME. Specifically these jeans, this dress, and this denim midi skirt (which is going to be the ‘it’ piece of spring, if you care about these things).

Need a new show? We are all deeply into Lockwood & Co, a Netflix series based on the books series. I read the books years ago (some of my favorites), and am THRILLED with the show’s adaptation. It’s a little like….Stranger Things meets Harry Potter meets….Sherlock Holmes? Anyway…it’s GOOD.

Hat attack. Social Threads is having a 20% off sale this weekend, which means snagging one of their epic beach hats. I think the fedora is my fav, but you can see them all on me in this old article. They really do stay on your head, are packable and crushable. Highly recommend. And if you need a whole lewk for Spring Break, this maxi dress/caftan is a cool print with really elegant lines and a great price (even before the 20% off).

One more. If you were tempted by my old (now sold out) rag & bone sherpa baseball hat…Social Threads has a great dupe (also part of the 20% off).

Halter, I welcome you. Vuori just released a new color, Beryl, that is GORGEOUS. It’s available in my favorite leggings of all time AND – new to the Vuori lineup – this halter top. The top is designed to fit with high-rise leggings without being a half shirt and I AM EXCITED.

*The* cure for chapped lips. I feel like people should be posting more about this Revisions lip gloss because it is bizarrely good. I’ve been using it for months now, and not only have I not had one single episode of chapped lips (unheard of in winter), but I swear my lips look more youthful, too. The gloss goes on really thick, stays put, and just…works.

My spring/summer inspo outfit: Anthro nailed it (make sure you’re looking at the model in the orange tank top). The jeans, btw, are this pair, and these sandals are similar.

Bye, boob light. If anyone else swoons over everything Kelly Wearstler does…Saks has a bunch of her pieces on sale right now. If nothing else, replacing those boring ceiling boob lights with this one, well, here it comes: swoon.

If I worked in an office…I’d take a page out of the menswear book and start lightening up my black trousers with blue. The best blue to pair with black, is traditionally, ‘french blue‘ because it has enough saturation to stand up to a black suit. So for a March work outfit, I’d look for a top with that same punch – something like this blouse (feels like spring, but would work with black), or even GAP’s tie-neck denim blouse. Then, once it’s less muddy/mucky outside, these tops can be paired with lighter bottoms, as well (or even lightwash denim on weekends).

Really strong opinions about very small matters: Sweater tees. Do we like them? I tend to be really attracted to sweater tees every 5-7 years (I blame J.Crew), yet most of mine have not worked out. That said…I think I’m getting closer to cracking the code. This one, for example, I love, especially with loose, slouchy jeans. But I had to size down one size (to an XS) to get a shrunken, 70’s inspired fit. My usual size looked a bit dowdy. As did – sadly – J.Crew’s relaxed cashmere tee. I ordered my regular size and it was underwhelming (the colors are pretty, tho). So maybe that’s the thing? Think about sweater tees more like baby tees circa 1998? Given that hypothesis, then, maybe…this one works?

More strong opinions, but from the men in my life. Based on how often Mike has worn Nobull’s merino wool hoodie (hint: enough to annoy Raines, who is at that age where he is disgusted by everything his Dad does), it’s a keeper. Mike has it in ‘dark fallen rock’ and wears it with the matching joggers as skiing baselayers…but then never takes them off. Pax has started referring to the set as, “Dad’s super suit” and while both boys are threatening an intervention, Mike has asked me to order him another complete set. Apparently it’s bizarrely soft, super wicking, and – thankfully – seems to be fairly smell resistant, too.

The best jacket for kids who hate jackets. While in Mont Tremblant, we picked up this bright Rumpl Poncho for Pax – the size S/M fit him perfectly (he’s 12). Pax insists on wearing only giant hoodies these days, and this genius piece fits over his hoodies perfectly. It also looks really fun/cool on, too. Highly recommend.

Still shopping Adidas for teen boys. Obviously, there’s a sale (up to 40% off, actually). So Raines is getting these slides for summer, these stylish sweats for now, another pair of these cargo pants (that I’ve linked up before) and these sneakers (cloud white/cloud white/core black) as his “dress shoes” for spring/summer. Nothing looks better with a suit. 😉

AHHHHHH. Our wooden dining room chairs were scraping against the floor and contributing to the ongoing noise pollution from two boys. Enter: these silicon chair leg caps. They’re genius. We ordered the black (for our black chairs) but I’m about to get the clear for our wood-colored stools, too. They work shockingly well.

I’m craving Thai noodle soup. This recipe looks delicious, and I can throw in some tofu for myself, and shredded rotisserie chicken for the boys.

Happy weekend!

xo,

S