mexico recap

Holy shmoly where have I been? Wish I could say I was in Mexico the last two months but that would just be a silly lie. It's a work in progress people and some life things just happened to come to light that kept me preoccupied. Let's just say what happens in Mexico doesn't always stay in Mexico. But I'll save that for another post.

Anyway, Cancun early 30's springbreak with #threecouplesandababy was just devine. Despite being surrounded by college-breakers we managed to stay around our kind and spent an amazing week in sunny beautiful Cancun. Even my little man enjoyed himself despite being semi terrified of the water. But half-way he eventually came around. In the end it was just what the doctor ordered for a crew of tired overworked old friends. Nothing like reminiscing about our days of single lady clubbers over tropical bevvies to get us good.

Here are some memories from our week in paradise.

little man floatin' all by himself

family photo, sorry for the crop hubs

at the Mayan ruins

splish splash

dinners with the crew

bye bye Mexico

And lastly we decided to take advantage of the setting and had a pro take some shots of us and I'm so happy we went ahead with it. So worth it and such beautiful family photo memories worth looking back on and actually feel good about putting up.

I'll be living vicariously through these pictures till the next whoknowswhen family trip.

Hasta la vista babes!

I'll take a beach cover up with a side of swimsuit thanks

In preparation for our beach vacation, I've been taking some time to do outfit planning in hopes of not dumping my albeit limited yet all of my "resortwear" into the luggage. I've pulled out all my best tops, bottoms and one piece wonders and have tested out different shoe and accessory options in hopes to keep it minimal for the fear of bringing too much of everything. I realized though that despite the growing pile of variety, I don't have much to work with in the area of beach coverups/beach dressing. For some reason, I never gave that much attention. I think I put most of my efforts into the actual swimwear I would be lounging in and none much on what I might need or hope for in terms of covering up whether it was to keep warm or for modesty reasons.

For much of my adolescent to adult years, like many women I've struggled with body image and have never felt at ease or comfortable in second skin in the form of swimwear. I've definitely put a lot of effort forward to find the right swimsuit where I (think) I will look my best and feel my best in but I never gave my cover-upping much thought. However, through the years of my beach vacations, something I noticed was that you don't need to have a Victoria's Secret swimsuit model body in order to look and feel great at the beach, shocking I know. Women of all shapes and sizes can look great and feel great. I believe the key is to feel good about what you are in and carry yourself however you see and feel fit. But some effort required.

Aside from the swimsuit, for me that means opting for the right coverup that covers up when I feel I need some but also allows me to still feel put together and not just feel like a sweaty, sandy blob underneath a shapeless throw. Ok so will a coverup transform my body into a boss.... no.. but the right top can accentuate my assets and hide my liabilities.. uh oh did I just go all accounting on this. Hehe it is Sunday night. So right, I'm currently on the hunt for the perfect coverups. I've purchased one so far but would like 1 or 2 more options. Redundant unnecessary, perhaps but this is my week, my.one.week, and I am gonna milk it all the way!

Here are some of my visuals for the ultimate beach dressing. 

How do you feel your best at the beach?

fringelove

pompom poncho

pretty pallazzos

flowy perfection

a diy option made from a scarf

classy and chic

preppy at ease

blizzards, summer outfits and rashguards oh yes

So here in New England we are at our wits end with all of this snow and back to back blizzarding. I've lost track of the blizzard names and where they hail from... darn you friendly neighbor of the north! not so friendly, ehh? It's not even worth going on about, it's lame and too much and cold. Brrrr Brr cold. and the child, and the messy house but the all day pajammin.. ahh well guess it's a doozy.
Arright enough about the weather... cuzzzz.. the weather outside is weather.. Ok better now.

Also at the end of this all there is a bright tunnel in the form of not as cold sunny weather aka spring in Boston, but even sooner than that less than 3 weeks from now the natad'or and co. are taking a trip to sunny Mexico with 2 other couples and I could not be more excited! It all just came together and worked out so well in such a short matter of time. Just get me on a beach with a fruity drink in hand (and server at hand's notice for refills would be great too) and a book to dive into and I'll be a happy camper. Can't get too ahead of myself as I will have a 20 month old to tend to but I think it will all work out. He'll keep me in line and prevent me from getting all springbreaky although there's a big change my top will be exposed thanks to my nursling.. heh heh. Oh man my friends are in for a realll treat. But I'm excited to be doing this trip with my BFF+hubby and another good friend+hubby who live on the West Coast that we don't get to spend time with. Thanks to my friend's hubby we already have a hashtag ready for motion #threecouplesandababy... not too shabby.

So now I'm all in planning vacay mode, naturally. I must admit, I love warm weather vacation outfit planning. So much more than daily outfit planning. Nothing gets me than a feminine flowy tank, flowy skirt or shorts and flat leather sandals..I'm halfway there right now. Especially when I really don't get to maximize my summer wardrobe in the corporate world. There are only so many weekends to test out the summer trends. sigh first world? problems don't stop. Silly yes but I can't wait to wear out my virgin hat collection, bust out my strappy red heels and live in a #rashguard. Oh and about that, like why are those just a thing of late? Why was there no rashguard during my awkward 15 years prior. I dunno, no one seems to know. but boy am I glad they are here. Which brings me to decisions, decisions, I need to order one y'all but they are all so cute! Here are the runner ups.

colorblock multi swimtee

colorblock swimtee

metallic sleeveless halfzip

color block half sleeve halfzip

long sleeved striped

stunner long sleeved swimzip

floral half sleeve

Thoughts?
xoxo, the natad'or

happy hearts day

Happy Valentine's Day! It's all snow and chilly here but we are making out okay and staying cozy warm thanks to hot nutella milk and apple tea cake. 

Hope you're having a lovely Valentine day with your loves.

little man making his first valentine's. he has a lot of lucky lady pals

me & my mini me valentine cozying it up

valentine's from my sweets

xoxo, 

the natad'or

snowpalooza+sickboys=moody mama

Oh boy. It has been...too much. Too much snow. Too much work from home. Too much yucky cold/flu/fever/etc. This winter has really kicked our arses and has been full force beginning with the new year. Nothing like a snow day for a kid but for a wfh-ers it can be a bit. I love being home compared to doing the dreaded commute to work, but for those who think it's all ponies + peonies, working from home with a toddler is no piece of cake, especially when he's now feeling under the weather. My poor little strawberry muffin. I feel so bad when he looks at me with these confused sad puppy dog eyes internally whining "mommy, I feel yucky, make me all better!". I know buddy, I'm trying. Luckily, we're still nursing here, and that is one super easy way to comfort my sickling. So here we are, yet another weekend aftermath of blizzarding but on the brightside the Pats won! which means the city will be celebrating with yet another title win and parade once the blizzard remnants have passed.

Lately I've been trying to get into the swing of some home decor updates and changes... which means Home Goods here we come! Especially now that all the holiday decor has been put away..slowly. I was at a loss of how to decorate January but luckily or lazily... it's February! Which means Valentine's Day! which means I'll throw some hearts up and rosy pinky flowers and call it a day.

With my little guy in daycare, I decided it's never too soon to start courting a love interest for him. So yesterday as a segue from his Elmo/Minnie cartoon marathoning, I put out some finger paint for him to create some Valentine masterpieces. This kid did not like the finger painting. similarly to when I attempted to have him make snow angels. So I let him have at the paintbrush and the kid had.a.ball. Covered head to toe in paint but enjoyed it. I can't believe my baby is doing big boy things. On one hand you want them entertained so you can get a break but on the other hand you want to keep them safe and sound in a playpen.. ha! This kid would not even.

In other areas, I just tested two overnight oats recipes..uhm yeah, where have these been all my life! Currently eating out of a glass pickle jar as I type... don't judge. I did a cookie dough themed one and recently a banana peanut butter concoction. I love the idea of putting it all together night before. Going to bed, forgetting about it and them somehow remembering in the morning, and getting giddy like a teenager cause instant breakfast! And the kid likes.. so yeah winner.

Back to work. Oh and the groundhog says 6 more weeks of winter! Boo! Hope you all are staying cozy.

ootd catch up

Here we go. When I started this blog thing, I really wasn't sure what I was trying to accomplish or offer to the web - if I even had anything worthy to offer. Hopefully something I write or share can resonate with someone out there and will make you laugh, smile or inspire. So that alone is enough for me.

I contemplated whether I wanted to take the route of fashion/lifestyle type of blog and bombard my site with bright pictures suggesting I live a fabulous life. Far from it. I have a pretty good life but not nearly perfect and the last thing I want, is to suggest I am something I am not or worse fall into the trap of unattainable perfection and obsess over it. Yikes that can get ugly. So what I am getting at is I still don't know the direction of the blog and as my blurb states - I'm trying to grab life by the bullhorns - which I perceive as me just trying to try my hand at something new, something smart, something creative, something that will hopefully inevitably come with some success (not in the material sense but general) and make me happier as well as you.

So until I narrow down my niche, here are some OOTD's from this last week for some picture not so perfect measure.  Excuse the awful conditions that is my workplace bathroom!

old navy sweater, vera wang for kohl's skirt, ellen tracy pointy pumps, banana republic necklace

j. crew flannel, silence & noise blazer, zara pants, spring pumps, f21 necklace

f21 scarf, ring by hollydaydesigns

 

 

 

 

old navy plaid button down, j. crew factory sweater, gap cropped pants, vince camuto boots, charles hubert watch

jammie janny day

It's a dreary January (Sun)day. We're sitting here at home taking in the quiet moments while my baby naps. I should be catching up on some laundry, or marinate the fresh bought meats sitting in the fridge but I can't seem to peel the blanket off me and remove myself from the couch. It's cold today and been cold this last week. With the wind factor considered, the temps felt below 0F. Crazy for us here in New England. We complain about the weather here, mainly because it can be so unpredictable but truth is were much luckier than more northern and mid-west states.

I was hoping to kick off the new year with a better attitude about accomplishing the little things. But I should have thrown a clause in there about the weather :)

I'm actually daydreaming about weather... warm sunny fruity cocktail weather that is. We are trying to plan a trip here. If we can get all of our ducks in a row, we are hoping to do a week at an all inclusive sometime in the next few months. It hasn't really set in since we have nothing booked, not even settled on a destination. I imagine it will come together fast and be a quick decision. Knowing that we won't have to wait too long for it makes it so much more appealing. 

I suppose I should do some destination research while I have settled quite nicely into the nooks and crannies of my spot on the couch. Off we go. Hope you all are staying cozy and warm wherever you may be.

let's do this

On Saturday, I had a family party to attend to but before my toddler awoke from his nap, I thought I would try my first attempt at an OOTD photoshoot with my new tripod. Oh boy. I have a lot to learn! So I'll just let you see for yourself. Hopefully with some practice, I can get better at this and not butcher the whole thing so badly. On a side note, I love the pockets on this top. Here we go:

top - Ann Taylor

cardigan - Mossimo (Target)

denim - Abercrombie & Fitch

booties - Nine West

necklace - H&M

all is not quiet on new years day

Happy 2015! It's here. I feel good about it. It's a new day, new month, new plan, new The Walking Dead calendar hanging fresh to be Sharpied on.
I like the start of the new year. Who doesn't right. An opportunity to start anew in any arena one chooses. Possibilities are endless.

But back to the day. NYD morning was spent at my families annual NYD brunch - 7th year now? - where some 40 of us get together young and old to reunite catch up and feast. It's great to see everybody in one place at one time and there always seems to be an expectation of some big family announcement. Ironically there was this year although not the expected pregnancy or engagement announcement. A few surgery shout outs and health concerns enlightened but thankfully nothing that is life threatening and not treatable. Come to think of it, at 2013's NYD brunch, it was then that I just getting over the 1st trimester announced to the clan that we would be bringing a plus one to 2014's brunch. They loved that and ate it up. I think they were waiting for me to have a similar announcement but they'll have to wait a little longer as someone else decided to show up the other day.. TMI? Sorry. Anyway, another family brunch and tortured waitress/photographer to capture it all with at least 5 phones, under our belts.

the clan - not even everyone!

first decent shot of the year!

A few hours after brunch we visited a friends house for another get together and then finally home to settle into the evening but not before tending to a new tradition we started 1 year ago that would play out today. Courtesy of the lovely Pinterest, I saw a pin where you would jot down on little post its anything that happened that of some significance made you smile, laugh or even not the happiest thing. Something that was of the moment that might be worth revisiting at a later date when it's all forgotten. So we started this on 1/1/14 and with a little bit of reminding, I was able to get my hubby on board. I was eager and looking forward to seeing some high and lowlights of the year. We dumped the jar out and read one each, one at a time. There were some silly forgettable moments and special moments worth re-savoring. We'll definitely be doing this starting again this month!

Cheers to all things new and bright! 2015 I'm liking you so far.

cheers to a new year! (late post part 2)

After my afternoon high of shopping and a visit to Wegman's.. Wegman's oh wow, you deserve a post all your own. But moving on, after Weggie's I had to hightail it home to get me and the fam ready to head on over to my parents to start our last minute change of plan NYE festivities.

lobbies preppin'

This year we kept it low key with dinner at my parents. We were most likely gonna do the ole chinese takeout on new years but then my hubby, bless his heart, had a brilliant idea for ... lobsters! Love that man and his unexpected wonderful ideas. We love lobster here at the natador + extended families. So lobsters it was with a few frozen and quick prep side dishes, including escargot. Keepin' it fancy and slimy here. I slugged (bad choice of words huh?) a few of those down, and thought, why do we eat these.. I mean who? how? the whole let's put this in a shell and cover it with a delicious garlic butter? Beats me but I devoured it, I did.

After we were claw cracked out and cleaned up, took some time to just lounge and hang out watching the Dick Clark NYE Show. My mom kept thinking it was an old taping of the 2005 show cause the 2015 glasses looked a lot like 2005. I didn't blame her when I saw Fergie up there. Barum chuhhhh sorry but nah, not sorry. So we hung around for a little while and then played a little hooky after my little pooky bear fell asleep on the couch. My parents were kind enough to just be parents and let us chew and screw to stop by my BFF's NYE party who lives nearby while they watched my boy. I felt a little bad (even though we treated!) but it was nice to get to visit friends and pretend we were on a date. So we stopped by my lovely friends house for dessert and ringing in the new year with bubbly. We mostly chatted and caught up on lost time and promised next get together one of us would have to buy Cards Against Humanity cause of all the rage and cause our reluctant traditional card playing hubbys would just not. Pfff how dare they.

post meal nap (this is his usual bedtime!)

But all in all, it was a great night and we got to accomplish a little of this and that with loved ones. The fact that we were able to stay up till 12 was a feat on it's own!

Hope you all had a lovely New Years Eve!

the sales continue to the very last day

I can't believe it's here. (Well this is actually post-mature as it is Friday as I am finishing up this post) but I am referring to Wednesday. I was lucky to get both Wednesday and Thursday off from work and not too shabby to be working from home on Friday so it's a total vacation high here after having all of last week off). I didn't quite know what to do with myself today. I could go to the mall/stores... again!? I could stay home and clean, but ehh I did really need to hit the supermarket. So I compromised to do both shops and supermarket.. ayaya. But I had purpose! I had a return from Bloomingdale's - that delightful place that I shop very rarely at. I figured it was a good day to truck on over there and do a stroll and then I remembered I had a pretty sweet coupon promotion. I mean I wasn't planning to spend $200 ..hahah but uhh worse things happen right. So I ended up rewarding myself with a purchase I have been looking high and low for for years now: the perfect over the knee boot. (You don't know how many times I had to google OTK to refresh the noggin what those 3 letters stood for. I kept thinking what it is this OTK boot? must be some indie cult followed brand my life does not know.. calm now, now I know and I totally believe the hype that is this type of boot that deserves it's own acronym.) So yeah. I have been on a hunt for OTK boots, years man. I mean like come onnnn. It's a hard task when you're as picky as me with certain things. I feel like with OTK boots, there is so much more shoe to leg ratio where it just needs to fit your leg right! There's nothing worse than a loose flowy boot that does not sit slim to the calf, unless of course you're going for that look. Truth is we come in all different shapes and sizes, and while you do on occasion see wide and narrow calf boot styles, sometimes you just want that almost custom fit. (And I'm sure that option is out there? and I'm sure I can't afford it!) Which is why I could and would not settle on just anything even when I found a lovely <$100 Dolce Vita boot. I can recall at least 4 pairs of boots ordered and then returned in defeat as they just wouldn't cut it. So here they are, I have actually yet to receive them as they didn't have my size in store.. how rude but I truly madly deeply hope they work out :)

Sam Edelman - Joplin

they are black pebbled leather. I would have preferred non-pebbled, but at an add'l 50% off the sale price, I supposed beggars can't be choosers

Bloomies you totally brought it man.. woman?










After Blooms, I took a stroll thru the adjoining mall and spotted Crate & Barrel. Another fave shop that I rarely shop at. I remembered I needed a few extra drinking glasses to replace the 2 that I recently broke.. shhh my hubby does not know this! I was once even called Spillana Von Spiller.
Anyway like every other store, they were having a sale on all the holiday stuff, so naturally I bought whatever they had left of these for next year's tree:

White Wood Bead Garland

I just checked their site and geez they have a lot of great stuff available online at some great prices!

 I'll be back shortly...









Next up, I needed a gift for a family party this Saturday for my cousins sons tooth party. In my culture all the ladies get together for when a baby breaks their first tooth :) it's a silly but cute little thing. There is also this part where the baby is placed down surrounded by a bunch of items signifying different professions and the first item he grabs is a prediction to his future profession. Silly but so cute to watch. Anyway I spotted Jack & Jane yet another store I only sometimes buy from. They too had a decent sale where I scored these two pieces for under $40.

this image looks dirty huh?

and this little guy

A shopping trip here could not be complete without a purchase for my boy. I just couldn't resist. An adorably adorable grey herringbone 2 piece suit set in his size? I can't even. I mean look at this thing, the pictures are terrible but it is a beaut. I knew the pants were a must at $23, they are a steal and so chic and something he can wear more than twice, the jacket on the other hand, I'm a little torn on. But together? Oh my, I may need to throw together a photo shoot just for this outfit.

And that was the jist of my NYE afternoon. I just had to take the very last day of the year to do more damages... but hey tomorrow is a new day :)