Beachy Weekend

Photo via Happenstance

It's Friday afternoon and we're headed to the beach

for the first time this Summer!

Have a wonderful weekend, wherever you may be :)

XOXO,

Leigh

ommwriter

OK, this word-processing application, Ommwriter, seriously just blew my mind. Download it for free, here, and give it a spin on your Mac, iPad or PC. LOVE.

Samantha Hahn for the Chicago Tribune

The artwork of my amazing friend, Samantha Hahn (creator of the illustrations for the Sakura Bloom Styleathon), was featured last Sunday on the cover of the Chicago Tribune style section!

How cool is that?

Now, allow me to share a fun little behind-the-scenes secret:

The artist asked yours truly to pose as a reference for the illustration!

!!!

As you can see, Samantha is even more talented than we had imagined, capable of transforming even the most humdrum of living room photo shoots into material for a glamorous cover (see: toddler about to pounce from nearby couch, ratty old bath towel standing in for bright beachy one, and suspicious lack of sand). Not to mention that she dealt so kindly with this mama's generous share of wobbly/saggy/stretchmarked bits :)

I have never felt so bathing beauty-ish!

Thank you, Samantha!

Also, note to self:

This does not count as an actual trip to the beach. No.

We need to get cracking on one of those.

It's the 4th of July weekend already, sheesh!

Here are a few of the other versions of the design

that were considered for the piece. Aren't they so fun?

happy monday

I hope your week is off to a wonderful, whimsical start!

Photo: Attendee of the 2011 Royal Ascot, via Tom & Lorenzo

irma's playhouse

This little playhouse is just about the most magical thing I've ever seen! Check out all the beguiling details over at Dos Family.

birthday

Jackson turned four years old on Saturday! We all had such a fun, joyous, friend-filled, happy celebration. Truly one of the best days ever -- one that left us feeling so incredibly blessed and profoundly thankful for each other, our family and friends, and the richness of our lives. A sweet sweet day. Here are some of the highlights:

mammo+pedi

I was in dire need of a pedi the other day, and was rejoicing at my good fortune when I found myself out of the apartment with two sleeping boys in their stroller! Like the opportunistic mama I am, I had just made a pit stop at Starbucks and I was about to head to the nearest nail salon when I ran over a bump in the sidewalk and woke up the littlest kiddo. Not fresh. But bless him, he woke up in the sweetest mood, just asking calmly to nurse, so I decided to carry on with my plans. After all, a massage chair seemed like a much more comfy option than the park bench planted on the median in the middle of Broadway. So we picked a color and plopped down at Refined Sparkling Nails & Spa for a snack and some relaxation. It was awesome! Clearly Walker and I enjoyed ourselves, and Jackson slept through the whole thing ;)

bubble wonder

Over the weekend Taro celebrated his 39th birthday! One of the ways we celebrated was by meeting friends and family in the park and playing with a giant bubble wand I made (using about $5 worth of hardware-store supplies, and following the surprisingly easy instructions given to me by my amazing, crafty-mama-goddess friend Ariella). The afternoon was unseasonably chilly and grey, but we were so focused on the bubbles, our spirits were as high as if it had been 70 degrees and sunny.

It was SO much fun. Taking turns manipulating the strings to finesse the biggest possible bubbles was totally mesmerizing entertainment, surpassed only by the joy of seeing the choice few rainbow-slicked orbs float, trembling, into the distance before popping. This will be a go-to activity in the coming months, I'm absolutely sure ;)

napcave

Love.

Via Tralalère.

bikes

We have lived a stone's throw away from Central Park for over four years now, and it wasn't until this past Monday morning that we got our patooties to the neighborhood bike shop to rent bikes and go for a spin around The Loop.

Well, it was awesome. Better than awesome. Spectacular. The kiddos felt so free and exhilarated, Taro and I were totally invigorated from the much-needed exercise, and it was so great to experience the shift in perspective that comes from hopping on a bike and traveling well-known terrain. We stopped for a picnic lunch in Sheep Meadow and while we ate we realized what we had to do.

We had to have bikes. For keeps. Even though that would mean parking them in the tiny dining area of our apartment (which is really just a table parked in our living room).

So in an act of unparalleled impulsiveness, we bought our own bikes when we returned the rental ones to the shop. We bought helmets and child seats and water bottles and the works.

Today, when Taro got home from work the boys and I were waiting, ready to go, and we took our inaugural spin around the park, arriving back home just before sunset.

We had a blast, as you can see from the photos above, which were snapped as we walked our bikes the last half-block to our apartment.

It's going to be a fun Summer.

Who needs a dining area for dining anyway?

UPDATE: Unfortunately, the original version of this post was deleted during the Blogger Blackout, along with several comments. If you left a comment the first time, I apologize that your words have been lost :( Please feel free to comment again, if you wish.

Selima for Crewcuts

Did you know that Selima Optique has a range of eyewear for kids, designed exclusively for Crewcuts?

My friend Angel, who works at Selima's Bond Street boutique, introduced me to the line one day when I dropped by the store to shop for myself. The collection is so freaking cute, I knew I had to tell my readers about it!

The frames come in several classic shapes and a snazzy array of colors, for style options to suit any budding fashion maven. Jackson and Walker loved rocking the sunglasses that Angel lent us to review and photograph, and it was amazing to see how they gravitated to different styles that perfectly complimented their very different personalities. Jackson immediately picked the Delancy frames as his favorites and started channeling his inner movie star, whereas Walker looked utterly himself the second he donned the insanely-precious-yet-still-totally-badass-pint-sized aviators.

I am in love with the range of mauves and pinks that the Scout style come in. So pretty, right? Doing this post is making me want my own new pair of sorbet-colored glasses! Lucky for me, Selima has the grown-up styles covered too ;)

Shop the entire collection of children's sunglasses online at J. Crew, or bring your kiddo by a Selima store location to get a custom fitting for prescription lenses.

couldn't NOT post this ;)

How freaking fun and hilarious, right? I love how the Royal lookalikes are pretty convincing.

Did you watch the wedding? What did you think? I've just been catching up with a bit of the coverage online and I adore HRH Kate's dress and all the fabulous hats.

Video via Tralalere.

Spring

Spring! And Earth is like a child
who has learned many poems by heart.
For the trouble of that long learning
she wins the prize.

Her teacher was strict. We loved the white
of the old man's beard. Now we can ask her
the many names of green, of blue,
and she knows them, she knows them!

Earth, school is out now. You're free
to play with the children. We'll catch you,
joyous Earth. The happiest will catch you!

All that the teacher taught her—the many thoughts
pressed now into roots and long
tough stems: she sings! She sings!

--Ranier Maria Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus I, 21

All photos by me, except for 2 and 4, which are by my friend, Corie.

Eggs

Our Easter egg handiwork :)

We used this natural dye kit + crayons.

So much fun!

Marla Cielo

Aren't these envelope clutches by New York designer Marla Cielo just fantastic? Each one is completely unique, due to the process of hand-painting large leather "canvasses", cutting them into strips, and then weaving the pieces into a bag. Functional fashion meets one-of-a-kind artwork! Check out the website to see the whole range.

You can also shop Marla Cielo's latest collections at a special event on April 28th from 6-9 pm at Bond 07 (07 Bond Street, NYC). Enjoy a cocktail while you shop, meet the designer, and even watch her demonstrate the painting process! I plan to go, and it would be great to see you there ;)