Home: First Floor Update Plan

We’ve been in our home for almost 1.5 years now, and I feel like I finally have a vibe/vision for what I’d like our main living areas to feel like. A little backstory on our house: it’s 12 yrs old, so some things are starting to look dated; has a 2 story living room; and if it had a designated style, I would say that it’s contemporary. We love it. A lot.

Our entire main floor, and part of the upstairs, is painted Valspar Oatbran. We kind of picked this on a whim, before we moved in, because it seemed like an easy neutral to work off. The walls from room-to-room are curved, so we could only do one color throughout. I still really like this color, but I’m now noticing how “yellow” it reads in some rooms. Personally, I do not recommend painting your walls until you’re settled in a house, but logistically, it made sense for us to paint before we got a feel for the home.

We also have our share of hand-me-down furniture. Seeing as how I spend about 80% of my time at home, I’d like it to feel more “grown up.” That also could be because I watch way too much HGTV, and have it in my head that everything must be PERFECT. For real though, I’ve always thought that a home should be a sanctuary, and reflect positively on the family that lives in said home. My Barbies’ Malibu Beach House was immaculate, growing up. 

What I think our home needs, is a few new pieces that are kid and pet friendly; some cosmetic updates to modernize this place; and some color! Everything is tan and grey right now. My husband enjoys that simplicity, so I’ll hopefully find a good balance in both of our styles. Modern coastal is what I keep going back to - bright and airy, without any actual coastal knickknacks. Think pastels to balance out the yellow in the walls, and the orange in the honey oak throughout the house. 

Living Room 

1. I’m really into Anthropologie’s home decor. These trays might look cool displayed on our mantle. Our fireplace, and surrounding wall, is a huge focal point of our first floor. Like, literally huge - takes up an entire wall

2. Same with these vases. 👆🏼 obsessed. 

3. Our kitchen nook sits between our kitchen and living room. I thought this area was pretty much done, but it’s so drab. It needs color. I have my eye on this Novagratz area rug via Walmart. Yes, Walmart. 

4. In addition to a grey sectional couch (L-shaped, from Ashley), we’ve decided that an oversized chair and ottoman will be perfect. I’m really leaning toward something in a mint or muted aqua. Right now, this one from Birch Lane is my front runner, but I know that my husband wants to be able to test it out first. I do like that this comes in an option for the Sunbrella fabric (super toddler and dog friendly), and it’s 1/3 the price of the chair that I’d really love from Restoration Hardware. I wouldn’t say that we’re really Restoration Hardware people at this phase in our lives. 

Stairwell 

Our house is pretty open, and I’ve mentioned all of the honey oak throughout. Honestly, sanding alllll of it down, and staining it (after even choosing a stain color) is too big of a feat than we’re willing to take on. We’re thinking that changing out our stair/loft balusters to wrought iron will be a great fit for this house. Pics above are just examples via Pinterest. The large photo looks similar to our house/small one is the style that I like. My husband is planning to do this one on his own. I feel like you have no idea how handy you are, until you own a house.

Kitchen 

Our kitchen is a really good size and layout. Some of the finishes seem like throwaway decisions, however - mostly the countertop and little bit of backsplash that we do have. I mentioned on IG, that I’d like to keep our current Maple cabinets, and just update the hardware (to wrought iron), and reface the uppers to do away with a scrolled inlay (v 2003). Some of my favorite looks/ideas featured above. 

As of now, these are just ideas (that I obsess over. Usually while I’m pretending to watch Hotel Transylvania 3 for the 19th time in a day).  Stay tuned, and hopefully we’ll get a start on things sooner than later! 

Happy Shame

I’m writing this post from my POS hand me down phone, on our way home from Naples, FL. Somehow, Anthony and I were able to make a quick getaway happen. We had the best time together. I mean, we always do, but it’s nice to step away from “real life” and have our biggest concern be if we should try to shovel more food in our faces for the day. The answer was always yes on this trip, by the way. 

In the airport, on our way down, we sat beside a nice woman and her adult son. We started chit chatting, and of course, we talked about Lyla. Because, obsessed. The woman mentioned her 5 year old granddaughter/niece to her son, that was traveling with her. Quickly the conversation started steering toward a trend that I’m not vibing on. It seemed that in talking about this young girl, there was a shame in praising her. It was a lot of “well she’s sassy..,” and “she’s so bossy!” You get the idea. There was also some “oh your daughter is 2? Hello, terrible twos!” Actually so far, so good. We’ve heard that age 3 is the real doozy, anyway. Get with it, Joanne. Or Sharon. Or whatever. She really was sweet, though. 

Maybe it’s because I don’t know how Lyla’s health will fare in the future, or that she might be our only child, but this kind of talk irritates me. I think that it’s really unnecessary. In talking about children, it’s especially irritating and possibly damaging, but we all do it, over everything. Think about it. I do it, too. If someone compliments a shirt that I’m wearing, I’m really quick to say something like “it’s just from Target.” You know what, Luce? What’s so bad about Target? I could stand to step it up in the fixing-up game, as it is. I digress. That’s another post for another day, to be filed under: how do stay at home moms manage to look cute? I don’t know the answer, by the way. 

I was out with friends a few weeks ago, and of course, going on about how much fun Lyla is, how good her health has been, etc. Someone piped in that we need to have another baby to take the focus off of our daughter. Umm, what. This actually snowballed into a conversation about how complicated it is for us to expand our family. Not impossible, but complicated. In addition to dwelling on that fact (Fun! Great! Easy! Cool!), I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that because I was verbally praising my 2 year old, some might see her as being on a pedestal. You know what? She probably is. Who cares?! She’s still a baby in some ways. A happy one at that. I assure you, when she does typical toddler naughty things, we correct her. We tell her no. We donate stuff that she doesn’t use, to kids who really do need it. We’re raising her on a very even playing field. That said, why is it frowned upon to speak glowingly of a loved one, especially my child. 

I notice that a lot of couples do this, as well. Honestly, Anthony and I are guilty of it

“How’s Anthony?” 

“He’s great..if I can get him to take the garbage out roflmao” *pause for fake laughter*

That’s hypothetical, by the way. He’s really good about doing things around the house. Maybe I’m afraid that it will seem like I’m bragging, if I simply say “he’s great!” end of story. Because he is great. 

It would be nice if we could all make a conscious decision to try to not feel embarrassed, if things are going well. Obviously, for me, talking positively about Lyla without shame, is a piece of cake. I probably need to work on everything else. Especially if said little girl hears what I’m saying. 

As someone who has had her share of hard things happen, I’m choosing to bask in the good while I can. Until life isn’t so easy again, for however long, because that’s how it all goes. Let’s just own the good! 

What's in a name?

It's been a hot second. We have been busy just doing summer. Working out and writing are the first things to go when I'm busy. This means that I might even exercise today. Might. Lyla has pretty much dropped her nap, which means that she usually "works out" with me. It's convenient, entertaining, and chaotic at the same time. 

Some ideas that I've had lately for posts have been that everyone seems to have an opinion for absolutely everything; if/when we'll expand our family; and how everyone seems to have an opinion on how we should go about that. Full circle opinion-ing going on. Some of those opinions are really well thought out and valid, and come from family that know and love us, and some of those opinions are...well, not that. Expanding our little fam is kind of complicated, therefore a really intense conversation or post, along with about a dozen open ended questions with varying answers. What I do know for sure though, is that Lyla can have all of the puppies that she wants as she grows up, and if we are lucky enough to add more kids to our home, they're pretty much named. 

On the day that we found out about our Lyla, almost exactly 3 years ago, one of the first things that we decided was that she'd be a Dominic. This was a no brainer, since I was positive that what was making my breasts hurt, my uterus swell, and my dog to become even more attached to me, was a little boy. "Yep, little Dominic. Let's call him Nic. Or spell it Nick. Or is that weird? Let's honor my Dad with his middle name..." as I planned out his outer space themed nursery, and ordered puppy dog outfits for his first photo shoot. 

Cut to a few weeks later, and surprise surprise, she's all girl. The place where I had my amniocentesis done is really technologically advanced, so as soon as we saw her on their screen, there was no denying it. I loved that moment so much. We would have been thrilled either way, and even though I was wrong, I finally felt like I knew my baby. I knew her so well in that moment. We fed our emotions later that day with wings, burgers, and milkshakes. I had just had a huge needle inserted into my pregnant stomach to find out if my first and unborn baby could have a life threatening disease; but also found out that we would be welcoming a daughter. A dinky lil salad wasn't gonna cut it, ya know? I can remember that lunch, with my husband, and I couldn't wait to talk names and nursery. I think that he was just as excited, but knew once I started, that was it. Choosing a name for this girl consumed us both. 

Somewhere along the way we created our list: 

• Natalie was Anthony's top choice. I do love this name, but Lyla never felt like a Natalie to me. We still might get to use it someday. The funniest thing is that Anthony saw it on a list of, like, hot girls via The Chive. Nice. 
• Sienna or Stella. Feminine, Italian, lovely. At one point, I noticed that Stella was climbing way up on the lists of all of the most popular names. Not really my scene.
• Julia. I love Jules as a nickname. This was one of the few that we both really loved. I would have done a J.C. for the initials to honor Joan Collins. For real. I still like it, but prefer Juliet. 
• Caroline or Claire. We still love these names, and I was positive that we'd be bringing a Claire home from the hospital. My only reservation was that her initials would be C. F. It ended up being a non issue, since she didn't look or feel like a Claire or Caroline at all. 

There were probably about a dozen other names that we considered. Girl names are really fun. My only criteria was (and still is) nothing too weird, but nothing too popular. 

So, where did Lyla come from? At one point, I really loved "Lola" (still do), but Anthony wasn't into it. Our sister-in-law has a friend named Lyla, and I always thought that it was such a great name; and she is really lovely. So we kind of tucked that name away, and didn't think much of it. I always preferred a different spelling. I'm telling you though, this child named herself. It was as clear as day that she was Lyla Naomi, as soon as I saw her. Luckily her dad agreed. Down to the spelling, and the middle name, it all just came so naturally. Naomi was her great grandmother's middle name, whom she has never met, but it felt right to honor her. I've always loved that name, and when I found out that it was Anthony's beloved Mimi's middle name, that was an easy one. It just so happens that Lyla and I have the same initials now. Another thing that I should add, is that Lyla (spelled Lila) is a Middle Eastern name, and in a way that honors my beloved grandmother, Mary Jane. (Jane is a great name too, that we both love.. so who knows)

There it is, the story of how our Lyla got her name. Don't even get me started on nicknames. She has so many. 

I wanted to name our dog, Carly, Whitney, but Anthony thought that was weird, so we went with what we agreed on. It's perfect for her. I like Ruby and Shelby for a puppy dog, too. 

Off to love on my Carly and my Lyla, and my Anthony (another great name! Only Tony to a few, by the way). Would love to hear your naming stories. 

XO, Luci 

Kids' Shows and Movies

I've mentioned before that I have a child that rarely sits still. When she was a newborn, she would happily be awake for long stretches of time, just looking around and wiggling her arms and legs. We've hit whatever the toddler version is of that now. Our girl is so busy. I love that. Sometimes I need to switch laundry though, or just sit down, and giving Lyla some screen time seems to be the only way to keep her out of trouble. Her screen time is way more for us, than it is for her. I also love this time of year, because I feel like our screen time is earned. We practically live outside, and it's glorious. Mindless entertainment is so much better when it is well earned. 

Lyla is really particular about what she's watching, and I really don't think she'd sit down to watch just anything. Again, I do love that for her. Here's my mommy review of some recent choices. Chalk it up to lady hormones or cloudy skies, but I'm not feeling very merciful today. Um...enjoy? 

We're big on Disney Jr. around here. I'm sure that Lyla would like some of the Nick Jr. shows (hello Paw Patrol), we just don't put them on. Sadly, she's kind of over Sesame Street, save for the music videos on YouTube or the stuffed animal characters that she keeps in her crib. 

Sofia the First 

There's a lot that I love about Sofia the First. The fact that it's about a blended family is wonderful, there's always a really nice lesson, and the music is catchy. The castle/princess vibe doesn't hurt. Honestly though, Sofia is such a nerd. She's super whiny and a total brown noser. I really do love a strong yet kind character, but like, toughen up just a little bit. Clearly this child has been through a lot already (poor shoemaker, no dad); you'd think she'd be a tad more assertive. I do understand why she is the way that she is, though, and it sets a nice example. Princess Amber, her step-sister, is way more my speed. She's the glamorous Blanche/Samantha/Suzanne of the show. 

Muppet Babies (2018)

Lyla can take it or leave it, but I felt that I had to include this one, if only to honor the original. The original was so brilliant. The new one..is just ok. Like most kids' shows, you get nice lessons, colorful scenes, and cute songs. My issue is mostly in the voices of Fozzy and Miss Piggy. Not sounding good. Kudos for casting Jenny Slate as Nanny, and for adding the adorable character of Summer, however. 

Puppy Dog Pals 

This might be the easiest show to watch. It really is so sweet and cute, but I feel like there are only 4 episodes airing. For a show that we don't watch very often, we keep catching the same ones. Also, this show was created by, and stars, Harland Williams aka the '7-minute abs guy' from There's Something About Mary. I was kind of shocked when I first read that. 

Those are our favorite TV shows. We also like Vampirina and PJ Masks. By "like" I mean that Lyla will tolerate them. You might notice a glaring omission if you're a Disney Jr. family. My child is the only toddler to not like Mickey or Minnie Mouse. I've never seen anything like it. So, sadly, they didn't make the cut. If they did, I'd only have positive things to say for the Disney originals. 

As far as movie watching, we stick to Netflix or something that I've DVR'd. Recent favorites are your typical Netflix family favorites: Sing, The Boss Baby, The Secret Life of Pets, Shrek, and Trolls. Lyla also enjoys Tarzan and Alvin and the Chipmunks (the newer version). How she's not terrified of the first five minutes of Tarzan always amazes me. As far as the Chipmunks go, my husband could really do without hearing their versions of popular songs by now. I don't mind them..I've always liked the Chipmunks. Lyla has been practicing her "ALLLLLLVINNNN!" 

We have also been watching 2 favorites, one classic and the other brand new: 

Toy Story 3

I recorded all 3 Toy Stories off of Freeform one weekend, and this is by far Lyla's favorite. It's actually mine too, but I love them all. Nothing gets to me more than the last few minutes of this movie. Nothing. We've watched it 8 billion times in the last week, and I cry every single time. 

Coco (streaming on Netflix) 

Whether you have kids in your house or not, please watch Coco. My husband and I love this movie. The music and the story are so beautiful, as is the colorful set. This one also makes me tear up, but not nearly as much as Toy Story 3. How does Disney/Pixar do it? As much as Lyla really enjoys Coco, her Dad and I might like it more, but it's super refreshing to us to have her watch something that doesn't wear on our nerves after a while. 

So, once we've earned some screen time, those are my girl's favorites. I've shown her a few princess movies, and she's not into it, but she does like a lot of the music. Every once in a while, she likes a Barbie movie, as long as it features a lot of animals; or a Disney classic like The Lion King (a favorite of her dad's and mine). I also count on screen time to get Lyla's chest PT done. In fact, our social worker always mentions that at our clinic appointments, and encourages it. 

I really try to limit Lyla's screen time when we're out to eat or in the car, and it's definitely paid off. As much as I need that break sometimes, I believe in letting your kids be bored. How else will they figure out how to entertain themselves? However, for all of those other times, thank goodness for streaming and Sofia. 

XO Luci 

Friday 5: Instagram Accounts

When this idea popped into my head, I thought "great.. this will be easy and quick to write up.." Well, of course, I was wrong. That seems to happen a lot these days, and that's when I know that it's time to slow down and relax.

I happen to have mixed feelings about social media, and its effect on us as a society, but I do love Instagram. To me, Instagram is simple; is instant gratification; and in most cases, unbiased. This list was ridiculously difficult to come up with. More difficult than any fluffy post should ever be. I did not realize how much of a variety I enjoy mindlessly scrolling through. Also, I do apologize if sentences that end if a preposition offend you. There were about 47 in this paragraph alone. 

My five favorite Instagram accounts:

For those of that don't know who Gary Janetti is, he's a writer for Will & Grace, and is married to celebrity stylist and Fashion Police panelist, Brad Goreski. His humor is not the nicest, but he is funny. I was always a huge fan of his tweets as well. Sarcastic, sharp, and a little bit dark - my favorite. Disclaimer: I ADORE the new Duchess of Sussex, and he really goes after her..but it's just too funny, and harmless. 

Ahhh DJmikeypop. I'm pretty sure that this guy is famous (adjacent) because of his memes. They always have a really strong gay subtext and a lot of times are #nsfw. As you can see, he creates Rupaul's Drag Race outcomes with beloved gay icons. I love every single thing that he posts. 

On a way more serious note, I had to share Shaun King's account. He's an African-American living very realistically in this political climate, and shares a lot of unpleasant happenings that I think are important to be aware of. I believe that he's also a writer. 

The Onion. This is also one of my favorite Facebook accounts. I think that covering the news, and using it as satire is so brilliant. A lot of times, The Onion straight up post stories that are not even close to having any truth, but they're relatable and fun reads. 

This was tough. I could not decide between an account that featured luxury home design, comments by celebrities (this is a real, newer thing; and it is totally delightful), or a celebrity gossip/bravo account. Ultimately, my boy, Danny Pellegrino won out. He's similar to DJmikeypop but not as crude. He shares a lot of Bravo related news, and has a great podcast called "Everything Iconic." 

If I am not napping or working out during Lyla's nap, it's a good bet that I am looking through Instagram. While I do embrace social media, I mean - you almost have to, I do try to have some boundaries about when I'm on there or what I am sharing. It doesn't hurt to have a good laugh, or to be informed. 

XO, Luci 

Friday 5: Things I Want My Daughter to Know

I had an entirely different thing planned for today. This post was to be light and silly, but then there was yet another school shooting. I cannot bring myself to write about TV or Lyla's new ice cream crocs. I am far too angry, and I hope that you all are, too. 

8 children and 1 adult are dead, as of the time that I am writing. My heart just bleeds for the parents of these children. We have failed them. If I'm being honest, I didn't really know or care where I stood politically until the last election, and then it became clear as day. This post could turn some of you off, and I am ok with that. 100% I do feel that this issue is a matter of gun control. I hate that something so tragic has turned into something so political, and therefore polarizing, but it's very much our reality right now. 

I am terrified to send my daughter to school one day. Terrified. No matter where you stand, I'm sure that all parents are feeling this way. 

5 things that I want Lyla to know growing up in this political climate: 

1. While I do stand behind this being a matter of gun control, I also think that our future generations need to have more open and honest conversations about mental health. I will do my best to teach Lyla compassion and understanding, and to speak up if she thinks that she or somebody else might need help. We hate stigmas about health around here, including mental health. 

2. Have an open heart and an open mind for those that are different. I would hope that growing up in this household, Lyla doesn't see race, gender, nationality, or sexual preference. We all have the same heart. 

3. Fight. Fight. Fight. Personally, if I had a child that wanted to take part in the student walk out protest (for stronger gun control), I would have been SO proud! I saw a lot of disagreeing opinions on social media at the time. Really, I don't get that way of thinking, but not respecting those opinions is counter productive. Even if it's wrong. Sorry. Just kidding. Not really. 

4. Kids are not to be underestimated. These kids that are protesting guns, have seen their friends killed; and have been frightened for their lives. If you ask me, Emma Gonzales is a really brave and smart young woman, and she gives me hope. Just the other day, Lyla was trying to show me where her puppy cup was and that she couldn't reach it. I tried to tell her that "no, you left it upstairs.." and "let's go look.." Well, after 5 minutes of looking everywhere for it, I figured I'd look where she actually thought that it was, and my 2 year old was totally right. It was a really random place, and I have no idea how she even knew it was there. My point is though, kids know what they're talking about, and I'll try to listen better. 

5. Thoughts and prayers are nice, but they aren't enough. Whether it be about a shooting at a school, healthy lungs, a career, getting into a certain school..anything that she or any other young person might want, get out there and fight for it! Be loud, strong, and brave; and try to have a kind and giving heart in the process. Stay true to yourself and go after what feels right. 

I have just felt so weary and discouraged in the last 17 months. For what it's worth, those of you that feel differently, I do not think that you're monsters. Some of my closest family members see things differently (hmm..getting an idea for a 6th bullet point. Eh, Lyla will get the idea someday..) All that I can do, is stand by my convictions with respect to others, and try to provide what I think is the right example in my own home. 

XO  

Friday 5: Confessions

I'm test driving a new idea, or series, if you will. (A series. I'm sorry, who do I think I am?) The idea is that every Friday, I'll feature 5 things/ideas/thoughts/whatever that are somewhat related. This week, some shameless, and recent confessions. 

1. I tried to get into Cardi B's new album, and it's fun and all, but it's just not my thing. I do think that she's adorable though. No, instead I've found myself watching live performances by Tina Turner on YouTube. It kind of started with the newest season of Schitt's Creek (not streaming yet), and snowballed from there. I can remember my Mom getting so excited whenever Tina was on Oprah, or playing her tape on the way to my Grandma's pool, and just not getting it. It's like I turned 35, and I randomly became obsessed with her. She is simply the best. 🙄

live footage of me on the treadmill 

2. I let Lyla stay up ridiculously late last night. We're paying for it today. When I told her that it was time for "night night" she began her stall tactics, and I was way too tired to do much about it. It really is her world, and we're just living in it. We did end up cuddling on the couch with a blankie and watching Tarzan. She was "telling" me about each scene as it happened. So cute! A good memory, ruined schedule or not.

3. I am KarJenner obsessed. Whew. There I said it. I found myself checking instagram way too much on Monday night to see what Kim was going to wear to the Met Gala. Honestly, I was a tad underwhelmed given the event, but was living for her 90's vibe. I loved Kendall's look, aside from the weird hem on her pants. My favorite from the night was Bella Hadid - so, karjenner adjacent? 

4. Over the last 2 weeks, I've gotten to see a lot of newer movies, which is rare. At home, I watched Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and The Greatest Showman; in the theater: Avengers: Infinity War and I Feel Pretty. They're all so good! I am loving The Greatest Showman soundtrack. My favorite of them all though.. Jumanji. Lolz for days that that's my big take away. It was so entertaining. Like, if I was 10, it would probably be my favorite of all time. I love family friendly adventure or spooky movies. There is nothing more comforting. Needless to say, Jumanji (the new one) fit the bill. 

5. I found myself googling "mommy makeover" last night. That would be a breast lift and a tummy tuck. As Carrie Bradshaw once said, "yes please, Mrs. Adams!" It's not actually something that I'd really do, unless I was a Kardashian or something (see #3). The cost, recovery, and vanity alone would keep me from probably ever doing it. What are some weird things that you google? Tell me so that I don't feel so vulnerable (ick). 

Short and sweet. There you have it. If you made it this far, I salute you in all of my conceded glory. I have started several posts this week, mostly about CF, and I just didn't have it in me; but I am trying to stick with this. Sometimes no pressure and easy is the way to go. 

Until next time XO