Silver Sparkle

I recently found this picture of one of my favorite necklaces (the necklace that actually started me down the path of becoming a Stella & Dot stylist). 

What I like the most? The fact that I'm wearing a statement necklace over a sweater. Once again proving that Stella & Dot accessories--or any jewelry--can be worn casual or dresssed up. 

Medina Necklace and Signature Hoops

Now all we need is for Minnesota to warm up so the sweaters can officially be packed away--for a couple of months anyway.

I wrote a bit more about statement necklaces here and here. Plus, silver over gray--very pretty!

Want more style inspiration? Check out my Instagram feed, all my accessory pictures are under the hashtag: #StylistSaraMN so you can see them all in one spot! 

xo Sara

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It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's...

...Super Elena!

www.writingwithbangles.com

My daughter's imagination is something I love and try to nurture each day. And now I see her encouraging her younger brother and involving him, which makes me even happier.

Something I always hear talked about is "screen time" and how much is too much for children. And while I think monitoring the amount of time allowed for screen time is important, I think the bigger element is quality of that  time as opposed to the measure of time spent watching. I like putting on shows that engage my children and lead them down a path of imagination. A little guidance is all they need and they are off and running with scenarios of their own.

But imagination isn't just fueled by tv shows and there are good reasons for screen time limitations. Imagination is also fueled by music, books, talking, engaging with them.

But the number one thing that encourages imagination? Playing. Letting kids play. Not scheduling every moment of their day. Not having organized activities going non-stop. Just letting kids play. And playing with them. Your imagination needs a workout now and again, too.

writingwithbangles.com

Ultimately I want my children to use reason and have the knowledge to solve problems. But I also want them to imagine endless possibilities and know no boundaries. Plus, with an active imagination you're never bored.

xo Sara

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From Stud to Statement

As an accessorized momma, I like versatility. Because when I'm hanging with the kiddos, I like to have a dash of pretty--even if it's just a stud.

But sometimes I like a little more.

And sometimes, perhaps for a date night or a girl's night out, I want a statement earring.

Sardinia Chandeliers

And all these looks are one earring. One earring you can wear three ways. How fun is that? And since it's officially Spring (What? You couldn't tell by the mountains of snow still outside our windows here in Minnesota?), I imagine wearing these beauties with maxi dresses and bright summer tops. I'm ready for summer! Are you?

xo Sara

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Cars and Tunnels

I have tunnel vision sometimes. I get so focused on one thing--or obsessed, but I think focused sounds nicer--that other things fall to the wayside.

I had my daughter in May of 2010. We tried for over a year before getting pregnant and had some setbacks along the way, but eventually got our special delivery. 

And then, about 10 weeks later, we found out we were pregnant again. Although we were so happy, we were also very surprised and just a tad overwhelmed.

Having 2 kids so close (11 months apart, to be exact) has it’s pros and it’s challenges. One challenge is that I am constantly comparing the development of my children. 

Elena was very quick with every stage. She was crawling by 6 months, walking by 9 months, and talking a lot by 18 months. But Brandon took his time reaching milestones. He started crawling at 9 months, didn’t walk until 14 months, and didn’t talk much before 24 months. Prior to him reaching those milestones I’d start worrying that something was wrong and be obsessed with trying to get him to do whatever I felt it was time for him to do.

Recently, as he’s quickly approaching his 3^rd birthday, I’ve been pushing colors. All I can think is how early on E knew her colors and can't figure out why B doesn’t seem to get it. Maybe he’s colorblind? What can we do about it? Panic, tunnel vision, panic, tunnel vision...

One morning B and I were playing with his cars and I was doing my typical “what color is this one?” or “what color do you want?” and getting nowhere. When suddenly B started counting the cars. And not to 3. Not even to 5. He counted to 10.

“Mommy, 1 car! 2 car! 3 car…”

I sat there in shock. My tunnel vision of focusing on one area of development had resulted in my not being aware of everything else he was picking up from his sister, father and myself. 

I don’t want to be a mom that puts so much pressure on her kids to do something and ends up missing everything else that is going on along the way. This was a good reminder that just because he isn’t picking up on one thing, doesn’t mean he’s not constantly learning. And you know what? So what if he’s colorblind? If that’s the worst thing…then we are very lucky.

I'm trying to leave my tunnel vision to when I'm playing cars with Brandon. Because everyone knows the best part of playing cars is going through tunnels.

xo Sara

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A New {Blog} Name and Home

Change scares a lot of people. It scares me sometimes.

But this is not one of those times. Over the past several months I've been busy planning, designing, thinking about, working on, and in general obsessing over this new space. Writing with Bangles--my baby.

I've started and stopped blogs in the past. But my love for the blogging community has not faded even though those creations have. Part of my problem was a lack of direction and confidence. And while I'm not perfect, the older I've gotten the more secure I am with me, my thoughts and how to express them.

I hope you enjoy this space as much as I have enjoyed creating it. I hope you come here frequently, share a laugh, find something relatable and leave feeling better.

That's all I can ask for.

xo Sara

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Splish Splash

I don't like messes. I like things to be orderly and neat.

When my daughter was learning how to feed herself my family would tease me how often I would wipe her hands in the midst of her shoveling food in her mouth. But I don't think there's anything wrong with neat eating, is there?

I cannot leave toys all over the house for extended periods of time. We (because my kids are actually really good at cleaning and it's become a routine) typically pick up mid-morning, before lunch, before dinner and before bed. I absolutely cannot have the kids in bed and still have toys everywhere. I just can't.

Those are a couple non-negotiables.

But a funny thing happened over the past couple of years. Some of my obsessive tendencies have faded a bit.

I used to not only pick-up multiple times everyday, but I would make sure each toy that was a part of a set was placed together, all parts accounted for. I would search high and low, each night, for a piece of pretend fruit that belonged in the picnic basket. I would move furniture to find that one animal that should be a part of the tractor set. I would set up all my daughter's princesses in her castle. And, if for some reason I couldn't find something, it would really bother me. And the next day I would be back at it, looking for those precious missing toys--toys that my kids didn't need or even know were missing. This behavior does not happen anymore. Partly because I've adjusted, partly out of pure exhaustion.

And don't even get me started on dirt and mud.

But, having kids is messy. There will be dirt and mud and toys and paint and more things that make a mess. And, if I hadn't changed a little I don't think I would have been ok with this.

But I am. I'm learning to love it all, messes included. (Full Disclosure: After they were done splashing around & got home, they immediately were placed in the tub to discard the wet clothing. Somethings will never change.)

xo Sara

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