and a little outtakes video cause, well gosh why not?!

and more still!  some pictures!

the fun just keeps coming!

can you handle it?!?

is the photo booth craze over?  dead?

wait, don't answer that!

{jeans: sevens}

{sweater: old}

{shirt: old navy}

{shoes: minnetonka}

It's a big day for this blog of mine.  My first linkup!  I couldn't turn down one centered around Mama Style because, well, the obvious--I'm both a Mom and someone who likes style--but more importantly, I remember those postpartum days all too well.  That strange gelatinous belly, swollen nether regions, and a foreign-to-me chest that sprung a leak every chance it got.  It was a strange time.  It didn't last forever (praise be!) but it certainly was awkward while it did.  The completely unimpressive outfit above is nearly accurate to what I might've put on, save the jeans.  Jeans come later.

A maxi skirt is so incredibly forgiving to a new Mom.  I lived in my various maxi skirts.  While everyone else thought, "Hey, look!  She's actually dressing up a bit!  Good for her, that new Mom!" I was thinking, "Stretchy waistband!  Loose fabric that doesn't grab my swollen crotch!"  Add to that, a blousey chambray shirt (closed by itself or open with a v-neck underneath) which makes for easy nursing, and a lipstick (one of my favorites colors below), and you're set.  And, really, don't underestimate the power of lipstick.  With it, I felt so much more put together, and, in turn, so much more motivated to get out of the house, make dinner, go for walks, etc.  You could say that the lipstick even cancels out the gelatinous belly.  Sure.  Does saying it make it true?

maxi skirt // chambray shirt // lipstick 

And now for the linkup part...

Today I am linking up with 9 (yes 9!) other stylish mamas to give you a little insight into what I wear and to hopefully inspire you in your own wardrobe choices! As if finding the time to get dressed and put effort into our look as mamas isn't hard enough, when this time of year comes around and the weather is cold and the mornings are frosty, it seems like it's always a little harder to get dressed for the day. Each of the hostesses will be sharing her favorite outfit and 3 items she believes must be in every mama's style arsenal and we want you to play along!

THE MAMA STYLE HOSTESSES:
Isobel of Holdenonbaby
Casey Leigh of The Wiegands
Nicole, Emily, and Jenna of The Small Fry Blog
Cara of Cara Loren
Laura of Ascot Friday
Jen of Deep in the Hart
Anna of In Honor of Design
Bridget of Tales of Me and the Husband

HOW IT WORKS:
1// First, head to each of the hostess' sites beginning Monday, January 28th, check out their mama style post, and follow their blog!
2// You will then link up on any ONE of the hostess' sites. Our links will be interlinked which means that your post will be displayed on all of our sites.
3// Share your own mama style outfits and tell us how your style has changed since becoming a mama. The link up will run through Friday, February 1st.
4// At the end of the link-up, we will be choosing our 3 favorite mama styles to be posted on each of our sites.

Remember: you must follow all 8 hostesses in order to participate!!

SO GRAB A BUTTON AND TELL ABOUT THE PARTY!

 

  <a href="http://itsahuntlife.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb380/CaseyWiegand/january2013/mamastylelinkup.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

{sweater: asos}

{skirt: c/o tailor and stylist}

{shoes: urban outfitters}

ten degrees.  it was ten degrees when we took these pictures!  massachusetts, and i think all of the northeastern part of the united states, is undergoing a massive strike on the part of mother nature.  she's only giving out nostril-hair-freezing temperatures these days.  the forecast for the week is single digits.  single digits!  no snow, gorgeous sunshine, but cooooold temperatures.  poor parker and i are suffering from serious cabin fever.  we're going to get out to a playgroup tomorrow--as long as the engine doesn't seize on the way there.  wish us luck.

so, i figured i'd do one of these recaps every few episodes as long as i'm caught up.  and caught up i am!  so let's go!  (also, i took no notes so i'm doing this from memory.  boooring.)

sean!
thoughts on sean so far.  i'm impressed.  i hate when the guys have these awful homogenous quotes that get repeated time and time and time again.  i was afraid we were heading into brad womack's "please" territory (remember??) when sean said "you look amazing" to every girl who got out of the limo.  i mean, i don't expect that he won't tell them they look good but, i don't know, something else?!?  thesaurus, sean!  anyway, i have liked him quite a bit so far, but when he pretty much called kacie b. out for meddling with this desiree and what's-her-name nonsense i was like YES.  FINALLY.  a bachelor guy who actually has an opinion and is not afraid to voice it.

the girls.

lesley!
my favorite by far.  she's taking it seriously but not so seriously that she's crying through every interview and gnashing her teeth about him being stolen from her or kissing another girl.  she should win.  alright, it's a little early to be saying that but... i like her a lot.  she seems fun and cool.  and thus far she hasn't said crap about the other girls and the girls that stay quiet on that subject always end up my favorites.

saturday morning breakfast MADE.

my dad has always been something of a breakfast chef.  since growing up, the most delicious of breakfasts were usually something cooked up by him (sorry mom!).  probably because they were of the more indulgent variety than the healthy variety.  banana french toast was at the top of the list.  any bread will do (and it will be delicious), but i think challah bread is really the best.  he made it for steve and i while we were down there recently and it was decadent.  like better than a restaurant good.  and it couldn't be simpler.  also, it's the perfect thing to do with those black bananas you store in your freezer. you don't?  just me?

challah bread banana french toast

serves 6

a loaf of challah bread

5-6 eggs

5-6 very ripe bananas

1-2 cups of milk (or half and half--even better!)

blend eggs, bananas, milk.

soak day-old (or longer) semi stale challah bread.  really press it into the batter until all the air bubbles are gone and it's sufficiently soaked up the mixture.  both sides.  and cook!  

serve with maple syrup.  maybe some whipped cream if you're feeling extra special.

the other night i was putting parker to sleep.  our usual routine.  pajamas on, brush teeth (he hates this.  so, confession: sometimes i skip it.), read a book, tell him his feet are stinky and he laughs... then we turn on the white noise, sit down in the rocker, and i nurse him to sleep.  this particular night, he was taking awhile to settle down (who am i kidding?  this happens often.).  he'd had a long nap ending at 4 pm so i suspect he wasn't tired enough.  nursed one side, then wanted the other.  did some nursing gymnastics (they truly believe your boob is not actually attached to your body sometimes, yes?), and then after about 45 minutes finally got sleepy and began to close his eyes.  in the dark, i knew he was beginning to go into sleep because the nursing became sporadic and he was still and quiet.  after at least five minutes of this, i thought he might be asleep, but i still whispered: "how much does mama love you?"  and, he did what he always does, and with his one free arm, stretched it sleepily up into the air as if to say "thiiiiis much!"  then he put it back down and went to sleep.

i died right there on the spot.

p.s. this is the bedhead of a toddler who has lots of hair.  every morning and every nap.  boy needs a stylist.  and do you know he's had at least 3 trims thus far?  

p.p.s. and remember this post?  when i said i needed bedroom inspiration i meant i wanted to do the exaaact same thing i saw on pinterest.

{top: vintage}

{skirt: c/o tailor and stylist}

it's january in massachusetts... (andddd all other places around the globe i'm pretty sure????).  what i mean to say is this!!  getting outside for pictures is not always do-able.  snow!  slush!  sleet!  so, the hunt family living room with a jammied toddler running about will have to do!  while parker and his attire aren't winning any awards (though, he pulls off stripes and bright green socks well, don't you think?), i still thought he was cute enough to photo bomb a few of them.  now! this skirt is my second tailor and stylist piece and, ya'll know i love me the maxi skirts.  this one has promptly been entered into the rotation.  it's thick and well-made (and long!!  i'm 5'10" and it actually touches the ground!) and with those cool sort of wings stitched in (there has got to be a more appropriate name for them) that make it sort of flare out if you spin... well those wing-mermaidy-things make it appropriate for date night too.  

score for t&s!

while we were in cape may, parker and quinn got lots of quality time together.  normally when we're down in nj, there's so much going on be it thanksgiving or a baby shower... something that requires that we be running around a lot with lots of people mulling about.  we spent a few mornings just hanging out at my sister's... the boys played, my mom, sister and i chatted over coffee and breakfast.  parker and quinn got along so well.  i've never seen parker interact as much with another kid as he did with his cousin.  of course, this made kate and i happy as we intend for them to be best friends.  no choice!  it's bound to happen!  i also got to take pictures of kate, nora, and quinn.  mostly nora, but i'm not posting them cause i do believe one will be her birth announcement.  

then, the three of us took a day trip to haddonfield (the town where i grew up!).  walked downtown, visited with my other sister (and her cuties--one of which is that little boy a few pictures up!), caught up with high school friends (that's my friend alison and her daughter lucy--parker is promised to a little lady named svea but he may have been cheating on her with lucy on the swings...), and had dinner at one of my favorite places.  there's something so wonderful about catching up with high school friends.  despite that next year will be my ten (!!) year reunion, it feels like so little time has passed.  and, as you well know if you've read this blog long enough, i'm quite the nostalgic person so it's good for my soul to see those old friends.

and that's a wrap.

volume 5.

we all know the bottle!  that 'ol brown and white-capped bottle!  however, this particular use is new to me.  hydrogen peroxide in your ears to combat the flu (and cure it fast once it hits).  say wha?  i heard this one recently.  and i was like, "mmm no.  flu definitely gets in through mouth and nose. "  but, apparently not?  or at least, apparently that's not the most common way?  cause it's the ears!  the ears take the cake!  

and, are you in boston?  are you in chicago?  new york?  cause, the media frenzy in these places... man!  FLU OUTBREAK LIKE WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE EVER IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD GETCHA SELF TO A PHARMACY PRONTO AND GET YOUR FLU SHOT NOW CAUSE THEY ARE PROVEN SO EFFECTIVE SO DO IT CAUSE BIGGEST OUTBREAK IN 237 YEARS WILL KILL YA DEAD.  does your news channel sound a little like that?

the how-to: 

a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide in each ear.  keep in each for a couple minutes.  voila!  flu be gone!  (now, it may not be that easy, but it really is supposed to work.)  i tried it on parker and he was pisssssed.  fine, parker!  go without it!  if it's a risk you're willing to take!

and now, a quote (from mercola's website):

In 1928 Richard Simmons, M.D. hypothesized that colds and flu virus enter through the ear canal. 

His findings were dismissed by the medical community. According to Dr. Simmons, 

contrary to what you may think or have been taught about how you catch the flu or the cold there 

is only one way that you can catch the two, and that's via the ear canal not through the 

eyes or nose or mouth as most have believed.

yeah, i've got to admit.  i'd be dismissin' simmons too!  and, i realize, that quote doesn't provide any statistics or percentages, buuuuut, maybe it'll be the start to your research? 

some evidence?  why not.

mercola says (yeah, he kind of bugs me still buuuuut he's a good resource i guess.)!

and another.  and another.  

i'll stop there.  but really, google: "hydrogen peroxide in ears for flu" and boom, sources plentiful!

yes, you can google a whoooole 'lotta things and come up with some shittay information.  but, with this one, what do you have to lose?!

a few more flu busters: 

{elderberry syrup: we take this every day, a half an eyedropper full, thru the winter months to boost the immune system} 

{vitamin c powder: when a illness seems to be coming on, i put a bit of this in water (maybe a teaspoon?).  it's diluted and hardly noticeable.  parker even takes it in his sippy cups.  vitamin c this way can get a bad rap, but, for the most part, overdosing on it will just cause diarrhea, meaning that it leaves your system and doesn't become dangerous.}

now, what are your tried and true flu-busters?!  

{more stocking your natural first aid kit posts}

and, always remember: do your research!

p.s. thank you SO much for all your traveling tips yesterday.  i mean it when i say, i will be checking into these places when (yes, WHEN!  not if!) we take our eventual trip!

{photo of glacier national park from in the grey print shop:
a must see shop.  the photos are breathtaking.}

i'm interrupting our regularly scheduled programming
(also known as cape may part 2, ya'll!) to ask a few questions of you.

have you done a lot of traveling in america?

have you been to all the national parks 

or some of those out-of-the-way little towns?

(you know, those "i am back in the wild, wild west right now" places.)

have you hiked trails that lead you to unreal places like the one above?  

i'm dying to do it.
(you already know this.  remember this post?)

are you?  or have you done it already? 

now the most important part: TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE PLACES.

i'm going to file them away for another day

when i DO IT UP.

all four of the big kids were in florida last week.  they got to hang out for the week with all their cousins.  it was a really special treat for them as these cousins live in minnesota (they're cousins from their mom's side of the family) and they don't get to see each other nearly enough.  despite the fact that a stomach bug went through 16 out of 17 of the cousins (!!), they had a great time.  

while they were there, steve, parker, and i took off for new jersey.  my sister kate just had a baby girl about a month ago!  i've been itching to see her, and this quiet week seemed like the best opportunity.  steve's still off--ahh, the vacation of a professor!--so it was perfect.

i took sooooo many pictures.  i couldn't help myself.  baby nora, quinn and parker playing (and i could do a week's worth of posts of just the two of them playing.  i won't.  but i could!   it was adorable.), my mom and parker, cape may, the beautiful congress hall.  let's just say that we frequented the brown room at congress hall more than our share.  red wine and delicious apps!  i could make a habit of that place.

it was a great time.  my dad had just retired, my mom made deeelicious dinners (this is on the docket here now.  it was so good.), the weather was so mild, and there was a new baby to celebrate.  

all good things.  hear hear!

Parker is all boy.  In the old nature vs. nurture debate, I declare nature does the trumping.  I never taught him to love trucks, balls, and tractors.  None of us did.  But those are, by far, his favorite.  You tell him there's a passing truck while we're driving along in the car, and he nearly levitates from his carseat (the whole inch that his straps will allow) and cranes his neck to try to see it.  He makes his mouth into a little "oh!" shape and looks at you like, "Are you seeing this?!?  ARE YOU SEEING THIS?!??"  The expressions on his face are priceless.    

Parker, though I am all lady, I actually get excited about the fire trucks and the cement mixers these days.  You, buddy.  Your enthusiasm is contagious.

So, when Steve, Parker, and I were on a breakfast date recently and we came across a work site--the building of a new bridge, I think--we had to get out.  It's like eye-candy for Parker.  Better than all the blueberries in the world!  Greater than a buffet bar of nursing!  Sweeter than being surrounded by all the cuddly puppies ever!  (Imagine all of them at once?!  Parker-heaven!)  There was beeping, and motors, and cranes moving high above us.  Of course, he loved it.  As you can tell from the pictures, he couldn't take his eyes off of it--except when the wind blew and he cuddled in close to me.  And wearing him is great for those moments.  I'll take it.  Cause one day, they'll be few and far between.

You're a sweet one Parker.  As your Mama, I'll try to always meet you where you're at and get as excited (okay, almost as excited) about trains and motors and sirens as you.  I'll get my knees dirty and my brow sweaty.  Cause I think you love sharing the joy and you, little bud, are where it's at.

This is my fourth entry in the Sakura Bloom Sling Diaries.

I wear Parker in the Simple Sling in Midnight.