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School

by Shalice Noel
 

 
1. Cowhide rug Incredibly soft and surprisingly durable
 
2. Kallax Shelf Looks custom without the price
 
3. Kallax Tall Shelf Fits on top of the Kallax shelves perfectly
 
4. Drone Baskets These fit perfectly in the Kallax system shelving and are cheap to replace. Mine are already covered with crayons 🙁
 
5. Red Panton Chair I don’t have this yet, but its on the list. Every room needs a pop of red!
 

6. Knuff Magazine File Love this birch wood file holder and a convenient way to hide books and papers

7. Cacti Its trendy, cute and holds up nicely after baby has dumped it out a couple times.
 

8. Handwriting books Getty Dubay Book A (Kindergarten) and Hymns in Prose Copy Book Zaner Bloser Print (first grade)

9. Melamine Shelf Found at Menards or your local hardware store 

10. Sofia Black and White Stripe Fabric I’ve covered headboards, pillows and here for a pin board in this fabric and it has yet to fail me. If you’re wondering how we made this board: We purchased Homasote (fiber board) from Menards, covered it in fabric and stapled and sprayed it with fabric adhesive




Before… in process

Nothing sexier than a guy putting a room together, getting his saw out and working all free moments on the weekends. Love him.
 

 

I can’t resist a lil man in a camo vest!

 


They just got their handwriting books in the mail and they were super excited to start. Best was when little lady asked, “How does the mail lady know we’re doing school?”

 Lunch: turkey hot dogs and peaches and lots of snacks in between. This looks pretty pathetic. It actually tastes better than it looks!


Recess is their favorite!
 
Nature loot: she collects leaves and twigs to observe and draw. She basically crawled into this world with colored pencils. Science over naptime is just an excuse to draw what she sees. And she loves doing it.
 
 Bonus of homeschooling? The park is empty at 1:30pm.  I love that I’m not missing these moments.  Most importantly, I’m the student. And each day brings new trials despite the lesson plans which keeps me flexible and dependent on the Lord which is a good place to be. If you were wondering, wrestling matches and fights over pencils and chairs are real and if my lil guy drops his morning nap, it’ll be a game changer! But I know where my strength lies and who doesn’t like the extra random hugs, retelling our day to daddy when he walks in the door and witnessing the “aha moment”?

 

 

 
 

 

 
 


My minime and I in stripes and not even planned
 
The kids call them his lightning bug shoes 🙂

 

 

They would rather be at the park eating donuts… and truth be told so would I, plus a venti double shot I deserve it because I got 4 kid out the door by 9am latte 🙂
 

This cuff!



When I look for jewelry, I look for pieces with a simple clean design that make a statement. The moment I slipped these rings into my fingers and cuff onto my arm, I started talking with my hands (more than usual) and just to show off these gorgeous mixed metals. Not only is the ‘Mayla’ ring the closest one that I’ve found to my granny’s but I’m convinced I won’t find anything similar. Ever. Thank you Torchlight Jewelry for sharing your unique artistry and crazy cool thunderbirds. Stay tuned for a big giveaway so you too can enjoy Torchlight Jewelry via my Instagram @shalicenoel and tag your friends yada yada and talk with your hands.

 
// Shoes similar //  

Crop it

by Shalice Noel
 
Behind the scenes, missing one per usual …
 
 
 Never.Still.Ever.

 
 Hats and baby limbs .. peculiar shadows on a gorgeous day
 
 
 If you were curious what poisonous berries look like …

She said she was tired so she did this …

 

I have always considered crop tops high on maintenance and low on modesty. (Something about showing the midriff screams high-school.) But when done right, I’m a fan. Thanks to the ever versatile Maxi dress, there is a way to bridge modest with the modern crop top, polished with a heel, hat or clutch. Wouldn’t mom be proud! This look is proof that modern can meet modest in the chicest of ways and fewest of pieces. It is that simple. Because motherhood is magical yet messy, and not withstanding preschool parties and manic Mondays, we can all afford to spend less time thinking about what we should wear. Even as I write, the glass coffee carafe was compromisedby my 17-month old. I actually saw him do it, but my mind was too busy juggling the dinner menu and the ever growing to-do list to stop it. Real life, people. In my home, nothing is clean, nowhere is quiet. But I’m doing what I love even if that means tripping on a maxi dress, breaking up fights, kissing boo boo’s, shopping the crop tops and munching on apples in the fitting room. And every now and then, I even remember to be grateful. 

 

 

Never mind the fact that I left the kids in the car with daddy, to shop. Here are three styled pieces from Anthropologie that I quickly fell in love with: a skirt, a dress, and a clutch.
And yes, we all agree daddy’s a saint. Read on.

 

 

 

 
 
Maxi Skirt Anthropologie //Cuff Zara // Top F21 similar // similar cropped //
Heels Steve Madden //Sunglasses Ray Ban
 

 
 
Dress Anthropologie // Heels Steve Madden // Sunglasses Forever 21 //Yellow clutch Similar //
Gold bar necklace ShopStrands //






three //clutch
 
 

 

Clutch Anthropologie  // BR Leather skirt Vine Camuto  Similar // Blouse Similar // Heels Steve Madden //
Gold Bar Necklace ShopStrands




Sold out and not available in stores // I got the last two 🙂

 
 
The End
 
she collects little things
meet turtle
 
her favorite is mommy’s 5 year old iPod that still plays Brandi Carlisle’s “The Story” just fine
 
blush cheeks c/o naptime, stains c/o lunch
 
 
they call him “Team”
 
 
 

  lounging Lincoln park style
 
just playing with some scrap he found on the beach. NBD
 
 
This boy loves throwing
 
 jump!
 

Sometimes the life you always wanted is full of cheese puffs in a ripped container smashed into every crevice of your stroller, the latter of which holds a diaper that exploded at the beach. Your 4 year old says “gimme a break” then asks “what does that mean?” Your 6 year old says “good gracious” and amuses you with the question, “can you have more babies mommy because I have only 3 people to play with?” Ha! And then I remember this is what I wanted as I look at the remains of the day that still remain on the floor ie., smashed raisins and 71 (I count them) Lego duplo pieces. These crazy cute, crazy people making me crazy, is actually a crazy blessed life.

 

 
 

 
 
 
 
Off to the office…

 
 
 
 
It’s officially summer. With summer camps and BBQ’s in full swing, I’m looking for the easiest pieces to wear like this pullover from Hello Merch. Besides the fact that it comes in the loveliest shade of red, it easily transitions from beach to playdate and can be worn tied around a tank or over a favorite plaid. Not to mention babies look pretty cute in them too. Let’s welcome the weekend in comfort shall we? 

Pullover Hello Merch /Cut offs  similar hereF21 booties /  Stripe Duffle similar here /  
Onesie Hello Merch /  Baby converse Chuck Taylor

Ever + Mi Crush Boutique is giving away a $75 gift card to one lucky follower. Check out my Instagram page @shalicenoel for details. Also visit www.evermicrush.com and peruse their unique and lovely pieces. Sometimes all you need is a low maintenance dress paired with simple accessories to finish the look.

Sandals similar I also like these // Vintage clutch similarI also like this one //
Dress // Necklace // Cutoffs worn underneath // Bangle sassyjonesboutique
             


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The most successful shopping hauls are without all four kids. News flash, right? But really, it’s true. The changing room alone is a nightmare. But on this particular day, my mom was kind enough to take two, one was at school and the babe was strapped into his stroller with me. I’ll admit it’s no walk in Grant Park trying to get 4 bodies (including myself) out of the house, but this day seemed easier knowing they were off to “Granny camp” and I was off to Nordstrom camp. On this shopping trip, I was in search of the perfect cut-offs. Ones that look like One Teaspoon but without the damage to the wallet. Here’s how to find the perfect pair:
 

  1. Size up and try on ALL sizes. Make sure you feel comfortable in them and that they flatter.  Personally, I go a size up because I want a decent inseam length seeing as I’m not 16 anymore. But hey, different strokes for different folks.
  2. Look for good denim tone and distressing. I don’t want dime size holes or rips sprinkled about. I wanted ripped, people!
  3. Be practical. Ask yourself, how many times would you wear them? I’d personally choose jeans over cutoffs any day. But if the cutoffs are long enough (and ripped enough), I’d wear them a couple times a week. We live in a cold climate and the months of wear are maybe three. I use this term to impress the hubs: Cost per wear. Try it. If you think about how many times you’ll wear the item, it may change your mind about purchasing it. This term gets me in and out of a lot of trouble. I call it the CPW effect. Whether you’re shopping solo or with an entourage, it helps to have a plan and a venti no whip mocha.
Cut offs F21 // His shirt Geo Fox Apparel


My little assistant dutifully giving his opinion…

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