Bangs are one of the top 5 topics I get asked about and it cracks me up because bangs have been part of my life for 31 years. Seriously.
This was me in Pre-K at age four with bangs :) I'm not sure what prompted my mom to give me bangs but I've had them ever since and despite some anguished grow-out attempts in high school and some really unfortunate "thin bangs" situations in middle school (where I would clip back 2/3 of them or no apparent reason) I've always liked having bangs. But here's the deal - bangs can be kind of a pain. Humidity isn't always my friend and I've had my fair share of mornings like this...
I've been cutting my own bangs since middle school when a stylist taught me how to point cut them and this is pretty much how I prefer them...
... instead of the more blunt look (which I've had before when I've had my hair cut... not my favorite but cute on a lot of people... just not me) :)
I was going to attempt to take a video of me trimming my own bangs (I'd say I trim them up probably twice a month) but it was AWKWARD and so I searched YouTube and this tutorial is pretty much spot on how I was taught...
As far as styling goes - I always blow dry my bangs, then style the rest of my hair and then run a flat iron over them to keep them in line ;) My bangs do tend to get dirtier than the rest of my hair (or it's just not as easy to hide!) and so if I'm doing a dirty hair messy bun I'll sometimes wash/blow dry just my bangs.
I hope that answered all of the bangs questions!
I've been wearing clogs for YEARS and my all-time FAVORITE pair EVER are the highwood brown oiled nubuck from Lotta from Stockholm. I wear them with black and brown and everything in between. Dresses, skirts, jeans... I wear them with everything!
I have a fairly high arch and have always found them really comfortable as well.
I also love Swedish Hasbeens but if I had to pick the Lottas would be my favorite :)
I have THE BEST group of co-workers EVER!!! Seriously. I work with some incredibly kind, funny, and TALENTED teachers and they are the sole reason that my phone always has 80+ unread text messages at all times :) They're my sounding board and we make a good team if I say so myself.
We have rotating lunch duty twice a week (where we monitor the lunch room), but on most days we're all in the cafeteria eating together because we need some adult conversation after spending all morning talking to teenagers. hahaha
I will say - there are some days where "mama needs some quiet" and/or I'm super busy and I end up taking the 20 minutes for lunch in my classroom just to sit in silence.
This is such a fun question! When I was pregnant with Luke we didn't find out the gender and he would have been Landyn Grace if he had been a girl. Mason was going to be Mason Joy if he had been a girl and Griffin would have been Griffin Henry if she had been a boy.
You can read more about how/why we picked our kids names in the post HERE.
I feel your pain!!! We try to have a "one in one out" or even "one in two out" rule which helps keep the excess down a bit but we also do bigger "purges" before Christmas and birthdays. It has helped us to talk about donating the toys instead of throwing them away and the kids have enjoyed taking the toys to the donation center and knowing that they're going to kids who may not have as much as they do. I'll fully admit though that when they were younger and couldn't really understand that concept I unapologetically cleared things out as necessary :) It probably helps that I'm not super sentimental when it comes to too many toys... although books can be a different story!
Another tactic that has worked well for us is putting things "away" for a while and then if we don't miss them we can get rid of them MUCH more easily. For example, I'll ask Luke to fill a box/bag/basket with things that he isn't playing with right now but isn't ready to give away and we'll put that basket in the attic. Knowing that the things aren't gone forever makes cleaning things out SO MUCH SIMPLER and then in a few months if he hasn't asked for the items we can talk about donating them and it's typically not an issue to part with them. (This is the same method that I have to use when going through my closet as well!)
This is from my "graduation gift guide" last year ;)
I've had multiple people ask me if I have any stellar gift ideas for upcoming graduations and so I hit the streets (and by streets I mean I texted Anna Grace and asked her to ask her friends and asked for ideas on my Instagram stories) and have the best of the best for y'all today :)
At the very top of everyone's list was gift cards. Gift cards, gift cards and more gift cards. For the campus bookstore, for Target, for restaurants near campus, for gas, for the grocery store, for coffee... pretty much college kids need money :) Anna Grace said that one of her favorite gifts was a gift card to a coffee shop really close to campus that lasted her almost the whole semester. Moral of the story? Kids love a gift card!
I think the way to make a gift card seem less "impersonal" is the note/card that goes with it - "Dear so and so, I'm going to miss our Chipotle nights... here's a gift card to enjoy some on me!" or "You're probably going to have some late nights and early mornings so here's a Starbucks card to keep you going - can't wait to hear about all your adventures!" or "I can't wait to see pictures of your dorm room! Here's a Homegoods card to help you find some fun accessories". You get the idea :)
I think the way to make a gift card seem less "impersonal" is the note/card that goes with it - "Dear so and so, I'm going to miss our Chipotle nights... here's a gift card to enjoy some on me!" or "You're probably going to have some late nights and early mornings so here's a Starbucks card to keep you going - can't wait to hear about all your adventures!" or "I can't wait to see pictures of your dorm room! Here's a Homegoods card to help you find some fun accessories". You get the idea :)
Other ideas were...
I'm going to admit that I had no idea what this was. Apparently I've been living under a rock.
I looked them up and there are a TON of color and material options ranging from about $25 - $60 and it would be cute to match school colors! Anna Grace recommended the one with the wallet attached to hold her ID and debit card as well :)
This card holder is under $10 and attached directly to the back of your phone. Great for student IDs, cards and cash. And a GREAT price point!
Either one of these would be perfect for students!
These Birks are $35, cute and can go from the shower to class and everywhere in between. They float, don't smell bad and are incredibly practical. And great for guys and girls.
Several people suggested a BIG rolling duffel bag that could be used for packing up #allthethings for trips over breaks.
This was another item that I never would have thought of on my own but it's such a great idea for kids living in a dorm or an apartment with roommates! This one is under $10, but you could even have it monogrammed!
Because who has room for an ironing board OR really wants to iron :)
LOTS of people suggested a super snuggly throw blanket and as a blanket-lover myself I concur :)
A fresh new bag ready to handle #allthebooks along with a laptop, tablet, snacks, etc. (Sidenote - I like to order backpacks from Nordstrom because of their awesome customer service!)
A piece of jewelry with the coordinates of their hometown - I thought this was super thoughtful and sweet! (the ones I linked above are under $20!)
And here are a few other misc.ideas/tips...
- including one of those HUGE blue IKEA bags. They're great for packing, pretty much indestructible and fold up into pretty much nothing.
- A t-shirt quilt made out of shirts from their high school activities/clubs
- For students graduating from college suggestions were an apple watch, Kendra Scott earrings or a nice handbag as they set off into the "real world.
- Jon Hart is apparently a brand that's super popular with college kids... I was clueless... but if you want to be extra cool you can check them out :)
- A subscription box! How fun would it be to get them a Julep or Birchbox or Fab, Fit, Fun box for a semester or even the year! Everybody loves happy mail and (depending on your budget!) this could be a really memorable and fun gift.
- Stationary and forever stamps
- Money to purchase an Amazon prime student account (I thought this idea was GENIUS!!!)
- Over and over again students wrote something along these lines... - As sweet as it is when people buy something specific (like dorm decor, books, bedding or jewelry) sometimes the recipient just doesn't have the same taste and those items go unused. Stick to more generic items and add the personal touch with a thoughtful note. ;)
The absolute SWEETEST idea that someone suggested was a card including a self-addressed stamped envelope and a note saying that all the student had to do was pop that card in the mail, provide their mailing address and the gift giver would bake them a treat and drop it in the mail to them. Isn't that the sweetest ever?!?!
I thought this was another really fun question! While I do love a good date night and girls night 100% I'd pick a night-in with my family. We'd order food, watch a movie, pop popcorn, play games, etc. My idea of a PERFECT night!
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My girl taught me how to trim my bangs that way too! It really helps in between cuts!
ReplyDeleteFor sure!
DeleteSuch a great blog post topic. From reading your blog (and now following on IG), I feel like I "know" you pretty well but it's always fun to learn something new;).
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading!!! Seriously - it means the world!
DeleteMy son was going to be Landyn Alexandra had he been a girl. I think we may still use it if our next is a girl!
ReplyDeleteLove the name!!!
DeleteHi there! Do your Lottas fit true to US size? I've bought another brand and they ran small so now I don't trust myself!
ReplyDeleteI order my true size and they've always worked well for me.
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