Stripes

I admit it.

I love stripes.

All stripes.

Always have.

Always will.

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Check out this, this and this, for additional stripes I would like to add to my closet.

Don't forget to vote!

The "Official" Photos

I previous mentioned that I would share photos from my little sister's wedding and thanks to the uber talented Dane Sanders, I now have just a glimpse of what he captured to show you.  It was incredibly hard for me to pick these photos without posting quite possibly the longest blog post ever written.  I do not know how she is going to put her album together.  Here are a few (okay, a little more than that) that I really feel captured the beauty of the day.

My amazing family

I love this photo with her going crazy in the front and me watching in the back.
This is our future.

My third and final Maid of Honor speech. 
I am shocked that I never repeated myself.

Sisters!

There you have it!  Thank you again Dane for allowing me to use these photos.  They were amazing!  

I know, I know.  I keep asking.  But with each day votes become more and more important to keep me in the Top 25.  If you have a second, I would REALLY appreciate it!

   

Sponsor Highlight: Kelly's Kids

I am so excited to introduce a new member of the Juggling in Heels sponsor family, Kelly's Kids!  Kelly's Kids is a family run business (LOVE that!) started 30 years ago on a cotton farm in rural Louisiana.  The company's focus is to provide moms with comfortable, high quality clothing that allows them to mix and match their children.  As mentioned in a previous post, this is something I LOVE to do for holidays and family pictures.  Also, I just have an addiction to adorable clothes for the kids. 

If you have not yet heard of Kelly's Kids, here is just a sneak peak of some of my favorites from the line!

Royal/Gray Woven Ruffle Dress

Rugby Dress

Red Baltic Dress

Chambray Shirt

Day Dress

You can click here to preview the entire line.  Welcome Kelly's Kids and my direct sponsor, independent stylist, Courtney Kamlet!  Juggling in Heels is excited to have you! 

Also, don't forget to vote! (Thank you!)

Hollywood and Vine

There is only one way to describe the 20 hours I spent in Hollywood with the hubby and two of our dear friends.  EPIC.

It really was quite incredible.  A hotel room at The Redbury (cannot wait to stay there again), drinks at The W, dinner and an orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl and dancing the night away at the Sayers Club (the coolest "Old Hollywood" underground club).  There is nothing I could have added to make this night any better.

It is so nice to step outside of "normal" life every now and then with the hubby to rejuvenate and let loose.  Here is a look at the night through Instagram.  Sorry, there are no pictures from the club but I can assure you, it was one of the best clubs I have ever been to.

If you are not following me yet, come find me at @jugglinginheels!

With a new week I am asking for new votes.  Can you help me out?  Thank you!  Just click on the badge!

I am going there

Oldest and Middle Man in the Belly

Normally, I am one to keep my mouth shut.  Well, that is not true.  According to my hubby I need to learn to keep my mouth shut.  On the blog however, I tend to keep my mouth shut.  Not because I don't want to say what I am thinking, but because I am a mother of three who understands that what I might think is right for my family may not be right for someone else's.  My religion, my politics, my parenting.  They are mine and not yours and I respect that.  I truly believe the phrase "to each their own".

That being said, with the New York City decision and the Time Magazine cover, I have decided to ask a question that I know rubs many women the wrong way.  It shouldn't but it does.  Here is my question.

Why has breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding turned one mother against another?

Let me go back to when I had my first.  I was 26 years old and quite honestly, did not know what the hell I was doing.  I delivered my baby, my milk came in and I breast fed him.  There was no problem from his side.  Everything worked great.  In fact, I produced so much milk that our freezer was packed with bags of the golden goods.  There was one problem though.  I absolutely hated nursing.

The entire process stressed me out.  I felt trapped being the only one who could feed him, I was worried he wasn't getting enough and as much as I ADORED my little man, I wanted some independence from the situation.  So I will admit it.  Selfishly, I did not like it.  Everyone (friends, nurses, pediatrician) kept telling me to hang on because it was going to get easier but by 4 months, I was done.  I quit cold turkey and never looked back.  I instantly enjoyed parenting more.

The second time around I was a lot more confident.  I told myself that I would try nursing again to see if this time it was different.  It wasn't.  By 6 weeks I quit.  With Baby Girl, I made it two weeks before I quit.  

The thing is.  Nursing wasn't for me.  And that was okay.  I have tons of friends who love nursing and I admire the commitment they make and how easy it seems for them.  Do I think that their children are "better" than mine because they were nursed?  No.  But I respect the decision they made for their family and I would hope they respect the decision I made.

I am really tired of all the judgement that women place on each other.  Parenting is hard enough without the pressures from others to do what people "think" we should do.  We do not know what people are going through.  We do not understand their struggles.  Did I choose to not nurse?  Yes.  But some women do not have that choice.  And even if they did, it is not for anyone else to say what they should do.  In the end, a happy mother is what is most important for the health of their children.  

So can we just give this battle a rest?

And because I really am a light hearted person, if you are looking for a little humor on this topic, here is my Farewell Letter to Similac, my children's formula of choice.


If this post has not made you run for the hills, I would really appreciate a vote on this beautiful Friday!

I hate to ask but.......

I need your help!


I feel extremely fortunate that for the second year in a row, I was nominated for Circle of Moms "Top 25 So Cal Mom Blogs of 2012".  


Last year, thanks to all of you, I made the Circle of Moms "Top 25 So Cal Mom Blogs of 2011" list and was shocked.  I could not believe all the support you had all given me by taking the time to vote.  That, or you were harassed by me for votes on a daily basis and you finally caved.  Either way, I was extremely appreciative.


Well, with a new year comes new harassment.


I really do have an issue with asking people to vote for me.  It is awkward, shameless and I am sure quite annoying.  In fact, I really would not do it if it was not for the huge competitor in me.  What can I say.  You dangle a competition in front of me and I am all in.  So here it goes.


I am asking you to vote for me.


There, I said it.


All you need to do is click on this pretty pink button and it will take you to the voting page.  It is that simple.


And did I mention that you can vote once every 24 hours?  So, if you are a really big fan of the site, feel free to vote everyday if you want.  No one is going to stop you.

Is this the last you are going to hear about this?  No.  But I promise that you will only see this little button at the bottom of the posts and everything else will return to it's regular scheduled programming.  

Thank you so much in advance!!

Gatsby

Yesterday on twitter I was reminded by Camille Styles how excited I am for the upcoming The Great Gatsby movie.  Not only is this one of my favorite books, but how can you go wrong with Leo, Carey and Toby?  If you haven't seen the trailer yet, here is the sneak peek.

Even though this movie is not arriving in theaters until December, the influence of the movie has already been seen all over the runway.  Glamour, flash and TONS of beading has been everywhere and I cannot get enough.  The "Roaring 20's" brought back to life?  I LOVE it!  Here is my Polyvore take on the fashion that has been inspired by the "Great American Novel".

The Great Gatsby by sarah-jih featuring tahitian pearl jewelry

Is anyone else as excited as I am to see this?