Last Chance to Win!

Last chance to win $50 to the Home Depot plus Mr. Clean Outdoor Pro cleaning supplies from P&G! You can enter here by leaving a comment. xo, Lauren

Friday Favorites

Here are a few of my favorite moments from our life lately according to my Instagram feed:

Life has been full of its ups and downs lately, but luckily mostly the former. My girls are completely in love with one another, there is literally no end to the kisses, snuggles, and hugs that Miss Lucy gets from her big sister each day. I'm so happy for both of them - having a sister myself I know how special that relationship is and will be for the rest of their lives. It's like having a best friend for life no matter what.

At the same time, Violet has been having a difficult time adjusting to the fact that I'm not available to her at every moment. I thought that being home from work would help her to be a little more independent of me, but she really seems to be feeling a lot of stress and I'm not sure how to help her. After a particularly challenging day, I was surfing the web and came across this post which talked about how we start expecting more of our older child when we have a new baby, but really they're still just a baby too and need us just as much if not more. Luckily Lucy is a champion sleeper and my mom has been helping out a lot, so I do get a lot of time with Violet throughout the day to play, although my house and this space have been feeling neglected for sure. (Any tips on keeping your house decently clean with two little ones? It feels somewhat impossible at the moment!)

The other evening Lucy had just eaten and was having a long snooze with her papa, so Violet and I snuck off to the park together. It was a gorgeous evening - the perfect temperature, the smell of wood burning in the air (always reminds me of camping!) and we had a wonderful time. It felt so good to get out with just her, and not with the baby in the carrier.

Speaking of baby carriers, we tried out our new Ergobaby carrier with the infant insert this week and Lucy loves it! We used it three times and each time she fell right to sleep. Lucy had another first as well - her first bottle of mama's milk! Violet has been itching to feed her ever since she was born, and her and Lucy both did a great job. It's hard to motivate myself to pump with everything else that is going on, but it is nice to have a small supply frozen in case of an emergency. It gives me peace of mind, so definitely worth the extra time it takes.

If you'd like to see more photos of our daily happenings you can follow along on Instagram here.

Happy Friday!

xo, Lauren

Lovely Little Art

left . right

Love, love these black and white prints for a nursery or child's space. So sweet and they'd really go with any decor. xo, Lauren

A Camping Party

Decorate with these floral pennants, "yay" flags, and this blanket as a tablecloth or guest seating

Make these s'mores in a basket

Top of your cake with this free printable camp cake topper

Have guests take home these paper bag + fabric favors

Lucy Vivian - One Month Old

A little late, but our dear sweet baby is one month old. She's been such an angel - sleeping some five hour stretches at night for her mama and much of the day. Sometimes we have fussy evenings, but they're getting fewer and farther between. She's starting to smile back at us when we smile at her and is making some little cooing noises.

She's growing like a champ - already up from her six pound ten ounce birth weight, and she's grown from 19 to 22.25 inches. She loves to look at windows and snuggle in her Moby Wrap. Although nursing was a bit of a challenge at first, and I thought more than a few times about quitting, she's gotten really good at it thanks to some good advice from the lactation nurse at the hospital.

Her big sister adores her and she's getting used to the constant flow of kisses, snuggles, and hugs that she receives daily:

Happy (belated) one month my Lucy Vivian! We love you to the moon and back!

xo, your mama and papa

Giveaway: Win $50 to the Home Depot

With Violet's birthday party and Memorial Day weekend happening, we definitely had to spruce up our patio area. So needless to say I was thrilled when the lovely folks over at Procter & Gamble and the Home Depot sent us this awesome package in the mail to help us get things in order as part of their Get it Ready. Get it Done. Get it Clean. campaign:

I don't know about you guys, but plastic outdoor furniture is like the bane of my existence. We have these plastic faux Adirondack chairs and I feel like I can NEVER get them clean. They have all of these grooves to make them look like they have a wood grain and the dirt just won't come out of them. Well, I tried out one of the Mr. Clean Outdoor Pro Magic Erasers (I am seriously obsessed with these things) on these bad boys, and what a difference! From a distance they don't look bad at all:

But when you get up close you can see what I'm talking about:

Check out the upper part of this chair's arm versus the lower part - HUGE difference. It actually looks white now instead of greige.

The other thing I always have a tough time cleaning is our glass table. I feel like the pollen and dirt and grime just gets caked on there and doesn't want to come off. The Mr. Clean Outdoor Pro Spray and Bounty paper towels definitely worked a lot better than my regular indoor All-Purpose spray. Again not bad from a distance:

But come a little bit closer and:

I didn't have to scrub hard and all and look at all of the grime that came off of the table after one swipe:

Gross, right? And of course the best part of all of this? Procter & Gamble has generously offered to give away the same prize pack to one lucky reader! So that's all of the cleaning products pictured PLUS $50 to the Home Depot! I think I'm going to use our gift card toward repairing our broken fence. All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment on this post.

For bonus entries, you can:

• follow A Lovely Lark on Facebook
• follow A Lovely Lark on Twitter
• follow A Lovely Lark on Instagram
• follow A Lovely Lark on Pinterest

I'll announce the winner at the end of the week - good luck! xo, Lauren

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Up to five entries per person. After the winner is randomly chosen he or she will be put in contact with the sponsors of the giveaway. If the winner does not claim his or her prize within ten days, they forfeit their winnings and another winner will be chosen and contacted via email. All rules and conditions are subject to change without notice.

Procter & Gamble provided the prize for your consideration as part of their #ReadyDoneClean campaign 

Violet Says Vol. 6

1. When we went to the doctor's office for Lucy's weight check, the doctor asked Violet, "So who's this  - your new baby sister?" Violet said, "Yes, her name baby Lucy. She my baby sistuh. She eats milk from Mommy's nickels!" And yanked down my shirt.

Needless to say, we had to have a little conversation about privacy after that visit :)

2. Violet: Mommy, why do we take baths?
Me: So we're not stinky
Violet: Yeah, I don't want my eyes be stinky!

 Because, you know, it's really important that we have fresh smelling eyes...

3.The other day she saw a photo of herself where she wasn't smiling and said, "Why I not cheesin', Mommy?"

4. My mom has pretty much all of the old Disney movies and likes to introduce Violet to new ones every now and then when she keeps her overnight. After one sleepover Violet came home and told me that she got to watch a new movie at Nonny's house. I asked her which one she watched, and she matter-of-factly replied, "Poopahontas."

And then I died.

5. Violet has an interactive stuffed animal called My Pal Violet. The other day we were sitting on the couch and she was playing with it and it asked her, "Who's your best friend?" And she instantly yelled, "MOMMY!!!"

Best. moment. ever. I love being a mom!

Also, a special shout-out to my family members who have served our country, past and present - my cousins Don, Shanna, Justin, and Tim, my Uncle Tim, my brother-in-law Randy, and my Papaw. Happy Memorial Day - we appreciate your sacrifice! xo, Lauren

(Above photo: Violet trying out a new napping method. It didn't work out.)

Nope.

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week! I was on my own for most of the week, the baby caught a cold, and I'm feeling under the weather as well. Not to mention dealing with the aftermath of a party full of 3-5 year olds. This print by Gemma Correll cracked me up when I came across it over on Society6 - totally how I'm feeling about doing anything at the moment. Hope you're all having a lovely Memorial Day weekend! xo, Lauren

Violet's Third Birthday Party

We had Violet's third birthday party this past weekend. She was old enough this year to decide what kind of party she wanted, and she requested a blue and red princess party :) I wanted to keep things pretty simple this year since I knew I'd have a one month old on my hands, so we went with some balloons and tissue paper poms, a homemade cake, and some pipe cleaner crowns:




I also snagged a cardboard play castle on Zulily with some credit a while back and the kids has a blast with it! At first the boys were more into hunting for slugs in the dirt than playing princesses (surprise surprise) but when I handed out some magic wands, they all started playing a game of bad guys and princesses and it was hilariously cute. Violet passed out from pure exhaustion immediately after the last guest left, so I'd call that a whopping success! xo, Lauren
   
Update: I've gotten a few requests for sources already so here you go:

"YAY" Plates: Amazon
Polka Dot Napkins: Amazon
Castle: Purchased on Zulily but you can also buy on Amazon (it's reversible - white on one side, cardboard on the other)
Tissue Balls: Poppies for Grace
Cake Stand: Shop Sweet Lulu
Wooden Star Wands: Etsy Shop PaperPolaroid
Gold No. 3 Balloon: Purchased at our local party store, but you can also find them on Amazon
Rock Candy: Purchased at our local party store, but you can also find them on Amazon

Hope that helps!

5 Great Gifts for New Moms

If I could go back to the time before I was a mother myself and redo all of the gifts I've given new mamas I so would. They really don't need one more tiny outfit, as adorable as it might be. Instead I'd go with one of these ideas:

1. New mom snack box - I can't tell you how many times I skipped a meal with Violet because I just didn't have the time (or free hands). This snack box would have been sooo appreciated.

2. Something sentimental - this bracelet or this necklace with the new babe's name or initial would be perfect.

3. A hot meal - these have been a Godsend since we had Lucy. So many of our friends and family have sent over delicious homemade and restaurant meals for us this past month - it's been nice to have Kevin's hands free in the evenings to play with Violet or hold Lucy instead of slaving over a hot grill.

4. Time - My mom took Violet overnight for the first time since I had Lucy and it's been nice to have a little quiet time with Kevin and extra bonding time with Lucy. Sometimes with two kids I don't feel like I get to totally focus in on either one. Most new moms won't want to let you watch their newborns, but if they have an older child offer to take him or her to the park for an hour or so - it'll be the best gift they got guaranteed.

5. Run an Errand - Call before you come to visit the baby and ask if there's anything you can pick up or do to help out - we ran out of toilet paper the one day and my sister was a lifesaver when she picked some up for me.

What was your favorite/most helpful gift that you received as a new mom? I'd love to hear about it! Happy Friday :) xo, Lauren

Yay

Pretty excited about these ceramic letter plates I just snagged for Violet's birthday party this weekend. So cute! Now what to fill them with...

Handmade Love

Swooning over these prints by Charm & Gumption on Etsy. I want one of each!

5 Favorites for Mama & Baby

For all of you mom's to be out there, I thought I'd share some of the things I can't live without these days:

1. Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets - with Violet I kind of gave up on swaddling because all of the flannel blankets I had were almost immediately too small to swaddle her with. Plus she was a May baby, so I quickly felt that they were too warm for her. When I was pregnant with Lucy I hunted and hunted for swaddle blankets that we could actually use and fell in love with these gauzy dream blankets from Aden + Anais. The material is lightweight so it's perfect for a spring or summer baby, and they are the perfect size. I'm confident we'll be able to make use of these for quite some time. And the patterns are just gorgeous to boot.

2. Picci Moses Basket - Although we have the crib and co-sleeper upstairs, I like to have a cozy safe spot on our first floor to keep my sleeping babe close by during the day. With Violet we used a pack n play, but now that we have more furniture and kids' stuff around the house, we just don't have room for it. So this time I snatched up one of these Moses baskets by Picci with some Zulily credit, and I'm so happy that I did! She is super comfy in there, it doesn't take up too much space, and I can actually transport her from room to room while she's sleeping. A+

3. Cozy Comfort Pregnancy Pillow - When I was pregnant with Violet I suffered through without one of these ginormous pillows because a) they're kind of expensive and b) they take up a lot of space. But with this second pregnancy I reconsidered. Although this was another find I bought with credit on Zulily, I'd pay full price for it in a heartbeat today. So SO worth it. I can't tell you how much more sleep I was able to get while pregnant with this gem of a pillow, and it came in handy postpartum as well. After I came home from the hospital I was pretty sore and beat up and this helped me to be so much more comfortable. In fact I'm still using it because it keeps me super comfortable while I'm nursing at night. Kev has been a champ and hasn't complained about his reduction in bed space once. Love you honey!

4. Carter's Jumpsuits - It's so hard to find comfortable, affordable clothing for infants that doesn't have crazy animals or creepy sayings. After a lot of searching I'm so in love with these adorable jumpsuits from Carter's. I bought them in newborn size and liked them so much that I went ahead and purchased the next size up as well!

5. My Arm's Reach Co-sleeper - This is one thing on the list that I bought for Violet and am reusing with Lucy. I love having my babe right at my side at night - it makes night-time feedings a breeze and helped get me through that first week where you're constantly checking to see if your baby is still breathing! (Does anyone else do that?) I don't think they sell this particular model any more, but all of their co-sleepers are the same concept. It attaches to the bed (and detaches quite easily as well), one side drops down so that you can see right in to the baby, and it has storage underneath as well as little pockets on the side perfect for diapers, wipes, and a changing pad. I don't get out of bed at all at night and that's just the way I like it!

Stay tuned, I'll try to share a few of my favorite things each week. Hope this helps! xo, Lauren

A Perfect (to me) Mother's Day

It's funny how your perception of a perfect day can change from year to year. Before I had kids, I pictured the perfect Mother's Day being breakfast in bed, a gift and/or flowers of some sort, a meal at a nice restaurant, perhaps a little pampering. Now that I have a three-year-old and a newborn, my list was a bit, well, different.

First of all I was thrilled to start off the day by sleeping in until 8:30 (after being up multiple times feeding Lucy the night before and being woken by Violet at 7:30, at which time Kev got up with her) At 8:30 Lucy gave me my second wake up call, but like I said - thrilled to have gotten that extra hour. Then I got my second gift of the day when I came downstairs to find that my first born had been bathed (yes! clean toddler - I didn't have to sit on the bathroom floor and wrangle a squirmy wet slippery kid who just wants to play unhindered while simultaneously trying to de-grime her! Seriously, toddlers are really the stickiest people ever.)

I did end up getting flowers (thanks Mom and Kev!), so there's that, but to be honest, that was just gravy - it wasn't on my must-have list. The best thing was to see the look of delight on Violet's face when she showed them to me:

At that point Kev dressed Violet and whisked her off to see the alpacas who were visiting the local fairgrounds last weekend. I was in heaven and tweeted about how happy I was to be showering alone. Then I realized that a) I hadn't peed yet that morning and b) I now considered showering with my newborn in the carseat next to me and reaching out every five minutes to replace her pacifier as being "alone".

When they got back we all went to the local Mother's Day street fair together. It's nothing super special - just a lot of fair food, random crafty vendors, and some kids' stuff, but it's become a tradition for us for the past three years now. Actually three years ago I was hugely pregnant (a week overdue) and walking the streets of that same fair trying to encourage Violet to make her appearance so that I wouldn't have to be induced (and went into spontaneous labor that night!), so it felt pretty special to be there with Violet and our newest addition.

The highlight of the fair was getting Violet's face painted. We shelled out ten bucks for this swirly (red and blue) eye, and we weren't entirely convinced she was even going to stay still for it, but she was literally LIKE A STATUE. Didn't flinch. Didn't move a muscle. We were sooo proud and she was ecstatic when she saw herself. (She sat in the back of the car the whole way home gazing into my little makeup mirror and singing Snow White songs to herself. Oh, and she's still wearing her makeup...two days later. It pretty much looks like we punched her in the eye at this point.)

Lucy hung out in the Moby Wrap the whole time and slept like a champ. Seriously, that thing is magic. And more magic: Violet actually ate a pit pork sandwich and more importantly liked it and managed to hold her pee until Kev could run to a nearby restaurant to find out that it was closed, run to a police officer to ask where to take our kid to pee, and finally run waaaaay down the street to another restaurant that thankfully was actually open. All in all I'd say it was a successful outing even though it ended with me carrying her (with Lucy still in the Moby Wrap) back to the car crying and screaming because it was past nap time and she wanted to "do more games". (We hadn't played a single game other than getting her face painted and putting her in a bounce house for about two seconds before she came out crying that it was "too bouncy")

Luckily after aforementioned singing to herself in the mirror, she fell asleep in the car before we got home and Kev managed to transfer her to her bed without waking her, I nursed Lucy to sleep, and we all took a well-deserved evening nap. Well, except for Kev who ran out to get us blue nail polish for our first Mommy/daughter pedicure, chocolate chip cookie dough, and a hot, gooey pizza for dinner (thanks honey!)

That night Kev and I laid in bed whispering about our two beautiful girls and perhaps someday adding another beautiful babe to the family. The perfect ending to a perfect day. It might not sound perfect to some I know, but perfection is in the eye of the beholder, and even though I've traded in my list for clean kids and cookie dough, I wouldn't change any of it for the world. xo, Lauren

Candy Coated Summer

My latest ideabook for Houzz.com is up! I'm currently obsessing over all of the delicious candy-colored hues that are out right now - yum. You can check out details and sources here. Hope everyone had a fabulous Mother's Day! xo, Lauren

P.S. Recipe for a Rustic Kitchen & A Fresh and Feminine Workspace

Friday Favorites

I thought maybe I'd switch things up a bit and share some favorite moments rather than favorite links this Friday, so here goes:

1. Lucy snoozing on my chest post nursing. That's one of my absolute favorite times - newborn sleep chuckles and milky lips and perfect full-belly contentment.

2. Watching Violet bond with her little sister. It fills my heart with so much joy to see how much more she falls in love with "her baby Lucy" each and every day. She loves to give her kisses and hugs and snuggles constantly - literally so much that I have to ask her to back off a little bit from time to time!

3. Stealing precious moments with my first born. As much as she is in love with her sister, she has been a little bit more clingy and stressed out than usual. It's been an adjustment for sure - especially with me nursing. I'm not as available to her as she's used to and we've been slowly finding ways to get some more one on one time together. The other day Lucy was snoozing away in her crib and I seized the moment to have a backyard picnic with Violet in her teepee. Thank goodness for our video monitor! It gives me such peace of mind. We also managed to escape the house a couple of times and to go out to breakfast together and visit the library for story time.

4. Morning snuggles. Violet came over to our room in the morning, asked if she could snuggle in our bed, and promptly fell asleep. I tried to sleep as well (goodness knows I need it!), but I just kept opening my eyes to look at my beautiful girls and thought about how incredibly lucky I am. I can't remember when I've spent a happier morning.

Of course we've had our rough moments and days as well - nursing was crazy painful at first, Lucy can get pretty fussy in the evenings, and I've lost my patience on more than one occasion with Violet (mostly due to my lack of sleep), but we're loving being a family of four and I wouldn't change it for the world! Happy Friday everyone!

xo, Lauren

P.S. Follow along on Instagram @alovelylark

Something To: Meg of Oh Bother

Our last Something to post is from my friend Meg, who I've known since high school! She just started blogging and I love what she's done so far. Her blog is called Oh bother and she writes about her sweet daughter Holden, life as a working (sort of single) mom (her husband works out of state five days of the week), and my favorite part - her hilarious Pinterest fails :) Without further ado, here are Meg's picks for today:

make: DIY stuffed dino
wear: upcycled little girl's dress (made from a men's dress shirt!)
live: Every Little Thing sign by Susie Harris
read: Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
play: garden veggies

Baby Blanket Love

Both of my girls are feeling super special after receiving beautiful handmade blankets from a couple of sweet and talented ladies. Lucy has been enjoying lounging on her new play mat from Jennifer of Baby J & Co.

I love that it's super soft and plush on one side and has a gorgeous pattern on the other. It also has a velcro closure that makes it really easy to roll up and take along to picnics and outings. Jennifer started making the blankets after having her own babe so that she always knew which side had been against the ground. Love when mamas run into a problem and instead of complaining about it they just roll up their sleeves and get something done! It's definitely going to be our favorite tummy time blanket for sure. Thanks Jennifer!

Violet also received her own special doll quilt and pillow a few months ago from Amy of My Little Loves and she loves it so much that I wanted to mention it as well. She uses it for nap time, diaper changes, tea parties - you name it!

Thank you so much ladies for taking care of my girls! xo, Lauren

Something To from Dani Hampton

I'm excited to have Dani Hampton of Sometimes Sweet for today's Something To post! Dani has a beautiful lifestyle blog where she writes about her adorable little boy, Henry, and her baby to be. I'm so excited for her and her family to welcome their new addition (and to see what she comes up with for the new little guy's nursery!) Here's what Dani rounded up for us today:

make: lemon curd tart with raw coconut crust
wear: 'yay' sweater and wild things crown
live: orange stripe teepee
read: Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
play: make the connection toy set

Something to from Katie Stratton

Today I have a lovely Something to post for you all, created by Katie Stratton of Katie's Pencil Box. Her blog is filled with the most gorgeous imagery, and I have to say I am just simply dying to see her daughter Phoebe's finished nursery. Thanks so much Katie for sharing your picks with us! xo, Lauren

make: diy mountain pillow
wear: ochre dress
live: spotted pouf
read: A Long Piece of String
play: toy banjo

Something to from Esther Garfield

Today's Something to post is brought to you buy the lovely Esther Garfield of Buy Modern Baby. Esther is mama to two adorable little boys, so I was super surprised when I saw her adorable girly pink picks for us today! Take it away Esther:

I'm so excited that Violet is going to have a baby sister to play with!  Inspired by lovely little girls and the upcoming spring, I've got something to...

make: diy lockers
wear: neon pink star dress / fringe suede mocassins  
live: hot pink side chair
read: Spring is Here
play: fade out nesting dolls

Something To from Jess Craig

I'm happy to welcome the lovely Jess Craig of irocksowhat for today's guest post! Jess is a super-inspirational mama who tells it like it is. I think that sometimes blogs can be a little too sugarcoated, but Jess just feels, well, real. She's open and candid about motherhood, her weight loss journey, and how she manages to look completely gorgeous day in and day out - I mean, those eyebrows! But I digress. Here are Jess's fun and fresh picks, thanks so much for sharing them with us! xo, Lauren

make: lit campfire
wear: small skivvies
live: golden toadstool lamp
read: The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids
play: bearded folk man dolls