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Have you heard of a capsule wardrobe? It's essentially a small collection of clothing that can be worn in multiple ways with other items in your closet! These are your closet essentials...items you add to you closet that can pair perfectly with almost everything you already have in there! A white tee is a capsule wardrobe must-have...and so is a jean jacket! Every closet needs one because it's a piece of clothing that has not gone out of style in years! I have had a Gap jean jacket in my closet for 13 years and they still make that same style - that's why often times it's a wise idea to spend a little more money on a great capsule essential verses going cheap and trendy! 

Here are my top picks for jean jackets.  I like a little detail on mine and truthfully we might be living in the era that likes distressed and torn but I have a feeling I'm going to find myself wearing that look for a few years! I like the fact that it can turn a feminine dress into something a little funkier - that's just my personal style preference. 

VERONICA BEARD 

MADEWELL

SHOPTIQUE

L'AGENCE

THE GAP

I think taking the time to find a great jean jacket that will work great throughout the years isn't a bad idea! Also, when you order it make sure you try it on with anything from a sundress to a pair of white cut off shorts to perhaps a pair of Happy Pants!  I promise, this piece of clothing will work for years to come!

Here is my favorite way to style a jean jacket! With a flowy sundress and sandals!  Easy peasy, comfortable and totally put together! A mom's dream outfit!

You can click on the pictures and snag the styles right up! 

Happy Shopping!

XOXO!

Marcy

Last week I embarked on something I haven't done in 6.5 years...I did a 5-day juice cleanse.   I know this sounds gnarly to most people - you know, the whole not-eating-for-a-week thing, but let me tell you it sounds a lot harder than it is.  

My body has been feeling "off" lately.  Bloated, sick more often than usual, brain fog, a random rash popping up on my forearm...just not feeling great these days. So I decided to kick-off a body reset by going all in on this!

Six and a half years ago ( I was 6 months postpartum)  I did a 5-day juice cleanse and it truly changed the way I felt and helped aid with losing the extra baby weight. After that cleanse, I did a Whole30 and it was truly transformative for my health and my body.

This cleanse was far easier than the last one, mostly because I did not have to physically juice myself which is super time-consuming. Thank you Clean Juice for making life so much easier this time around!! Juicing clean-up is a hassle and the all-organic ingredients in their juices made me feel secure that this was the best option for me this time around - not to mention the cute packages that tell you the benefits of each Juice.  If you are considering embarking on this journey, I would recommend using Clean Juice to make this the easiest juice cleanse evah.  If you have never done a cleanse...start with a 2-day and work up to a 5-day cleanse in small increments over a few months.

I have done a few 3-day cleanses since moving to our new house last May and it really felt so much easier to do the 5-day cleanse this time around.  If you are curious about what to expect on a cleanse, I documented my 5 days below. 

Day 1: Honestly felt great all day. At 3 PM was when the hunger started to kick in. By 5:30 PM I was extremely tired and ready for bed.  My husband was out of town so I fed the kids (P.S. having to cook while on a juice cleanse is by far the HARDEST part of the whole thing :) so if the hubby is home have him figure dinner out for the kids). I put the kids down at 7:30 and I was in bed and asleep by 8 PM! Slept like a baby...first time in weeks. I did incorporate a short 2-mile run to this day so I made sure I drank all my juices.

Day 2: Felt GREAT! More energy for sure. Might be because I slept a full 8 hours. Had energy all day and wasn't hungry. Found it hard to drink all 6 juices...skipped the 6th juice.  Put kids to bed early went to bed early.  

Day 3: Woke up energized, felt energized all day.  Was starving for dinner.  Did not drink all my juices but felt great besides feeling hungry (hungry because I did not drink all my juices - friends, drink all your juices...keep the hunger at bay). I ran this day and felt really great in terms of energy.

Day 4: FELT AMAZING! Had a GNO with a few friends and did not know it was a full on cocktail and dinner event. I was the crazy pants not eating or drinking. Had a fun night and felt great. Went to bed waaay past my bedtime. LOL.

Day 5: Woke up and felt amazing again. A little tired from the late night, yes 11PM is late for me. Thought it was a good idea to play tennis with friends at 9:30 AM in the Florida heat and it kicked my butt later that day. I think I was dehydrated from the sun and did not drink enough juices throughout the day so felt sort of drunk if that makes sense. I think this was because I literally was dehydrated.  But after I got more juice, water and laid down for a bit I felt better.

My recommendations: drink every single juice on the cleanse that Clean Juice provides. If Clean Juice isn't in your price range but really want to juice at home, I followed the ALPHA RESET on my first cleanse. Fill up the empty juice container with water after you finish it and make it a point to drink two of those before the next juice.  If you are going to exercise keep it indoors and keep it low intensity.  I think resting as much as possible is probably the best idea but listen to your body. I felt great working out but you need to listen to your body above all else.  When you bring food back into your diet, ease into it.  Have a small piece of grilled chicken breast (not too seasoned) with a light vegetable or salad...I would do this for a few days post-cleanse. 

I had eggs with spinach and mushrooms for breakfast after my cleanse. That kept me full for the majority of the day believe it or not.  The scale said I lost 4lbs (still haven't hit my post 3rd baby weight and she's almost 3 LOL). But it wasn't about the scale...it was seriously about feeling better.  I decided to do this cleanse with my mom (who is 57 and has never done one).  She had been having tachycardia and sudden spikes in blood pressure (which is super uncommon for her) so I felt she needed this just as much as me.  I have to say, she did amazing! She felt so much better and really realized that food is medicine! She started going for walks and is excited about going back to our old way of eating (more paleo, less processed). 

If you go with Clean Juice, drink the juices that they recommend on the cleanse. I modified mine because I had already done a few 3-day cleanses and knew which juices did not sit well with my stomach so I subbed them out.  If you can try the juices one by one before you do this, I would suggest you do that so you know which ones give you a stomach ache. This isn't about "tasting" good. They are formulated to give you exactly what your body needs...it's about listening to your body and seeing how it feels after it consumes each one. 

If you have any questions about this cleanse, comment below. I am happy to give you any suggestions or cheer you on if you decide to do one.  I am not a nutritionist or doctor so be sure if you have any  medical conditions that you ask your doctor before going all out on a cleanse.

I love a good t-shirt and have been known to literally buy 2 maybe 4 of the same t-shirt when I find one I love.  Kind of nuts I know, but believe it or not the "perfect" white t-shirt is hard to find. Following are my criteria for the perfect t-shirt (in case you were wondering).

Perfect White T-Shirt Must Haves :)

1. Fit - Fit is a biggie for me, I like relaxed but feminine all at once...most t-shirts are boxy and unflattering.
2. Fabric (this is a big deal for me AS WELL! If there are holes in it by the first wash it's a no for me, most times a cotton blend is the way to go for durability)
3. Shrinkability (or lack thereof). I literally cannot stand when you happen to accidentally throw your t-shirt in the driver and it fits your 6-year-old son after it comes out. No bueno.
4. Details. I like when they add a puff sleeve, pocket, raw edge some funky element to a basic staple.

So because I'm kind of a BIG fan of popping on my HAPPY PANTS with the perfect t-shirt, I went ahead and rounded up a few of my favorites. Click on the picture and it will take you straight to shop the look.  OH and they are having a BIG SALE so here is your chance to stock up (I know I did...LOL). 

You want a t-shirt that stands the test of many washes and goes from fun day out with the kiddos to side-tucked inside a cute pair of pants/jeans for a night out with the hubby or friends!

A.L.C. KATI TEE

NORTHSIDE VINTAGE TEE

A.L.C. KARLIE TEE

MADEWELL WHISPER COTTON V NECK

VELVET WHITE TEE

Here is a picture of me showing you how you can style a simple white t-shirt, with a fun pair of pants.  You can wear this to drop the kids off at school OR add some fun jewelry and you have the ultimate date-night ready outfit! Simple. Easy. Chic and Comfortable!  

XOXO!

Marcy

You know shoes are my love language right? And pink suede wedges are popping up everywhere right now! So I wanted to do a round-up of my favorites because we all need a little soft pink goodness in our lives!

What is great about this color is that you can see it as a neutral. The color is so soft that you can wear it with so many different pops of colors or tone it down with whites, taupe, gray.  Now if you're not a pink person - let me tell you I'm not either, but I do love how subtle this pink is and it just works with so many of the style I have in my closet! Which one was your favorite style, I'd love to know in the comments!

Click on the photo and it will take you straight to shop :)

Sanibel Platform Wedge Sandal

Raine Platform Espadrille Sandal

Barca Espadrille Wedge Sandal

Alida Espadrille Platform Wedge

Hope this inspired you to add a touch of pink to your closet!

XOXO!

Marcy

Are you as excited about today as I am? I figured what a great way to start off Sunday than with anticipation and preparation for the week ahead!

As I mentioned in my last email, our February intention is to Declutter. This week we are going to declutter our HOME. Now, I am not going to go the full-on Marie Kondo method with you! I feel anxiety building up as I think of pulling everything out of every room at once. Busy moms often times don't have the capacity in their days for that...so let's cut ourselves some slack and start small (remember small tasks/steps daily build up to big change).

This week we will pick 2 areas of your home you will declutter! Those areas can be the kitchen or bathroom counters, your closet, kitchen drawers, pantry! Just pick two areas! Once you know what you are going to tackle we are going to take 3 days to fully declutter one area and 3 days to tackle the next (Sunday's are for Jesus - take a break). Spend two uninterrupted hours a day doing each area (maybe during naptime or when the kiddos are in school). Put on music, a podcast, an audiobook - whatever motivates you...just give yourself two hours (if you have more than two hours bravo!). When a determined mama can focus for two hours she can tackle anything! If your kiddos aren't napping find a time in your day (maybe after bedtime) to get your two hours in...perhaps even include them if necessary - they might enjoy it!

What you need to know is clutter in your home can cause massive amounts of mental distractions. It is often a result of other underlying things we keep putting off in life or an indicator of areas in our lives that need more of our attention. Clutter is also an emotional pitfall, where we hang on to things because we have an emotional attachment with the item. We need to release the emotional energy from items in our home that are not serving us in our current season and in doing so we are opening up to receiving what we truly need.

This doesn't mean clean out to go buy more - nope. It means that if you are holding onto things for the wrong emotional reason...you are not opening yourself up to healing that area of your life. Back in February of last year when I wanted to initially do this challenge I researched a lot about clutter and the psychology behind it and all arrows point to holding things to not let go of memories, hurts, or the possibility of getting back what you have lost. One of the best examples is holding on to clothes that don't fit you right now in hopes you'll "lose" the baby weight...friend, let me encourage you to let it go. Give yourself permission to love your current body. This doesn't mean the weight is NEVER going to come back, it just means that if you have been holding on to that pair of jeans for 5 years hoping to one day fit into them - I encourage you to release them...start fresh, the steps to getting the body back will start another month.

Who is ready for Monday? 

 


XOXO! 
Marcy

P.S. If you are joining me, email me at hello @ kaiyadesigns.com with what two areas you are going to tackle this week! Remember cheer yourself and your accomplishment on at the end of the two hours!!

The objective is to declutter our home, our minds, our bodies!

How many of you have been hooked on the new Netflix series with Marie Kondo? Everyone is watching it and making use of her skillset to transform their living spaces. Last year, I wanted to do a declutter challenge with you guys. But as the story goes, life got in the way and I did not have the time to put out what I was working on myself. In a way, I’m glad that I lived through the process myself first so I could be a better guide for you guys this time around.

What I found over the last year is that there are more areas in our lives that need constant decluttering: our home, yes, but also our minds and bodies need to be decluttered. If you will be joining me for this un-official challenge in February I think working through decluttering these areas of your life will truly be a catalyst to creating the best 2019 yet!

You see, we are creatures of habit. And psychologically speaking, we are much happier and successful humans when we create routines. But routines and sticking to them truly relies on having a right mind and foundation. It’s really difficult to mentally start anything new when our minds and spaces are not right. We will inevitably get overwhelmed and give up. 2019, is not the year of giving up - especially not on ourselves. Which is why each and every month we are going to take the proper steps to create the momentum for real lasting change.

Each week in February we will focus on easy steps. Those that can be accomplished and worked on over the course of the week. February is not about getting overwhelmed it’s about taking a step every single day that will create lasting change. If I’m being honest with you, when I watched Marie’s first episode on Netflix - I got a little anxious. One of her exercises was for the people to take EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF CLOTHING out of their closets and go through them one by one and decide which item “sparked joy” and which ones didn’t. The ones that don’t, you thank it for their time with you and you donate them (if they are in good condition) or toss them. If you kept them you’d have to fold them according to a category in a very specific way and put them away. Now all that sound super dandy…I guess. But it was the taking EVERY SINGLE THING out of the closet at once that gave me anxiety.

Most of us have waaaay too much stuff in our closets/homes. Removing everything all at once would truly and realistically require HOURS to go through, find out if it sparks joy and put away - if we are being honest and depending on our shopping habits, even days.

In my opinion, if you haven’t decluttered your closet (or home) in years - starting with one section daily is more palatable than going full-force. Focusing on a project for hours when you have kids, work, a husband - heck a life is like torture and at times discouraging. However, you can start a section at a time: your jeans, blouses, skirts, pants, winter clothes, the junk drawer in the kitchen we all have - one area per day and tackle that area in an hour or two not 30 hours. Taking smalls steps daily is a lot less stressful than going all out, becoming overwhelmed and then having to look at a pile of clothes, for days, in a corner in your room.

Something to know about me - I HATE clutter! I don’t use the word HATE often but when it comes to clutter I have to keep it all the way real. A pile of clothes that aren’t moving for a few days would send me into full-blown hive mode and I’d be an overall stressed out, unhappy mama until it ends up back in my closet hung any which way, just as long as it’s where it’s supposed to be.

I want February to be manageable. I want you to celebrate every single step you take action on, even if it’s very small step! Did you hear that?? I want every step to be celebrated! Celebrating our WINS is part of this decluttering process. You see, I mentioned decluttering the mind as one of the things we will tackle. We live in a society that if that WIN isn’t BIG enough it wasn’t worth it. I beg to differ. I think that if we celebrated more we would accomplish more because we are demonstrating self-love through celebrating all wins...no matter what size. Our minds need those celebrations, it’s sometimes easier for us to talk unkindly to ourselves than kindly. I once read something that said, “if we talk to a friend the way we talk to ourselves would that person still be our friend?” I want you to think about that - celebrate every step no matter how big or small - showing yourself love is a major step in creating lasting change!

In February, I also want to celebrate your small and big steps! I’d love to know if you’ll be partaking in this un-official challenge. Send me an email at hello @ kaiyadesigns.com and let me know. Oh, and if you know a friend who would love this please this post with them…the more the merrier!

I’m so stoked!


XOXO!
Marcy

How is it going? Wanted to check in on you - you know because it's almost the end of January and we made a little commitment to ourselves just a few short weeks ago. ;)

So...how'd you do? Did you have those "I nailed it days" and those "I totally walked out the door in my PJ days" ( because you know I did) and did you survive it all feeling empowered and equipped to tackle the next task by building off the first? I sure hope so.

January's intention was about showing up, but we are just a day away from February and we want to continue our momentum for making 2019 our best year yet! You see, you're never, ever, EVER going to regret showing up for yourself...and to be honest, making excuses as to why you shouldn't do things for yourself is sooo 2018! Girl, we are here to create an impact and leave an incredible legacy, and that starts with YOU!

So tell me something, are you excited for February? Even if January wasn't perfect - because we are keeping it all the way real over here and we are following the motto: done is better than perfect every single time (you can go tweet that if you'd like :) ). And if you are striving for perfection I'll be seeing you in the same exact spot next year, seriously! Girl, perfection is lame. I strongly believe that "perfection" is FEAR wrapped in a pretty little package. It makes us "look" better when we call ourselves perfectionist instead of saying we are scared shitless - am I right?

So let's get pumped for February because it's coming no matter what - so let's look to it with anticipation and expect that God is already working amazing things for our good!

You PUMPED?

XOXO!
Marcy

I had a realization...

Nothing good ever comes of long drives and tons of thinking in his Marcy brain - but hear me out. We were driving in Disney this weekend to celebrate Kaiya's birthday and I was chatting with Danny boy and got a ding on my phone. Looked down to get this little iPhone notification of the amount of SCREEN TIME I put in over the last week.

Side Note: I told Dan over a year ago that iPhones should start doing that - proof that I sometimes have good ideas AAAAND that these people are listening to all of them :)

So I get this notice and was SHOCKED to see I spent about 66 hours and 43 minutes on my phone last week! That's over 9 hours a day, that's 565 minutes! What the whhhhhaat? As you can see lots of that was on Facebook. Now, if you know me you know I run my business on Facebook - but don't get this twisted, it's NEVER 100% business on there...there is A LOT of shiny object syndrome and distractions happening if we are being honest. Truthfully I am ashamed to openly admit how much time I spent...but there is a lesson in this knowledge!

Here is what I learned and what my BIG revelation was - STOP MAKING EXCUSES! Check your screen time app on your iPhone (if you don't have it, download it), track your usage for the rest of the month - take note of it. By the end of January let's tally all that up. Let's see how much time we are spending on our phones either of Facebook, Instagram on our text messages - all of it!

If yours is more than 4-5 hours a day we are going to do something. We are literally going to start taking back an hour of THAT time a day! We are going to be intentional about getting 7 hours back (at least) a week to do ALL the things we keep making excuses that we just don't have enough time to do. EXAMPLE: workout, eat healthy, clean the house, do the laundry, meet a friend for lunch, go to date night, start the business, spend time with the kids - you get the picture. Truthfully, if you and I can spend 66 hours staring at our phones we literally have a bone to pick with every excuse gremlin that tries to get in the way of us creating the best version of us in 2019! So if you are completely on board, send me an email (hello @ kaiyadesigns.com) and say: I'm done making excuses and I'm ready to make this the best year yet!!!

You know I love you right?!?!

XOXO!
Marcy

Consider this my Tuesday check-in!

If you read my previous emails you might know by now that in January we are setting our intention as "just show up!"

If the last few emails ended up in junk mail let me just quickly catch you up. We are doing one simple thing to really set the foundation for 2019 on the right foot!

We are getting up 30 minutes to an hour before our usual alarm, spending a least 10 minutes showering, getting dressed, doing something to our hair and face (aka make-up: mascara, lipstick, blush at the minimum) and then spending time in quite mode. Journal, read, or both. This 30 min/hour should have nothing to do with anyone but you (and hopefully time with Jesus) meaning no kiddos/hubby/mom/mil – you get the point. So guard it with your life. Starting your morning showing up for yourself is key to feeling incredible every single day, not to mention is the foundation for creating the best year yet in 2019!

And before you knock the idea of getting up earlier than you already do - I want you to ponder something: have you ever felt completely overwhelmed, irritable, annoyed with your kids, your husband, life at the end of the day? Do you think there are never enough hours in your day? If you answered yes to one or all of these - I'll be 100% honest with you - getting up early will completely eradicate those feelings. Right now they feel like nuances - later they start looking like resentment....trust me I've been there and felt that!

I want to show you how quickly and easily it is to get dressed in the morning. Getting dressed in the morning is a very specific task. It requires you to put the workout clothes away and BE INTENTIONAL about wearing a cute pair of pants/jeans with a blouse or t-shirt (by t-shirt I mean one that fits your body well. Not some oversized one you've had since your first pregnancy or college :) )

Believe it or not this process takes the same amount of time but you look and feel like a more put together version of yourself. Not to mention you honestly create a more productive routine for your day by doing this, which means you are well on your way to making 2019 the year that blows your mind!

Have you started your January intention of Just Show Up (for yourself)? If so, I'd love to hear about it! Send me an email (hello @ kaiyadesigns.com) and tell me how it's going for you...if you are just now seeing this email and want to partake in this NEW you...send a note saying I'M IN!

Praying for many amazing things to come from just showing up for yourself!

XOXO! 
Marcy

You know when you know better but still do what you're not supposed to do?? Yeah, well I did that this week!

We are jamming through January with the intention of Just Showing Up!

Basically, it's starting with showing up for yourself first thing in the morning, getting dressed, and ready for your day the best version of YOU possible! Out of the jammies, yoga pants or workout clothes...fully dressed, with hair done and some make-up on that beautiful face of yours...that was until Thursday happened ;)

I broke every single one of those intentions above and showed up to work looking like this...

Friend, those are my full blown jammies! NO make-up, NO hair did, NO cute clothes to make me feel amazing and look the same. Thursday I slept wrong, woke up with a sore neck and back (second morning in a row), and honestly needed a little more time to get zooming in the morning. So what did I do? I popped on some Uggs made the kiddos b-fast and lunch and headed out the door to take the kids to school.

So here is the deal, Dan and I love driving them to school together. We Tony Robbin's them in the morning aka we motivate and practice our gratitude mornings and all that jazz - so I did not have to get out of the car to drop them off - Dan did that :) THANK THE GOOD LORD FOR THAT! I got to the studio and missed a client by a hair - as I pulled up she was pulling out of the store - THANK THE GOOD LORD FOR THAT! I stayed in my office just like this most of the day - (listen if I'm in the studio I'm doing creative stuff) all the businessie CEO stuff gets done at home...that is where I focus. But at the studio, I'm up creating and designing and pulling all the fun out of me! Not Thursday, nope, I stayed couped-up in my office because jammies are just not cute to wear around your peeps.

BUT... I did get up, and I did show up and I did get things done! HOWEVER, here is what I missed by not showing up FOR ME: no walking the kiddos into school and giving them the massive amount of kisses I like to shower them with before they're off to class. I hide in my office when clients came in because jammies are no-go business attire at all, I also did not get to stop at the store for my much needed non-dairy coffee creamer leaving me with lack-luster coffee this morning.

SO yeah, the bright side and where I show myself all kinds of grace is: I did get up take the kids to school, went to work and got things done! WHOOT ME!!

Here is the deal friend, life is about showing ourselves grace when we need it the most. Life is not about perfection, it's about progress. It's not about slipping off the wagon and giving up just because you slipped off. It's about having THAT day. The day you cannot show up your very best but you still showed up. It's NOT about getting into the habit of slipping off the wagon every single day and making excuses for why it happened. Today is a new day. Today I got up, dressed up, did my hair and make-up and stepping into Friday with the best foot forward.

I'm rooting you on over here!!! Send me an email (hello @ kaiyadesigns.com) and tell me how you're showing up for yourself today!! 

XOXO!
Marcy