New Beginnings

 I know it's January 23rd, but it feels like New Years Day for our family! It's a new start. A new adventure. A new beginning. As you may have heard on our radio show, we have decided to throw caution to the wind and hire an Aupair! 

You may be asking yourself, "What exactly is an Aupair?"An Aupair is a young person from another country who lives with you and helps with childcare responsibilities in exchange for room and board. 

    The reason I say we threw "caution to the wind" is that, before your Aupair arrives at your home in the US, you have never officially met face to face! Sure you have Skyped a million times and asked eight thousand get to know you questions, but you never REALLY know how someone will fit into your family until you cohabitate together.

   I can't begin to tell you all the things going through my head Friday afternoon as I drove to Charlotte Douglas International airport to pick up Elena. My palms were sweaty, my mind raced, and my heart fluttered. I couldn't place what I was feeling.

   As I walked into baggage claim holding my "Welcome Elena" sign and matching balloons, I was greeted by a thin blonde Italian girl with a warm smile. She gave me a huge hug and almost immediately my nerves subsided and transformed into excitement.

   On our drive home, Elena and I caught up over her week spent in NYC at Aupair training school where she was emergency and CPR certified while learning about life in the US. 

   Once Elena settled into our home we introduced her to baby Cash. He was instantly intrigued by her. This was especially relieving since Cashton doesn't always take to new people. 

   As the weekend continued on, Cash seemed to favor Elena. They chased each other, colored and watched cartoons together. Elena graciously jumped into her responsibilities as our new Aupair. She was eager to learn feeding and bathtime routines and even cooked for our family Sunday night. 

   After a weekend of bonding with our family, I am confidently hopeful that Elena will love Cash and life here in the US. I know things will not always be easy as there will be a learning curve as well as times Elena will feel homesick but we will try to work through things together, as a family. 

   Now that you have heard the tale of our weekend, here are the details to a fun look to get you through the week! I have received many messages about this pink fringed sweater from Vici and I've thoughtfully paired this vibrant look with a pair of dark skinny jeans and white booties. To polish off this ensemble I went with a pair of earrings from Fabrik Birkdale and my favorite Valentino bag.  

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Seeing Spots : Page 6

Ugh, it is officially flu season! Cue the yo-yo temperatures and chronic coughing fits! 

Sadly, I am already there. It all started with a sore throat Monday night after work and it was all downhill from there. By bedtime, I felt like I had been hit by a mac truck. My whole body ached and my voice was weak. I poured myself a cup of hot tea with honey and started a hot bath with Epsom salts to ease the pain that was creeping through my muscles, but nothing seemed to help. 

Next, a fever set in and I spent the night fist fighting with the sheets on my bed. (We've all been there.) Hot. Cold. Sweat. Shivers. I thought "Surely I'll feel better in the morning". However, when my alarm promptly sounded at 4am I did not feel any improvement.

Unfortunately, in our line of work, sick days are few and far between. Radio is a crazy animal and we have this little thing called ratings that determine how well our show does or does not do. On a three-person show, we don't typically get the luxury of taking off unless the whole show takes scheduled PTO. 

People may think, being in the entertainment world we are "show ponies" but I can assure you, we are the workhorses. Yes, the job is a blast but when you are sick, or down, or not feeling 100% it doesn't matter because you have a show to do and people to make laugh. As they say, " The show must go on!"

It's now Friday night and I still feel terrible. I have tried all the medicine in the world this week and the only thing to make me feel even remotely better is, of course, a cute outfit like this one from Page 6  Boutique in Fort Mill. 

Who doesn't love Spanx, a leopard turtleneck, and a darling hat! Now, this specific sweater is SOLD OUT but Page 6 has more leopardy goodness in store and on their website! Plus they always have Spanx in stock and they are so easy to mix and match. I also paired this look with these Page 6 booties and my favorite fall necklace. 

Happy Friday y'all! 

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Nanny Fails and Fringe

Yes, I know it's only Tuesday but WHEW... What a week! You guys know I share a lot of my life with you all and I feel like I write about this ad nauseam a ton but if I have to do one more flipping nanny interview I might scream!!!

Since April we have been in nanny limbo. Our long-time nanny took a leave of absence for an illness in her family and we loved her so much that we tried to wait for her return, just covering where we could. However, lately, that has added an abnormal about of stress to our lives and careers. Thus, we decided we needed to bring someone on board. 

Since then I have done close to fifty phone interviews and over a dozen in-person meetings. Yet, every time I find someone I like and they hear the words "five am" they run for the hills. I even had a VERY unprofessional experience with a girl who accepted the job and TEXTED me twelve hours before her first shift to cancel.

As you can imagine, I saw red! I thought, "What a selfish thing to do". Come to find out she had accepted two jobs and was probably afraid to tell me. Now, I am a very understanding person if you are upfront with me but the way it was handled was unacceptable. The kicker was that I kept asking her throughout the process if she was still okay with the early start and she proceeded to say "yes" every time! I gave her every opportunity to come clean, so I felt blindsided.

I won't lie to you this process has put an undue amount of stress on myself, my radio career and our marriage. I know we will get through this and find someone amazing for our son but there have definitely been times when I have laid in bed crying because I thought I was going to have to quit my job. 

This may sound cliche but I am a huge believer that you can have it all, but you're going to have to work your ass off to do it! One of my favorite quotes is "Hard work beats talent, when talent won't work harder", so I'll just keep chugging away until I find a solution to our situation. (Shameless plug if you have nanny experience and would like to apply, email me here.) 

In the meantime, here is an adorable new arrival look that will dress up your fall wardrobe from Page 6 Boutique in Fort Mill. (You can also order online here!) I LOVE this off the shoulder Madam sweater in grey! I personally love it styled oversized and I am wearing a medium in the photos. 

This stylish sweater goes great with this suede fringe skirt and black booties! I paired this look with a Page 6 necklace and my favorite Chanel handbag to be able to take this look from day to night! 

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A Meaningful Monday

Normally Mondays got us like, ugh!

Today, however, isn't just any other Monday. It's MLK Day. A day for us to remember that all things are possible and it's a reminder for us to be open and accepting of each other.

Hopefully, you had today off. If not here is a great casual look that is sure to brighten your day! I love this cold shoulder lace up sweater from Express. It comes in the prettiest shades that will take you right into spring and it's ON SALE!

With a lace-up sweater like this, you can keep the accessories light. No need to go overboard. A simple Kendra Scott pendant necklace like this is subtle and keeps the look light and airy.

I've paired this look with my favorite Just Black jeans and Chinese Laundry booties. I know you guys see these booties on me all the time, but they legit go with everything. If you could only have one neutral bootie in your closet, this is it!

Another great piece I can't get enough of is a neutral clutch. I always say to invest in bags and shoes because good ones will last forever.

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Great Grays

I said it yesterday during my #TryOnTuesday session at Fab'rik Birkdale, "Winter is here for the long haul".

It's 30 degrees outside and much of the United States is in a "deep freeze". I mean for God sakes, it snowed in Jacksonville, Florida today! Break out the cute long sleeves and coats because we are in the heart of sweater weather.

I found an adorable gray off the shoulder sweater yesterday at Fab'rik (which you can still see on the highlights in my Instagram stories) and it made me think about how grays are the perfect neutral for this time of year.

I've put together some great simple sweaters that will go with anything in your wardrobe below. They are easy to wear and will look great with a pair of jeans, booties or over the knee boots. It's all about styling, styling, styling! 

I field a lot of questions from you guys about how to style an outfit and if you ever get into a bind please email me! I have been around fashion, design, and stylist my entire life and it is the heart of why I started my blog. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE RADIO and I'm not going anywhere, I just missed my roots. 

This whole look is from Page 6 (use the code LauRen20 at check out for a discount) They have a local and an online store and have some really great finds! The jeans and booties in this blog are also available in the links below. If you can only get one piece from this outfit the booties are it! They are available in a ton of colors and are so chic and stylish and will go with pretty much everything. Plus they will add a subtle pop of color to any look. 

Unfortunately, the faux snakeskin clutch is no longer available however I've found some great replacement pieces and ordered another one myself. You can never have enough snakeskin! 

Happy Shopping!

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Red Hot Sale Alert

I am not ready to give up red, even if Christmas is over! 

I found this amazing Free People pullover sweater right around the holiday at Nordstrom. However, I just realized it is on sale at Revolve as well! 

Of course, since this velvet dream is almost $80 off right now, I had to share it with you! This pullover has a unique look with dropped sleeves that are to die for! Free People always gets it right! I just love their stuff. 

I paired this red merlot sweater with my new Bauble Bar earrings, a pair of medium washed jeans from Fab'rik Birkdale and these showstopping booties! 

It's funny. I laugh every time I wear them because I hated my white boots when I cheered for the Miami Dolphins but now they are so in style! 

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Christmas Eve Casual

Let's be honest most of us are still furiously wrapping gifts today. At least I know I am!

My family is visiting Charlotte from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and instead of wrapping gifts ahead of time like a good little girl I have been entertaining them.

Last night I took them out for a night on the town. We started at one of my favorite locations high in the sky, at The Punch Room on the 15th floor of the Ritz Carlton Charlotte. If you haven't been yet, you are missing out! They have some of the best specialty cocktails in the city!

Then we were off to our annual family ice skate at the Nascar Hall Of Fame. Unfortunately, it was unseasonably warm so the ice was melting faster than they could Zamboni it. Needless to say today I am exhausted, so I wanted a look that was polished but easy to wear.

I am loving this whole look from Fab'rik Birkdale. The prices are so affordable and it's comfortable and casual but still special with an amazing plunging back.

Plus, can you ever really go wrong with a great red sweater for the holidays?

Sweater $59, Denim $59 (today only) and Booties $42

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Grey Is Not Always Gloomy

It's Tuesday! May your clothes be comfy, your coffee be strong, and your day be short!   

I have been looking for a fun casual comfy sweater that can go from running errands to drinks with the girls! This look from fab'rik Birkdale does all of that! 

I love the balloon sleeve on this sweater and these Hudson jeans fit like a dream and are true to size! How often does that happen? Plus these jeans are truly black. In my opinion, it is hard to find a dark black pair of jeans that do not lighten as you wash them. 

My favorite part of this look is by far the booties! Neutral grey goes with pretty much anything and the heel of this boot is what makes it so special! 

The clear acrylic heel gives this whole outfit an upscale art deco feel. It's unique, stylish and a great addition to any wardrobe! 

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