BALANCING SCREEN TIME

/

Watching television is definitely one of my favorite things to do, and my kids are no different. I feel like letting your kids watch T.V. at all has become a taboo thing, but I'm all for it because it's a form of entertainment that can be inspiring, fun and educational. Completely removing a form of communication that is a huge part of our modern society feel extreme to me. Just like anything, too much a good thing can be harmful, so learning how to balance everything in life is essential. The American Academy of Pediatrics used to say that only two hours of screen time should be allowed, but even they are adjusting their views according to this recent article in Forbes.

I'll admit there have been seasons when the television was on non-stop even if they weren't watching it. This happened a lot when I had a newborn and Elle had just turned three. But now that I have my act together, we have more structure, and Levi and Elle play together. Limits have been set again that are much healthier. 

We're trying to stay around two hours of screen time a day (iPad and/or TV), but some days it's less and some days it's a bit more. Most times, it's a show or two in the morning, one show at lunch and one before bed. It has been so helpful to watch the clock on the amount of screen time because it showed me that having it on was more my habit than theirs. They occupy themselves just fine and I just needed to be disciplined about setting a timer.

I'm not the best at planning arts and crafts for the kids, but simply having some special toys for Elle and Levi that they look forward to playing with has helped. Instead of always leaving the toys lying around for them, I took advice from a friend and set some toys in a basket that only comes out during certain times of day. Elle particularly enjoys coloring, dramatic play and building blocks, so I got these Elle personalized notebooks from May Designs that she loves to draw in. Some pages have things she can color in and others are blank for her to create her own art. I love that because it encourages her to be creative in her own way, and to work on coloring in the lines too.

Playing with blocks is something that they love to do together. Well, actually, Levi just loves to knock down whatever Elle builds, but it's fun nonetheless. These magnetic blocks by Tegu are a huge hit in our home, and they look pretty too. It has been fun teaching Elle about magnetism and unseen forces.

I'd love to know what some of your screen-free toys or activities are in your home. Of course, playing outside is the best, but when it's too hot or too cold what things do you like to do?

Photos by Rennai Hoefer; products gifted by May Designs & Tegu

HOME DEPOT STYLE CHALLENGE REVEAL

/

Welcome to our spooky chic living room thanks to the amazing Halloween decor selection at The Home Depot. I have had a blast decorating for the most creative holiday that we have. It's Elle's favorite holiday, and this is the first time I've ever decorated for Halloween in our new home.

I wanted to stick with whites, grays and black because it really complemented the current style and decor of my living room. The thing with decorating for holidays is that you usually leave the decorations up for a month, so you want to make sure that you love it all that you never tire of it. I was able to create a space I love and my kids love because of variety of products The Home Depot has in their store.

My favorite products from were the skeletons, spider webs and lights. During the day it's chic and at night it's spooky with glowing spider webs, flickering lights and smoke. 

To see the rest of the space and read my process of how I created the room, be sure to visit The Home Depot's blog, http://blog.homedepot.com/spooky-chic-halloween-mantel-decorations/.

Photos by Rennai Hoefer; products used were provided by The Home Depot.

HALLOWEEN CHIC PEEK

/

Halloween is getting closer, and stores like The Home Depot already have a plethora of decorations to choose from. But, if you're like me, you might not get too excited about decorating the inside of your home with orange, purple and black. So, I've partnered with The Home Depot to share how I do "spooky chic" in our home. Here's a peek, and tomorrow I will reveal our living room. Stay tuned!

Photo by Rennai Hoefer

PINTEREST LOOK FOR LESS

/

Call it wishful thinking, but I'm hoping to soon break out my long sleeve blouse and boot ensembles. Being covered head to toe can be a bit intimidating, especially in all black, but this lovely pin inspired me to embrace the off-the-shoulder trend this fall as a way of giving my eyes (and shoulders) some room to breathe. Off-the-shoulder tees and blouses have become practically as common on the streets as your average button down, so I'm happy to add it as a staple to my closet. Thigh high boots used to be reserved for superheroes and the super sexy, but I love adding a delicate ruffle to a sharper look to add a touch of femininity. 

RUNWAY TO REALITY

/

This post is sponsored by Visionworks

If there is one dream I have always had it is to attend NYFW. I have had two chances so far, and they both happened when I was a week away from having a baby. A good reason to miss out, but bittersweet nonetheless. One day it will happen, and in the meantime, being the fashion lover that I am, I'll be translating the runway looks of my favorite shows to everyday life. This past week models strutted the catwalk wearing the latest designs of iconic fashion labels such as Zac Posen, Lacoste and DVF. I've partnered with Visionworks to showcase eyewear designs from these designers and translate these styles to the concrete catwalk of Arizona.

DVF's latest show was full of rich colors and interesting layers. You can always count on Diane to show women as sexy and strong every time. I love these teal glasses with a femme cat-eye. They frame my oval shaped face very well, and the color is complementary to my olive skin. After seeing the pictures from her show, I gravitated toward the rust color, and the masculine trousers. I also enjoyed the new ideas of putting skirts over pants and dresses over skirts. So, I put a lace slip dress over my slacks and a rust colored sweater vest on top.

Lacoste is the perfect example of high fashion sportswear. There is always a classic and timeless quality to what they make such as these brown frames, but you can always expect a sporty twist. In their show they showcased a lot of hoodies mixed with full feminine skirts. There was also a lot of dusty blues and purple pieces to see. I created my version of their runway look pairing this dusty blue hoodie and purple skirt. It's a bit out there and yet really cool.

Zac Posen's runway shows are always inspiring to me. He really celebrates the frame of a woman, and even his fabric choices speak volumes of femininity. Everything he puts on the runway makes a statement that you can't miss just like these red glasses. I feel so artistic and memorable when I wear these frames. I loved that he styled the models with curls and bit of frizz for the runway. That's my hair everyday. I also love that he had the models wear one color or pattern head to toe. He showed a lot of jackets and a lot of red. I was so surprised to see that for spring, but I love it.

Photos by Rennai Hoefer; all clothing was found at thrift stores; glasses were provided by Visionworks.