Kate's Monthly Take - February 2020

This month started with a family trip to Disney World and will end with my husband and I on a beach. Both experiences I’m incredibly grateful for and have been high on our lists of priorities for sometime. In between the time away it’s been a whirlwind with much time spent concerned for the kids health during flu season and obsessively making everyone washes their hands, wipes their noses and takes their vitamins! Here’s hoping you and all of yours, as well as mine remain healthy until Spring rolls around.

Enjoy my Monthly Take!

Kate's Monthly Take - February 2020

Mood

  • Be brave enough to suck at something new…such great advice especially for those of us who get stuck in something that isn’t fulfilling. I think about this is all the time but most of the time I’m not that brave. Maybe someday.

Currently Coveting

  • My husband and I are taking our first trip together in almost 5 years and we’re headed someplace tropical so I’ve been eyeing a few items. I’m just not sure how practical the items are outside of island life so I think I may just splurge on a fun pair of earrings (Coral Martinique Earrings) that I’m sure will be worn again!

Currently Coveting Kids Edition

Favorite Product

  • My hair has grown pretty damaged in the past few years. Three pregnancies and the subsequent hormones have meant that a lot has fallen out and its take a bit of a beating with blow drying and the flat iron. Bottom line is that it isn’t nearly as full as it once was so I’ve been using these Pantene Pro-V Rescue Shots to help strengthen my ends. Extremely easy to apply, love the scent and my split ends are diminishing by the week!

Design Pick

  • Jayson Home has long been my favorite design store in Chicago. Their inventory is constantly changing and always inspiring thanks to some of the best buyers around. The Buyers Section is my favorite section of their website and right now I’m loving these ikat trays.

What I'm Reading

  • Once I become hooked on a show I tend to have a hard time letting of the characters. When shows like Outlander and Poldark are based on fiction I usually start reading the books after watching the shows in hopes of finding more context, omitted scenes etc.... This is especially true this month as I’m currently reading as many books in the Poldark Saga as I can get my hands on. The series on PBS was based on 7 of the 12 books and I’m currently on book three, Jeremy Poldark.

What I’m Listening To

  • Not much new music this month…I’ve really only been listening to Audible and the book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. On the days I commute into the office audio books make my commute so much more bearable and this one is incredibly insightful yet entertaining.

What We're Reading the Kids

  • The recent President’s Day holiday spurred our interest in The President of the Jungle and provided a little lesson on the election process as well!

What I’m Watching

  • I have binged quite a few shows in weeks of January and February. Netflix’s Cheer and all five seasons of Poldark were my favorites. In fact, I’m still so obsessed with Poldark and it’s characters that I have started reading the books.

Instagram Handle

  • I love to eat cheese and I love to make a cheese board, so what could be better than watching someone create them? Following ThatCheesePlate is so satisfying for me and Marissa Mullen the handle owner/creator also has coined something called a #salamiriver that I am definitely going to try and re-create someday!

Guilty Pleasure

  • A car wash! The winter months are so hard on cars in Chicago and I get super crazy about checking the weather in order to plan our next car wash. Sure, the kids may destroy the interior the next day but a clean car (inside and out) even for just one day is worth it!

I Need A Vacation

  • The kids Spring Break is coming up at the end of next month and unfortunately, I have a work trip during their week off so we won’t be heading anywhere. However, if we were Jekyll Island, GA and the Jekyll Club would be at the top of my list. I have never been but you can get a direct flight into Jacksonville, FL and drive an hour north to the island, where family friendly fun awaits. Biking, swimming and Driftwood Beach sound like a pretty great family vacation to me!

Shit My Kids Will Eat

  • Kid Tested & Approved - If you’ve been following along on my Instagram you know that we eat a lot of soup in the winter. A couple of weeks ago a friend forwarded me this Lemony Chicken and Orzo soup recipe from Bon Appetit. Within days I had bought the ingredients and my husband whipped it together. Let me tell you this is one of the best chicken soups you will eat in your entire life and the lemon totally makes the dish! It’s lighter than your traditional chicken noodle soup, more complex and just as delicious. My kids ate it so you know it has to be decent!

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Kate's Monthly Take - February 2019

January seemed to drag on forever and February is just flying by. I’m not sure where the time goes but the winter is such a blur full of endless colds, snuggles and loads of soup. I know someday, I will miss all the mundane parts of motherhood but right now, I’d love a break especially of all the winter attire! Despite all the colds, we’re filling our days with loads of activities, more ski lessons and our first trip to Legoland Discovery Center in Schaumburg.

Enjoy my Monthly Take!

Kate's Monthly Take - February 2019

Mood

  • One step forward; two steps back. Progress is something that has to be worked for.

Currently Coveting

  • I’m coveting jewelry again this month…but specifically earrings! I rarely wear anything but studs but in warmer months I like to wear hoops. These Wavy Resin Hoops and Pearl Hoops from Anthropologie are right up my alley!

Favorite Product

  • I’m not a beauty product junkie by any means but once a year I get an itch to try something new. This winter I’ve been trying Kiehls Glow Formula Skin Hydrator. I mix it with my face lotion and apply in the morning if I’m running to school drop off, to Soul Cycle or the store. I really only wear makeup if I’m going into the office or out at night but I love that this lotion provides some coverage and of course a subtle glow in the middle of winter.

Design Pick

  • I’m constantly thinking of ways to brighten up our home and I recently came across Kerri Rosthenthal who has trademarked something called paperless wallpaper. She has essentially take designs from her wallpaper and turned them into removable decals. My favorite are the Rainbow and Nomad styles. I think they would be so fun in a playroom, a kids bathroom, bedroom or even as a way to bring some color into a walk in closet.

What I'm Reading

  • I’m almost through reading One Day in December, it’s quite addictive and if the movie rights have not yet been purchased I’m sure they will be! It reminds me a bit of One Day, which was one of my favorites. I mean clearly, I’m a sucker for just about any love story set in the UK.

What I’m Listening To

  • Queen! I recently watched Bohemian Rhapsody (so good!) and now I can’t get Radio Ga Ga out of my head. The kids enjoy it too, so it’s often playing in the house.

What We're Reading the Kids

  • We all love the Elephant & Piggie books (Should I Share My Ice Cream? is our favorite) and through our school book fair I picked up, The Itchy Book. My four year old loves it and my seven year old can even read it to him. It’s in the style of Elephant & Piggie (even endorsed by then) and I’ll be damned if you can get through it without starting to scratch your skin!

Instagram Handle

  • I love to follow Bailey McCarthy aka baileyquin. She is the owner of Biscuit Home and has impeccable taste and style. She takes some incredible decorating risks that always leave me inspired especially when it comes to her art collection.

Guilty Pleasure

  • Staying up all night reading. I have this terrible habit of reading until 3 or 4am in the morning. I get obsessed with a book and can’t stop but it’s brutal on my patience with my children. After an all night reading session I have to counter balance it by going to bed at 9pm for a few days. Luckily, this habit seems to rear it’s head most frequently in the winter…I mean who doesn’t want to be curled up in bed with a book during the winter? My nerdy little reading light definitely aids in this guilty pleasure!

I Need A Vacation

  • I’m not sure when it happend…I never traveled there when I was younger, my first time was probably in my mid 20’s but I love California. Maybe it’s the weather and quite possibly the food but I’d love to pick up and go right about now; especially to stay at Hotel 850 in Los Angeles. It’s utterly charming especially the Carriage Room designed by famed interior designer Rita Konig.

Shit My Kids Will Eat

  • Kid Tested & Approved - As most of us are fighting colds right now we’ve been trying different soup recipes. We recently made this delicious and a bit spicy Italian Vegetable Soup with Gnocchi. The kids all ate it despite commenting on the spice. If you love things spicy definitely follow the recipe exactly but if you like only a little spice, may I recommend omitting the red pepper flakes or subbing out one can of the diced fired roasted tomatoes for a non roasted can.