What Ana Does

The very best thing about Fall is the arrival of a ton of new books that keep me up far past my bedtime and have me daydreaming about what will happen all day long! I'm such a book nerd. Here's my annual roundup of books I've been eagerly anticipating ... My very-favorite book of 2015 was  Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I can't gush enough about how totally blown away I was by the storytelling and characters. Six distinct characters pull off an impossible heist in a fictional world with a cliffhanger that nearly killed me ... INEJ!! At the end of September comes the sequel Crooked Kingdom and OHMYGOD I've been waiting long enough to find out the disastrous results of their heist and what will become of Kaz and his crew.  I picked up Ember in the Ashes audiobook last year and it was so intense I was stressed about listening to it for a whole week. But I couldn't stop. That sequel, A Torch Against the Night , is coming out on August 30 and I've b...

Here's a super simple project I did in the upstairs hallway that was inspired by Pinterest. And, best of all, it cost me NOTHING. Gratis! Problem: Way too many pieces of art came home from the kids after school got out and over the summer from day camps. Also a Problem: The wall in the upstairs hallway was a mess. I don't love the shelves -- they're too cluttered an undefined (and unstyled). And though I love the antique sofa (dubbed "The Reading Couch") that I got from my Grandmother-in-law, it's not all that well cared for, poor lady. After swiping through Pinterest I found a picture of an art gallery "board" that contained all the things I had around the house. Kinda. It would certainly have my own flair. Detail View! Materials: A pine board left over from the board and batten project in the entryway. Two eye hooks -- or more preciously " D-Ring Hangers " from a picture hanging kit. Two hooks I got to hang ferns from the fro...

Call me crazy, but I often forget that I live near Lake Michigan. And that looks a lot like the ocean. And there are plenty of days that I miss the ocean and a proper beach. I'm certainly not alone in this feeling -- as there are many people who find peace looking out over the vast, rolling waves of an ocean. It's healing. Climbing the Rocks So on the Sunday before school started, I tossed the kids and some supplies into the car and drove down to the first beach I found on the map. Well, it turns out you have to be a Lake Forest resident to park near their fancy-schmancy beach. And the 5 long-block walk from the free. church parking wasn't going to happen. So we drove to the next beach in Lake Bluff. Great parking, beautiful neighborhood but once we walked to the beach entrance they charged us $10 each to get on the beach!! I mean really! So fine, we paid it and were on the beach. And it was lovely. And they had complimentary beach chairs and toys. And clean ba...

Monday was the first day of school and it was a DOOZIE! Leah, my newly-minted 5th grader!, was excited to go ... but her bus was 30 minutes late! Luckily, the sun was shining and a light breeze was blowing. A lovely morning to wait around for the school bus. Waiting and Waiting At the Bus Stop!  The Bus Finally Arrived!  Then, Alice's bus was on time but she wasn't. Long story short: She ran back into the house to get a book and couldn't find it. I was left to hold the bus while she ran sobbing up the street and into the bus. SOBBING.  Crying In Every Picture ...  Crying in Every Single Picture Reminder to myself: For Alice's graduation party, find these pictures and blow them up into poster size. This falls under the "it will be funny someday" parenting category.  Update: She reportedly calmed down on the bus and had a rockstar first day of 2nd grade!  Alice Was All Smiles After School

What do 5th graders wear, is the question I got from Leah as we embarked on our back-to-school shopping ritual this year. I winced, as 1) I honestly have no idea. And 2) I envision the worst case scenario: Short shorts, half-shirts and cheap sandals? My worst nightmare. At this point, I initiated a short conversation about personal style. In a nutshell: Who the hell cares what other 5th graders are wearing, what clothes fit your own personal style? Of course, I'm going to GUIDE her decisions on clothes, 1) because I purchase and care for them, so I feel some ownership. And 2) a girl needs some guidance, right?! I made plenty of fashion faux pas. Let's start with Boden , because I LOVE this shop and given an infinite budget, I'd dress my kids in only Boden. Here are four favorites for the Fall. Fun Leggings - Boden Butterfly Logo Jersey Dress - Boden Super Soft Stripped Shirt - Boden Bunny Meadow Raincoat - Boden Then there's the indestru...

Calling this the 1.0 version of the canopy in Alice's room. It needs a few more layers. And I think to be lowered a bit. The Canopy I didn't follow a set of instructions -- because others were much smarter than I and used two window curtains. In hindsight, that is GENIUS. I bought yards of purple tulle from Jo-Ann's and a hula-hoop for the hoop at the top. It didn't take long to sew all the layers together and hang it from the hook. The other thing is you really need to imagine the daybed below to complete the look. More updates to follow ... 

The girls are constantly growing out of their shoes. Last year, Alice skipped two sizes -- it was crazy. I had size 10 and 11 shoes I'd been hanging on to from Leah for no reason. Anyway, to keep up with the phenomenal foot growth, I do a big shoe shop twice a year. I am usually very grumpy about the shoes at the stores near me. They're not great quality and they're sorta ugly. Let's just say I avoid the Sketchers store at the mall. Which means I go through Zappos. Here's a tip for Zappos shopping ... sometimes the plethora of choices can stymie the kids. They get all discombobulated and dizzy. SO. MANY. CHOICES. So here's what I do: I go through and save several different pairs to My Favorites, and have them look through that list. It cuts down the decisions to a handful. I also find if they have shoes that are kinda interesting and comfortable, the kids will keep wearing them. If they are boring, they get shoved to the back of the closet. BUT FIRST, I ...