Chase was taking Jake on a boys ski trip, and Chloe and I were going to stay home. Last minute I decided that Chloe and I would go to Colombia to visit my grandmother. Did I think to myself-ugh traveling with Chloe is hard, yes- but it wasn’t going to stop me from going.
Traveling with toddlers is definitely not the easiest, but over the years I have learned what to do with SIX important things:
Snacks are key- and you can never have enough.
Window seat- they LOVE to look out the window and this takes up time showing them water, clouds, etc.
Download favorite movies.
Always have two extra changes of clothes- my kids hate being wet, so if they spill a little bit of water they are uncomfortable. Having extra changes of clothes is key.
Bring favorite water cup so that they can drink out of it to make sure they stay hydrated. The cups the airlines gives are too hard for a 2.5 year old to drink out of- and for sure they will spill. If they love juice- give them juice in their water cup mixed with water.
Bring a stroller for the airport- the distances are far and you don’t want to have to carry your child + carry on!
Before Picture of Chloe’s Room! After Picture of Chloe’s Room!
Last week I had the privilege of working with Sarah, from Less is More Organizing. She was so easy to work with! We were able to pack up 24 bags of stuff in four hours – we donated them all! I got a lot of questions as to whom these toys/ books were donated. Sarah took them to Temple Beth Shalom, but you can always take them to Goodwill. Her go-to shelves for organizing spaces are the Kallax cubes. I asked Sarah five tips for keeping kid clutter contained.
1. Size it right. Big toys go in big containers, little toys go in small ones. Otherwise all of the shopkins will get lost at the bottom of the stuffed animal bin.
2. De-cluttering does not have to be an all-day affair. Set a timer for 15 minutes and tackle the books one shelf at a time. When the timer is up, bag up the donations and put them in your car. Celebrate your achievement and get on with your day.
3. Labels are a necessity for a well-organized playspace. Use picture labels if your child is too young to know how to read.
4. Control the mess by creating a toy rotation system. Select a few toys to store in a large lidded bin in an out-of-the way area, like the top of a closet. If your child asks for them, bring them down and put others in the rotation bin instead.
5. Use containers as boundaries. When the bins are full, resist the urge to buy more bins. Instead, use it as a cue that it is time to edit the toys. A good edit before your child’s birthday or the holidays is a habit that will keep your home clutter free.
Hi Guys! I wanted to write this post because I feel like after all of these years I finally learned how to put on makeup! I started watching some of Jenna Rennert’s videos on Instagram (she’s the beauty editor at Vogue) and saw that she was using an instant palette.
The palette includes everything you need besides foundation (This foundation is what I use # 30) / brow pencil (This pencil is what I use #30) and mascara (I don’t want to recommend because so personal and I barely use). The palette was all I needed to understand what to use because each color is numbered and tells you where it goes. I will be going to an even Thursday so i’ll share on stories how I use it. This palette is perfect for that glowy look.
Step by step: I use this brush to put on the highlighter #7, blush #5 & #6 & bronzer # 4. This brush for the entire eyelid # 1, this brush for the crease # 2, and this brush to have the smokey look # 3 on the corner of eyes.
I also love this concealer # 4 for under eyes and to cover pimples- I usually carry it around in my purse.
The first full day we were here in Aspen, Chase and I did a hike with our Miami friends. I thought it’d be no big deal! We are both super active at home and work out. Let me tell you: we were dying! I always thought of myself in pretty good shape because I work out a lot! Our Miami friends were killing it {they had already been there 1 week}!
By the second week we were killing it. We took the kids to the Maroon Bells and I was able to carry Chloe through Maroon Bells (while we didn’t do a “real hike” I carried her for a while – and I was totally fine).
I don’t ski so going to Aspen in the summer is great because we can hike and just be outdoors! If you actually talk to people who live there year round they will say summer is very special.
Aspen is the type of town where you can be sitting at a coffee shop with your kids and a stranger leaves their child with you while they run inside to order!
Or where most dogs walk through the town without leashes and are totally well-behaved.
or where the ice cream/ coffee/ pastry line is 15 people deep 24/7!
One of my favorite activities was renting bikes and a buggy. We used the buggy to put Chloe and her friend in and we went down the Rio Grand trail to have lunch at Woody Creek Tavern. It’s a definite must-do, the trail is so beautiful! We rented the e-bikes which means it gives you speed when you need it. It totally helped on the way up!
As for hikes, we did the Cathedral Lake Trail which was really hard but a must-do if you are feeling like you want a good work out. I would for sure make sure you get hiking boots for this hike. We also did Smugglers and Hunters and of course Maroon Bells. If you want to take your own car to Maroon Bells you must get there before 8 am or after 5 pm.
After you work out you have to try A-1 Oriental Massage – must do!
Food! Breakfast Spots: Victoria’s, Paradise Bakery (went every day for at least one muffin, iced coffee and ice cream), Local Coffee Shop (I went every single day) and, for the BEST “oatmeal macadamia nut pancakes”, Poppycock’s.
Lunch Spots: Meat & Cheese, White House Tavern, Victoria’s, Local Coffee Shop, Poppycock’s, The Red Onion (great option for takeout for kids), Ajax Tavern (OMG their truffle fries), Spring Cafe for healthy options, Woody Creek Tavern, Brunelleshi’s Pizza (kids can make own pizzas), and The Butcher’s Block for sandwiches (and they make their own strawberry jam!).
Dinner Spots: Kenichi (good every day sushi), Matsuhisa (upscale sushi – this is where we ran into Kyle and Mauricio Richards- the food is one of the best sushi places I have been to), Campo di Fiori, Meat and Cheese & Ajax Tavern.
Drinks: Jerome Hotel, St. Regis Hotel & Casa Tua for an Aspen scene!
Concert Hall: Belly Up!
All in all I couldn’t have asked for a better time – the weather is always perfect and you can walk everywhere. There is an area with a rock park and huge lawn that dogs run around without leashes and kids run around and burn energy!
Hopefully see you next year Aspen!
Dresses:
Tops:
Jackets:
Bottoms:
Shoes (did not pack one pair of heels):
For more pics from our trip please head over to Instagram @miamistylemom!
I’m all about the less products you use on your face the better – the more products you use the more you clog pores, etc.
When I wake up in the morning I put on Augustinus Bader ultra rich cream because I have extremely dry skin. Apparently Victoria Beckham and a lot of celebs are using it. I learned about it when I went to the beauty event at Neiman Marcus a couple of months ago – but didn’t pull the trigger then. I waited and researched and everyone had amazing things to say about it. You are supposed to use this product for 27 days to tell the difference and I have been using it for about 6 days. BUT I can already tell the difference my skin is super hydrated. If you don’t have such dry skin you can try the cream instead of ultra rich.
Right after apply my moisturizer, I apply MD Elta tinted sunscreen and I’m ready for the day! I have been using this product for years because it has 40 SPF and a tiny bit of coverage. It’s also extremely reasonably priced, and I think it’s good for all skin types. If you have oily skin I would skip the moisturizer before applying the sunscreen.
At night I’m using this very light foundation from Cle de Peau called the radiant fluid foundation (my color is 020). I recently started using this and I feel like it makes my skin look so smooth. When I apply this I use a little more of the ultra rich cream because I am so dry and this foundation doesn’t seem to have any oils. The reason I started using the Cle de Peau foundation is because I was FaceTiming with a friend and her skin looked incredible and she said it was from this!
Every night before bed I clean my face with a toner– I use the Avene Lotion. It’s a gentle cleansing lotion and it takes off all of the tinted sunscreen and foundation. It also just really cleans up your face from the day. I of course apply the rich cream right after:)
These are the products that are getting me through Colorado!
When I was in my 20s and moved to Miami the Soho Beach House was just opening in Miami Beach. I had to be part of this beach club- and I was for about five years. After having two kids we realized it wasn’t the most child friendly place and we were basically giving away money each year because we rarely used it. We wanted more of a kids place where our kids could order chicken fingers and jump into the pool, because isn’t this what life is about?!
After speaking to many mothers I have realized that this is extremely common. They are paying their yearly memberships and rarely use the facilities.
DayAxe reached out to me and I was so happy they did, it’s a new service that provides exclusive access to FIVE star hotels to locals. You can enjoy access to: the pool, cabanas and daybeds, spa facilities, fitness center and discounts to food and beverages. It’s super easy- you go onto their website (www.dayaxe.com) and are able to choose from various hotels where you and your family can go for the day. Kids are free under the age of 6:)
We decided to go to the Carillon hotel/spa in Miami Beach and we had such an amazing experience. The staff were all super friendly and it was VERY kid friendly – Jake was doing summer salts from the edge of the pool and we didn’t get any weird looks. There was also a green area where we could run around. Ordering lunch was super easy and the kids were in heaven with their chicken fingers and fries. We didn’t make it to the spa because it’s difficult with kids but the spa looked very beautiful and will def have to check it out next time.
Going forward we will definitely be using this app to book hotel days- Jake said he had the best day ever! I invite you to please check it out! Life is about making memories and what better way to do it?!
My name is Jenny Berger, the founder and
blogger of Miami Style Mom—the leading online
destination for anyone who wants to look
her best without breaking the bank.
