rug roundup {blue edition}

I'm still waiting for our Paris pics to put up a dedicated Paris post but in the mean time I've been taking stock of the super unnecessary things I'd like to do around the house before the baby comes. I've got some painting (of the room not artistic variety) on the horizon but there are also a few rugs that I'd like to replace after playing 100 rounds of musical rugs around the house. First up? The boys room. 

I'm in the market to replace this one (or maybe just move it to a less traffic heavy part of the house). I think something a little darker that shows less um - dirt - would work better in their blue room.  I love the look of both this one and this one but it goes without saying that do NOT love those prices - especially for a kids room. Or any room, honestly. I used to have great luck searching vintage rugs here but was shocked to see how much pricier they are today than they were a few years ago so  I quickly abandoned that idea. If you've ever purchased an area rug you know that the options are endless and downright overwhelming so only let myself look at a couple thousand before narrowing it down to these few. I love this collection of rugs but didn't see the exact color I was hoping but found quite a few that I loved and listed here ...

1. blue shag rug with tassels - I don't think a shag rug is super practical for the boys room but I do love the look and feel of shag rugs in the right spaces (which might be zero with little kids, honestly). I'm not an expert but it feels like an easy way to warm up a room, right? Right. 

2. vintage castle medallion - I toyed with going a more charcoal/black route since the boys bunk bed is black but since I found so many great blue options I decided against it but this was my top charcoal choice. 

3. persian medallion - I wanted something a little darker but kept this one bookmarked for maybe another room/area because it's a really pretty neutral pattern (apparently blue is the new green in interiors? don't quote me on that but I still really love green ... ). 

4. blue withering medallion with fringe - This is the one I ended up ordering after "trying" it in their room with the handy virtual tool. I think the shade of the blue will work perfectly with the blue walls and black bed. I still have a very colorful rug over on Abe's side of the room and I think this complements it well. I hope.

5. beige worn medallion (also super cool blue version) - the mom in me knows this would've hidden dirt the best but didn't think it was quite right for their room. Another one to keep in mind for another time though ...

6. dark blue coventry - this was a VERYclosesecond choice and I'm still hoping I made the right decision. I think I might go with the blue version (that totally looks green) for Clement's room though.  It seems to strike the classic/modern balance well, in my expert opinion.

Any fun rugs you've come across? I debated getting this one because every time I see it online I pause for a moment of admiration but I think sticking to blue was the right choice - I hope!

back in action

1. The girls and I are back from our epic Paris trip and when we get the better photos back (our fearless leader Lauren had the bright idea to hire a photographer and her photos will surely trump all of my phone pics!) I'll have to throw a little recap/takeaway at you. It felt wildly imprudent (it actually was totally fine!) to leave 5 kids (and a husband!) behind for 5 days but Simon wouldn't take no for an answer and the girls and I had the most wonderful time and I'm so glad I didn't listen to myself. However, my mom asked Phoebe what she thought of France and Phoebe replied that there were a lot of smokers and statues of naked people (true and true) .. so hopefully she gleaned some slightly shinier memories too!

2. The day after we came back we got our third snow dump of the season which, as always: was pretty but I still didn't like it. At all. I'm back to staring at the 10 day forecast and holding tight to those ~50 degree days even if they never come into fruition. I've started to make sure the kids all have swimsuits that fit for the summer which might be a smart move but also might be a stupidly hopeful one to worry about in February - laughlaugh.

3. I flew through Jessica Simpson's book on the flight and while it won't be everyone's cup of tea I found it completely fascinating and as the young kids say these days, "I'm a stan" of hers now. I'm having trouble getting through Unfollow maybe because the shock factor was kind of taken away after reading Educated? I don't know - it's a really well written book but feels just familiar enough that the intrigue is missing (for me!) a bit at the moment. I picked up Before We Were Yours and it looks really good but I'll admit the jet lag is still taking it's toll and I've been falling asleep really early this week.

4. I watched lots of the Love Is Blind episodes on our flight home and didn't love it but also couldn't look away? Wow. If I can convince Simon to finish up the season with me - I might have to do just that. Otherwise, I might be okay leaving well enough alone. Maybe not though! It was compelling at some points .... I guess :) And I'm officially split between team Madison and team Hannah Ann as we head into the final month of the Bachelor. Hannah Ann has really grown on me but I really love Madison too. It seems like there is a bit of a push to make Kelsey the next bachelorette which is crazy to think how far she's come since champagne gate.

5. How amazing is this artistic flower series? I could scroll through again and again and again!!

6. I got a few emails that the link to the amazing Old Navy pants was broken - I'm so sorry! I'll admit I ordered them and despite being 25 weeks pregnant I can tell that they run big (or they will on my non-pregnant self) and to definitely size down! They are a really substantial material though and can definitely be dressed way up or down. I really love them.

7. I wore my new boots all over Paris with virtually no break-in time and thankfully have nothing but glowing reports to give. The girls boots worked out perfectly - kept their feet both dry and comfy which was greatly appreciated. I'm still living in my Amazon shirts and as much as I can't wait for the weather to warm up - I'll miss them when it's too hot to wear them. I'm having fun browsing floral dresses for Easter (this one! So pretty!) but will realistically wear something I already own - although it's always fun to look!

Hope you have a wonderful last week of February and smooth start to Lent!

quick + clean

Other than Bosco insisting we needed to buy a new toilet and a riding lawn mower (no and ... would be nice but, no) taking all the boys to Lowes went surprisingly well. Color me pleasantly surprised.

1. Alright, we're plowing through February (someone actually ordered class Valentines before they were mostly sold out on Amazon, learned that lesson the hard way in years past) and while March might be my least favorite month (it feels like it should be nearing spring but it's still pretty darn cold and it feels almost as long as January, in my pessimistic opinion) I won't mind when she comes round the calendar mountain this year. Simon remarked that while winter isn't nearly as fun as summer - it hasn't been a terrible winter on the weather front I had to (begrudgingly) agree. Will I always spend the first paragraph of every blog post talking about the weather? I hope not. I'll stop. Now.

2. Let's move onto the next most exciting thing: a pregnancy update. Cackle. 23 weeks and starting to feel a lot larger than I should. Phoebe remarks almost daily with wide eyes how big the baby is (aka - how big I am) and even Clement has stopped to stare at his growing sibling when I go to get him out of his crib. I'm really excited for the weather to warm up so I can take daily walks outside although the treadmill is a decent substitute and I'm eternally grateful for the gym childcare that makes said substitute possible. Simon and I are at a name standstill while he says we still have lots of time left (agreed) but that we could reduce 50% off the discussion but just finding out the gender. Ha. Ha. Ha. I do spend many a late night/early morning perusing my favorite name site just for fun ...

3. I started Unfollow yesterday and it has a lot of Educated undertones (not a complaint) so I'm glad I read some books in between the two because they are both a little heavy. Having worked ever so briefly in Topeka, it's really interesting to read and revisit certain spots in my cobwebbed memory. I'm really hoping to find some good books (this one caught my eye!) to read on our upcoming trip but am super tempted to read Jessica's literary debut too. SUPER tempted.

4. While it would be easy to hop on the, "worst season ever" bandwagon that seems to have permeated Bachelor nation - I have to admit that I'm dying to know how the seasons turns out. Lauren made me laugh out loud multiple times with her recap - as usual! Simon and I started the Jack Ryan series on Amazon and he's loving it but it's a little too violent for me so I watch with one eye half open.

5. While I'm at a standstill on buying maternity clothing (I don't need anything at all and I mostly live in leggings anyway!) but my eye has wandered over to the non-maternity sections of splendor and this Loft top stopped me in my scroll and it IS 40% off at the moment. Tempting! Old Navy is starting to roll out their spring things and these pants look like a more comfy version of some Madewell/Everlane wide leg pants to me! And I couldn't resist this gingham suit for the girls bc I'm a sucker for gingham and the bottoms would look great with their navy rash guard - win/win.

6. My "hack" for finding lined ankle rain boots for the girls was putting these soles in these boots. Are they fully lined? No - but they are significantly more comfortable and have passed the initial rainy day tests so hopefully they work well on rainy travel days. I even "made" a pair for myself with the women's version of the boots and can vouch for the comfort. Okay - I promise not to type about boots again (until the fall) - AFTER I'm finished with take numero seven!

7. Happy to report my year(s) long search for black boots has come to a close and I settled on the pair I think I tried on at the very beginning. I just kept comparing every pair to this one and ultimately like the angle at the top - which is really how one should pick out a pair of boots (they are comfortable and fit really well but - details!). These were a superclose second but ultimately returned them after debating the differences (the penny boots are just a bit more comfortable) for far longer than I should.

Alright! Have a great weekend and wonderful Valentines Day! I'll report back when we return from our trip!!