Enter my 2 giveaways: Nordstrom gift card, Gucci handbag (my dream bag!)
on me
Dress: Target Striped Seersucker Dress (XS) – (similar, similar, similar, similar)
Shoes: Steve Madden ‘Carrson’ (go up 1/2 size) – (more sizes here)
Earrings: Baublebar ‘Maraca’ – on sale! (similar)
Bag: Chloe ‘Nile’ dupe
on Mei
Dress: Carters Poplin Dress (also here, here, similar)
Shoes: Carter’s Glitter Mary Janes
on Dylan
Top: J.Crew Chambray Shirt
Bottom: Tucker + Tate Pull-On Jeans
Shoes: similar – on sale!
on Adrian
Top: J.Crew Pima Cotton Polo
Bottom: RVCA ‘Americana’ Shorts
Shoes: Nike ‘Killshot 3’
Last weekend I had one of those days where it seemed like everything was going wrong. I’m naturally a pretty positive person and it didn’t even really come to me until I was sitting down at dinner, but that day it seemed like anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Honestly, it’s taken me a couple days to recover from that day and I’ve had time to reflect on the lessons I learned and how I could have done things differently as well as some takeaways for myself. I figured especially with the popularity of Instagram these days, it can be hard to see the struggles that everybody goes through, so I wanted to share some of mine the lessons I learned today.
THE LESSONS I LEARNED
A Downhill Rollercoaster Of A Day
As much as I don’t want to, let me share a bit of my day that seemed to go wrong with you. It started with my laptop crashing. Not just once, but continuously. Less than 10 minutes after my computer was up, everything would freeze, I would love any unsaved work that I had, and I would have to do a hard reboot. At the same time, Dylan was also wanting to play piano and was working to learn a new line in his “cuckoo” song. I had showed him three new notes to play yet he was struggling with the first two and I could feel my frustration beginning to rise. I was getting exasperated with my laptop while trying to help Dylan and ended up getting to the point where I yelled at him (something I’m extremely unproud of doing and even writing it out is difficult).
Later that afternoon I met with a new friend who I’m working with to produce video content and we had plans to shoot our pilot. Unfortunately about 20 minutes into our session, the microphone stopped connecting to the recorder and we couldn’t figure out how to get it to work again. What was originally planned as a 1-hour session ended up taking over 2 hours and still, we weren’t able to get the audio to work. I felt defeated and disappointed at the time taken away from my family as we’d need to end up finding additional time to re-shoot our video.
As my afternoon plans were then pushed back, I then scrambled to get a photoshoot in for a collaboration I was working on and due in a couple days for draft review. While it seemed like the pictures were turning out well and I was later sharing the details with Adrian, he pointed out a fact that made me realize my photos were potentially not going to meet all the post requirements and again, I felt like I had ended up wasting my time.
At that point, I was also running late to meet another blogger friend (Karen Lao if you guys know her — she’s awesome!) who wanted to catch up over coffee. I got caught in traffic, ended up taking a side road as the highway exit was blocked off, only to then make the mistake of getting on the HOV entrance as I was trying to get back onto the highway. Unfortunately the HOV lane has limited exits and I ended up getting shot out about 3 miles past where I needed to be to meet Karen. Needless to say, I felt super guilty about being 20 minutes late.
As I was wrapping up my meeting with Karen, Adrian ended up calling me as he was trying to find a receipt so that we could return a few Ikea items that didn’t work out. I had cleaned up my desk area earlier that day for our video shoot and while I thought I knew where the receipt had been stowed, it wasn’t the right one and I started to panic thinking that we’d be unable to return 2 large furniture pieces costing almost $200 that we had purchased just the previous day. Even more so, we had borrowed my parents’ truck to transport the furniture home and left Adrian’s nice car out on the driveway at my parents’ house. I felt bad that he had spent so much time looking for this receipt that it was now dinner time and he wouldn’t have a chance to return the truck or pick his car back up.
I ended up picking up poke bowls for the family as our dinner since it was pretty obvious that I wouldn’t have time to do any cooking. As I came back home and pulled into the driveway, Mei and D both came running out to greet me. Mei was wearing her Princess Anna Frozen costume (she loves playing dress up!) but ended up tripping and skinning both knees. Dylan had opened the door to my car and was wanting to grab his poke bowl from the to-go bag. In trying to move Adrian’s bowl out of the way, the lid came off and we had a huge pile of rice, edamame, and corn bits all spilled onto the garage floor.
Dress: Target Striped Seersucker Dress (XS) – (similar, similar, similar, similar)
Shoes: Steve Madden ‘Carrson’ (go up 1/2 size) – (more sizes here)
Earrings: Baublebar ‘Maraca’ – on sale! (similar)
Bag: Chloe ‘Nile’ dupe
Lessons I Learned
Have Gratitude
As the day ended, I was feeling pretty bummed and was honestly just ready to go to sleep. I was tucking my kids into bed and Dylan asked me, “mom, what was the favorite part of your day?” I had started a ritual from when Dylan was about 2 years old where we could both share our favorite part of the day before going to bed. In the blur of everything that had gone wrong earlier that day, the question actually took me a bit by surprise. I had to take a minute and re-shift my mindset to find the good that came out of that day — I shared how the warm welcome I received when both he and Mei came running out to greet me as I came home made me happy. Dylan’s question reminded me the importance of gratitude and even when it seems like so much is going against you, to focus on the positive and to find even the sliver of good that came out of that day.
Don’t Multitask
I’m guilty of always trying to do too many things at once and as a mom, I feel like sometimes we have to be good multitaskers. But, that day reminded me also that my kids need my attention 100%. I need to put away the technology, get my head out of whatever obligations may be stressing me out at the moment, and focus on my kids who need me more than anything. For me, there are times when I need to put down my work even if I’m in the middle of something and give my kids my complete attention. For me, I had ended up putting my crashing laptop aside and all it took was 10 minutes of sitting down next to Dylan to help him before he was able to figure out his new piano notes.
Have A Mindful Moment
When it seems like so much that’s going wrong is out of my control, I need to remind myself to pause and breathe. I’ve often told my kids about having “mindful moments” when they need to calm themselves down, and it’s such a good reminder that even we as adults need. I’ve shared my tips on being a more mindful parent here before (the Spire Stone really does help as it vibrates to remind you to take a break when your heart rate and stress levels go up). Having a moment when I close my eyes, focus on my breathing, and mentally reset has really helped me to not let a series of bad luck get the best of me.
Communicate
When you’re falling behind or not meeting expectations, it’s always good to communicate with the other side. I was running late to my meeting with Karen but ended up texting her beforehand to let her know the situation. People are almost always understanding if you give them a heads up on what’s going on and even as a manager myself at work, it’s something that I appreciate as it helps me plan and know expectations as well.
Own It And Move On
Similar to communicating when you’re falling short, it’s also important to own your mistakes and move on. Apologies go a long way to reconciling relationships and I’ve learned never to have too much pride not to admit your own shortcomings. In the case of kids, it’s also good for parents to set the example of apologizing and taking responsibility for their behavior. I had made the mistake of getting frustrated with Dylan and as a result apologized to him, explaining my actions and what I should have done instead. We all make mistakes and, even as parents, need to apologize to kids sometimes.
Look For The Lessons
And lastly, every failure is an opportunity to learn. Even though bad days are never fun, they are opportunities to learn about yourself and grow as a person. Take a moment to reflect, to think about how things could have been done differently, and learn the lessons from every mistake!
These pictures were taken a couple weeks ago at the Dallas Arboretum and it was such a great time that we had running around and just having fun as a family. It’s a good reminder that we all have days that don’t go as planned but that there are so many other days that exceed our expectations! As it can be hard to always see the highlight reel that is Instagram, I think it’s also good for us to share our struggles. Even the worst day can provide lessons that we can take away and I hope this post gives you a little insight into mine!
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Such important lessons and great reminders. Thanks for sharing, love!
xx, Danielle | Pineapple & Prosecco
I love this post! It’s unavoidable to have “bad” days, and as much as we are mindful of being grateful for the little things we can still get suck in the moment. At least I get suck in the “bad” moment and just feeling shitty. But what life it would be if there’s no contrast to the good days?
Aw I love the tradition that you have with Dylan (it made me tear up). That sounds like a heck of a day, we all have them and they can really put us on our butts making us take a step back. Hope your week and weekend is fabulous!
It sounds like your day can only go up from here! Your family is adorable and I love our positive attitude!
It’s so hard to not multi-task as a mom! Great lessons. Love your dress in these photos, super cute outfit!!
XOXO
Cathy
We all have those bad days. Thanks for sharing.
These are all such great reminders! Thanks for sharing! Really needed to read about this!
Love your dress!! You look so stylish!!
Ugh, I hate days like that. When it rains it pours. These are such great reminders. Wonderful post!
xx, Elise
http://www.sparkleandslippers.blogspot.com
Days like this can make you take a step back and appreciate the good days more. These are really great reminders!
I love this post. We are all human. we all have bad days. It seems like you handled it really well even during all the chaos. You’re awesome! <3
Such a great post, thank you for sharing this! When we have a bad day, we usually just resort to going to bed feeling angry because of the events that weren’t that great. But the lessons you learned are all SO great and such great reminders. Even with the bad days, there is always something good in it.
I really loved this post. xo, Lydia
I totally feel you! Sometimes it’s so hard to remember the positives in a day when the negatives vastly outnumber it. Great tip on being mindful!
I love the dress you’re wearing here!
Sometimes the hardest days bring the best lessons with them! I’ve had my fair share of those days!
I love these tips! Bad days are unavoidable sometimes, but these will certainly help 🙂
I love that you and your son ask each others favorite part of the day. Such a great way to put things in perspective after a long day and to get back it a grateful mindset!
Megan | http://www.pipmegan.com
Technology mishaps are always the worst. I feel like they happen at the most inconvenient times too!
Sounds cliche but communication is the key in so many aspects. Your family photos are gorgeous.
Xx, Nailil
http://www.thirtyminusone.com
I have had days like that. sorry you had a rough day
Awww I know days like that could be so hard! Thank you so much for sharing! It’s so important to always look for the lessons in these days!
Love your transparency. Thank you so much for the reminders and lessons! xo
Thank you for this post, the photos were amazing
Xoxo
Sarah Lindner
http://www.TheHouseOfSequins.com
When it rains, it pours right?! God won’t give us more than we can handle though and you powered through!! Definitely agree that communication is a key in turning a bad day into a lesson!
-Morgan
How 2 Wear It [] http://how2wearit.com
It is definitely true that some of the worst days bring the bests lessons. Thank you for sharing this gal! It is always great to learn from others too.
xo Laura Leigh
http://www.louellareese.com
This was actually so helpful for me to read. I’ve had a lot of these days recently, and it’s hard to remember to be positive in the midst of all that frustration. Thanks for the reminder to slow down and appreciate life’s little moments!
Such a lovely read dear, and I couldn’t agree more, especially on multi-tasking. As a mother of two, I do multiple things at once from time to time, which is difficult to say the least. And yes, we parents should definitely spend more time and attention to our kids, they won’t be kids for long, so enjoy their quirkiness! Anyway, you have such a lovely family dear!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
These tips are so good. Thanks for sharing them.
Ugh those days are the WORST but I am so glad you could look back and learn some awesome lessons from it.
Sorry you had a rough day babe! But I totally agree with all your pointers — it’s always good to look on the bright side and find the positives even on a bad day. Thanks for sharing and I hope you have a fab week!
ugh being late always stressing me and out and laptop crashes! the worst!
I just love the tradition that you and Dylan share. It serves as a constant reminder of what really matters and makes us tick!
Your family is adorable! Love the pictures😄
Love this dress and all your family shots! So cute babe.
I think we all have those days where we just should have stayed in bed 😀 I love how you pointed out the lessons learned, that’s so important and a good way of thinking about things. Loving the adorable pics in this post 🙂
such a gorgeous dress on you!! looks soo pretty!
Love this ruffle dress on you!
Oh my gosh, I bet you wondered what would go wrong next!! How sweet that your little one took you out of your understandably glum mindset. It is kind of reassuring to know this kind of day happens to everyone sometimes. Thanks for sharing and hope you are having a much better one today xx
Love your dress and glad that you were able to find a lesson even on a bad day
I have days like this and at the end I try to look back on it and see the good or make some changes as to not try to replicate it again. Life is a learning process and some days flow and others seem like the universe is working against you. Hope your day gets better and your laptop is fixed!
http://www.mylittlenest.org
I like routine and order and perfection so I am often frustrated when things just don’t quite go my way. I could very much have had the same day as you and feel the same resentment over having lost family time…and then spend more time being frustrated thus losing more family time. Sigh. But you’re right you just have to accept it and move on because dwelling doesn’t help! PS I love your striped dress! <3 Jamie
http://www.mommyinflats.com
I sarted reading this great book called “The Gifts Of Imperfection” by Brene Brown. I havent even finished it but it helped me so much. It made me see that we are missing the beauty in those imperfect moments. I also now suffer from anxiety( after effects) after going into a deep depression after my husband was deployed a few years ago. This book was amazing in giving me a different mindset. I felt like I was reading pat of my own story. Thank You for sharing. I think so many women go through this but are ashamed or hide it. There is nothing to hide we are only human. I feel that the more women share their stories the less we feel alienated, because someone truly does know what we have been through. 🙂
Hi Kristen,
Thank you so much for this sweet message and it means so much to me. I will definitely be checking out this book and I am so glad to hear that it helped you. I appreciate your words more than you can imagine and thank you so much for dropping this note!
xx,
Kileen
Those are some great lessons to keep in mind. I find that I always have a better day when I take those mindful moments and remember to look for the good things. They are there, even when everything is going wrong. Thanks for the inspiration to stay positive! Have a wonderful week 🙂
Some days are better than others. It’s just about how we look at it.
These are the cutest family pictures!! Love all your lessons that you learned after having a day gone awry. We all have them that’s for sure!
xo, Laura
Nice well written blog!! You look very pretty in that beautiful outfit.