Bay Area Fashionista

Spring dresses and a formal tea

 in General Fashion  tagged dresses / family / outfits / spring 2019 by

affordable spring dresses spring handbagsteen formal tea attire

wearing: On me: blue handkerchief wrap dress / black high heels / ivory and gold door knocker earrings / bracelets (old, similar here) / spring nail polish / gold ankle bracelet / blue handbag / On my daughters: pink dress (on sale!) / sneakers were worn for the walk to the car, pink dress paired with these flats / blue vintage inspired dress /

How cute are my daughters!! We snapped these photos on our walk back to the car after our annual NCL tea. Isn’t it funny how I always look for a wall? haha, Anyhoo. . .There had been a farmer’s market going on when we arrived, so I ended up parking several blocks away from the tea venue. My daughter was smart, and brought a pair of sneakers for the walk to the car! I think she’s ready to be a commuter!

In case you are wondering what NCL is, it is the National Charity League. It is a Mother/Daughter volunteer organization which also provides leadership skills, leadership opportunities, and it solidifies character building, and etiquette taught at home. It’s a great organization for helping craft your daughter into a powerful lady, as well as give us Mom’s a chance to spend valuable time with our tween/teen daughters. The annual tea is part of the etiquette lessons we teach our daughters. It is also a fun event to share with our daughters!

The theme this year was “An Afternoon in Wonderland” and it was a beautiful, whimsical theme! The centerpieces were adorable and played off the theme perfectly. The tea committee did such a fabulous job! My daughter’s love the annual tea, as it is one of the rare times each year they get to dress up! My teen picked out this pretty pink dress and my tween chose a vintage inspired blue number. I think they both looked like princesses! I love how they put their outfits together all by themselves. It’s so cute!

While my dress isn’t as fabulous against this pastel wall as my daughters dresses, it was very comfortable and worked well for the tea. I wore it in the morning with flats for my teen’s orchestra concert, then I switched to heels in the afternoon for the tea. It’s a very versatile dress! I am looking forward to pairing it with sandals and a bamboo bag this summer on more casual occasions. It’s a great spring/summer dress!

Shop our tea dresses online:

So, I want to circle back and talk about this all for a minute. Isn’t is beautiful? We found it in downtown Campbell. It’s really pretty and eye-catching in person. I’m so glad someone painted it for everyone to admire!

What is your favorite way to wear a dress on warm days? Do you prefer flats, sandals, or pumps?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

tea centerpieces ideasspring dresses

9Round Santa Clara review

 in Fitness  tagged 9round / workout ideas by

I cannot believe it has been one month since the new 9Round Santa Clara opened it’s doors! April flew by so quickly, and I had so much fun getting fit at the new 9Round! In case you missed my post about 9 Round back in January, it is a full body workout studio where you can get a complete workout in 30 minutes. Love!

As you know, I enjoy working out. My fitness routine typically includes spin classes, hikes, treadmill days, step classes, cardio kickboxing, swimming; and anything I can drop into. But, these types of workouts run for 60 minutes, and with my busy schedule, it has been really difficult this year for me to fit these workouts into my crazy schedule. When I heard about the new 9Round Santa Clara, I was excited for a 30 minute workout!

Do you see the TV screen in the photo above? That is a heart-rate monitor which lets you know which zone you are currently in. My knick-name is “Shark,” so as you can see, I was in the red zone when this photo was taken. The ideal zone I should be in for most of my workout is the yellow zone. This is a great tool because it helps you regulate your workout, and adjust, so that you can optimize your results. After you workout, the system sends you an email with a recap of how much time you spent in each zone, and how many calories you burned. It really helps you understand your workout! Love that!

This is a workout which fits into a busy schedule. It’s easy to say you’re too busy to workout on any given day, especially when travel time to and from the gym is typically 30 minutes; and the workout itself is 60 minutes. This is what makes 9Round so fabulous, you cannot make excuses for time! This is a full body workout that can be completed in 30 minutes. It targets all the major muscle groups, and includes cardio interval training too.

I included 9Round workouts 2-3 times each week in April. I loved how much time they saved, and the fact that I couldn’t make any excuses about not having time to workout. As a result, I lost two pounds in April! Yay!

FYI: I lost those two pounds without dieting. I still ate a little bit over my recommended calorie count. Results will be different for everyone-so don’t assume you can eat anything you want and still lose weight, it’s usually a combination of fitness and nutrition. These were my results.

The 9Round workout doesn’t get boring. If you get bored of always doing the same thing, that won’t happen at 9Round. There are 9 circuits which a personal trainer leads you through. Everyday, the workout changes. So you rarely do the same thing twice. I love how the workout is always different, it keeps me on my toes! Plus, all of the trainers are so nice, supportive, and fun to talk to! Love that!

I’m looking forward to continuing to workout at 9Round Santa Clara, and to up my fitness level!

If you live here in the Silicon Valley area, definitely check out 9Round Santa Clara, you will love it! Hope to see you there!

For more information, please check out 9Round’s website here, or call at 1-669-281-KICK.

*Please excuse my sweaty face in these photos-I was having fun and working hard! My beautiful teenage daughter, and my 10-year-old son, took these photos. They did a pretty good job didn’t they!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

*thank you to 9Round Santa Clara for partnering on this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Mother’s Day bonding with Soma

 in General Fashion  tagged happy mothers day / SOMA Intimates / spring 2019 by

soma mothers day pajamas soma pajamas mothers day cool nights collection soma pajamas mothers day spring 2019

wearing: blue white floral pajama dress / blue white floral pajama dress / blue white floral pajama dress /

May is the busiest month of the year. I find it to be more hectic than December; in the middle of the holiday rush. It is almost ironic that Mother’s Day falls in the middle of the month when most of us Moms with school-age children are rushing around, being in three places at once, and are downright exhausted! Since May is so hectic, I am always looking for ways to relax, and spend some quality time with my children. After all, they are the reason I am a Mom! Haha

One of the ways I enjoy relaxing, is having what we call in our house a pajama party! Pajama parties are a favorite in my household. A pajama party is when we are done leaving the house for the day, so we can all get into our pajamas. While wearing our pajamas, we enjoy dinner, watch TV together, play board games, and talk. There is something comforting about wearing pajamas’ especially those made by Soma. They are soft, comfortable, and no fuss. We love pajamas!

We take our pajamas seriously in this house. So when my daughters first spotted me wearing Soma pajamas, they instantly wanted a pair too. They really love how soft the fabric is, and they enjoy all the fun prints on Soma pajamas. So for this Mother’s Day, we are sporting Soma’s latest pajama collection, and having a pajama party!

soma pajamas mothers day

I am a huge fan of Soma’s sleep sets which include a sleep tee, PJ bottoms, and a face mask. My middle child enjoys stealing my face mask, and wearing Soma pajama shorts or dresses. My teen daughter also loves Soma’s pajama dresses, shorts, and pant sets. We are Soma pajama superfans!

Now, we just need to find the perfect movie to watch during our Mother’s Day pajama party. Any suggestions?

Shop for the perfect Mother’s Day pajamas blue white floral pajama dress.

Which Soma pajamas are your favorite?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

*sponsored by Soma, all thoughts and opinions are my own

soma pajamas partysoma pajamas with daughters