lifestyle

Fall day in Capitola

 in General Fashion  tagged fall 2023 / lifestyle / outfits by
capitola beach fall 2023
chicken tacos margaritaville capitola

How yummy do those tacos look! They were definitely delicious! Last week I ventured over the hill to have a fabulous lunch with my friend Laura from Have-Need-Want. The weather in Silicon Valley was in the 90’s, so I mistakenly thought it would be much cooler in Laura’s neck of the woods, I was wrong! Yikes! It was 90 degrees in Capitola too! I give “second summer” permission to go away! haha

Despite the warm temperatures, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch at a window seat overlooking the sea at Margaritaville. I hadn’t been there in years, so it was a treat to enjoy their delicious chips and guacamole, as well as tasty tacos. Yum! It was also fabulous to be able to catch up with Laura. In case you are new around here, I met Laura close to ten years ago while attending fashion week in New York. We shared a taxi to a show! Once we entered the taxi, we found out we were both from California and lived roughly a half hour from each other! How fun was that! We became instant friends. Love!

casual fall outfit ideas

wearing: double stud earrings (sold out, also love these) / button tee / black belt / black shoulder bag / navy nail polish / jeans (sold out, similar here) / sneakers /

Since I knew we would be walking around and window shopping after lunch, I wore my comfy sneakers paired with these soft, beige jeans and this fun tee that has buttons on the shoulders. I love an elevated tee! Speaking of elevated tee’s, Laura started a tee-shirt shop in addition to her blog, and handbag business. Check out some of her designs below.

Her tee’s will make amazing gifts this upcoming holiday season. They are also super fun to wear on casual days. I definitely have one coming my way soon! Love them!

louis vuitton hobo bag

Speaking of Laura’s new tee-shirt shop, her resale shop is booming! I am so happy for her business venture! If you are looking for hard to find, designer handbags, check out her shop at HaveNeedWantLuxury.com.

She has a curated collection of designer bags, including Louis Vuitton. That is her Louis Vuitton bag pictured above. I mean, I had to take the opportunity to snap a picture of her bag. You know I love handbags!

All-in-all it was so nice to be able to get away for a few hours and spend some quality time with Laura catching up, window shopping, and enjoying the ocean. Capitola is a really beautiful place, and if you have never been, I highly recommend stopping by for a visit. Love it!

Shop my casual fall outfit online:

What are some of your favorite local spots to relax?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

capitola beach fall 2023 pier condition

Midterms care package ideas for college students

 in College Parent Tips  tagged college parent / holiday gift ideas / lifestyle by

Midterms care package ideas from top left: Squishie / coffee candy box / chocolate truffles / room diffuser / pillow spray / coloring pens / coloring book / chocolate biscuits /

Can you believe it is already time for midterm exams? It may seen like you just dropped off your student in their college dorm, but they are already half-way through the semester or quarter! This means stress is kicking in, and your child is having possible panic attacks. You may already have received a phone call where your child has expressed how stressed out they are. Never fear, my care package ideas post is here!

Since you cannot take your child’s midterm for them, and you are not there to give them the mommy hug which makes everything better, the next best thing you can do is send a little box of love from home. I love wrapping up a few items which help relieve stress, and also to show some love from home. You can easily put together a small box, which is easy for your college student to carry from their commons area, back to their dorm room.

One of the big things college students miss when they are away from home is you! Some kids will admit it, while others will not, but they all miss you! One thing I have noticed, and spotted, in several dorm rooms are squishmallows. You may think squishies are for little kids, but they are not! College students love having multiple squishmallows in their dorm room. They offer comfort and a soft hug. While this can never replace a mommy or daddy hug, it does offer a form of comfort when your student is feeling stressed-out, sad or homesick. A new squishie will be a huge form of comfort during midterm exams. I love this one which is wearing a beanie! Since the weather is cooling off, your student will appreciate that you sent them a squishie with proper attire.

Fragrance is a great way to create a calm environment. This lavender pillow spray will help introduce a calming scent into your students study area, allowing them to be able to lower their stress level. Love that!

Coloring is a form of relaxation and this coloring book for adults will allow your student to escape from their stress and enter a creative world. The use of a coloring book is the perfect 30-minute study break, especially when your student is feeling overwhelmed! This set of pens will help them color away!

Lastly, something tasty is in order! These coffee candies and these chocolate boxes are the perfect treat for your student. Yummy!

Shop midterms care package ideas for college students online:

Which items will you place in the midterms care package you send to your college student?

Thanks for stopping by, and good luck on exams!

XOXO
Cathy

Should you go to parents weekend?

 in College Parent Tips  tagged college parent / lifestyle by

Treat your student to a meal at a restaurant and give them a break from dorm food

There is a question many parents of college students, especially first year college students, asks themselves. Should you go to parents weekend? (also referred to as families weekend, or parent and family weekend, at some universities)

Most colleges offer a weekend of activities for parents and families roughly six weeks into the first semester or quarter of the fall term. This is about the time when many students become homesick, are stressed out from mid-terms, and/or simply miss their parents. It also goes the opposite way where parents really miss their children! If you are like me, you started to miss your child at drop-off, before getting in the car, or the boarding the airplane home.

A parents weekend is a great time to visit your child, as long as you understand they cannot spend every waking moment with you. This fun-filled weekend is smack in the middle of mid-terms. Your child will likely have a big exam to study for, or have other activities they need to attend to such as club meetings, practices, work shifts, or volunteer duties. You will need to be patient and supportive of your child, and speak with them before-hand as you plan the schedule for the weekend; especially if you are making dinner reservations or there are ticketed events on campus which need to be paid for in advance.

The itinerary for parents weekend compensates for this conundrum by offering sessions for parents which you can attend while your child is busy. You can learn more about the degree your child is studying, learn about school traditions, find out about extra-curricular activities your child might be interested in, find ways for parents to be involved in booster activities etc., learn about on and off campus housing, and more. Save the fun stuff such as a tour of the football stadium, tour of all the haunted spots on campus, etc. for when you your student can go with you. These are fun bonding moments and things they might not do on their own when you aren’t there.

So, the question remains, should you go to parents weekend? Yes and no. Yes, if your child can carve out the time to spend with you, no if they have a huge mid-term and you don’t need to attend any of the sessions offered for parents. If you don’t go to parents weekend, find a weekend which works for your child and visit them at that time. This will allow you both to have fun. If your child has a huge exam on Monday and you flew across the country for parents weekend, your student will feel obligated to spend time with you and this could cause undue stress. So, before booking those tickets, speak with your student first to make sure parents weekend fits into their schedule.

Parents weekend is not just for first year parents, it is something you can attend every year until your student graduates. It is also the perfect excuse for visiting your student without looking like a helicopter parent. I love parents weekend for that reason! Haha

This is also a great time to bring your student a gift such as a squishie or homemade cookies. It is also about halfway between drop-off day and thanksgiving break, so the timing of parents weekend is genius.

Shop college student gift ideas online:

So, should you go to parents weekend? My short answer is yes, unless your student has a huge exam or other conflict, then, find another weekend where you can visit and enjoy some time with your child.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy