My Swimmer

For the third year in a row, Kate is a part of the Germantown Gators swim team. I just looked back at my very first post about swim team and had to laugh – we were such rookies! Now we are a full-fledged swim team family – we have a pop up shelter and everything. We’ve hit the big leagues!

She is having a great time, and so are we. The team is a fantastic group – and I don’t just mean the kids! The great (and sometimes overwhelming) thing about swim team is that it really does involve the entire family (and a lot of time), and as a result we’ve gotten to know the other families and made some really good friends. The parents and kids are all really supportive of each other, too, which is refreshing.

While I don’t think I’ll be sending Kate off to one of those Olympic training farms any time soon, she is becoming a stronger swimmer every day and I enjoy watching her confidence grow.

And the best part? She has a ton of fun.

Someone remind me how warm and fuzzy I feel about all of this during the 14-hour Championships day, ok?

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Things I Love Thursday – New stuff from Lands’ End

I love Lands’ End!

I know, you’re shocked. It’s not like I’ve never mentioned that fact before. But I’ve tried a few things from their new summer line, and I had to share my latest favorites.

First of all… dresses. I have a *thing* about dresses. I don’t know why, really – I don’t even wear them that often (hello, they require shaved legs) but loooove them. I particularly love my two newest ones from Lands’ End!

This is the Women’s Regular Sleeveless Cotton Shift Dress (originally $89.50 but on sale right now for $69.99!). It’s cotton (and machine washable), with textured material that has a very nice feel. I like that the dress is cut so that it has a nice curvy shape – that, combined with the darts and the belt make it very flattering. It’s fully lined, and I love the right-above-the-knee length.

When I picked this dress out, I originally asked to try it in red (because red dresses take my dress obsession to a whole new level), but they didn’t have it in my size so they sent me white. And I love it. The white makes it so versatile – I can change it up with jewelry, shoes, scarves, cardigans – whatever! It could go from a daytime/office look to a date night look very easily.

I also got this, the Women’s Regular Sleeveless Chambray Shirtdress.

This dress is perfect for a hot summer day. The soft cotton material looks great and will keep you cool. Like the shift dress, this one is cut and darted in a way that is quite flattering, and it’s also machine washable. A fun surprise to this dress is that it has pockets, which gives it a modern feel (and comes in handy, too). I just love the whole shirtdress look. I have it in khaki (my favorite color, because I am exciting like that), but it also comes in dusty jade and vintage chambray (blue). It will easily carry you into fall as well, with the addition of a jean jacket or cardigan. Very cute!

Land’s End is my go-to place for clothes, but until recently I had never tried anything from their home line. I had been eying their bedding for months, so when they asked if I’d like to review some of it, I was thrilled. However, I loved it all so much that I couldn’t decide which set I wanted to try. So, I told our old buddy @LandsEndPRMolly to surprise me! There was seriously not a set I didn’t like, and I knew I’d be happy with whatever she picked (and also, I know she has great taste!). Of course, I was not disappointed when this bedding set arrived on my doorstep:

The Shelby Linen Border Duvet Cover and shams really brighten up our bedroom and are so soft and cool – perfect for summer. The yarn-dyed border provides a fun pop of color without being overwhelming.

This accent pillow completes the set.

But let’s not forget the most important part of a bed set – the sheets. Really, I don’t think there’s anything that feels better than slipping into a bed with a clean set of sheets – and these are by far the nicest sheets I’ve ever had.

The Organic Print Sheet Sets are 100% organic cotton and 300-thread count. They are soft, cool, and feel so good. I love them.

My husband and I both love the new look of our room, which is important because the last time we shopped for bedding, it took forever (and a ton of different stores) for us to find something we could agree on. From now on, I’ll just head straight to Lands’ End, because the entire bedding line is lovely, without being too feminine for Andy to be on board!

BTW, I was serious when I said I couldn’t pick from all their options – here are a couple others I love.

To see the complete line, click here. And for more Things I Love Thursday posts, visit Jill at The Diaper Diaries.

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Happy Father’s Day from Seiko

One of the best things about doing product reviews on this ol’ blog is having the opportunity to share our finds with people we love – it is so fun to give gifts that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to give. We were excited when Seiko asked us to take part in a Father’s Day promotion by giving one of these to one of our favorite dads.

Isn’t it pretty?

I gave it (the Seiko Men’s Coutura watch, to be exact) to my dad on Father’s Day. It was the perfect gift for him – he’s a person who doesn’t like “stuff” to clutter up his home (he has a standing “no books, no clothes” rule) but he does happen to like watches. And this is a really nice watch.

Here’s the official spiel:
Seiko Coutura. This masculine Big Date Chronograph has a brushed and polished two-tone. stainless steel case and bracelet. The polished bezel is accented with diamond cuts that perfectly catch the light. The white dial has LumiBrite hands and markers can measure up to 60 minutes in 1/5th second increments as well as split time measurement. Sapphire crystal is virtually scratch resistant and the cabochon crown adds that finishing touch.

I asked my dad what he particularly liked about the watch, and here’s what he said:
It has a substantial weight. The date is easy to read and the clasp is secure. The gold-accented stainless steel finish has a nice appearance. It has a functional chronograph. It also comes with a strong warranty, and the battery life is predicted to be long.

I have to say, the weight is what struck me about it when I first opened the box. It just feels like a fancy watch! And it looks very sharp.

Thanks to Seiko for helping me out with a wonderful Father’s Day gift that I’m sure my dad will have around for years.

P.S. In case you were wondering (I had to google it) – it appears that “chronograph” means “a watch with a stopwatch.” There, you learned something today.

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