This is Part 2 in a series of posts about my trip to Italy in 2014. {Read Part 1/Roma here}
Calabria: Days 6 and 7
Leaving Rome, we headed south, 5 hours by train, to the region of Calabria. Both of my grandfathers immigrated to the United States from Calabria. Unbelievably, their towns happen to be only 30 km apart. Prior to leaving on our trip I was able to connect with family and plan time in each town. My cousin Elena, spoke English and was an immense help! While in Rome my rusty Italian served us well. In southern Italy it was a totally different story. Very few residents spoke English and all of them spoke in a regional dialect, so it was almost impossible for me to communicate. Aaron can tell an extremely funny story about my conversation with a cab driver in Cosenza. I mistakenly asked for a 50 km cab ride instead of a ride to the train station. Funny now, extremely stressful in the moment.
Click through to read more about our time in Southern Italy:
Little Man and I have set a goal for the school year. He and I are going to walk or ride our bikes to school for at least 100 days. I may have selfishly suggested this goal since it means I will rarely have to enter car pick-up or drop-off. That my friends is priceless. It also encourages both of us to brave the weather, even on cloudy, drizzly days. Fresh air in the morning does a body good.
In all honesty, it is an easy way to introduce goal setting. Little Man is still quite young {8 years old}, so the goal had to be simple in nature with a clear outcome. After setting our goal, I did a bit of reading. {It appears that goal setting is a multi-million dollar industry? “Experts” from all walks of life!} A few reoccurring principals seem essential when goal setting with young kids.
1. Set a specific goal with measurable terms // We set the goal of riding or walking 100 out 180 school days. Specific and measurable.
2. Set an end date// We have until June 23, 2016, the last day of school.
3. Write goals down and keep track of progress// We created a chart for Little Man to keep track of the days he rides his bike or walks.
4. Find a partner or team// We are in it together!
5. Agree on a reward or celebration// Three words. Great Wolf Lodge. {Oh, lord, help me!}
I think our goal is perfect. It pushes us, but it is reasonable and attainable. Other goals that would be great for young kids: trying new foods, reading a set number of books, practicing an instrument, running a 5K. As kids get older, goals get more complex. I’ll get back to you about setting goals with Big W. That kid is tricky!
What goal could you set with your kids this school year?
We have distinct seasons here in the Pacific Northwest. With a shift in weather, comes a shift in wardrobe. I see this time as a perfect cue to clear out my closet.
I have had several of you ask me for help with your closets. The hard part is knowing where to start. In our busy lives, a formula is always welcome. While I have not written a best seller, I am pretty good at clearing out my closet.
If you remember, I created a storage system when I gave my closet some love. Clothes and shoes that I am not currently wearing find a home in storage containers for a few months. Clothes move in and out of my closet based on the season. You may not have this system in your home, but the process will be the same. Every article of clothing must be closely considered. Does the item stay or go? This is where it gets really difficult.
Here are the things I consider:
Fit
Simply, it must fit. For me I can’t keep something that doesn’t fit anymore. This is sometimes painful and sad. {Please note, I’m not talking about it being a bit snug because that can change by the week or day.} If you aren’t sure, try it on and look at yourself in the mirror. Does it flatter your shape? Do you feel good in it? Does it button or zip easily? If the answer is no to any of those questions, it is time to let it go. If you have recently lost weight and the piece is too large, please don’t wear it anymore. Either have a tailor alter it for you or pass it along. You deserve clothes that fit you well.
Condition
Carefully inspect each piece. Is it in good shape? Is it missing buttons or is the hem coming loose? Some problems are easy to fix and will give life back to your clothes. However, sometimes it is just time to say good bye. Even if you absolutely love a blouse, you can’t wear it if it has a large stain. Sweaters don’t look great once they have lost their shape. Shoes get old. I recently just gave away two of my most favorite pair of pumps. They were past their prime and starting to look a tad tacky. Was I sad? Yes. Did they need to go? Yes.
Style
Yes, it is true. Everything eventually comes back into style. However, it usually takes twenty years or so. Are you really going to hold onto that pair of jeans until they are back in fashion? I hope your answer is no. There are true classics and they can be great from year to year. However, it may be time to update your black pants or blazer. If you tend to buy trend pieces, you need to be extra critical. {I find that these pieces only stay in my closet for a couple of years.}
Do I wear it?
This should be your final question, always. Do I wear it? Honestly. If you don’t wear it, what is the point of keeping it? Buyers remorse might be involved here, but you just have to get over that.
If you have done your job well, there is a pile of clothes that need a new home. I make two piles: charity and consignment store. If you believe that someone else would pay money for a few items {usually name brand}, consider taking them to a consignment shop. You earn a little cash and this often times makes the process easier. Off brands or older items can quickly and easily be given to a thrift store or charity. Put them in your car right away so you don’t second guess yourself.
If you have questions, please leave a comment or shoot me an email denise@whereisjune.com. I will help in any way I can! You can do this!
Happy Friday! It has been a fast-paced, busy week. With school and kids’ activities in full swing, life is a bit of a blur. Weekends are always a welcome respite. What are your plans? I am hoping to switch my closet over to fall and squeeze in a movie matinee.
A round-up of things that inspire and interest me this week:
1. A friend is leaving for New York on a red eye tonight…..wish I was going with her.
Life is beautiful, white and bright, and perfectly curated. Well, at least it is for the creatives, hipsters, and the cool kids on Instagram.
So, how perfect is Socality Barbie? A brunette, bombshell of a doll posing in all the cool Northwest spots, making your life look sad and depressing. And totally making fun of all those living an authentic life and snapping shots of their artisan coffee. Created by a Portland based photographer, choosing to remain anonymous, Socality Barbie is totally off the hook with over 1.2 million followers. {Just two weeks ago, she only had 7,ooo!} Personally, I laugh out loud every time a new post pops up in my feed.
Socality Barbie is a fantastic Instagram account satirizing the great millennial adventurer trend in photography. It’s an endless barrage of pensive selfies in exotic locales, arty snapshots of coffee, and just the right filter on everything. Anyone who’s flipped through an issue of Kinfolk gets the aesthetic. And it’s everywhere on Instagram.
The woman behind the account is a wedding photographer in Portland, Oregon, who wishes to remain anonymous so to preserve Socality Barbie’s authenticity. She created the Instagram about three months ago to poke fun at all the people hashtagging photos with #liveauthentic and #socality. The homogeneity of their authenticity and universality of their socality all but demanded satirization. “People were all taking the same pictures in the same places and using the same captions,” she says. “I couldn’t tell any of their pictures apart so I thought, ‘What better way to make my point than with a mass-produced doll?’”
The descriptions make the pictures ridiculously funny. Take 5 minutes and read a few. I promise it will totally make your Wednesday!
Oh, and who can forget the hashtags? #liveauthentic #thatpnwlife #finditliveit #communityfirst
Whoa! I couldn’t put this book down over the weekend. In Luckiest Girl Alive, Jessica Knoll wrote a lead character who is smart, complex, damaged, brave, superficial and ambitious. How is that possible?
I loved this book. Not because the protagonist, Ani, is particularly likable because she isn’t. I loved how the author carefully crafted her prose to give us insight through the inner monologue of Ani. Most of the time it was cringe worthy, but is was always brutally honest. Her painful past and true feelings were never hidden from the reader.
Without giving too much away, it is similar to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. It has unexpected plot twists and is dark, quite dark. I found myself thinking about the end of the book while running today. I’m left with questions. Big ones. And in my opinion that is a good thing!
Ok, so it all started with the doors of my beat-up entry way closet begging me to give them a face lift. They are bi-folding doors and I plan to paint them black. In searching for something different than your typical knob as the pulls, I came across this picture of these amazing leather pulls on closet doors. Brilliant! Purchasing them seems to be costly, but I fairly certain I can make my own. My dad is a skilled leather craftsman and I am willing to bet if I make him freezer jam he would help me bust a few of these out. The closet doors will need a knob, so it is a loop of leather and a bolt. We can do this! Long handles don’t look to be much harder.
If my little DIY leather adventure works out, I might be swapping all my kitchen knobs and pulls, too!
Next week it is officially fall and I can feel it! The weather took a hard shift and the very cool mornings make it undeniably so. But every season brings its own delights. Fall ushers in cozy blankets, lazy Sundays and delicious comfort foods. What are you up to this weekend? Our little family is recovering from a very long two weeks, so low key and healthy are all I am looking for.
Inspiration surrounds us. This is what inspires me this week. Remember, love big! It’s in the details.
1. A fall hike on a piece of the Pacific Crest Trail. I watched Wild again and the PCT is right in our backyard.
2. Suede booties. Wear them with cut off shorts now and a pair of skinnes later.
I thought it was about time for a new mom uniform. My husband and I are spending the weekend in the Washington wine country for a little fun. It has been two years since we have done any wine tasting, so it is a total treat.
The anchor of this uniform is a simple, black tank dress { I also loved this dress}. Light weight and flowy, it is great in warm weather. Everything else is just an accessory. How fun is that? I’ve learned that having your hands free is key when wine tasting. A cross-body bag would work, but I am pushing my fashion comfort zone and going for a fanny pack. {Stay with me.} With all that sun, a wide brimmed hat and sunnies are essential. A pair of wrap-around ankle strap sandals show off a fresh pedicure in white. A leather bracelet and a bold feather pendant give interest to a fairly simple outfit. Every uniform needs a pop of color. A bold orange lip in an iridescent sheen finishes off the look.
A few weeks ago, when I had the TV all to myself, I watched the touching documentary Tig on Netflix. I was transfixed by the humor, the sadness, and by Tig. The story follows stand-up comedian, Tig Notaro. In short, Tig faces unimaginable odds in one calendar year to be topped off with a breast cancer diagnosis. How does she respond? She does a comedy set about it {and wins a Grammy}. It is a story of resiliency, love, loss, and humor. But most importantly, she is really, really funny.
I am totally crushin’ on Tig.
Then, to my surprise, a comedy special aired for the first time this past weekend on HBO called Boyish Girl Interrupted. I missed it, but thank goodness for On Demand. My boys wandered in when I was watching and they sat down and started laughing immediately. {I am certain that it isn’t 100&% kid appropriate, they just watched a few minutes before I turned it off.}
I highly recommend watching BOTH if you can. I am also dying to watch a Showtime special with Tig in which she does stand-up in people’s homes, but I am not a subscriber. Anyone have Showtime and want to invite me over?
