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Like most moms, I’m often too busy to find time to pamper myself. My weekends are too jam packed to fit in a professional manicure, and weeknights are full of caring for the kids and dinner prep. If you’re a busy mom like me, you know that an at-home manicure is usually the only option.

So I’m still totally smitten with midi skirts. When I saw this J. Crew denim jacket white skirt look, I was drawn to the contrast between the crispness of the white midi skirt and the casual faded denim jacket. Then, they dress up the look with fashion-forward black and white printed lace-up heels.

It’s 5 pm some random weekday afternoon and Rocco’s daycare teacher asks if we’ve thought about potty training. Rocco asked to use the potty at school, so she thinks he’s ready. I wince, but admit that he’s asked to sit on the potty at home several times (with his pants on). I concede that he is probably ready to potty train, but I’m not at all prepared. I thought boys usually learned later. He’s just over 2 and a half, I thought I had more time with my baby boy.

I’m on the hunt for the perfect summer cocktail recipes. Why? Because my new friends at the 5 O’Clock Fashionistas asked me to create an Arizona cocktail. I still haven’t put my finger on what I should make to represent the state of AZ. I decided to look for interesting summer cocktail recipes for inspiration.

Have you noticed how cut off jean shorts are everywhere this summer? It seems like the more tattered and worn, the better. Ironically, cut off jean shorts remind me of my dad because, in high school, I stole an old pair of his Levi’s and made them into cut-offs I wore with this old 70’s belt. I’m not saying it was the best look, but it totally fit the 90’s grunge style at the time.

One of my favorite looks for summer is a floral print midi skirt with a crisp white blouse, tucked in or cropped. Floral prints are so feminine and fun and I think the midi shape gives a bit of a retro vibe, while being subtly sexy.

If I’m honest, I generally do my own pedicures at home or visit my local strip mall for the $20 standard pedicure. I never get the add-ons –no sea salts or flower decals for me. When it comes to pedicures, I just never really thought there were that many benefits of a spa deluxe pedicure that would make it worth the high price tag.

For the long 4th of July weekend, we considered a road trip to escape the heat to Sedona or Flagstaff, but then we remembered that Gigi starts crying about 30 minutes into any car ride. Scratch that idea.

Who’s headed to the beach this weekend? I wish I was–instead, we’re staying home and continuing potty training. Fun, fun! I’ve been missing the beach lately, which is the biggest negative of leaving California. Since I’m not actually getting a beach vacation this holiday weekend, I decided to daydream about all the things I’d bring with me. Here are my 20 summer beach essentials.

Certain prints always seem to be in style–namely, some version of dots, stars, hearts and flowers. I love the star print fashion trend because stars give a youthful vibe, but can still look chic and modern.

I found three new best beauty finds under $10 — a great lip tint, ultra rich lengthening mascara, and a fun minty nail polish. My makeup routine in the summer shifts to lighter and more sheer lotions and concealers. I also stick with lighter eyeshadow colors and very simple lip moisturizers. With the start of summer, I wanted to add a few new beauty products to my arsenal. Mineral Fusion Sheer Moisture Lip Tint – Shimmer – $9.99 June best beauty finds under $10I’m mostly a lip gloss or chapstick girl. Every now and then I’ll throw on a lipstick, but that’s rare. For summer, I especially like to keep my lip color light and sheer. I love this Mineral Fusion lip tint because it’s light, has subtle shimmer and the peachy-pink shade is perfect for summer. Essie Mint Candy Apple Nail Polish – $8.50 June best beauty finds under $10 I usually don’t wear nail polish in the winter, so I wanted to find a new fun shade for summer sandal weather. I already have lots of pinks and other pastel shades, but I thought it would be fun to try something totally different. This mint color is so fresh for summer and looks great on my toes. Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara – $8.99 June best beauty finds under $10 I’ve been a Rimmel London fan for quite awhile, but I usually stick with the standard brushes. When I ran out of my old faithful mascara, I wanted to try this Lash Accelerator mascara because it has a smaller and thinner brush that I thought would add extra length. I love the ultra rich black color and the thin brush really delivered on giving me ultra long lashes.

How are you celebrating this 4th of July? We’re planning a pretty low-key long weekend at home with trips to the local splash pads and a few dips in our pool. We will definitely throw some burgers or brats on the grill and make some yummy side dishes, but I want to make some fun and festive.

You know when you have a bunch of leftover baking ingredients sitting around? I realized the other day, I had all these leftovers from previous recipes (phish food brownies). With extra marshmallows, chocolate chips, and toffee chips, I searched for a recipe idea and came up with an everything cookie recipe.

A quality wrap dress is one of my wardrobe staples, especially in the summer. I own a black jersey one with a giant beige palm leaves print that I’ve owned for at least 5 years, if not closer to a decade. It’s one of those pieces I choose to wear on days when I want something comfortable, but that still looks very put together and always chic.

To make it through my work day, I rely heavily on iced coffee. It’s become something of a morning ritual to walk over to my local Starbucks and grab a venti iced coffee. At over 3 bucks a pop, my monthly coffee total is really starting to put a dent in my disposable budget.

What’s your current go-to summer sandal? I’ve been on the hunt for some new ones because I’ve pretty much worn-out my old gladiators. Even though my husband hates how they look, I really love gladiators because they are much more stylish and supportive than basic flip-flops.

I’m a bad mommy. I dress my daughter in her brother’s hand-me-downs. The shock, the horror, the embarrassment! In all seriousness, I only put her in his old jeans (that appear unisex) and his old pajamas (yes, they have trucks and dinosaurs on them, but no one sees her but me and her dad).

Happy Blogiversary Posh In Progress! I can’t believe I’ve been blogging for two years already. In some ways, it feels just like yesterday that we started the blog. But wow how things have changed in the last two years. We lived in California, Rocco was only 7.5 months old and Gigi wasn’t even conceived yet.

This is my first summer back in Phoenix after a five-year hiatus. I recently realized my standard work outfit that worked great in California – even in summer – just won’t work in Phoenix. Looking more closely at my wardrobe, I own way too many fall and spring-friendly cropped pants and blouses and not nearly enough summery dresses.

I was confronted by my own mortality the other day. Long story short, it got me thinking about what would happen if I wasn’t here. In a flash, my eyes welled up at the thought of not getting to watch my kids grow up, to not be an integral part of their young lives and help mold who they will become.

Are you guys ready for swimsuit season? I’ve already busted out my suit for a couple of afternoons in our backyard kiddy pool. I learned my lesson that I needed to wear a suit after my 15-month-old Gigi made a game of pouring water on my leg (and pants).

One of the perks of my job is that I get to travel quite a bit (follow along on Instagram). Last week, I visited New York. My days were packed with meetings and taxi and subway rides to meetings, but at the end of one of the days I found some time to duck into a Paul Andrew shoes sale.

Caramel, chocolate and marshmallows — oh my! This new phish food brownie recipe is everything I wanted to make two years ago but didn’t quite get right.

Have you tried sunscreens that claim to be ‘natural’, ‘organic’, ‘cruelty-free’, ‘vegan’, ‘gluten-free’? I had the opportunity to test out six different natural and organic sunscreens for an article I wrote for SheKnows.

Stacey’s Look: Banana Republic Dress (similar); Anthropologie Cardigan (similar); Ann Taylor Bracelet (similar); Gap Belt (similar); Prada Clutch (similar); Manolo Blahnik Heels (similar)

Of all the different types of women’s sunglasses, cat eye sunglasses are one of my favorite styles to wear (like here). I like cat eyes because they help add some width to my face and draw attention toward my face. They help to balance out my long, angular face.

Yay! It’s grilling season. My husband makes some mean grilled meats, but that’s so obvious. I like when he steps outside of the box–my favorite is the grilled pizza he makes on bricks or in a cast iron skillet.

I really love heels, but they don’t work into my lifestyle very often anymore–chasing around two years olds, and all. Since I don’t get to wear my heels very often, I want to make sure the flats I wear are both super stylish and ultra comfortable. I’m also traveling a lot for work, so besides the perfect cross-body bag, I’m always on the hunt for great flats.

If you read fashion magazines or frequent the mall, I bet you’ve seen mesh everywhere. It’s one of the hottest clothing trends of the spring, for sure. My old memory of mesh clothing takes me back to cheesy 80’s muscle tops. But today’s mesh clothing is not at all cheesy.

One of the biggest fashion trends for spring is fringe–fringe shoes, fringe handbags, fringe vests. I really love black suede fringe heels because they are playful, youthful and visually interesting. I prefer black heels because they are versatile and would look equally cute with shredded cut-offs or a party dress.

To all the moms out there—Happy Mother’s Day! We all need to take a moment to appreciate the good moments with our kids and give ourselves a pat on the back for all our hard work this year.

I’m really excited to share this month’s best beauty finds under $10 because you can get all of them at your local drugstore and they are quality products for under 10 bucks!

When I think of leather jackets, I think edgy, rocker chick. I love this look because they paired an ultra-feminine skirt and blouse with the biker jacket and ankle-wrapped pointed toe heels. I really love the hard and the soft together because it’s less expected and creates an interesting balance.

Cinco De Mayo is an excellent excuse for a Mexican-inspired cocktail, if you need such a thing, with tequila being the signature spirit of Mexico. However, if you’re not drinking tequila as a shot, your options are shamefully limited.

My new job requires me to dress up a lot more than previous jobs. My go-to work uniform tends to be slim-fitting cropped pants, booties, and some blouse/cardigan combination. When I saw these cropped black and white printed pants, I knew the fit would work (as I already own two pairs of the same pants in other colors), but was unsure about the print.

My husband gives me the hardest time about my peanut butter consumption. As I began making these peanut butter and jelly scones, he moaned about the fact that I’m constantly making peanut butter recipes (I’m not).

I mentioned I’ve been traveling a lot for work lately. I have my go-to Balenciaga day bag that I bring on all my trips, but she’s getting worn out. Crossbody bags are the best option for travel because you can sling across your body and still manage to pull your carry-on bag and your laptop bag easily.

One of my favorite parts about spring is getting to wear light weight jackets. One of my favorites is this airy green trench coat. Phoenix weather doesn’t usually allow me to wear many coats, but I’ve been traveling a lot for work, so I’m glad I get to bring along some of my favorite jackets to layer when the weather is a bit iffy.

I’ve been traveling a lot for work lately (my favorite travel pics on Instagram). I love that I get to visit some pretty cool cities, but having to pack up my stuff every other week feels annoying at times. To make packing more.

Since today is Earth Day, I wanted to share with you why I love to shop resale. There are three main reasons I shop pre-loved clothes, shoes and accessories — it’s good for the environment, for my finances, and allows me to get designer duds at a deep discount.

If there is one fashion trend that I’ve seen on nearly every fashion blogger, it is ripped skinny jeans—black, white, blue, you pick. Scrolling through my Instagram feed, it seems like all I see is ripped jeans. I thought the trend would die out by now.

I’m really proud of my Italian heritage. Since today is Ellis Island Family History Day, I wanted to share just a little bit of history about my own family.

Cinco de Mayo is just a couple weeks away. I’m getting my margarita recipes ready, and scouting out the best guacamole recipe. But those are so obvious. I mean, I always have those things on Cinco de Mayo. I wanted to add something else fun to my menu, so I searched for interesting churro recipes. Mostly, I found what you’d expect–homemade versions of churros you’d find at a theme park.

One of my favorite wardrobe essentials is this ultra-soft, collarless, chambray shirt. I love it because it’s light-weight, doesn’t wrinkle, and goes with everything. I like layer it over dark jeans or a dress, almost like I would a jean jacket or cardigan.

One of spring’s hottest shoe trends is high heel leather mules. Unlike the mules of the past, this spring, mules are youthful and fun (look at these Sophia Webster’s). Mules for spring come in lots of different shapes, colors, and heel heights and widths.

Today is National Siblings Day. I feel very lucky to have a sibling that I also consider my friend. Things didn’t start out that way though.

When we moved to Phoenix, we bought a new couch that came with two retro-70’s print throw pillows. Not my favorite, but we’ve used them for the last several months since we had them.

One of my all-time favorite pieces of clothing is a black and white striped blouse from J. Crew. I’ve owned it for years, but it’s one of those pieces that never goes out of style. Even better, black and white goes with everything.

Enjoying a nice glass of wine with a meal is one of life’s great pleasures, but sometimes it’s hard to know what to order. I’ve come up with six tips to help make the ordering process easier.

What do you think of railroad stripe jeans? Initially, they reminded me of my childhood—I’m pretty sure I had a train conductor’s hat, with the same railroad stripes, at some point. But I kind of like the youthful flare railroad stripe jeans have to them.

Flare jeans are synonymous with the 70s. I always imagine a hippie chick with a flower wreath around her head and ultra wide, light washed, high waisted jeans. But flare jeans aren’t just retro, they are totally on-trend for spring.

Have you dyed your eggs yet? It’s something I’ve been thinking about doing with Rocco, but then I remember how not into cookie decorating he was at Christmas. I’m thinking egg dying might have to wait until next year.

Do you do meatless Mondays? This asparagus farro risotto with sweet peas is a great choice. Farro is my new favorite grain.

Am I too old to wear high tops? I recently texted this question to my husband, as I was browsing the abundant sneaker selection at Nordstrom. I was immediately drawn to all the brightly colored, fashion forward sneakers for women.

Most work days, I don’t overthink my outfit. I choose basics with a bit of flare, either a graphic print, fun jewelry, or sassy shoes. But when there’s a big meeting, I try a bit harder to look extra put together.

To be honest, most of my home decor has been acquired out of necessity, not with as much thought as I would like. A lot of it is disposable — stuff I bought in my early-mid twenties to fill space.

I’ve been searching for a powder with SPF for awhile. I’d heard great things about Peter Thomas Roth’s SPF powder, but I didn’t like the applicator brush and prefer a pressed powder. I was pretty happy when I spotted this Physician’s Formula SPF pressed powder for under $15.

Asparagus was 88 cents a pound at the grocery store last weekend. Yay! Seriously, I was really excited. Sometimes, it’s the small things in life.

I’ve always been into fashion, but since I started blogging, I’ve become hyper aware of trends and styles. I didn’t even know what a Pantone color was until about a year ago. Now that I follow color trends more closely, I was super excited when they announced marsala as the 2015 Pantone color of the year.

I’m so excited to introduce you to our newest Model Mom, Aimee. I met Aimee through one of our previous model moms, Andrea. Aimee was kind enough to let us shoot at her gorgeous, newly remodeled home. The moment she opened her large wooden front door, I felt an immense warmth and kindness radiating from Aimee.

My favorite nail art trend is the negative space manicure. So what is negative space? In the art world, negative space is the space around and between objects that make interesting shapes, not the shape of the object itself.

Jade heard on NPR that the poppies were going to be in full bloom this past weekend because of all the rain and warmer temperatures we’ve had this spring. So, we took a quick road trip to see the Pichacho Peak poppies on Saturday.

My husband, Jade, heard about using a cast iron skillet to make deep dish pizza while listening to the Splendid Table. We finally got a cast iron skillet last fall to make honey sage cornbread, but we haven’t used it all that much. Jade was interested to see how a pizza would turn out in a cast iron skillet, so he decided to give it a try.

You know when you reach that point with trying to grow out your hair where you just can’t take it anymore? I reached that breaking point last week. I was tired of trying to grow out my bangs, layers, and blondish highlights. My hair looked so limp, so lifeless, just so blah.

Paint splattered clothing made a major come back this past fall. I say “come back” because I can remember this intentionally messy trend from way back in the 80’s. I personally wouldn’t wear it on my clothes, but I’m really loving paint splatter purses, shoes and accessories (look at these Manolos!).

My new office gives us unlimited hot drinks. Most days, I stick with my favorite earl gray, but the past couple afternoons, I’ve indulged by sipping a couple pre-packaged hot chocolates. Those little packets bring back memories of building snow forts and giant snowmen in my front yard.

New York Fashion Week F/W 2015 wraps up on Thursday. I love fashion week. Even though I haven’t attended yet, it’s on my bucket list. It almost felt like I was there, just by scanning my Instagram feed. There were so many runway images and short video clips to watch.

I’m going to attend the Oscars someday. I don’t have grand plans to take up acting, I just want to hang out on the red carpet in a really fabulous gown. Since I’m not going this year, I thought it would be fun to put together a look I’d wear on the Oscars red carpet if I were invited.

So I’m a little late on the national wear red day, but it’s never too late to wear a red dress. Wearing red shows you are confident and bold. Red is actually one of my favorite colors to wear when I need a little pick me up or I have an important meeting. I immediately feel a boost of energy and confidence.

My baby girl turned one recently. Happy Birthday Gigi! To celebrate, I wanted to decorate a bit, but didn’t want to do anything too time-consuming (like Rocco’s fire truck party).

For my daughter’s first birthday, I decided to make a homemade funfetti birthday cake for a couple reason. First, it’s cute and looks pretty. Second, I made a low-sugar healthy smash cake for my son’s first birthday, and he didn’t dig into it like I had hoped.

Like a lot of girls I know, we watch the Super Bowl for the commercials and the half-time show. Katy Perry killed it, although her mic didn’t sound quite right.

Heart fashion accessories aren’t just for Valentine’s day. Heart shapes are a fashion staple. I love heart prints, as much on clothes as I do on accessories. Remember those popular J.Crew sweaters with the giant hearts on the chest from a couple years back (Kate Spade makes a cute one now)?

I’ve been on a soup kick lately. Maybe it’s because it’s winter (but it’s like 80 in Phoenix today, so cold weather isn’t the motivator). Really, I think it’s because soup is so comforting.

I was as skeptical as you. I definitely thought oil face cleansers would make my combination skin oilier, shinier, and make me break out. I had no real basis for my beliefs, other than I just thought it seemed wrong to add oil when I’m trying to remove oil. You know what I mean?

One of the ways I relax after a long day of work and parenting is to browse internet retailers to see what’s new. When I saw this look that Nordstrom put together, the striking cobalt blue coat immediately caught my eye. I am also impressed with their expert layering.

My daughter turns one next month. So, I’ve been digging around on Pinterest, looking for cute first birthday ideas. I found so many cute baby girl birthday themes, it was hard to narrow them down.

I love cooking in our crock pot, especially on the weekends. You throw everything in first thing in the morning, and by dinner time, you have a hot and hearty dish. Crock pots dishes are just so easy to make and not at all fussy.

Lately, I’ve been in an accessories funk. I have tons of fun statement necklaces, but hardly any cool earrings. I admit I get really lazy with changing out my classic diamond studs. The ear crawlers and earring jackets I’ve seen lately have sparked my interest enough that I think I’m ready to retire my studs, for now.

Over the holidays, along with sugar cookies, I made some of my childhood favorites — puppy chow and special k bars. If you haven’t tried these no-oven-required recipes before, you should. They are ridiculously easy to make and really yummy. The perfect chocolate and peanut butter desserts recipes ring in the new year and a new year of life.

For our third Model Mom Style, Andrea agreed to share her style tips and let us use her house as our backdrop. When I first met Andrea (and went through her closet), I was impressed with her choice and use of prints in her wardrobe.

As I write this, I’m wrapped in an old North Face fleece, because my office is freezing. Yes, I live in the valley of the sun. But lately, it’s been really cold here (ok, in the 30’s at night and 50’s during the day, but still very cold for the dessert!).

A lot has changed this year. Two biggies—my daughter Giada was born and we left California and moved back ‘home’.

Readers, today’s post is for, and because of, you. Thank you for your support and for participating in our rating system at the bottom of each post.

Did you get an ugly Christmas sweater? Another pair of flannel pajamas? A really ugly set of dishes? Despite your family and friends’ thoughtfulness and spirit of giving, I’m sure you got something you don’t like, don’t have space for, or can’t use.

Merry Christmas! Tomorrow, we’re planning a low-key day with our little family. Our kids are still so young to really ‘get’ Christmas, but Rocco is starting to catch on.

New Years Eve is one of those special occasions where I think it’s totally acceptable to splurge a little bit on your look. You should buy something that makes you feel incredibly special, at least every now and then. If budget is your worry, there are tons of great party dresses out there at reasonable prices.

When it comes to makeup, I shy away from lipstick, but I’ve always been into playing up my eyes. I’m terrible at accepting compliments, but there is one that’s stuck with me for years. A friend in high school told me she loved my eye makeup, the way my lashes fanned out and how they were lined in a dark purple pencil.

A couple weeks ago, I started a new series called model mom style, to show you how working moms can look stylish and cool.

I’m always looking for new ways to connect with my Italian heritage—most of the time, that involves trying a new recipe. I first heard of Florentine lace cookies, while watching America’s Test Kitchen.

I’m a rule follower by nature. When Rocco turned one, I immediately switched him to whole milk, per the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and others’ suggestion. But when he turned two in October, I broke the rules. For once, their advice just didn’t make sense to me.

My Christmas wish list almost wrote itself this year. I’ve been eyeing most of these items for awhile now. One of my favorite things about being a blogger is discovering brands and sharing what I love with my readers. It makes me feel like all my internet window shopping serves a purpose. Of all the things I’ve loved this year, here are the eight things at the very top of my Christmas wish list.

For me to choose a favorite Christmas cookie is nearly impossible, but one of my absolute favorite Christmas flavors is ginger. Gingerbread men and ginger snaps would rank up there near the top of my Christmas cookie list.

If you asked me to wear snakeskin or animal print clothing, I’d scoff at you. I just don’t like it (my reasons why are for another post). I don’t like it in clothing, but I do like it in accessories. I am absolutely smitten with snakeskin shoes and handbags.

I love holiday parties because they gave me an excuse to wear a glittery, shimmery, ultra feminine dress. I hardly ever suggest buying clothes that aren’t versatile, but holiday party dresses do not apply. This is the one time of year where I think it’s totally OK to buy a dress you might only wear once or twice because it’s the holidays.

Whatever you call them, snowballs, Russian tea cakes, Italian wedding cookies, or even Italian Wedding Christmas cookies, these powdery nutty cookies are a mainstay on most Christmas cookie platters. Despite their popularity, I had never made them before. My mom didn’t make these at Christmas, and I only had them a few times when we received cookies from other holiday bakers.

I’m so excited about our new series: Model Mom Style. I wanted to feature real women to show you how they dress for their busy, everyday lives and still manage to look stylish.

For me, the day after Thanksgiving isn’t just about scoring deals at the mall, it’s about getting out the Christmas decorations. I tend to put up the tree first because it just makes me happy. There’s just something about staring at the white lights and back-lit ornaments that gives me pure joy. So much joy in fact, that as a kid, I begged my mom to keep the tree up until my birthday in early January.

I don’t do my nails that often, but the holidays always entice me to try something a little shiny or sparkly. Last year, I wore this winter sparkle french manicure during the holidays. When I saw this half moon manicure tutorial, I thought it would be fun to try for the holidays this year.

Last week, our friends at Toyota invited us to the Phoenix Zoo to get a preview of ZooLights, and also check out a few of their new cars for 2015. During the day, Jade put a ton of miles on a sporty 2015 Camry. The kids and I joined him later to see ZooLights, pretty much by ourselves.