Jen Shoop, Author at Magpie by Jen Shoop

By: Jen Shoop

I was steeling myself to take my two sick and exhausted children to a 7:45 p.m. doctor’s appointment on my own — the last slot available that particular day in the pediatrician’s “fever clinic,” which I presume to be a new feature of our COVID-hardened world: keep the ill children separate from the ones seeking routine vaccines and wellness checks. Sane and appropriate, but wildly inconvenient. Not only had we had to struggle through a day caring for unwell children without any diagnosis, but my children are normally in bed by seven and asleep by seven-thirty, and yet there I was, prolonging their feverish day and dreading what was to follow: nasal swabs, the pushback of my four-year-old, my two-year-old’s ambitiously wrangling body exploring every nook and cranny of the examination room while the doctor would, inevitably, be running late given that we had inherited the absolute worst time for a doctor’s visit. (Every parent knows that the later the appointment, the longer the wait.) I am not above admitting I was dreading managing the visit on my own, without the extra hands of my husband.

Around seven, the office called and informed me we could come in early. Out of the blue, just before hanging up, I asked: “Oh, wait — is it still the policy that only one parent is allowed in per visit?” “No, m’am, you can have both now.”

Two unexpected wins, the latter perhaps the best news I’d had in months.

We put on shoes and foisted on masks and flew out the door, and as we walked underneath the scaffolding on 86th Street, I watched my husband pantomime exaggerated surprise when a pigeon flew over his head, sending my four-year-old into hysterics.

Of all the moments,

Of all the years,

I almost burst into tears just then, with my husband’s frame silhouetted against the Manhattan streetlights and my daughter’s surprised laughter jostling her from the slope of malaise.

How spectacular, to walk through life with someone else who not only shoulders life’s burdens but makes light where there is little.

Post-Scripts.

+Writing this post reminded me of the 3 A.M. parties I have enjoyed with my husband at my side.

+We celebrate our eleventh anniversary next month, and I ordered this dress and this one as options for the celebration.

+Lots of ultra-chic Loretta Caponi on sale here.

+Micro is SO into puzzles at the moment — these 12-piece ones are perfect!

+This plaid dress is under $80 and feels very Doen. I like that it could work into fall…

+This $128 floral top is tres chic tucked into a white midi or paired with denim.

+I can hardly believe I’m writing this, but back to school has been on my mind lately. I used this reversible pennant (you can pick the colors!) that say “first day / last day” last year and will continue to use with my children. Love that it does not designate the year so you can use every year from now til college.

+OMG these Carrie Forbes shoes ($200!) are too cute.

+Lululemon makes such good athletic outerwear. So chic! I am loving this new anorak.

+Speaking of Lululemon, just ordered this hot pink look from head to toe: top and shorts.

+A good stacking storage option for toys like Duplos/sets of dinosaurs/cars/etc.

+Adore the print on this two-piece.

+Two super fun patterned skirts: this Mara Hoffman and this Banjanan. I love them with the matching tops!

+This new quilted coverlet from Boll and Branch is simple and chic. Would play nicely with some fun patterned pillows / a dramatic bolster.

+I alternate between hair primer/detanglers, but have really been loving my return to Dry Bar’s Prep Rally lately. It makes my hair feel so smooth and silky when used before the Revlon 1-Step.

+Speaking of hair: “a woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.”

+ICYMI: this $25 blue and white midi dress is SO good.

+This post tugs at my heart: on surviving COVID. It all began with a prayer.

+Great hooded sweatshirt from LL Bean — love the quilting detail. Would size up and throw on for walking the dog on chilly mornings!

+Poupette St. Barth has some fabulous new pareo prints…I almost want to wear this out over my shoulders with white jeans/a white tee.

+Needlepoint key chain with zip code!

+In love with this $70 top.

+CUTE straw bags.

+Super elegant wrapped-ankle sandal.

By: Jen Shoop

Are you traveling anywhere soon? I feel as though everyone I know is jet-setting ASAP and AMAP (as much as possible) to make up for lost (COVID) time. We are beginning to plan for the possibility of a brief getaway for our eleven year anniversary and then a wedding in October, too. I am hoping we will finally be able to get away for a proper vacation — just Mr. Magpie and I — in 2022, and we already have a big summer beach trip planned with the children next summer in addition to my sister’s deferred nuptial celebration. Lots to look forward to!

A couple of new travel-related finds I wanted to share while so many of us are getting back into the travel groove:

THIS HAT HOLDER IS BRILLIANT — YOU CLIP IT ON THE SIDE OF YOUR BAG/SUITCASE SO YOU CAN TRAVEL WITHOUT CRUSHING YOUR HAT

THIS EVERYTHING POUCH — GENIUS FOR DAY-OF TRAVEL (ALSO WOULD BE GOOD FOR A MOM TRAILING KIDS IN CENTRAL PARK PLAYGROUNDS…KEEP ALL VALUABLES ON YOU IN ONE CONVENIENT CROSSBODY)

SIMILAR UTILITY: PEOPLE RAVE ABOUT THESE DAGNE DOVER SLINGS

LUSTING AFTER THIS TRAVEL WALLET IN THE GORGEOUS BLUE SHADE — SO SMART FOR KEEPING VACCINE CARD, COPIES OF ITINERARY, TICKETS, ETC IN ONE PLACE

ARE THESE NOT THE CHICEST LUGGAGE TAGS?! GOYARD-ESQUE

MENTIONED THIS RECENTLY BUT JUST ORDERED ONE OF THESE BEAUTIFUL LEATHER COSMETIC BAGS — LOVE THAT THE SIZES ARE SOLD SEPARATELY; VERY SIMILAR TO CUYANA, WHICH ARE ONLY SOLD AS SET

STILL A FEW OF THESE WILDLY POPULAR COSMETIC TRAIN CASES FROM NEELY AND CHLOE X JULIA BEROLZHEIMER AVAILABLE HERE!

WILL ALWAYS CHERISH MY LOUIS VUITTON DUFFEL BAG — PURCHASED FOR MY HONEYMOON TROUSSEAU! — BUT I WILL SAY IT IS VERY HEAVY…OTHER CHIC OPTIONS: THIS PARAVEL (CAN BE MONOGRAMMED!) AND THIS NEELY & CHLOE

HAVE BEEN EYEING LITTLE ENGLISH’S QUILTED LUGGAGE SETS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS FOR AWHILE…SO SWEET! I THINK MINI MIGHT HAVE OUTGROWN SOME OF THEIR DESIGNS, SO THESE CUTE DUFFELS MIGHT BE MORE OUR SPEED AT THIS STAGE

WOULD LOVE TO INVEST IN RIMOWA LUGGAGE NEXT, BUT I ALSO LIKE THE LOOK OF THIS MORE REASONABLY-PRICED CARRY-ON IN THE NEUTRAL/TAN OR THIS WELL-REVIEWED AWAY STYLE

LESS STYLISH, BUT HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL: I’VE HAD ONE OF THESE TUMI ROLL-A-BOARDS FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS AND IT IS STILL GOOD AS NEW…

THESE SIMPLE CANVAS DUFFELS ARE ALSO A STYLISH OPTION FOR LITTLES, AND I LOVE THE WAY YOU CAN PERSONALIZE THESE ONES FROM STONEY CLOVER

…OR YOU CAN DIY THE STONEY CLOVER VIBE WITH THIS INEXPENSIVE TIE-DYE DUFFEL AND YOUR OWN PATCHES

I’M IN LOVE WITH THESE PRINTED ROLL-A-BOARDS FOR LITTLE HANDS, WHICH CAN COORDINATE WITH BACKPACKS!

LOTS OF PACKING CUBE OPTIONS HERE, BUT THESE ARE SO CHIC (AND MONOGRAMMABLE) — I DO NOT NEED ANOTHER SET…OR DO I?

THE ABSOLUTE CHICEST GARMENT BAG I’VE EVER SEEN

TRULY LOVE MY ROWENTA STEAMER AND IT IS COMPACT ENOUGH TO TRAVEL WITH! (EVEN COMES WITH A LITTLE CARRYING POUCH)

ALWAYS TRAVEL WITH A “LAUNDRY BAG” TO KEEP THOSE ITEMS SEPARATE FROM CLEAN CLOTHES…ESPECIALLY ESSENTIAL FOR MESSY LITTLE ONES

STILL CONTEND THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST TOTE BAG FOR TRAVEL WITH LITTLE ONES…IT WEIGHS NEXT TO NOTHING AND HOLDS AN ASTONISHING AMOUNT! THE ZIP TOP IS CRUCIAL!

…BUT IT TIES WITH THIS QUILTED BACKPACK (ALSO WEIGHS NEXT TO NOTHING AND CONVENIENTLY BOASTS TWO WATER BOTTLE HOLDERS, ONE FOR EACH CHILD); SO NICE TO BE “HANDS-FREE!”

I ALSO THINK THIS DAGNE DOVER BACKPACK IS SO CHIC IN THE LIMITED EDITION BLUE COLOR

READ ABOUT THESE CLEVER CAPSULES ON NAN’S BLOG — I HAVE MADE DO WITH LITTLE SETS LIKE THESE IN AND THESE THE PAST, WHICH WORK GREAT, TOO!

I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE LATTER PICK BECAUSE IT HAS DIFFERENT SHAPES/TYPES OF BOTTLES FOR DIFFERENT FORMULAS, AND HAVING ALL THE DIFFERENT COLORS MAKES GRABBING THE RIGHT TUBE A CINCH

STILL HAVE TO RAVE ABOUT OXO’S TRAVEL WIPES CONTAINER…SOUNDS SO RIDICULOUS BUT I REPLENISH THIS WITH THE BIG BOXES OF WIPES WE HAVE AT HOME AND THE CONTAINER KEEPS THE WIPES FROM DRYING OUT! ALSO LOVE THE LITTLE TOGGLE TO CLIP ONTO THE STRAP OF A BAG

HAVE COMPLETED THREE RECENT CAR TRIPS IN HILL HOUSE NAP DRESSES…CONVINCED THESE ARE THE MVP FOR TRAVEL ANYWHERE…LIGHTWEIGHT, FLATTERING, LAYERABLE, BREATHABLE, CHIC

P.S. I regret not traveling more before children!

P.P.S. Lots of ideas on activities to pack when traveling with children.

P.P.P.S. Chic beach bags and chic cover-ups.

By: Jen Shoop

My Latest Snag: Outdoor Dining Furniture.

I shared these details earlier this week, but we bought outdoor dining furniture for our new home this past weekend: this expandable teak table and a few sets of these chairs with the yellow and white stripe sunbrella cushions added. The table won’t arrive until the end of August, so we’ll be using this supremely well-made folding table in the interim, which we’ve toted around with us since Chicago days. (Trust me, it’s good — the Wirecutter’s rec.) We have a covered porch, so I cannot wait to eat every possible breakfast, lunch, and dinner al fresco, as weather won’t really be an issue. Hooray! I think there is still space on the porch (which spans the width of the house) for additional seating beyond the wicker couch set we have, or possibly for an outdoor bar cart or side board or something like that, but I’ll be waiting until we’ve lived in the space to figure out what we’d prefer. (I.e., are we always dragging extra chairs out from the dining room? Would we want a convenient spot to set up a little bar area, or hold plates that are going down to the grill? Etc. We could also always get some less-expensive but fun stackable chairs to keep on hand…)

So exciting!

You’re Soooo Popular: The Blockprint Dress.

The most popular items on le blog this week:

+This blockprint dress has been very popular all summer but it just went on sale and a lot of you snapped it up!

+Cutest smocked and striped dress.

+My new favorite facial sunscreen.

+Wicker serving tray.

+This floral cutie keeps selling out! Snag if you can!

+My favorite towels to gift.

+Chic and distressed alternative to dresses all the time.

+Denim shorts that aren’t too short.

+It truly is nap dress summer. I’ll be wearing this on move day!

+Cute paper from my favorite Etsy stationery boutique.

+My new desk chair! I think we’ll all be chic workerbees in this.

+Fun super soakers for a backyard hang. We brought these with us to the Hamptons and even the littlest kids got the hang of it quickly!

Weekend Musings: Living in Limbo.

This past week has loomed liminal. Everything in our apartment, and in our life, is partway-packed, partway-done. We don’t want to throw away the nearly-depleted tubs of condiments in the fridge, as we “might need them in the next few days.” I can’t quite pack for the 48 hours we’ll have all of our belongings in boxes because I will need my makeup, and my hair blow dryer, and the children need their sippy cups and sound machines, before packing day. Instead, I have a few piles of bags and boxes haphazardly filled with items we do not want packed — items of sentimental value, important documents, the Hermes scarf Mr. Magpie gave me on the eve of my son’s birth. Even those feel inadequately organized, and I am certain there are other items I have forgotten about that I would be devastated to lose. (Just writing that sentence, I sprang up in search of the rosary my grandmother gave me on the occasion of my First Communion.). Most of our belongings are still where they always are, as we have hired a company to do a full pack of absolutely everything in the apartment, but this hasn’t stopped us from trying to organize/simplify/regroup items so that they are boxed in a logical way. (I.e., I don’t want to find pens, or toys, in every single box!). So even things that are “out” have been re-clustered and re-organized in foreign and inconvenient ways. (“Jen? Where are the napkins?!”)

I was showering last weekend and I wondered: “Should I just toss the loofah when I’m done?” Then: “No, you’ll take a few showers before move day.” Then: “Well, I can make do without. Better just chuck now, one less thing unfinished.” Then: “That is ridiculous! Why are you depriving yourself of a tool for the next week just to have something done?”

But this has been me, desperate to cross things off and cinch with tape and push to the corner of a room.

It is hard for me to live halfway. We’ve talked on this blog about how difficult it is to accommodate the constant interruptions children introduce into everyday life. We’ve also talked about how parenthood tampers with the deeply-engrained “completion desire” that accompanies so much of what we do on a daily basis (and, in fact, governs a lot of the theory in game design/gamification). So imagine my current dismay at living in a nightmarish in-between space that constantly thwarts my hunger for the checked box, and that occasionally leads me to wildly irrational internal drama over whether or not to discard a loofah before its run its course.

These are the grumblings of a woman ill-at-ease in transition. Are there truly people out there who can swing between the branches with grace and accommodation? I envy them. I am instead doing the best I can dialing in on the small moments of magic that have materialized in the midst of this week:

My daughter and I, lying in the tent in her bedroom, the sun illuminating its interior, her gorgeous hazel eyes studying my face:

“You know, some nice people from the moving company are going to come and put all of our things in boxes and then they will bring them down to our new house and we will set everything up again.”

“Even my stuffed animals?”

“Even your stuffed animals.”

“Even my underwear?”

“Even your underwear.”

This went on for a stretch, with her asking after increasingly minuscule items in her possession (Barbie doll shoes! Tub stickies! Crayons!), before she paused, scrunched up her face, and said: “Eeee! I’m so excited!”

Thank God for my four-year-old hype girl.

Post-Scripts: Baskets + Things.

+A girlfriend of mine presented a mother-to-be with baby gifts in a wicker decorative basket. She filled the bottom with new mom essentials, like Infant Tylenol, the Nose Frida, diaper rash cream (this is the best the best the best), etc. It was so thoughtful! Like, you never think you’ll need the Nose Frida until you do, and then you spend $30 on it at Duane Reade in a blind panic. (Speaking from experience.).

+Lots of great baskets here.

+A great everyday summer dress in an unexpected mid blue color.

+Just added to my cart: al fresco dining ware, including bamboo cutlery. I am torn on melamine outdoor dining plates. Experience tells me to go with white (shows food so well, and never gets boring), so I am contemplating something like this bamboo-trim set, this wavy set, this scalloped set, or this beaded set and then adding in a couple of fun festive salad plates/cereal bowls to mix in. The Avenue has great patterns, including these blue botanicals and these green florals.

+For outdoor cocktails, still loving these striped acrylic tumblers from Frontgate!

+More al fresco dining finds here.

+This textured swimsuit is SO chic and only $65.

+Still getting a lot of wear out of this fun gingham maxi skirt.

+This deeply discounted rattan lamp is SO chic.

+Another fun jelly-style sandal for summer, this one only $65.

+OMG – adore this Ann Taylor find! Such a great print and the silhouette is so easy to wear!

+Fantastic lookalike for the Tove dress so many of you loved.

+Shopbop now carries Mille! This looks like a dream. Would work with bump, too!

+Loads of new Juliet Dunn at Matches! Super love this dress, and this bright pink is so punchy!

+These watermelon jammies for a little one are too cute.

By: Jen Shoop

A few favorite all-white finds…

THIS WAIMARI (SEEN ABOVE) IS IN MY CART

ADORE THIS SCALLOPED NAYA REA

HEARTS X ANCIENT GREEK

AMAZING ALEX MILL WHITE BLOUSE (UNDER $150 — THE RIC RAC TRIM!)

TIERED WHITE SKIRT TO WEAR WITH EVERYTHING

EVERLANE SHIRRED MINI (OWN + ADORE)

WHITE SHORTALLS TO THROW ON OVER A SWIMSUIT

BROCK-ESQUE WHITE BLOUSE FOR UNDER $100

THIS STAUD DRESS IS JUST PERFECT

LOVE THIS EYELET TUNIC

KEEP COMING BACK TO THE SAUCY REFORMATION NIKITA

WHITE PEONY EARRINGS

WHITE EYELET DREAM FROM ULLA JOHNSON (ON SALE!)

DREAMING ABOUT THESE ALEXANDRE BIRMAN SANDALS

TOO MUCH FOR ME TO WEAR THIS ANNA OCTOBER FOR MY 11-YEAR ANNIVERSARY IN AUGUST?

J’ADORE THE SWISS DOT DETAIL ON THIS $40 DRESS

NAP DRESS VIBES FOR $60

P.S. At the other end of the spectrum (i.e., the colorful one): unusual, fun, colorful fashion finds for under $205.

P.P.S. The sacrosanct and the silly.

P.P.P.S. Things to say yes to.

By: Jen Shoop

I estimate I went on at least two hundred runs through Central Park while living in Manhattan, the vast majority of them over the last nine months.

Two hundred opportunities to flee the concrete jungle, to feel startlingly alone, to remember what dew looks like on grass, to watch the sun rise or set on water, to observe those lissom, near-invisible transformations of the natural world as it inches between seasons that remind us that “this, too, shall pass.”

Is it mawkish to say that for three years, Central Park made living in Manhattan manageable, and that, for the past year, during the pandemic, it made living in Manhattan possible?

Today, we leave New York, and words fail me. In lieu of unvarnished prose: an unpolished journal of photographs taken while running through her the past many years.

I L N Y.

central park, heckscher ballfields, on the brink of fall

Post-Scripts: All Things New York City.

+New York is still a shock.

+To the boy at the 23rd street stop.

+An apostrophe to the Upper West Side.

+We made it, New York.

+On observing the dawn of spring in Central Park post-pandemic.

+One of my favorite corners of Central Park.

+New York ephemera.

+If you are raising a family in NYC, you need these things.

+On owning a dog in NYC.

+My New York apartment judges me.

+And because I need to hear it today: all things must end to begin again.

By: Jen Shoop

“Listen! I will be honest with you,
I do not offer the old smooth prizes, but offer rough new prizes,
These are the days that must happen to you…”

“…Allons! the road is before us!
It is safe—I have tried it—my own feet have tried it well—be not detain’d!

Let the paper remain on the desk unwritten, and the book on the shelf unopen’d!
Let the tools remain in the workshop! let the money remain unearn’d!
Let the school stand! mind not the cry of the teacher!
Let the preacher preach in his pulpit! let the lawyer plead in the court, and the judge expound the law.

Camerado, I give you my hand!
I give you my love more precious than money,
I give you myself before preaching or law;
Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?”

-Walt Whitman, “Song of the Open Road”

*****

A rallying cry for those heading into the new, the unknown, the out-of-the-routine, the scary:

These are the days that must happen to you.

Allons! The road is before us!

Onward!

Post-Scripts.

+”I am not living an alternity, or a rehearsal, or a dressing room. I am living, to quote HRH Mary Oliver, “my one wild and precious life.” Onward, again!

+What you’re shopping for.

+I am so into shirt-dresses this season. This one is around $100 and an absolute favorite. (Would also work for work — more back to work outfit ideas here.)

+J. Crew has some great shirtdresses on sale at the moment – I bought this gingham and may go back (finally, been eyeing this for months) for this Liberty floral.

+Recently had a reader ask for chic moving announcements with a custom sketch of the new home on the front. How a propos! I am working with my girl Erin to design my own, but you can find some great Etsy vendors to work with on projects like this — see South Paw and Co and Ground Up Home. Both have a lot of positive reviews. If you aren’t into a custom rendering of your house, I like the simplicity of this numbers-driven style!

+While we’re on Etsy, I found two vendors with good reviews that sell makeup bags with patches that are reminiscent of Stoney Clover for like 1/10th the price here and here.

+“If you ever find yourself in the wrong story, leave.”

+Another reader recently asked where to find a chic straw hat. My answer: “I bought a Sarah Bray sunhat this year that I am obsessed with. You can swap out the ribbon colors and even buy extra ones in different patterns. So, so chic. For something a bit sportier, people have been going crazy for Janessa Leone’s styles! Very chic. Pam Munson has a few styles that are more in the retro/Palm Beach prep vibe.”

+A great “desk sweater.” Also love this whimsical sweater with the cherry buttons. So fun.

+This folding baby tub is genius for travel/small NYC apartments.

+Swimsuit goals. Love the belt buckle detail. At the other end of the price spectrum but equally chic: this $24 green swimsuit.

+This $5 mascara has a major cult following.

+I mentioned awhile ago that I basically only buy super high-end shampoo/conditioner or the drugstore variety (specifically, Pantene Pro V — the best), and that I find a lot of the mid-price-range hair products not worth it. My sister insists that Olaplex No. 4 and No. 5 are the exception to this rule, and I’ve been convinced. Going to try to see if they buck the trend.

+Lessons in baking.

+Cute lil mini. Green is so unexpected!

+In case you’re having trouble adjusting to WFH with your kids home from school for the summer…you might find some luck creating a conscious “buffer” in your day.

+You all have been loving this Anthro dress! Such a great pattern and style.

+What are you secretly good at?

+This Lug Von Siga I’ve been eyeing for awhile was just discounted…

+”Do small things with great love.“

By: Jen Shoop

*Image above via Mark D. Sikes. Stunning.

+Saks is having a very strange (i.e., amazing) sale — I honestly think some of the items have been accidentally mis-marked down? This perfect SEA top is $48; this elegant navy Shoshanna is $100 (literally perfect for a big work event, a conservative religious ceremony, a funeral — gives me Amal Clooney vibes); this girls’ winter coat from Barbour is about 50% off; and they have several pairs fo Roller Rabbit pajamas for half off, including cute blue stars (bought for micro) and fair isle and sugar plums for this upcoming fall/winter.

+In the process of this move, I finally came to terms with the fact that the interior of my large Cuyana makeup bag had tattered to the point of disrepair. I’ve had these for at least five or six years, and they have been used heavily. I actually have kept most of my everyday makeup in the large one in my bathroom drawer for the past few years — because we have been tight on space, it’s been easier for me to keep my “going out / fun” makeup in separate pouches underneath the sink, and to keep just the pared down, everyday essentials in this makeup bag so it is easy to access on a daily basis. (Can’t wait for my new home, with far more space/storage in the bathroom!). Anyway, the interior started peeling and cracking and there were little bits of the liner all over my cosmetics by the end. I finally threw it away in preparation of this move and bought one of these similar ones from White Elephant Designs as a replacement, since they conveniently sell the small and large sizes separately, and I really only wanted another large size. Woo!

+Lots of great storage pouches and bags here, too.

+Rachel Riley is having a great end-of-season sale — pieces are up to 60% off. Great (!) pieces for special occasions or family portraits — I love this blue toile, this smocked heart (Valentine’s Day!), and this striped/anchor style. Also — this babygro!

+Jacadi end of season sale is delightful, too — I can’t deal with this scallop-trim rash guard bikini, this gingham set for a baby boy, and this scalloped Liberty sunhat.

+Just ordered this Agua x Agua Bendita dress to wear for either my eleven year wedding anniversary (in a month! what!) or a baby shower I have coming up.

+I haven’t had a case on my iPhone for the last two years, but I just saw this Goyard-inspired case and had to have it in pink. I had one similar to this on my old phone and just never upgraded when I got the new model. Little treat to self!

+I saw this bathing suit cardigan (!!!) and bikini duo on interior designer Clary Bosbyshell Welsh and OMG. Do I need this?! She looks incredible!

By: Jen Shoop

*Image above of Free People’s spectacular $98 Gretchen dress.

Today: fifteen chic summer dresses for under $100..and many are under $50!

THIS BILLOWY DRESS IN THE BLUE AND WHITE PRINT

THIS BLUE AND WHITE DREAM (IN MY CART!)

THIS SWEET PINK GINGHAM

NAP DRESS VIBES FOR $39

DARLING SMOCKED MINI

FRILLED COTTON MAXI IN THREE GREAT COLORS

FUN GREEN FLORAL FOR $34

SEA VIBES FOR $30

ANOTHER BLUE FLORAL — REMINDS ME OF A PRINT FROM JULIA AMORY!

SUPER CHIC BLACK CAFTAN (IMAGINE WITH BIG BLACK SHADES AND GREAT SANDALS)

THE BACK OF THIS DRESS IS SENSATIONAL

THIS ADORABLE BOW-SHOULDERED FLORAL

NOT OVER THIS WHITE EYELET BUSTIER DRESS

PRINTED + SMOCKED DREAM

SLEEPER VIBES FOR UNDER $30

P.S. An easy kind of love.

P.P.S. Random notes — hostess gifts, baby gates, and more.

P.P.P.S. On living “out of the way.”

By: Jen Shoop

Just discovered that Farm Rio is running an extra 25% off sale prices and up to 30% off regular prices through today, 7/5. (Most FOJ sales are ending today — a couple great scores here.) This is one of my favorite brands this season — lots of bold colors and festive prints. Just right for big post-COVID celebrations! Note: I find their pieces run a tad big. A few standouts at amazing prices…

THIS $129 MIXED-PRINT DRESS (WOULD LOOK PERFECT WITH THESE MULES)

THIS FUN LITTLE MINI COMES OUT TO $104 WITH DISCOUNT

THIS AMAZING JUMPSUIT IS IN MY CART – JUST MAKES ME SMILE! (ALSO AVAIL IN MAXI FORM)

THIS RAINBOW-COLORED MAXI IS A FANTASTIC EXCLAMATION POINT FOR A SUMMER GATHERING

Beyond that, I did go back to avail myself of J. Crew’s insane extra-60%-off-sale-prices promo to snag this gingham shirtdress (like $33 with promo) and one of their side-slit maxi skirts.

Despite mentioning a few days ago that we had not bought anything for the house, we used FOJ promotions this weekend to snag our outdoor dining furniture, which we simply need! We are desperate to avail ourselves of the outdoor space we’ve been craving for the past four years. We went through multiple rounds of conversations on this front and decided that this expandable teak table was perfect. I had more or less settled on this teak style with white legs, but when we re-measured the space and thought about how we wanted to use it (lots of large family parties! crab feasts! etc!), we decided it was too small and preferred the option of being able to wedge lots of happy family members around a longer table. (The teak one we bought expands to 102″ and can seat up to 10 — probably more if you squeeze in some folding chairs.) Then we bought these gorgeous white cast aluminum chairs inspired by Mediterranean tilework to go with it, and I added the box edge cushions in the yellow and white stripe sunbrella fabric. I think it will make for the sunniest, cheeriest spot for countless meals, and I also think we selected pieces that won’t be too difficult to maintain. (We ended up ruling out a stone slab-top outdoor table that’s been in our family for years because we decided we were too nervous about red wine rings and children’s spills and teak is such a great, durable material — “one of the few woods in the world containing a natural oil which repels water, keeping it from warping, cracking or becoming brittle.”) I also thought the gray teak color would look nice with the flagstone underfoot, and the yellow/white chairs would play nicely against the white rattan seating set we have on the opposite side of the patio, which we are planning to outfit in navy and white cushions. Woohoo! Now we just have to wait until the end of August for everything to arrive, but that’s actually not as bad as I was anticipating…!

Onward!

By: Jen Shoop

*Image above via Doen.

A good friend of mine just had a baby, and visiting her in the first few days after she’d given birth brought me right back to those sleepless, awed, overwhelmed early days of motherhood. I found myself remembering when my girlfriends had visited me just after my children were born, and I specifically recalled myself wondering: “Will I ever feel normal again? Like, be able to sit on a couch and chat idly about TV shows and nuanced interactions with colleagues without feeling like my brain and heart are spiraling in twenty-two different directions? Without being vaguely concerned about how long I had until the next feed, or whether that strange twinge I just felt along my scar is normal?” In some ways — the metaphysical ones — life after having a baby has never felt “normal” again. But I found myself wondering, on a more practical level, how long did it take me to heal?

Physically, I think it took about two or three months to technically recover from my c-sections. The first felt far more difficult and painful than the consecutive, most likely because I was able to brace myself the second go around, but with both, the first ten days were miserable; there was a major turning point around four weeks; by six weeks, I would occasionally forget I’d had a major abdominal surgery; and by three months, I felt more or less “normal.” At the same time, there are still movements — even now, two years after the birth of my second! — that leave me feeling strange along my scar, and I still feel like the entire area is a little numb. I’ve had a number of friends say the same things, and a doctor confirmed that these sensation are normal.

Emotionally, I don’t think I healed from the shock of mini’s birth until my son was born two years later. My second birth experience was so much more positive than the first. Understanding that birth by c-section could be — if not pleasant, exactly, just better, more supported, less alienating — made me feel validated, or exonerated (?), for having struggled to come to terms with the experience of my daughter’s birth. After mini was born, I had trouble thinking directly about the c-section. I would do anything to distract myself from its memory. I hated — refused! — to be alone for the first two weeks after she was born because I did not want to be left on my own without a fellow conversationalist to prevent me from dwelling on it. When a good friend told me a few months later that her c-section was “a breeze,” I felt defeated. Why was I having so much trouble getting over it? Why was I having trouble to begin with? There was nothing traumatic, complicated, or abnormal about her birth. Still, I would think back to the feeling of shuffling into the operating room on my own, then getting the epidural by myself, then laying down on the operating table under those bright lights with what felt like twenty three people milling about but feeling completely, entirely alone, alienated, and almost anonymous. I was flooded with relief when they let Mr. Magpie in, but by then, I was in a full-on panic. Next came the out-of-body experience of being awake while being operated on. I was shaking so violently from the medication that I felt as though I was jumping an inch off the table every other second, and the tugging was so intense, I could feel my body being dragged downward. After she was born, I was still shaking so badly that I couldn’t hold her, an unanticipated reality that left me bereft, and then it felt like absolute agony waiting the 30 or 40 minutes for them to finish stitching me up. Even writing about this now, I feel the prick of tears in my eyes.

Micro’s birth was a different story. I was mentally prepared. Mr. Magpie had given me an Hermes scarf with a soldier pattern on it the day before, reminding me I was strong and could take on anything. I felt determined. I went in ready to advocate for myself. I begged the anaesthesiologist to help me avoid the violent shakes, and he was deeply empathetic and did everything he could to help me avoid them, placing funny warm air-filled pillows and blankets all over my arms and teaching Mr. Magpie about a pressure point on my palm that apparently helps with preventing them. When I did start shaking, he squeezed my shoulder and said, “Shoot, I’m so sorry, Jen. Let me see what I can do.” I felt supported, and heard, and not in the least bit alone. I was able to hold micro within seconds of his birth, and it was heaven. The 30-40 minutes it took to stitch me up flew by this go around — I had my treasure in my hands. When the wheeled me out of the OR, I felt redeemed, healed, triumphant. After the nurse left us in the recovery room, I remember clutching Mr. Magpie to me with one arm, cradling our baby with my other, and feeling a wonderful sensation of intactness. My boy was here, and he had made me and my family whole.

I’m curious — what about you? How long did it take you to heal, physically or emotionally or both?

Post-Scripts.

+More on the birth of my boy here. I could weep…

+I still stand behind nearly everything on my registry, but there are a few things I would add. I would also seriously consider the Doona (carseat/stroller combo) if I were giving birth again. Just brilliant!

+SUCH a darling dress for a conservative affair.

+My must-haves for raising a family in Manhattan.

+Just ordered this lipstick in the Rosewater color on the rec of a reader!

+Great new finds at The Outnet: yellow gingham shirtdress, white tweed jacket from IRO (a hero piece for back-to-work!), and a pink maxi wrap dress.

+Have been hearing really good things about these seamless bras.

+Majorly drawn to platforms at the moment — can’t explain why — but especially these two styles from Castaner: daisy and raffia. So fun with a cute mini like this or this.

+A great and versatile brown belt to add to any LWD in your closet.

+This yellow and white dress is TOO CUTE.

+Pair this necklace with these sandals and your go-to jeans/white-tee or LWD and you’re done.

+Filed under: things to buy for a boring, rainy weekend indoors.

+Summer finds for littles.

+Knit pajama romper.

+Pretty frames for pretty pictures.

+Sun protection finds for the entire family.

By: Jen Shoop

*Image above via Marika Meyer, featuring my cherished Matouk Auberge towels (on sale!).

Happy Fourth! Hope you are enjoying some time outside with your loved ones!

I am in the market for new towels for our home and I had to mention that Bloomingdale’s is currently running an incredible promotion on Matouk towels. I already have a few sets of their Cairo style with the azure blue piping and they are my absolute favorites — I legitimately can’t wait for them to come out of the wash, as they are the softest, plushest bath towels. Currently, they are on sale for $68 for a bath towel, with an extra 20% off once in cart — meaning each is around $50. I am debating between more of those or adding this classic chain style to the mix. Then, of course, there are my beloved Matouk Auberge monogram towels, which I both own myself and have given as housewarming gifts to several friends and family members. For some reason, they are marked down even lower at Neiman’s to only $33 per bath towel (!) Kind of hard to turn down! (Side note: if you are a planner, this is a good promotion to buy ahead of time for a family member’s Christmas gift!)

At the same time, I have been eyeing a few other brands to mix things up:

+I’m drawn to Hill House’s personalization options. Their Marella style is very similar to Matouk’s Cairo, and I love the tailored, crisp vibe. I also like the idea of mixing them in with their striped towels in the children’s bath.

+These waffle weave towels from Serena & Lily would make me feel like I was living at the spa. Just add a teak shower stool and I’m set. Parachute (currently running a 15% off promotion) has a similar style, FYI — has anyone tried this brand? I feel like I keep coming across it.

+More minimalist, but I have been so impressed with Boll & Branch’s sheets, I am intrigued by their simple white towels. They look ultra-plush.

+Not for the bathroom, but I also had to share that I came across a four-pack of cabana striped towels in a great blue color for $50 that I think I will order for our new home, as I anticipate a lot of time spent splashing in the inflatable pool and running through the sprinkler after we move. I also find these towels handy in general for children — we use them to cover chairs while the children are eating, have “indoor picnics,” do water-based sensory play, etc. I also thought these more expensive printed beach towels were amazing! So fun.

+While we’re on the subject of bath towels, one of our most useful purchases in our small Manhattan apartments was a free-standing towel rack. Our bathrooms have been small without much extra space for spare towel storage, so it has been clutch! (Also a handy drying rack in a pinch…) I love this marble style I just discovered, but this one is classic, and this ladder style is chic and reasonably-priced. Along these lines: I shared some fun bathroom accessories in this post if you’re looking to make a change!

For bedding, I have had all-white linens — or white linens with a tiny bit of embroidery/piping along the edge — for awhile now. I find an all-white bed ultra-inviting and given the drama of our bed’s design, it made sense to me keep the linens a little quieter. We currently use Boll & Branch bedding, and I personally think it’s the best bedding we’ve ever had. I’ve used Matouk, Hill House, and Restoration Hardware in the past. B&B launders much better than Matouk (for some reason a total pain to iron — an observation corroborated by several Magpies!), is cooler to the touch than RH, and softer than Hill House. I will for sure be sticking with their sheeting whatever we do. However. I am kind of intrigued by the idea of buying a boldly patterned duvet cover and decorative shams whenever we upgrade to our King-sized bed (which I hope will be a four post or canopy style!) A few fun patterned duvet covers to contemplate:

MATOUK X SCHUMACHER

S&L’S PRIANO

D. PORTHAULT IS #GOALZ BUT OUT OF BUDGET

YVES DELORME BAGATELLE (MR. MAGPIE WOULD PROBABLY VETO) OR ABRI

MATOUK X LULU DK

MUCH LESS BOLD, BUT LOVE THIS SIMPLE BOTANICAL STYLE

SERENA & LILY’S WESTPORT

These would go over my beloved Feathered Friends down comforter — the cadillac of down comforters, let me tell you.

I would also be remiss not to mention Yves Delorme and Frette as worth consideration if you don’t like Boll &Branch’s sheet styles — I do wish they had slightly more interesting designs on offer. In fact, the limited and basic styles are the only demerit I can think of for the brand! Yves Delorme and Frette are used in lots of high-end hotels, including at the beloved Carlyle in NYC. I’ve mentioned this in the past, but during my last stay at the Carlyle, I was so in love with the bath towels there (Yves Delorme’s Etoile) that I immediately ordered a set for myself. They are VERY soft (rival Matouk) but I found that they did not hold their color well in the wash, even after I’d followed the instructions of using a gentler detergent and laundering separately, which was itself kind of a pain to be honest. Maybe ordering in solid white is the way to go?

I also want to mention that several Magpies have raved about Comphy’s reasonable sheets! Worth looking into if you want a basic white set / for guest room / etc. It’s funny — several Magpies mentioned discovering these while renting AirBnB’s, and I noted a lot of comments on their site run along the same lines: “I first discovered these in a rental and have never gone back!”

P.S. A propos: a trick for falling asleep.

P.P.S. Chic bedside tables.

P.P.P.S. 11 things I couldn’t live without.

By: Jen Shoop

Happy Fourth of July weekend! Hope you are enjoying yourself somewhere sunny but not too hot, with lots of watermelon and rose.

My Latest Snag: My New Office Chair.

We are finally close enough to the move to order my new office chair for my new Magpie writing nook! I know many of you purchased and loved this chair and I cannot wait for it to arrive!

We have actually not yet ordered anything else (!) for the house. The last few weeks have been unbelievably busy — mainly with fun things, like completing final NYC bucket list items, celebrating my birthday, visiting our friends in East Hampton, etc., but also with so much admin. (Just the process of finding a new pediatrician, pediatric dentist, and pediatric ophthalmologist; transferring medical records; and lining up appointments to get the required school forms filled out by a certain date consumed an unbelievable amount of time. Yikes! Thanks to all my D.C. Magpies for referrals!) On top of it all (as is always the case), both of my children came down with a cold that turned into an ear infection for mini, and so there were a few days spent with my feverish children laying on top of me. (Side note: the pediatrician mentioned that there has been a huge influx in common colds and viruses since things have opened up again!)

We have found an interior decorator to help us with some aspects of outfitting the home and are going to get started after the move, once we’re in the space and things have settled down just a little. (There will still be so much — new nanny, buy a car, get new license, etc. — but at least we will be in the house.) Anyway, here’s to living in a vastly under-furnished home for the next six months…! Eh well. A small chapter in the grand scheme, and I want to take the time to make measured decisions for this house we hope to live in for a long time.

But. I did want a new desk chair! So that’s one lovely find to look forward to immediately!

P.S. Chic desk finds.

You’re Soooo Popular: A Perfect Wedding Guest Dress.

The most popular items on le blog this week:

+Gorgeous wedding dress guest option.

+Wicker serving tray.

+The $65 blouse that has sold out about ten times this season.

+The best sippy cups for littles transitioning from bottles.

+Mermaid nap dress.

+Floral ballerina mules (on sale for $54!)

+Cute puff-sleeved dress.

+Pearl and straw bag. More great woven bags here!

+Well-priced indoor/outdoor rug.

+Q by Quincy Mae loungewear for littles.

+Hill’s Sesame Street alphabet toy.

+My favorite Etsy boutique for personalized stationery. More cute stationery picks here.

+Chic scooter for a little one.

+My favorite sunscreen for the entire family.

+Tailored-looking outdoor cushions!

Weekend Musings: The Juggle.

I have a theory: I am only capable of successfully, attentively juggling three parts of my life at a time. The first two categories are nearly always reserved for family and writing. The third category typically rotates between fitness, social life, and reading. At the moment, however, that third category has been co-opted by this unwieldy move and all its moving parts. I am straining to accommodate that reality. It pains me to say, for example, that I have only gone on a handful of runs since the week we closed in early June after working so hard to make it a non-negotiable part of my weekly routine for the many months prior. I can feel my body changing — runs are harder, even after only a few weeks of easing up! However. If there is anything I learned from reflecting on my son’s birth, it’s that I want myself to lean into these brief periods absent of “normalcy.” I simply do not have the time to run at the moment. That hour is now handily consumed by the million other more pressing to-dos related to the move, and (this week) by my sick children to boot! I must remind myself: That’s OK. I will get back into it. Life will resume its patterns. This is temporary. I know that it is extremely challenging for me to be operating well in more than three categories, and I’m not doing anyone a favor (least of all myself) by shoe-horning an extra into the mix. For now, I’m going to let myself enjoy the fact that I don’t need to scaffold the time to run and shower into my day, and I don’t need to give myself an informal pep talk when I’m not in the mood to run in 85 degree heat. I’m instead going to continue to make small, determined progress on this transition.

The other day, I posted the words: “Enjoy the now” on my Instastories. That’s it! This is my life at the moment, and I’m doing my best and attempting to enjoy the reprieve from running in this suffocating heat and the opportunity to get my family settled in our new home.

More to come!

P.S. I am never moving again.