Weekend Vibes, Edition No. 72: The One on Anxiety.

My Latest Snag: The SZ Blockprints Kitty Dress.

Sorry to beat a dead horse; you probably saw this on Insta, but I snagged an SZ Blockprints Kitty dress from the J. Crew collaboration earlier this week (and wore it to book club!).  They keep selling out online, but there were a bunch in-store at the Columbus Circle location, so if it’s sold out online, don’t give up!  Call your local shop, or scour eBay (ahem, this — there are tons of pieces with tags still on!).  I like the length of the Kitty dress (on me, hits below the knee / mid-calf), so it nails that muumuu vibe I’m going for, but the Leyla is also super chic.  (More on SZ Blockprints and alternate styles here.)

You’re Sooooo Popular: The Fluffiest Towel Ever.

The most popular items on Le Blog this week:

+My favorite towels on the planet.

+A discounted statement blouse.

+This SZ Blockprint tunic!  YES!

+My fave new flats.

+The best concealer known to woman.

+A handy gizmo for dog moms on the go.

+Darling plaid mules for $30!

+A must-have for beach days with baby.

#Turbothot: Anxiety.

I spent a good part of one recent evening going deep into Cup of Jo archives (can you tell — ha!), and I came across this post, titled: “Do You Worry Too Much?”  Now, I’ve labeled myself as a crier on this blog.  As a Catholic.  And many times over as a mom.  But I’ve not yet trotted out my persona as a massive worry-wart, unless it stains all of my writing, which it very well might.  Most of my sisters are the same way; we routinely pick up the phone when ringing at an odd hour and start in with: “What’s wrong?”  I tend to assume Mr. Magpie has been mugged or thrown off the subway platform if he doesn’t text or call by a certain hour of the evening, and I have on more than one occasion made myself physically ill when coiled with anxiety over a certain topic — moving, managing teams, finances, buying a home, selling a home, mini’s first bout of fever.  Just before we moved to Chicago so many years ago, I endured a panic attack.  It completely caught me off guard; I hadn’t realized how sick with worry I was over the prospect of change, over the logistics and moving parts, over the entirely new routines I’d need to build in a new city in which I knew next to nobody.

A Cup of Jo shares an interesting visualization strategy that has helped her cope with bouts of anxiety, and I clung to it quickly.  Though I’m more at peace now than I can recall being for the past many years, we are currently embroiled in a situation with our childcare arrangement that has left me anxious and distracted.  Jo’s Grand Canyon imagery has been helpful in repositioning these concerns for what they are: temporary.  Funnily enough, there’s a quote my sister and I gift to one another when in the straits of stress that plays at a similar philosophy but hails from an entirely different context.  Several years ago, a priest at my Church in Chicago shared that he had been visiting with a woman whose husband was dying of cancer.  The priest would stop by the hospital to find the wife dutifully at her husband’s bedside, in remarkably good spirits.  She was the buoying force in her family — not chipper, exactly, but positive, calm, accepting.  The priest marveled at her composure, startled by her lack of anger and grief.  At last, the priest asked her: “I have to say — you are an inspiration.  How do you keep it together?”  And her response was: “Well, Father, life is bigger than this.”

I play that line back to myself often, or my sister does for me.  For someone to have that perspective in the face of such loss inspires me to apply similar logic to whatever itty-bitty-by-comparison challenge I am tackling.  But setting relativism aside (diminishment by comparison is rarely the healthiest tonic), the mentality is remarkably helpful, because it is true: the sweep of life is broad and this, too, shall pass.

#Shopaholic: The Final Reduction at Net A Porter.

+Net-A-Porter is making its final reductions, and there is an extra 20% off all “sale must-haves.”  Loads of good finds abound: a heavily discounted Marysia bikini, a fun Dodo Bar Or blouse, trendy Golden Goose sneakers, and a floral Ulla skirt.  (Also — I know it’s not for everyone, but I love the prim nautical vibe of this knit tank.)

+This striped dress is absolutely darling.

+For fellow dabblers-in-the-boho-trend: this well-priced dress!  Or, more of a splurge, this SEA patchwork dress (on sale!), which would be SO chic for fall with a pair of booties.  Sort of like the cool weather response to SZ Blockprint’s tunics!

+How sweet is this scalloped-hem dress for a mini?

+This rug comes in the best colors and is currently on sale (or will be come Thursday).  Love.

+Love the black grosgrain on this basket bag.

+I don’t have a Nordstrom card, so I am dying to see whether this sells out prior to Thursday.  I don’t need a new raincoat…or do I?!  LOVE both colorways.  EEEE.

+What a surprisingly chic dress — love the unexpected color and shape!  (And price tag — around $100!)

+For the stylish picnicker.  (Picnic blanket ideas here.)

+Love these scalloped-trim, cotton pique, monogrammable pillows.

+These pom pommed slides are adorable!

P.S.  I still love all of the beauty products I first discovered here.  (Also, the title = 100.)

P.P.S.  One of my favorite posts on language.

P.P.P.S  For any mamas weaning or thinking about weaning out there: you got this..