and Kristin Hull
The Mommy Stylist has received the Liebster Award! The Liebster award is given to up-and-coming bloggers to who, as the German word implies, create content that is beloved, valued, and dear to their readers. Thank you to our nominator, Alisha from Crazy Cowboy Wife, who blogs about life, parenting, and tasty recipes from the heart of Kansas! We are so glad to hear that you enjoy reading The Mommy Stylist!
Liebster Award recipients are asked to answer 11 questions, give 11 statements about themselves, list 11 sites they are nominating in return, and create 11 questions for them to answer. Well, we did our homework and hope you enjoy reading our responses below. (While it may be longer than our usual posts, we thought it would be a fun way for you to get to know us better.)
11 Facts about the Editors at The Mommy Stylist
Lisa:
1. I want to travel to Iceland. I went to school with a girl from Iceland. She dressed like a gypsy, rode horses and hawked in the canyon, spoke Icelandic, and took photos of amazingly gorgeous landscapes during her summer stays.
2. I gave both of my daughters two middle names. My husband and I like long, unique names packed with meaning. They are lovely, but don’t fit on any online government forms. Oops.
3. I asked my husband on our first date. He’s this laid-back, smart-ass, chemical engineering student. Guess where I took him? The Black and White Bondage Ball at Boardner’s Bar Sinister in Hollywood for New Year’s Eve. I showed up in seven inch stiletto boots made of PVC and buckles, oh, and a mask with cat ears. He showed up in a nice suit that his dad bought him. Can you imagine?
4. I’ll admit I’m not the best at holidays; but, I plan the best birthday parties. I go all out. When we were dating, I planned a “mad about a scientist”-themed birthday party for my man- complete with handmade, functional his and her lab coats, black lights, an Erlenmeyer flask cake, test tube and graduated cylinder drinks, etc.
5. I am a stickler for efficiency. If something has been done one way for 100 years, but could easily be done quicker and better. It’s time to make it happen.
6. I like answering questions way too much. I enjoy surveys, Q&As, tests, even job interviews. In fact, I recently received feedback that I am “too personable” in job interviews and it “throws the interviewer off guard and makes them uncomfortable” because it’s unexpected.
7. I love to dance. Before having children, you could find me at the club 3 to 5 nights a week. It is so rejuvenating.
8. I love spicy food. I’ll gladly eat Sambal Oelek, or “instant migraine sauce” as my husband calls it, straight from the jar. So good.
9. Butterflies love me. They are always landing on me.
10. I have had a lot of hardship, but the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was go back to work. My daughters are in the best possible environment they could be (next to being with me full-time, of course) and they love their school, but I miss them so much. I honestly loved being a full-time stay-at-home mom. I never once wished that I wasn’t.
11. My life’s goal is to help women to be their most strong and confident selves. I believe that The Mommy Stylist is a big step in achieving that goal. I thoroughly feel that dressing confidently is one of the most important initial steps in building self-esteem and a positive image. I always feel the most powerful when dressed my best.
Kristin:
1. I believe wholeheartedly in integrity. If you’re not going to tell the truth what’s the point in saying anything?
2. I once had a chimpanzee over my house for dinner. No kidding. (See statement above.)
3. I admire people who can make fun of themselves; all of my closest friends have that in common and I love them for it.
4. I met my husband when I went to him for a haircut. (He’s a hairdresser; I didn’t just let some random guy cut my hair.)
5. When I am feeling down I do something to help someone else and it never fails to make me feel better.
6. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is make a mental list of some of the things I am grateful for. It helps me start my day on a positive note.
7. All I want is world peace and a pedicure. (I can’t take credit for coming up with that – it was on a pad of paper I was given as a gift – but I sure agree with it.)
8. I can’t live without my crock pot. (Because I’d starve to death from never eating dinner due to being too exhausted from working all day to cook a meal.)
9. The most rewarding part of having created The Mommy Stylist is hearing from moms how I have helped them. I love fashion but I love helping moms feel better about themselves even more.
10. It infuriates me when magazines talk about how quickly so and so lost their baby weight. Sure, it’s easy when you have live-in nannies, a trainer that comes to your house, a cook who makes only healthy meals, lots of sleep (due to the nannies) and the financial freedom to take months or years off of work!
11. I’m a Francophille – the language, the food, the fashion, Paris, etc. What’s not to love?
11 Questions and Answers with Crazy Cowboy Wife
When you die what’s the ONE thing you hope you’re remembered for?
Lisa:
I hope that I am remembered as I remember my Grandmother- sage wisdom, warm hugs, and an open mind and heart.
Kristin:
I hope I am remembered for being beautiful on the inside.
Are you doing what you thought you’d be doing 15 years ago?
Lisa: Not by a long shot. 15 years ago I thought that I would grow up to be an interpreter for the United Nations and travel the world. Now, traveling is on hold while I raise my beautiful daughters. I still plan to travel the world, just not with the United Nations.
Kristin: Ha! No. I thought by now I’d be a television executive married to another television executive, not a writer/stylist married to a straight, male hairdresser.
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?
Lisa: This is impossible to decide. It comes down to either sushi or bibimbap.
Kristin:
Bread. Good bread. I’ll take bread over sweets any day. Oh, and pizza but that’s really bread too.
What’s the most interesting place you have ever lived?
Lisa: John Lautner’s L’Horizon (the same John Lautner mentioned in the February 2014 issue of Lucky Magazine), or as it’s affectionately known by residents “treehouse,” in Westwood, Los Angeles. “Treehouse,” with its unique architecture, is what paradise would look like if it was overrun by modern, college-aged hippies and hipsters. Open-minded, community-oriented, urban gardens and composting, with killer parties.
Kristin: Los Angeles. And I loved it so much I found a way to make it back after 13 years. It’s like several cities in one; there’s the beaches of Santa Monica, the mountains of Malibu, the hippie-laden Temescal Canyon, the glitz and glam of Beverly Hills, the suburban San Fernando Valley, the quaint Silverlake area, and the hustle and bustle of a growing downtown. Whatever your mood, there’s a part of town to match it.
What’s your favorite book and why?
Lisa: My original, first-ever truly favorite book was The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. I first read Dumas in 4th grade and was swept away, but it wasn’t until 6th grade that I met Edmond Dantes. I love the interwoven plots, the plethora of colorful characters, and the blending of various characters’ stories in this tale of love and revenge.
Kristin:
What Happy People Know by Dan Baker and The Five Things We Cannot Change by David Richo. They changed my life by teaching me how to focus on what I do have and not on what I don’t.
Are you a “relax on the beach bum” or “big, crazy adventurer”?
Lisa:
I’m a “big, crazy adventurer.” As much as I love the beach, I can’t sit still. One of the first things I loved about my husband is his willingness to say “sure, let’s go” to anything I want to do. “Let’s go to a gothic industrial night club followed by dinner at 3 am at this Thai place I love.” “Sure, let’s go.” “Let’s drive all night to San Francisco for the best eggplant burger.” “Sure, let’s go.” “Let’s pick up and move halfway across the country because I’m bored.” “Sure, let’s go.” Let’s hope he never loses that quality.
Kristin:
I’m both. I live by the beach, so obviously, I love it. But one of my main goals in life is to travel and see the world so adventure is important, too.
What inspires you?
Lisa: My grandmother’s life is my life inspiration. Mother Earth Living Magazine gets me thinking and brewing “mama potions,” as my two-and-a-half-year-old says. Yoga and meditation keep me centered. My little family puts a smile on my face and momentum in my work heels, while providing a point of stability for my adventures.
Kristin: People who do things they are afraid of and people who know they have a problem and do what it takes to fix it rather than whine about it and be a victim.
When you’re having a bad day what do you do to get out of the funk?
Lisa: Sing and dance. My daughters will dance with me. My 10-month-old loves dancing. Her sister’s name was her first word, followed by “dance.” If we’re really lucky, the hubby will join in, too.
Kristin: Head to the beach. Just seeing it instantly calms me down. Yoga and meditation help too. Oh, and a glass of cold champagne never hurts either.
I can’t leave the house without…
Lisa: Lavender lip balm, water, chia seeds (I need my energy boost- add to soup, hot chocolate, salad), and my Kindle.
Kristin: My Fresh Sugar Plum lip balm, my phone – not because I can’t live without texts, emails or phone calls, but because I can’t live without a camera. Oh, and because it has GPS. I have no sense of direction.
Do you watch the Olympics or not?
Lisa:
I haven’t had television since I moved out of my parents’ home at 18. Don’t get too freaked out. I do have the internet and Netflix, but I can honestly say I don’t watch much. And, I don’t watch sports. I love yoga, martial arts, and the sound of squeaky basketball shoes; but I’ve never had an interest in watching anyone else play sports. I’d rather watch a Korean dramedy on Netflix. (Here I sit crossing my fingers that my girls won’t turn out to be sports fanatics.)
Kristin:
Yes! I look forward to them. I had a friend who was in the Olympics in the nineties. Seeing the greatest athletes in the world do their thing is inspiring. (Although I have to admit that I usually record them so I can skip through the boring parts.)
The Mommy Stylist Presents the Liebster Award to:
The Rules
1. Thank the blog that has given you the award.
2. Post 11 statements about yourself.
3. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you.
4. Pass the award on to 11 people and link to their blog in your post.
5. Create 11 questions for the people you’ve awarded to answer.
6. Let the people you’ve awarded know.
Questions for Our Awardees
1.What reminds you of childhood (song, smell, sound, food, etc)?
2. What current style trends do you love/hate? Why?
3. What is number one on your bucket list? How did it get there? What makes it so special to you?
4. What is your favorite exotic food/cuisine? Is there a story around your first time trying it?
5. If you could live anywhere, where would you live and why?
6. Do you have any pets? If so, what kind?
7. What do you love most about your significant other? If you don’t have one, what is the most important personality trait for a potential mate to have?
8. If you could get advice from anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
9. Besides your children/family, what makes you happy?
10. What is the best thing about getting older?
11. If you could tell the 15-year-old you anything what would it be?
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Reblogged this on Letty Bug and Salem Moon.