Mother's Day || I Got It From My Mama

At three years old, it's impossible to spend thirty minutes with Parker and not see evidence of Aaron and I in her. Not just in her blue eyes or sandy brown hair, but her mannerisms.  The way that she loves to take pictures, can give side eye, or thinks of every little detail like her dad.  She always checks to make sure the alarm is off before she opens the front door in the morning and "checks the weather".  If we are going somewhere new she wants to know there will be a car seat and a bed for her there. The other night I made her an admittedly lackluster quesadilla. She took one bite and told me that it wasn't very good and I told her that I knew it probably wasn't my best work, to which she replied, "It's okay, mom. Accidents happen."  If there is so much of us in her already at three, I can only imagine what that will look like at 18. (God help us!)  As a mom, it's so clear to me now to see the influence that my own mom has had on me, which got me to thinking that it would be interesting to hear from other women and what they gleaned from their own mamas or mother figures in their lives.  I asked Taylor from Glitter Guide and Erin from Apartment 34 if they would want to explore the subject together and they hopped on board!  It was really interesting to hear that we all had really different answers and experiences, so I'm intrigued to hear from you guys on what you feel is the strongest trait you've taken away from your maternal role model.  (Also, we are going to be giving away a $1000 gift card to Anthropologie next week on Instagram, so be sure to follow along and see more details at the end of this post.) In the meantime, here's the most prominent trait that I got from my mama... (besides our matching pronounced calf muscles!)

You know how fashion magazines always love to have a feature about models or actresses and how their moms had such great style?  They talk about what their moms wore in the seventies or how their mom's great Yves Saint Laurent resort dress became their wedding dress thirty years later. Or you might hear people talking about the great vintage Halston piece or Birkin bag that they inherited from their mom? Yes, that is most definitely not my mom and her lack of interest in expensive clothes or name brands is actually one of her most endearing traits.   My mom was never one to care very much about clothes (I must have gotten that from my dad!), but she always made sure that our house was well-styled and party ready at a moments notice.  Even on a budget, she could pull together a room and make it feel warm and inviting without breaking a sweat and I have to imagine that my interest in creating our own well-styled and inviting space at home came uniquely from her.  I remember being in fourth grade and going through the 'Touch of Class' catalog to pick out new bedding for my room.  I will never forget the pink and green floral patterned bedding that adorned my room for the next several years.  It felt like such a treat to me and I was so excited for my newly decorated room, but now, decades later, I have no doubt that she was ten times more excited than I was! (Similar to how I feel about doing Parker's room in our new house!) While our interior styles are admittedly quite different, the value of a home well styled is the same.

Photography by Katie Jameson

Pink Terracotta Pot, Anthropologie || Espadrille Sandals, Raphaella Booz|| Dress, Corey Lynn Calter || Plants, Frond Shop || In the Company of Women || Eat Beautiful || The New Cocktail Hour Book || Square Pillow, Anthropologie || Lumbar Pillow, Anthropologie || Matches, Candlefish || Footed Tray, Anthropologie

HOW TO ENTER NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAY:

1. Follow Apartment 34, Glitter Guide, the Effortless Chic and Anthropologie on Instagram

2. Wait for details – all will be explained on Instagram on Monday, May 1!

The contest will end Thursday, May 11th at 6pm PST and the winner will be announced on our Instagram accounts on Friday, May 12.