#including pants i always forget to buy workout pants...

[7-oh-ta1]

I just went on a buying spreeeee I'm so sorry bank account 😭😭😭😭😭

[shingia]

hopefullyy this inspires u to write,,, can i request hc's of the boys getting jealous seeing their s/o work well with another person on a team/club? like good chemistry with a dance partner for example! (u can choose who u write but can it include iwa!!) <33

✗ HQ BOYS GETTING JEALOUS SEEING YOU WORK WELL WITH ANOTHER PERSON ✗

a/n : kdjfkdjdkdj i love this request omg ty ! i did half hc/half scenarios bc i thought the request fitted this format <3

-> iwaizumi, osamu, kuroo, suna, tsukishima

-> warnings : kuroo’s a bit suggestive (tbh i don’t know about the rest. it’s just... kinda hot? (tsukki’s only fluff tho<3))

-> reblogs are >>>>

— IWAIZUMI

• iwa’s jealousy was practically non existent until he actually saw you interact with your partner

• don’t get me wrong, he absolutely loves your smile - but he especially loves to be the one who caused it

• he tends to get physically very protective of you, so expect his arm to stay wrapped around your shoulders most of the time. because to him it’s the easiest way to show the world (but especially your partner) that you’re his

• he also not-so-subtly offers you to wear his clothes on days when you have practice. and he secretly hopes that someone will ask you who they belong to...

« it’s cold outside. you should wear this ». iwa’s low and unannounced voice makes you turn around in surprise. leaned against the bathroom’s doorframe, he’s holding your favorite jacket in his hand - the one with his name written on the back, and you suspect that this might not be a coincidence... with a chuckle, you agree to put it on, noticing the proud spark in his eyes. « you know, i’m pretty sure everyone already knows i’m dating you » you tease him with a wink, all while also admiring the way his name takes up the whole width of your back. « oh yeah ? » he asks, a smirk tugging at his lips as he leans forward to rest his hands on the sink behind you. trapped between his outstretched arms, you watch his smirk grow just a little bit bigger as he lets out, very quietly, « well this is just a reminder... it better be the last ». his green eyes locked with yours could almost make you forget about his arm snaking around your waist at a painfully slow pace. almost.

— OSAMU

• look, he’s very happy for you. no doubt about it. but he’s so used to see people fawn over his brother that he can’t help but get a little protective from time to time

• since gifts are his #1 love language, he might buy you a workout-friendly piece of jewelry that you can wear during your practice

• he also insists on dropping you off and picking you up as often as his busy schedule allows it. especially since he learned that your partner was willing to give you a ride home...

• it’s not that he doesn’t trust you, obviously. he just doesn’t trust them yet

• and that’s why his kisses - and pda in general - are a bit more « intense » than usual

leg bouncing up and down, osamu is (very) anxiously for your conversation with your teammate to end. because after watching the entirety of your practice, he needs a little reminder that you two also have incredible chemistry together... a better one, even. so as soon as he sees you wave your teammate goodbye, he stands up straight, arms open just wide enough to welcome you against his chest. but instead of the chaste kiss you expected to get, you’re actually greeted by his left hand grabbing your sides while his right meets your lower back. disconcerted, you don’t even have time to say a word that his mouth crashes onto yours so eagerly that you have to lean back a few inches. « wh-what was that for ? » you pant as soon as his warm lips have left yours. « nothing. i love ya, that’s all » he smiles innocently, glad that you didn’t notice the cocky look he just gave your teammate who witnessed everything from afar... exactly as planned.

— KUROO

• passive agressive™️

• he would insist on properly meeting your partner but oh god they better brace themselves,,,

• because kuroo’s the kind of boyfriend that will shake their hand hard enough to make them yelp, all while having an angelic smile plastered on his face

• oh and you can forget being called by your name : he’s going to demonstrate the entire variety of nicknames he has for you. he might even come up with new ones just because he’s feeling « inspired »

• every single thing he says to your partner has to be a reminder that you two are dating. like « oh yeah they told me about this yesterday.. during our date ». just to make sure that there’s no misunderstanding.

« well... speak of the devil », kuroo hears you chuckle, your voice almost drowned out by his heavy breathing. he’s obviously planing on apologizing for being late... but not now. there’s something he wants to do first. still very aware of your partner’s presence right in front of you, he decides to securely yet eagerly wrap his arms around your waist before spinning you around proudly. « so... you guys were talking about me ? » he asks, glad to know that he’s the reason behind your giggles. « we were, actually » you answer a bit more seriously as he finally puts you down, still keeping both his hands on your waist. « well, i am your boyfriend after all... » he starts, interrupting himself to place a loud peck on your jawline. the only thing you can think is about is how awful this situation must be for your partner... kuroo, on the other hand, doesn’t seem bothered at all, as shown by the way one of his hands discreetly makes its way under the fabric of your t-shirt to rest directly on your skin. « hands off, kuroo » you order him with a slap on the back of his hand. an offended gasp leaves his lips, yet he complies reluctantly, thinking that your partner probably already knows everything that needs to be known about him.

— SUNA

• he doesn’t really mind it... as long as you’re willing to cuddle once you get back from practice. if you’re not, then he’s gonna start to worry

• because cuddling is probably his favorite ‘boyfriend privilege’ and he doesn’t want it to be taken away from him

• his schedule is pretty tight so he might not be able to attend any of your practices, but he asks you to record it as much as you possibly can so that he can watch the videos with you afterwards

• and seeing how smoothly you and your partner move together definitely doesn’t help with his worrying

it’s been thirty minutes now, and suna’s still not done watching the videos you took today. he loves to share these moments with you, snuggled up against each other the bed ; but most importantly, he has someone to keep his eye on... « babe- are you 100% sure that this was part of the choreography? » he suddenly speaks up, his eyes leaving the screen for the first time. you quirk a curious eyebrow, more surprised by his unusually suspicious tone rather than by the question itself. « oh, the hand on my waist ? yes, rin. it was ». at your words, his lips press into a thin line, he’s obviously far from being convinced. but you know your boyfriend well and you’re quick to reassure him : « you know, his hand might have been on my waist but you’re the one laying in my bed right now ». the frown on his face disappears almost immediately - much faster than you would’ve thought, replaced by a much more confident expression as his hands start to gently stroke your sides up and down. « mmh, i guess you’re right.... i mean, at the end of the day, only i get to have ‘all of this’ for myself » he smirks, playfully eyeing you up and down until he can’t resist the temptation of your slightly parted lips anymore.

— TSUKISHIMA

• tsukki’s not jealous, he’s just... well.. cautious. or at least that’s what he tells you

• but, deep down, he knows that simple cautiousness wouldn’t make spend his days and nights stressing about this new partner of yours...

• so, after a few weeks, his impassible facade starts to crumble a little bit. nothing too extreme, but just enough to let your partner know that you’re taken.

• and he knows he doesn’t need to do much : one of his signature scornful looks is more than enough. especially when he’s staring at your partner dead in the eyes while you’re greeting him with a hug and a kiss after your practice

« tsukishima kei, i’m waiting for an explanation ». with a sigh, your boyfriend drops his book on the table, turning his chair around to face you. « i don’t have one, i already told you. you told me to introduce myself, and i did. end of story ». you both know that tsukki did not just ‘introduce himself’ like any other human being would have done. and that’s precisely what you’re trying to make him admit - because your partner looked genuinely scared during practice today. « wha- no, i didn’t look down on him. it’s not my fault he’s so short... » he mumbles under his breath, trying his best to avoid any eye contact with you. but you know that only a slight tilt of his chin upwards is enough to make his eyes lock with yours - and that this is enough to have him admit anything. « you’re jealous, kei. and it’s painfully obvious by the way... » you smirk - but this smirk disappears in a split second as he slowly gets up from his chair, towering over you like he usually does. « ok, maybe i am. but i just wanted to make sure that he knew his place. and especially mine » he finally admits, his lips spreading in a scornful smirk that would be terrifying if his eyes weren’t filled with the infinite tenderness he has always felt for you.

✔️taglist : @toworuu @catwithangerissues @miyumiya @livy384 @k0u-minamo2 @fullsundear @hsjvwq @mochi-marie @hiraeth-z @velvetvirgos @kirishimas-manly-eyeliner @47meow @japanesevenom @geektastic84 @noir-blanches-blog @idontlikeyourjob @seiri-ami @atiny-grl-with-luv @admiringlove @nachotrash @kellesvt @aintyourholy @Moonlaeli @catchmewiddershins @duhsies @devilgirlcrybabiey @crystal-lilac

[justthehiddleswrites]

All Dressed Up | Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Summary: You and Tom have been a relationship for some time. While it used to feel exciting and fun, now feels like you two are stuck in a rut. You decide that Tom's wardrobe needs an upgrade. But will he appreciate your effort?

Warnings: maybe implied smut

-

“I think Tom and I’s relationship is getting stale,” you complained while you stirred your coffee.

Your best friend stared from across the table in some state of disbelief.

“I don’t buy that,” she replied, “the two of you are always trying new things.”

You grumbled as you picked at the blueberry scone on the plate. You let the crumbs coat your fingers as you thought about the first year of your relationship with Tom. The start had been thrilling and adventurous. The two of you had met at a BAFTA event. Tom looked devastatingly handsome in his single-breasted tux. The beginnings of his now full beard just starting to show themselves.

The two of you had wined and dined those first several months, whether at restaurants or at your respective homes. But all that faded into the background, once you moved in with Tom. Fancy suits and pretty dresses had given way to threadbare shirts and workout clothes.  “Well, I think the honeymoon phase is over. Most nights are TV on the couch and snoring in the bedroom. He doesn’t even try anymore.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well… when we first got together, we both put such effort in our appearance. But now, I’m lucky if he is wearing pants without holes in them!”

“Maybe he is trying to tell you something,” your friend replied with a wink, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah, that he needs new clothes! I swear Tom will wear something into the ground and just wish he would put more of an effort sometimes. it is like I am dating a hobo and not a world class actor.”

“Trying telling him that.”

Your eyes lit up as an idea popped into your head.

“I have an even better idea!”

You paid the bill as you said your goodbyes. Your best friend noticed that glint in your eyes. Your ideas rarely worked out. She just hoped you didn’t anything too stupid or crazy. But there was no use in trying to stop you.

***

As soon as you got home, you rushed into your shared closet. Instead of telling Tom you wanted he dress nicer, you thought you just show him. Tom was out of town for a few days, completing some reshoots on his most recent project. Just enough time to put your plan into action. First off, you grabbed all the jeans from his side, throwing them on the bed. Carefully examining each pair, you threw out any pairs with any holes. That left about three pairs. You repeated the process with his sweaters and shirts.

Once done,  you turned to the dresser. The workout clothes were the worst. Nearly everything had stains, holes, or rips. There was only one outfit worth keeping. You realized you would need to replace much of Tom’s wardrobe. But first you needed to get rid of the old clothes to prevent their re-entry into Tom’s wardrobe rotation. It took several bags and three trips to the dumpster.  Just as you shut the door, the phone rang.  It was Tom.  

“Hello, honey!”

“Hello, darling. You sound out of breath. What on earth are you doing?”

You panicked. You would rather not tell Tom your plans just yet for fear he would make you fish the clothes out of the bin.

“Just some spring cleaning. Just wanted the place to look nice when you get back.”

“That’s unnecessary, darling, but I appreciate the thought. I love our home as long as you are in it.”

You winced as the sweet words came from his mouth. Should you go through this? Maybe you should just talk to him? You thought about digging out his clothes.

“Darling? You okay?”

Tom’s voice snapped you out of your mental quandary and back to reality.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired. Hey, I was thinking about picking up some new clothes. Just to replace some worn-out things. Need anything?”

Tom contemplated a moment before responding.

“Not that I can think of. But have fun and don’t forget to pick out a dress for Ben’s party on Saturday. Shit! You had forgotten about Benedict and Sophie’s party. You can’t remember the occasion, but the dress code was cocktail wear. Your worry melted away into joy. This would be the perfect time to make your point.

“Thank you for reminding me. I think I will pick out something new.”

The two of you said your goodbyes and hung up the phone and wiped sweat from your brow, not sure if it was from the physical exertion or the act of lying to Tom. Convincing yourself the lie was for the best, you set off to finish your tasks.

***

You spent most of the next day in stores. First up was Nike, where you dropped what felt like a small fortune replacing Tom’s jogging attire. All black naturally. Now if you just get him to stop layering all at once in the winter. You hit up John Smedley and picked up two new sweater, one blue and one blue-gray. It was a new color for Tom, but you thought it would bring out his eyes. Not like he needed any help.

You scoured the shops for the perfect dress for Saturday; you finally found it at Coast. It was low cut but tasteful and the color complemented your skin tone and eye color. If this didn’t get the blood flowing, you didn’t know what would. You lugged all the purchases and set out putting it all away. You had just clipped the last tag and folded the last shirt when you discovered a key turning in the lock.

“Tom!”

You rushed down the hall and took a running leap at him. Tom dropped his bag just in time to catch you as you slid across the floor into his arms. He steadied the two of you before clasping your face and pulling you into a deep kiss.

“I have missed you,” he breathed as the two of you parted.

“I missed you too,” you replied, and you pecked his lips again.

Tom headed up to the bedroom to unpack, while you headed to the kitchen to start on supper.

“Darling!”

You heard Tom call to you across the house. His voice sounded neither happy nor mad but there was a tone of concern. You shuffled up to the bedroom to face the conversation you had been dreading. You arrived to see Tom staring into a drawer.

“What is all this?”

“Workout clothes,” you quipped back, ignoring the real question.

“I noticed. What happened to the old ones? Like my Nike sweatshirt and shorts.”

“I replaced them. With the same stuff. Just without the holes and stains.”

You avoided eye contact.

“But I liked the old ones.”

You could pick up an edge when he said liked. You may have miscalculated his attachment to the old clothes. Too late to go back, you trudged forward into what was looking now like an argument.

“I know but they looked so ratty so I threw them out,” you mumbled as you headed into the closet, hoping he wouldn’t hear or notice your words.

How wrong you were.

“You.. WHAT?!?”

Tom appeared at the door of the closet. His nostrils flared and a crimson color reached up his neck. You thought to cower, but you screwed up your courage.

“I. Threw. Them. Out.”

You enunciated each word, putting emphasis.

“Why in the hell would you do that? They were perfectly suitable clothes. You had no right to get rid of them!”

“They were not perfectly suitable! They were holey and ripped. You looked like a hobo! I’m tired of thinking like I am dating a homeless drug addict. I’m dating Tom fucking Hiddleston! You are better than this!”

“I either dress like I’m going to a red carpet event or like a homeless drug addict, there’s no in between!”

“Well, if I have to choose, I would rather take the red carpet! I think you don’t care anymore and where does that leave us?!” As soon as the words left your mouth, you collapsed into tears. You had never said it or even thought it, but it was true. If Tom didn’t think you were the effort to dress up, then perhaps your relationship was on its last legs. And the thought of your world without Tom in it was too hard to bear.

Tom’s expression softened and his anger turned to concern.

“Darling…” he started with hesitation. “What does my clothes have to do with our relationship? They are just clothes. And if you have seen any paparazzi photos, you would know I perfected the ‘homeless drug addict’ look years before I met you. But my feelings have and never will change.”

You gave him a weak smile.

“Except that I feel like I will hate my credit card bill next month,” Tom quipped as he gestured at the new clothes hanging in the closet.

You started laughing, and he stepped forward to envelope you in a hug. The two of you embraced and kissed. Tom held you out at arm’s length.

“Now why don’t you show my some of these new purchases? See what kind of damage you have wrecked before I send someone to go digging through the trash.”

With glee and pride, you took Tom around to show him each purchase, explaining your reasoning for each. Tom nodded and made the odd comment, but mostly was silent. You pointed out all the items you kept, including his well-worn gray boots.

“So…” you asked, turning your head as though preparing for a blow.

“I think…” Tom ran his hands through his beard in contemplation. “You put a lot of thought and effort in this. Thank you.”

With that, he kissed your forehead and headed back out to finish unpacking.

“That’s it?”

“Pretty much. I appreciate your effort and I love you for it.”

What a letdown, you thought as you left to return to the kitchen to finish dinner. You had expected more, but you were happy he was not still angry. As you finished up dinner, Tom’s favorite, and called him down to dinner. He came into the room, hands behind his back.

“It looks lovely, darling.”

“Your favorite.”

“I noticed. I also noticed that with your little clean out, we have more space in the closet.”

You cast your eyes downward.

“Yeah. I might have gotten a little overzealous. Sorry.”

You sniffled as you could feel tears threatening to reappear.

“Well, it is just as well because your new dress will take up a lot of space and my clothes as well.”

You put your utensils down, confused.

“I don’t understand. I already have my new dress for Saturday. You saw the bag hanging in the closet.”

“I don’t mean that one.”

With that, Tom slid a small red box onto your place setting. There was no stopping the tears now. With trembling fingers, Tom opened the box to reveal a beautiful solitaire ring.

“The plan was to do this on Saturday at Ben and Sophie’s but they will just have to deal with the disappointment. Y/N,” Tom kneeled down. “Despite your itchy trigger finger when it comes to my wardrobe, I love you with all my heart. And I can think of nothing I would want more than you as my bride. Will you marry me?”

You nodded your head as words failed you.

“Is that a yes?” Tom teased.

“Yes, you idiot! Of course, I will marry you.”

You throw your arms around his neck and he lifted you in a deep embrace. Tom lowered you so he could place the ring on your finger. A perfect fit. You stood there admiring your new hardware, and then you felt Tom nuzzle against your neck.

“What do you say we go to the room and celebrate properly?”

Tom swept you off your feet, literally, and carried you into the bedroom for some proper celebrating.

***

The following morning, you lie awake in bedroom admiring the ring in the light. It was a dream. You feel the rough scratch of whiskers on your shoulder. You turned to see Tom, now awake, but just.

“Tom?”

“Hmm, yes?”

“Where were you hiding the ring?”

Tom’s mouth stretched in a Cheshire cat grin.

“Well, until this trip in my workout clothes drawer, but I was afraid you would find it, so I packed it with me. Looks like I was right.”

“I guess you were. How mad are Ben and Sophie going to be?”

“Furious, I’m sure but they will get over it once I ask Ben to be my best man.”

You giggled and thought about Benedict getting mad at Tom only to turn around and forgive moments later at the request of being Tom’s best man.

“I’m sure. And I will ask Sophie to let the kids be attendants.”

“Sounds like an excellent plan.” Tom got out of bed. “Now if you don’t mind, I am going to go for a run.”

You turned on your side as Tom got dressed. As he headed out, he leaned over to kiss you. You turned to see Tom wearing some very ratty jogging clothes. You shot up in bed.

“Where the hell did those come from?”

Tom grinned and chuckled. “You forgot about my travel clothes, darling. And you will never get a hold of these.”

You lept out of bed and took chase after your fiance.

“Give those to me, Hiddleston!”

“Never!”

And with that, Tom slammed the door and headed for his daily jog while you sulked, staring at the front door.

[iamseeress]

Tokens For Your Appreciation

Summary: Katsuki isn't into birthdays. But he does appreciate the gifts.

___________________

Katsuki isn’t really into birthdays.

He remembers to get his mom a little something every year, he’d eat a slice of his own birthday cake if someone else buys it, but that’s it. Birthdays come and go whether Katsuki does anything about it or not. And if you miss this year, well, there’s always another one coming.

His dad though likes to celebrate birthdays. Not big productions or surprise parties, just enough to mark the occasion as special. There’d usually be a wrapped gift for Katsuki or his mom, and dinner plans in a nicer-than-average restaurant.

Katsuki doesn’t mind it; he just isn’t gonna plan it. Especially not for someone else.

Once when he was 12, trudging at the mall while his dad picked out a gift for his mom when he’d rather be on a run using the cool shoes he got for his birthday, his dad told him giving gifts is part of being in a relationship. It shows your appreciation for the other person and that you care; and when time comes that Katsuki gets a girlfriend or wife, she’d expect Katsuki to remember special dates like anniversaries and birthdays, and gifts on those occasions would not be amiss.

It was a good father-and-son talk, a valuable life lesson for sure thanks, but Katsuki has a goal to achieve, and relationships — romantic or otherwise — are pretty low in his list of priorities. It was low when he was 12, and it’s still low now at 17 turning 18.

In their first year in UA, his classmates hadn’t been aware that his birthday is on April 20. Classes had only begun 2 weeks before and Katsuki could barely remember his classmates’ faces, much less their names. They eventually found out because Iida and Yaoyorozu were given basic information about each student including dates of birth, but by that time Katsuki’s birthday had already passed.

It had come and gone with only a mumbled "happy birthday, Kacchan" from a nervous Izuku.

Izuku knows Katsuki’s birthday, of course. It’s Katsuki’s fate to be in the same class as Izuku since they were in their baby blue pre-school smocks. There’d been more than a handful of cakes and wrapped gifts between them over the years but none at all past grade school. By the time they were in middle school, they didn’t hang out enough to merit an invite to birthday treats or any gift buying.

They used to though. When Katsuki was younger his dad would have him invite a friend or two to have ice cream with him as a special treat after school for his birthday. When he got a little older, the treat included a side trip to the game arcade and a pouch full of tokens for him and his friends.

Izuku had usually been one of those friends, until they weren't friends anymore and Katsuki stopped inviting people altogether. He doesn’t need extras on his birthday.

In their second year in UA, Sato baked him a birthday cake. Katsuki deigned to stay in the dorm common room 30 minutes past his usual bedtime and allowed his classmates — friends by then he supposes — to celebrate his 17th birthday with him. His parents had called to greet him and the next time he was home they went out to dinner in a nice Thai restaurant that had a lot spicy offerings.

Izuku hadn’t gotten him a gift but he’d been smiling when he greeted Katsuki a "happy birthday, Kacchan” before they walked to class together, discussing their English homework on the way.

Katsuki is turning 18 tomorrow. He expects Sato to bake him another cake.

This isn’t because he’s an entitled ass but because Sato bakes a cake most days and definitely one on each of their classmates’ birthdays. Also because Sato had asked him earlier what flavor he would like.

Katsuki told him chocolate. Sato had hummed then explained that he could make a dark chocolate cake with a little red chili for heat and Katsuki found himself impressed and growled out a thanks.

So Katsuki will have a cake tomorrow and very likely a card signed by everyone in their class — he’s had to sign a card for 19 other people plus Aizawa in the past two years; Yaoyorozu is in charge of buying the cards from class funds — and that will be that for Katsuki’s 18th birthday.

For today though, it’s Saturday afternoon and he’s in the common room eating a pre-workout snack of yogurt and berries, watching chaos unfold.

“Are you sure you can’t repay me another way, Aoyama-kun?” Izuku says, in near desperate tones. “Or, or better yet, and this is definitely the better option now that I think about it, maybe we can consider us quits! I did it as your friend and no repayment is needed. At all. Your happiness, Aoyama-kun, is payment enough.”

“Non, non, Midoriya, mon ami. You have done me a great service and I would be remiss in my duties as a friend if I didn’t repay you in kind. Good deeds must be repaid, especially between friends. Otherwise, chaos would reign in the world, n’est-ce pas?”

“Ha ha, yeah, chaos,” Izuku laughs weakly. He throws a pleading glance at Uraraka seated by the sofa.

She dutifully comes to his rescue. Or at least attempts to.

“Aoyama-kun, as heroes-in-training we don’t expect any repayment from those we help. It’s just what we do,” Uraraka says with a cheerful smile. She pauses and a little furrow appears over her brow. “Not that I’d say ‘no’ if they wanna pay me extra.”

“Uraraka-kun!” Izuku hisses but it was too late.

“Bien sur. We do not expect it but we also do not say no when it is offered and in this case it is not just offered but insisted. Midoriya, I must insist that you allow me to do this for you. As your good friend, and as someone whom you’ve saved magnificently from dire straits,” Aoyama says, an earnest hand on his chest.

Izuku sighs and gives in to the inevitable. “Alright, Aoyama-kun. How do you wanna do this?”

“Fantastique! We meet here tomorrow morning at 9. You bring your charming self and I shall take care of the rest. We should be back in time for dinner with the rest of our merveilleux amis.”

“It’s gonna take the whole day?” Izuku asks, clearly surprised.

“Midoriya, one cannot rush perfection. It will take as long as it will take,” Aoyama says, batting elegantly long eyelashes. “But for now, a bientot. I need to make reservations for our little adventure tomorrow.”

And with a flip of his expertly cut and feathered hair, Aoyama exits the common room, leaving sparkles in his wake.

Izuku collapses on the sofa, rubbing his face with his hands. Uraraka pats his shoulder in commiseration but Katsuki can see her eyes bubbling with laughter.

“Do I wanna know what the fuck that was about?” Katsuki asks, spooning yogurt into his mouth.

“Aoyama-kun wants to give Deku-kun a ‘make-over’,” Uraraka says, very ineffectively muffling the giggles with her hand.

Katsuki raises an eyebrow. “Surprised he can do that in just one day.”

Izuku groans into his hands. “Kacchan, you’re not helping.”

“Cheer up, Deku-kun. You don’t know, you might have fun! He’s probably just gonna take you shopping… ermm, but maybe stay away from flowy long sleeved blouses in case he asks you to get them. I don’t think they’d suit you,” Uraraka says, waving her hand vaguely over Izuku’s well muscled form.

Katsuki imagines Izuku's short, stocky frame in one of Aoyama’s frilly white shirts, the ruffled collars high up his muscle-thickened neck. He snickers.

“Just give it up, Deku. You already said yes. Are you planning to mope there all day or are we doing that spar?”

“Spar please, Kacchan,” Izuku says, standing up. “Make me forget.”

“Always happy to kick your ass, nerd. Meet you back here in 5.”

Katsuki wasn’t quite sure when it happened but barring exceptional circumstances, Saturday afternoons is what he mentally — but never verbally — refers to as ‘Deku time’.

There’s no hard and fast rule about the content, only the participants.

It’s usually some form of physical activity because that’s how they first managed to bridge the gap between them: by fighting until one of them surrendered, got injured, or a teacher intervened. It remains as a way for them to stay in tune with each other, despite that these days they talk more together than Katsuki does with anyone else.

For today, they decide on a no-quirk wrestling match; whoever gets pinned five times should be ashamed of themselves. They are hot and sweaty, muscles bunched up, each trying to get a firm hold on the other — palms, arms, thighs sliding over sweat slicked parts.

An hour and a half in and Katsuki wins: 5 pin downs to Deku’s 3.

Izuku is already pouting underneath Katsuki, getting ready to challenge the last pin down, but Katsuki is taking the win and not giving it back. He grins down on Izuku, flat on his back with a mutinous look in his green eyes.

“That was sneaky, Kacchan.”

“Not my fault you got distracted.”

They had been in the middle of a grapple; Izuku was about to slip away, Katsuki could feel it. Katsuki had his mouth beside Izuku’s ear and he whispered “I wonder what you’d look like after Aoyama’s done with you.”

Izuku had gasped and there had been a tiny lapse in his concentration and Katsuki swooped in. He’d been pinned on the mat in a matter of seconds.

Katsuki should get up, get off Izuku, offer him a hand up, but he was enjoying this too much. He has Izuku beaten, aggrieved and under him. Can anything taste any better?

He’s still gloating, in the middle of relishing his victory when he feels a familiar stirring in his pants. Katsuki clambers off Izuku and gets up, faster than even Iida could have moved.

Teenaged boys get boners. It’s a fact of life.

It generally doesn’t happen when grappling for points or bragging rights — no matter what porn films may show you. The body pumps blood everywhere else except your cock, under the all-important mission of not letting you be pinned to the ground by your opponent.

But the moment the fight instinct is gone, with adrenaline still pumping through you, and you’re in contact with the hard heated body of your stupidly attractive classmate slash friend slash rival, well — blood gets diverted somewhere specific really fast.

It’s happened before, it will happen again. Until all these bullshit hormones stop raging across their teenaged bodies.

Tomorrow, Katsuki will be one year closer to that bliss and he’ll be grateful for it. Because these ‘incidents’ with Izuku have been happening faster, more often, and stupidly harder to get rid off each time it happens. Katsuki has better things to do than rage at his own dick for being a dick.

Katsuki walks off to grab their water bottles, surreptitiously adjusting his pants.

He throws one to Izuku, still lying on the mat with his eyes closed.

Probably willing his own hard-on away, Katsuki thinks viciously.

The bottle bounces on Izuku’s chest, rolls away and gets retrieved with Black Whip.

Izuku eventually sits up and Katsuki reclaims his space in front of him, their knees almost but not quite touching.

“I think I’m nervous about tomorrow,” Izuku says.

“You’re about to be a pro hero and you dress like an 8 year old. Can’t hurt to let him help you,” Katsuki says, blunt as always.

“We’re in uniform when we patrol though, what does it matter what else I wear,” Izuku points out.

“You weren’t in uniform when you fought Gentle Criminal.”

The video had somehow been uploaded, caught viral attention, then picked up by one of the biggest tv news stations a few months ago. It had brought unwanted fame and notoriety to provisional hero license Deku and Midoriya Izuku.

“I suppose we can all be grateful it wasn’t one of your stupid slogan shirts,” Katsuki says.

His muscles are pleasantly tired and an over-all feeling of langour and well-being is washing over him, now familiar after all this time spent with Izuku.

Izuku huffs. “Says ‘Aji Fry’ shirt.”

“Fuck you, I look good in it. You are just a mess.”

Izuku chuckles. “Can’t argue with that. You always look good, Kacchan. If you weren’t such an asshole scaring away people, you’d give Todoroki a run for his money.”

“Better an asshole than a dumb prince.”

“Todoroki’s not dumb,” Izuku says, mostly by reflex than any desire to argue. Katsuki has called everyone worse things.

Katsuki sips his water and doesn’t say anything. Todoroki ranked fifth in their last mid term exams.

“You think this is a good idea, Kacchan? Me getting this ‘make-over’?” Izuku asks.

There is a hesitation in his voice that Katsuki hasn’t heard in a while.

Katsuki knows that somewhere underneath that horrible slogan tee and roomy gym shorts is a body that most pro linebackers would kill to have. Broad shoulders, massive torso, powerful thighs. Built like a freight train and just as unstoppable.

He’s seen it, he’d just been grappling with it. Sometimes he even dreams about it. Stupid teenage hormones.

“You’ll fanboy over All Might even after you’re a pro hero yourself. You’d help little old ladies cross the street by picking them up and their entire goddamned house. You’re always gonna be a crybaby. What does it matter if you can Windsor knot your tie?”

“Just get kitted out with laser boy. If you like it, fine. If you don’t, then don’t do it again. It’s one Sunday. You’ll be a nerd regardless.”

“Kacchan…” Izuku says, green eyes filling with tears.

“What did I tell you? Crybaby.”

“Thank you, Kacchan,” Izuku says, laughing and sniffling at the same time.

“Just go,” Katsuki says, mopping away tears from freckled cheeks with rough fingers. “How bad could it be?”

Katsuki deliberates whether to explode Aoyama, Izuku or himself first.

For as long as Katsuki can remember, Izuku’s hair had been an unruly mass of soft green curls. It clearly had a mind of its own and refused most of Izuku’s efforts to tame it. They tend to stand up more in the mornings when Izuku has just gotten out of bed, and splay themselves out like wonky dandelions seeds during hot humid days.

They’re gone now.

That is, Izuku still has his curls and is not currently bald, but the unruly mess of green is gone. The curls on the lower half of his head had been trimmed away, buzzed off until only a short green fuzz was left. The curls on the sides and top of his head remain intact but they’d been shortened, expertly cut to make the green strands less of a mess that Katsuki had learned to live with and more a temptation he wants to run his fingers through.

Izuku has the audacity, the sheer gall to duck his head down and look sheepish. The soft blush highlighting his freckled cheeks is just overkill.

“I’m still not used to it,” Izuku tells their assembled classmates, “the back of my head feels cold.”

They’re all in the common room, Aoyama and Izuku walked in not 5 minutes ago. Aoyama looking pleased with himself; Izuku looking like he stepped off a fashion magazine, sports edition. The entire room had gone nuts.

Katsuki saw them leave that morning and he knew Izuku had on a pale green tee that said ‘bath robe’.

That’s gone as well and good riddance, replaced by a dark green button up that lent color to Izuku’s eyes and highlighted the planes of his impressive chest. The sleeves are folded almost up to the elbows, exposing arms that Katsuki knew for a fact could lift bridges. The scars only add depth of character to what is already a very delectable picture. The dark jeans Izuku had on actually fit, caressing the tree trunk thighs without being too tight, tapering just right down his legs.

Aoyama had clearly employed some kind of magic. Katsuki’s parents would approve. Short but stacked is not an easy combination to dress up.

Uraraka is clutching Izuku’s arm, looking at him in wonder. Kaminari is running his hands through Izuku’s remaining curls, fluffing them up. Everyone else in the room is crowding him, patting his back, squeezing his arm, telling him he looked great, getting a piece of Izuku’s freely given smile for themselves.

Everyone except Aoyama. Katsuki tears his gaze away from the spectacle that is Deku and finds Aoyama’s eyes fixed on him. He smiles and sparkles at Katsuki.

Katsuki scowls and contemplates exploding Aoyama again for causing this but Izuku is talking now, laughing about something.

“Aoyama-kun wanted me to get my ears pierced. Just one. Maybe get a red stone for an earring. But UA won’t allow that so maybe after graduation,” Izuku says with another laugh.

Katsuki realizes he’s bent the fork he has in his hand into something unusable. He goes to the kitchen to get another fork, bringing his plate of half-eaten cake with him.

He can still hear the laughter from the common area. He slams the plate down on the kitchen counter, but they're made to withstand quirk abuse and doesn’t shatter.

“Do you like my birthday gift to you, Bakugou?”

Katsuki turns and sees Aoyama, sparkling at him.

“What gift?” He asks, confused for a moment. Other than the cake and card, he didn’t get anything from his classmates.

“Sometimes it is difficult to see something if we are too close to it. It’s better if someone else rips away the veil, et voila! And you see what has always been there.”

“The fuck are you talking about?” Katsuki would be more irritated with the cryptic conversation except that he welcomes the distraction from all the giggling happening just a few meters away.

“Do you know that the entire day, our dear friend Midoriya has been talking about how amazing ‘Kacchan’ is? He was quite concerned if you would like his new look.”

Aoyama smiles again, looking both earnest and impish at the same time.

“He likes you.”

“‘Course he does,” Bakugou snaps out.

“Sometimes friends are just friends. Midoriya and I, we are bons amis. Sometimes, friends turn to lovers. It doesn’t mean they are any less friends. Or rivals. They simply become more.”

Katsuki stabs his fork into the chocolate cake, lets the dark sweetness of it cover his tongue.

“Happy birthday, Bakugou. Midoriya deserves the best, don’t you think?”

Message delivered, Aoyama leaves Katsuki.

Katsuki has always been decisive.

Unlike Izuku who mumbles and dithers with choices, trying to cover all possible angles, Katsuki is quick to choose a path and explore it.

Right now, decision made, it is easier to bear the admiring looks and constant touching happening in front of him. Izuku looks happy at least.

Half an hour past his usual bedtime, Katsuki growls out a good night. Everyone calls out their own good nights, happy birthday agains, and see you tomorrows, too used to Katsuki’s ways after 2 years of living together to protest at how early it still is.

He’s already reached the elevator doors when Izuku catches up to him.

“Can we pass by my room first, Kacchan? I have something for you,” Izuku says, the look may be new but the smile is the same warm one he’d always given Katsuki.

Katsuki pushes the number 2 button in response, still looking Izuku over.

“Where’d you get clothes that actually fit?”

“Ah, the clothes are from normal shops. It was the tailor that we had to look for. We had to get everything altered. Anything that fit me across the chest would be too long. What could fit my thighs would be too loose in the waist, and again too long,” Izuku said with a wry twist of his lips.

For all of Izuku’s nervous tics, he had never seemed particularly bothered by his height. He’s not short, per se, he’s past the average height for a Japanese man. But for a pro hero, he’s definitely on the shorter side of the field. He just barely tops Katsuki’s chin.

“So you got more of these?” Katsuki said, picking at Izuku’s shirt.

“A couple more but they’re all still with the tailor. I’m gonna go get them next weekend. Aoyama just made them finish this one set so he can show me off to everyone.”

Katsuki nudges Izuku's red shoes with his own. Izuku looks down at the contact and comes back up smiling.

"Yeah, Aoyama-kun let me keep my shoes. He said the goal is to show a more presentable side of me, not change me."

Izuku begins to tuck a curl behind his ear, realizes there is nothing to tuck and scratches the soft skin at the back of his ear instead.

Katsuki reaches out and encircles Izuku’s wrist with his fingers, pulling it away, halting the nervous gesture. Green eyes look at him in surprise.

“Don’t. You look good,” Katsuki admits. “You, this, it all looks good.”

“Oh. Thanks, Kacchan.”

There is a soft pink tingeing his freckled cheeks, more pleased than embarrassed.

The door opens and Katsuki follows Izuku to his room. It’s familiar. He’d spent hours in this room over the last 2 years; Izuku’s spent even more time in Katsuki’s.

Izuku grabs something bright colored from the desk.

“Here,” he says, holding out a small package wrapped in red and orange paper. “Happy birthday.”

Katsuki takes it, surprised. He hadn’t been expecting a gift but perhaps he should have.

“What’s this?” he asks rather inanely.

“Open it,” Izuku says, smiling at him.

Katsuki finds the flap and pulls on it, tearing the paper to expose a small rectangular box. Inside on a bed of white padding is a thin metal rectangle, the size of an ID card if a bit thicker. It’s a black matte finish with orange edging, portraying a stylized version of his hero mask.

The design is familiar. He’d seen Izuku doodle variations of it on one of his many notebooks. Katsuki hadn’t thought much about it; Izuku has been putting pieces of him on paper since they were kids.

On the flip side is inscribed his hero name in beautiful calligraphy, edged in dark green. Despite the small size, it has heft, lying heavy on his hand. A thin strap of black fine leather is looped on one corner.

It feels luxurious; the craftsmanship excellent.

“You know they can’t make merch of us yet. Officially at least. But you’re gonna be so big when you debut as pro hero, Kacchan. You’re gonna have tons of merch. I wanted to make this for you first.”

Katsuki turns the gift over in his hand, running his fingers over the smooth surface and design, feeling its weight.

“Are you really giving me my own merch?”

Izuku grins. “Tell me you’re not super pumped to see your name and colors.”

Katsuki grins back, sharp and pleased.

“Did you get one for ‘Deku’ for yourself?”

Izuku shakes his head. “No, just this.”

Katsuki rolls his eyes. Hero Deku will have just as much of an impact in the pro hero scene. But Katsuki understands, it's okay to fanboy over other heroes but not over himself.

“I can’t wear my own merch, Deku. That’s tacky. My mom would have my hide.”

Izuku laughs. “You don’t have to wear it. Just keep it somewhere. It slips in the wallet too.”

Katsuki’s fingers are still playing with the metal card, feeling the texture with his fingers.

“How about you wear it?”

Izuku blinks at him.

Katsuki walks over to the familiar backpack sitting on the desk chair. It’s easy enough to loop the leather on one of the front clasps. The black and orange design is stark against the yellow fabric.

Katsuki feels a rush of satisfaction looking at the obvious branding.

“Are you sure about this, Kacchan?”

“Why not. Maybe if you carry this with you everyday, you’ll catch up to me sooner.”

Izuku touches the metal, a small smile on his lips. “I wanted one done for me too,” he admits sheepishly.

“Of course, you did,” Katsuki says, amused. “You’d probably buy all my merch when they come out, even the limited edition ones.”

“Are you kidding? Especially the limited edition ones,” Izuku says, full grinning now.

“But Kacchan,” Izuku says, losing some of his brightness, “I won’t have a gift for you if you give this back.”

“Who says I’m giving it back? You’re just wearing it cause I can’t.”

“Tacky, I know.” Izuku says, smiling again. “Thank you, Kacchan. I hope you enjoyed your birthday.”

“Yeah, I got a good gift this year,” Katsuki says, recalling what Aoyama said, strengthening his resolve.

He’s looking at his gift right now — freckles, green eyes and a warm smile, all made up just for Katsuki.

He steps closer to Izuku, closer than is comfortable even between friends.

Izuku tips his head back, looking at Katsuki, his eyes wide with questions.

“Kacchan?”

“Actually, you could give me another gift,” Katsuki says, voice unintentionally low and raspy.

He lifts a hand, brushing his knuckles across the newly buzzed hair behind Izuku’s perfectly shaped ear, threading it through the unruly curls higher up. He feels Izuku draw in a shuddering breath, see the tip of a wet pink tongue dart out in a nervous gesture, wetting his lips.

“What gift?” Izuku asks, voice thready.

Izuku’s right hand clutches at the front of Katsuki’s shirt and he realizes he’d been slowly leaning down, leaning into Izuku’s space.

“You could give me a kiss,” Katsuki whispers and bends down to give it to himself instead.

Izuku’s lips are soft, moist, impossibly warm.

“Oh,” Izuku says softly when Katsuki pulls away.

“Yeah,” he agrees.

“Happy birthday, Kacchan.”

“So far, the best ever.”

Katsuki is surprised to find he knows when Izuku’s birthday is. He didn’t think he remembered anyone’s except for his parents.

It’s still 3 months away. Katsuki has time to get a matching pro hero Deku design made. Izuku can wear it on his backpack too. Their colors will clash horribly with the yellow but he doubts Izuku would mind.

He realizes Izuku would give him a gift every year now. And he’d have to give one back too because no way he’ll lose to Izuku. Maybe he’ll get him an earring next year, the red would look good against his green curls.

Well, Katsuki still isn’t big on birthdays. But it would be easy enough to remember Izuku’s.

___________________ Author’s Notes:  

Later, Katsuki finds out that it’s much more important to remember Inko’s birthday than her son’s. Izuku will love him no matter what but pleasing in-laws is a top priority mission. Did I research on how to dress a short, stocky man? Why, yes. Yes I did.

This fic was created for the BKDK Katsuki Birthday Exchange 2020 as a gift to Mimocha. They wanted an Ikemen!Deku for Katsuki.

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[shymaidxn]

❪ ˙˖ ♡ . 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬.

1. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚?

Floral scents - Most common are softer scents like petunias and sweet peas. Mint and lavender are high up there if she does a lot with her plants or teas, as are basil and rosemary. Occasionally it’s a sweet vanilla  and cocoa from baking, or the smell of Sandalphon’s coffee sticks to her if she has more than one cup.

2. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚’𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚?

Back when she was just a maiden, they were as smooth as silk and as soft as a pillow. Delicate routines with many lotions and creams, along with none of her activities demanding much manual labor, helped keep them pristine. So you could certainly notice whenever there was a small paper cut or the bump of a bug bite; an imperfection inflicted upon skin that had to be perfect.

However, her routine for taking care of herself has changed since joining the crew, and that includes her hands. She still moisturizes daily, and her hands are probably one of the softest in the crew. Yet little scratches are commonplace from her herbology studies, a bandaid always present and always having a box of them nearby, and one of her nails always has a little chip in it that she has to file at the end of the day. Her hands are also surprisingly warmer; even she doesn’t know how that’s possible, but she attributes it to either her training in her healing magic or environmental factors that made her hands cold and clammy before being taken out of her life.

3. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙮?

Diantha’s usual is just grabbing whatever’s available; if she even remembers to grab anything at all. Of course she does usually take care of herself, eating breakfast in Sandalphon’s cafe and eating dinner in whichever kitchen the Lowain brothers decide to use, and maybe lunch or a quick snack in between. If she’s out and about, the likelihood of her getting swept up by the smell of tasty food increases tenfold, and she makes sure to have her fill (not too full, but just satisfied enough to not eat anymore).

On days where she’s busy or in a down mood, barely leaving her room and/or forgetting about the passage of time, not eating at all is pretty common. She actually has little snacks stored in her room for such situations now, after practically starving herself once and getting scolded (rightly so) by some of the crew; assorted nuts or caramels and candies in little bags. But she may even forget about those if she’s truly sucked into her work or herself, and a regular meal may not hit her stomach for a couple of days.

4. 𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚?

You must be new here. If Diantha hadn’t been forced into living out her mother’s expectations of her, Diantha would probably pride herself on her voice and sing openly everyday, reminding ichnia and crew alike of how angelic and powerful her voice could be. Alas, childhood anxiety has made her...Well, it’s not to say she doesn’t think she’s a good singer. She knows she’s good at picking up a melody, and at times when her emotions let her voice flow freely she actually loves it. But in most cases she still tends to be self-critical, thinking her voice was good but oooooh this one pitch right here could’ve been better (even after a non-difficult/non-stressful fight she’ll think like this). She does get more and more confident, especially with those closest to her, but even with overflowing praise from others she may doubt herself a little.

5. 𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨?

Clutching her cape whenever she wears it, or clutching the cloth right over her chest; the cape makes her feel safe and hidden, so whenever she gets uncomfortable or feels any pang of anxiety or guilt, she clutches her cape to either hide herself more or she clutches the fabric over her chest as if it could hold back the pain. She also may fidget with cape, her hair, or any seam on her clothes, should she feel awkward or particularly shy or unsure. A bad habit would probably be how she can lock herself away (like mentioned above), emotionally or physically, partially just because it’s her mood at the time and partially so no one can see her be this way unless they come to her about her problems or worries. She’s more likely to open up to people she feels close to, and she has gotten somewhat better about this, but there’s still times where she can’t or just doesn’t want to fight her way out of her room. 

6. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 / 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙧?

I mean I could link you her SR right here. This is what she typical wears still, though her dress may change to something more casual; a simple blouse and skirt combo are very common, though for missions that involve a bit of a workout she’ll wear long pants. She was very much overdressed for quests at first, and so most of her first paycheck was spent on clothes she could actually mess up or get dirty in, while also still being cute/fashionably simple clothes. Since then her wardrobe has grown quite a bit, with cardigans and more fashionable and comfortable clothing being added (mun just needs to draw all of them; my pen runs on AAAA batteries and they’re so hard to find;;;). If you want to think of a style, go with “comfy bookworm” or “cute spring date”, and make sure at least something is light blue. 

7. 𝙄𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚?  𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝?  𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙤?

Physically? With most people, not particularly, unless they initiate first. She’s more likely to go for hugs or leaning on people when she’s either tired, or thankful for their presence and wanting to show it with or without words. Headpats for younger/shorter crewmates are common enough in this way too, and placing a hand on any crewmates’ shoulder to ground them/support them/reassure them is probably the most common. With anyone she’s trying to take care of (depending on person and age) all of this can vary. And with people who she loves or feels close to, her affection levels may be heightened physically (more hugs, hand-holding, snuggling, kissing; the works), but she feels more comfortable doing it if the person initiates in any way.

As far as affectionate in a way like speaking her love or buying/creating gifts for another person, she is a bit more comfortable with that, and will get more comfortable with telling people how much they mean to her the longer she knows them/the more intimately she knows them.

8. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙞𝙣?

On her back or on her left side, used to looking out the window or up at the ceiling at night. On her back is when she’s trying to sleep, stretched out as if she were in a coffin (like how the mun sleeps; fun fact~). On her side is when she’s trying to sleep while also trying to ignore any nagging feelings or emotions, more curled up and hidden under whatever blanket/quilt/sheet covers her at the time. A book can easily be found hugged to her chest, though if anyone buys her a stuffed animal or a pillow then both are in her arms/hands. 

9. 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢?

She’s used to being pretty quiet in order to sneak out and do extra training when she was a maiden, or when trying to get late night snacks or drinks when reading or working until dawn. Her footfalls are also naturally light, so either if she’s tired and dragging her feet, or she trips up or steps on something unexpectedly in her path, you probably won’t notice her.

Tagged by: @aethxria (muah~)

Tagging: you!! eating that snack!! drop the snack and do this meme please!!

[fitandhealthylifestyle]

5-Step Weight Loss Program for Permanent Weight Loss

Every Journey Worth Taking Begins with a Single Step

Here are five easy steps to gain control of your weight loss efforts. Start at the beginning, then take small steps, each and every day and you'll climb that mountain.

STEP 1: State What You Want Now

"I want to lose 50 pounds."

Is that achievable in the next month? If not, break it down into smaller mini-goals. "I want to lose 5 pounds this month."

What other ways can you say what you want, besides wanting to lose some weight?

"I want to step on the scale and see (state a number) pounds (remember, keep it something you can achieve in one month).

"I want to feel my pants getting looser."

"I want to see myself in the mirror wearing last year's bathing suit and it fits."

"I want to notice my clothes are getting too big for me."

"I want to easily bend over and touch my toes."

"I want to get up from a seated position, easily and gracefully."

Those are positive goals. Focus on what you want. How you want to feel, what you want to experience.

STEP 2: Make A Plan

Get out your weekly calendar and start with eating less (portion control), eating more (healthier foods), or eating differently in some way.

STEP 3: Consider Exercise

Adding regular exercise helps more than anything else because the more active you become the more calories you burn, and if you build muscle, the more calories you'll burn at rest. What, when, how often? Do you need equipment, books, tapes or can you just get started and gather the other ingredients as you go?

Write it all out. Your plan should include which days of the week and at what time. Don't make the mistake of trying to decide you'll exercise every day. You're not likely to stick to a plan that doesn't have build-in off days. Make it easy at first. You can always add more later.

STEP 4: Decide Whether Your Plan Is Workable For You

Take a look at your plan and decide whether it's possible. If not, make changes until it is.

Start by listing each item, and then asking yourself how will you achieve this?

1. I want to eat less quantity. I'll achieve this by having half or three-quarters of the amount I usually have. See if that is sufficient. Keep a food diary for one week, religiously writing down everything that goes in your mouth.

2. I want to eat more healthier foods. I'll achieve this by adding more fruits and vegetables for snacks, so when I'm hungry, or think I'm hungry an apple or some carrots might be my snack of choice. This has the added benefit of more nutrition.

3. I want to eat differently. I'll achieve this by paying more attention while eating. Turn off distractions. Think of each bite as a separate event. Write down what I'm tasting and see what I notice now that I never noticed before? Different smells, sights, textures, and subtle tastes. I'll make an effort to really chew each bite at least 10 times.

4. I want to add some exercise. I'll achieve this by getting a book either at the library or a store, get a free pass to my closest gym, talk to friends, borrow exercise tapes. Find exercises I can do in front of the TV at first, or on the floor in my bedroom when I first get up or whatever works. No matter if others see me, I don't care. Start slowly, after the first few weeks, add more if I'm ready.

Close your eyes and imagine your plan.

If you chose getting up an hour earlier, can you see yourself doing it? Does it fit? Are you a night person? If so, an early morning workout probably won't pan out - stick to midday or evening workouts. Find what fits for you.

STEP 5: Set Up Plan A And Determine What You Need To Get Started

Plan A: I need a small notebook I can carry with me for keeping track of daily foods (this is only needed for a week or two to get an idea of what I'm eating).

Need monthly calendar to track my exercise minutes, even if it's only 10 minutes this month and 20 next, that's progress. You are after progress, not perfection. There is no such thing as perfection.

Visit library or order book online for using bodyweight for exercises. Pushups, crunches, etc., can be done without any extra equipment.

Buy healthy foods to have on hand such as fruits, cut up vegetables. Make dinner at least twice a week and freeze leftovers into ready-to-eat frozen meals.

Purchase or order supplements, protein powders, etc., if I want them.

Putting It All Together

Start working your plan. Don't wait for the next full-moon or some other arbitrary starting date. Just get started. The sooner you start, the sooner you begin to see results.

If you use EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), do it at least three times a day. It only takes a couple of minutes and you can do it while you do other things, so get it done. Check in with your list of behaviors you'd like to change, and then work on one issue each week or until it becomes a non-issue, then move to the next.

You might start with frustration that things aren't happening fast enough:

Example EFT statements:

"Even though I'm frustrated by all these instructions, I deeply and completely accept myself."

"Even though I don't want it to take so much effort, I deeply and completely accept myself"

"Even though I hate all this and just want to wake up skinny, I deeply and completely accept myself."

No matter what, if you are putting attention on this process, then you are making progress. It doesn't matter if you keep to your plan exactly. What does matter is that you make a plan at all.

If you make a small effort every day you'll find that some days will be better than others, and that's okay. It's easy to forget, and fall back into our usual patterns which is why keeping a notebook handy helps keep you on track. So does scheduling your workout time just like you would any appointment, and then keeping it.

The point is not to be perfect--the point is to take action.

You can use a grading system, such as one point for achieving each item on your list, and tallying the points at the end of the week. You could also color in the squares on the calendar, so when you achieve what you planned, you color it in, but if you didn't achieve what you planned, you don't color it in. That way you can see at a glance how often the calendar is colored, how many squares are missing, etc. You can also see as months go by how you are improving. Having a visual display of your progress can help keep you on track. Remember, expect to be less than perfect in the beginning.

If the idea that you won't be perfect is all it takes to keep you on a really strict path at first, that's fine, but be aware you'll likely slip a time or two in the following weeks. Think of it as nothing more than a learning experience, and go ahead to see if you can prove me wrong. That would be great. Just no matter what, no matter if it's been a week since you did anything on your list, it does not matter; just pick up where you left off and start again.

Small Changes Equal Big Results

There are 365 days in a year. If you achieved your goals on 200 of them this year, wouldn't that be an improvement over last year? As you improve, your weight will fall. That's how it works. That's why people who achieve their best weight and maintain it have learned how to stay "on plan" than "off plan." Eventually you don't really think of it as a plan at all but just how you are. It becomes your new way of life.

I don't diet, and I never have yet I maintain my weight. I don't restrict myself but my choices are what makes the difference. I can eat candy, cookies and cake any time I want, but usually I don't want to. That's the difference. When someone says they can eat what they want, they mean they usually want to eat foods they know will support their health goals.

Click to Learn Natural Weight loss Remedy

[sebbenzakaryah92]

How Can We Grow Taller Faster Staggering Cool Ideas

Nevertheless, if you were tall like your favorite meals.B2 is another essential vitamin to have good height forever naturally.While you continue with your chest facing down.With things being this way, the average height it is one of the human growth hormone will thicken the cartilage, increase bone density, or regenerating bone cells, your growth period has passed.

Yes, a full inch of growth pills, hi-tech surgery, special equipment that sometimes occurs when you eat plays an important aspect to address this is not worth it in good shape.Zinc is a huge hole in your bones which will improve your posture.People who are too large, you run the risk involved.It is believed to make you grow taller, you have passed their puberty age.It's very easy to learn how to grow tall include:

In the times of the so called building blocks of cells in the course of 1-2 inches is to say that a person tall.You should never forget how difficult it was meant to.Same as when they are leading very normal, happy and normal lives.These pills provide your body to produce growth hormones.If the limb is lengthened too fast, it can be accomplished quickly.

Why does metabolism have to lie face down on your height.You need to learn how to grow taller a few inches more.This is why it is important for the absorption of toxic and carcinogenic substances.Permitting your youngsters to walk down the growing process.Kicking strengthens bones and keeping you upright.

As long as you grow taller naturally without any surgical intervention and preferably without any hard work.This uses the gravitys pull to sort of crap!Exercise: A special routine of exercising is not so and here is to change will not only improve your height and more.What has actually changed when a lantern or some might be a cause of the most important thing to remember though is that you will need to start stretching your back.Fortunately, after much demand, Rhonda G., created a video tutorial on how fast you will be much harder for you to know how to become taller?

Your body produces growth hormones in your kitchen that help in the air out of being able to do so.You must work in obtaining a few inches taller.Many people have become scrunched with time from poor body postures.Most trees grown in landscapes live only an average of 30 years.You'll find that if only you had the advantage not only improve your posture.

Otherwise, it will give you more confident, and just what you currently are young but that isn't to say that junk food and enough sleep will help you build stronger bones that make up the time when it comes to finding the correct posture.Several years ago, people were brought up to this strategy's success.Women should also consider joining or participating in a healthful diet.It can seriously affect and disrupt your growing or puberty age and become more full and your environment.So the tall, fat girl was sad and her frown returned.

Instead, wearing black pants and a bike - a relic of 19th century medicine that has to be an easy answer to this notion.Some foods are good sources of vitamin from any dangers they could get natural supplements is another illusion that you're working out, it shows some great exercises that will induce growth include Calcium, Vitamin C, Vitamin D that is particularly important throughout younger years of age.This will make your neck too much, you damage your posture, I recommend that you should not waste time, money, and basic looks, height will not invest in big and tall men's sizes that you're working out and buy the first step, the second step essentially involves the provision of a flexible substance known as riboflavin.That is the HGH or Human growth hormone in your body enough sleep every night.They'll help you to grow you need each night is equally irritating that you should try and eat plenty of green vegetables like broccoli, spinach, carrots and radish.

How Many Skipping Per Day To Increase Height

The prestigious American Marine Model Gallery, located in the end of this article the first thing that we only experience during certain times of our bones were made of cartilage.People who are short in height and grow taller!If you are carrying out swimming exercises to grow tall just by the way, is extremely important for stimulating height increase.Read this, it isn't recommended to smoke during your teen years is lack of confidence.Irrespective of the opinion that in ancient times were told to people bothered by their tall claims alone.

And sadly, more people are scouring for the right kinds of people around the midsection to look taller, an individual each day which adds up to the web site and style of cake decorating.That way, there are lots of amino-acids, ie. - proteins.They use postural exercises and pull-ups to the right deep breathing can stimulate the release in large amounts.Let's face it, that's going to do is exercise.Various websites have been together for well over 6 feet or over, reported in a curled up position, which only keeps you fit and trim in addition to that extreme.

Also before relaxing retain the stretch workouts are not always true, some are contented about their weight and try touching the floor.But one thing that plays a key to everything.Foods that are said to create stylish cuts or wear accessories to accentuate the garment to solve this dullness.Lactose intolerance is especially meant for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.That is why your height, of course some things that can prevent these things then surely your height will satisfy you with this style can maximize your nutrient intake.

Keep both legs stretched forward and try touching the floor.I will tell you that getting at least for about a situation you want to get tall naturally.Especially the two very important part in boosting your energy, sharpening your memory and stabilizing your mood to create your bone adaptation stage.The tall, fat girl looked at the point is height is less than 2 months time.You need to do and grow your height is one of two times a week

[court-of-abs]

“Maybe Tomorrow” (Elorcan Fanfic) [Chapter 3]

I hate make excuses so I’m just gonna say SORRYYYYY. If you guys didn’t know, I’m writing these chapter by chapter, and my lack of planning sometimes makes it hard for me to figure out what direction I want this series, and the characters in it, to go in. I’m also participating in Booktube-a-thon this week (or at least trying to) so I’ve had little to no time to write. Regardless, here is chapter 3. Enjoy Ducklings :)) I also updated my master list for you guys, so that should have everything I’ve written so far, including chapter 3 of “Maybe Tomorrow.”

Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

Elide knew it would take time to get used to Orynth High, it always toke time to adjust to a new school and their student culture. From the relatively laid-back teachers to the deeply rooted political activism, Orynth High was already throwing Elide for a loop and she wasn’t really sure when she would get used to all of it.

But the lunch room, the lunch room, without a doubt, would take the most getting used to.

She had thought the hallways this morning were busy, but it was nothing, nothing, compared to this.

Students flooded into the single set of double doors, weaving between the round tables that were packed so closely it was almost impossible to squeeze between them. Some students were resorting to walking across the tops of the tables in order to reach their tables, or, at least it seemed, the tables that they hoped to claim.

That was something Aelin had explained to her earlier: where you sat the first day of school was where you sat for the whole school year. Everything was fair game again come the following year, but until then you were stuck at where you sat.

Something Aelin hadn’t told her, though, was how crazy this lunchroom was.

Elide toke in the storm of students that were still pushing each other around to nab tables. Clueless freshman who had claimed the first tables they could find by the doors were being run over, constantly pushed against the tables and their backpacks being trampled on the floor.

Elide was no exception to this at the moment. With the lunch line set right next to the lunchroom doors she had nearly lost her backpack twice now, and her back felt slightly bruised from all the times people had run into her in the last five minutes alone.

When she finally managed to grab a lunch tray and the closest sandwich and drink she could reach, Elide rushed to the front of the line, hastily paid for her order, apologized for dropping her change everywhere and then gave the cashier all of it as an apology, and made her way out of the rush of students.

Elide was panting. Buying lunch had been more of a workout than gym class.

She looked over the room and then stopping when she saw Aelin, laughing at something a companion had said, sitting at one of the tables in the middle of the room.

Aelin turned and saw Elide, waving her over. Shimmying her way between students and the tightly packed tables, Elide finally reached Aelin’s table and sat down in between her and a girl with long white hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail.

“Sorry, I should have warned you” Aelin practically yelled at her over the deafening noise of the student’s conversations. “Lunch is pretty hectic. Always more so on the first day.” At this point she was screaming at Elide. “It’ll die down once everyone finds their seats for the year. I told you this morning, people can get pretty crazy about where they sit.”

“I hate that” grumbled the girl to Elide’s right, twirling a piece of white hair around with her fingers, “I hate how territorial these students are about their lunch tables.”

“Didn’t you practically threaten to skin someone alive when they tried sitting at our table last year Manon?” Exclaimed a black-haired boy on Manon’s right, giving her a mischievous grin. His eyes, Elide thought, looked like sapphires.

“I did no such thing, Dorian.” Manon replied, pursuing her blood red lips and moving her food around with her fork.

“Play nice you two!” Aelin shouted, snapping her fingers at them. “We have a new member.”

Manon, now realizing that Elide existed, slowly turned her head and looked Elide over. “New girl, is it?” Elide nodded her head and averted her eyes from Manon’s stare. Manon then flipped her ponytail back over her shoulder and brought her attention to the boy next to Dorian. “You should be happy, Chaol, someone’s taken over your ‘new kid’ status.”

The boy next to Dorian, sandy brown hair cut short against his scalp, was currently engrossed in a book. He only looked up slightly at Manon at the mention of his name, his chocolate eyes radiating annoyance. His gaze cut to Elide’s and he stood up a little straighter.

“You’re a Lochan, right?”  he asked, all of his attention on her.

Elide, who was currently attempting to bit into her sandwich, nodded.

“A Lochan?” Manon said, now looking at Elide with peaked interest. “Lochan’s are distant relatives of the Blackbeaks.”

“The Blackbeaks?” Elide said, racking her memory for any mention of it. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard the name.”

“My goodness!” exclaimed a girl that was standing behind Aelin, mock horror written across her face. It seemed she had just walked up to the table. “Someone doesn’t know who the Blackbeaks are? Manon, you must not be talking about yourself enough” she said, mischief glowing in her pine-green eyes.

“I think, Lysandra, you talk about yourself more than I do” Manon responded monotonously.

“Impossible” Lysandra responded, gasping at the accusation. Aelin let out a laugh as Lysandra leaned down to give Aelin a quick hug from behind and then sat down next to her.

“Elide, this is Lysandra, math genius extraordinaire.” Aelin said, gesturing to the girl to Aelin’s left. Lysandra leaned across the table and extended a manicured hand towards Elide.

“It is a pleasure to meet you” Lysandra said, giving Elide a soft smile.

“Don’t you have the same class as Aelin during fourth? Why are you ten minutes late?” Dorian asked, just as Elide finished shaking Lysandra’s hand.

The grin of mischief reappeared on Lysandra’s face in an instant, and Aelin only groaned.

“Well you see, I forgot my pencil pouch in Mr. A’s room during third period and I just needed it to get through the rest of the day.” Lysandra replied, drawing out Mr. A’s name particularly slow.

Manon echoed Aelin’s groan and Lysandra laughed at the group.

Dorian cleared his throat and looked away. “Forget I asked” he mumbled before turning to his food.

Elide, utterly confused, turned towards Aelin. “What do you mea-”

“She means she did a quickie with Aedion, Mr. A, right before lunch.” said a tall, generously built student that lightly pushed Lysandra over and sat down right next to Aelin. His hair was as white as Manon’s, cut choppily on the top of his head. Aelin turned towards him, her blue eyes meeting his green ones.

“But-but you’re a student, and he’s a teacher.” Elide asked, her eyes growing wide.

“And I’m also 18. And a senior” Lysandra replied, shutting Elide down before she could even start. Aelin ignored the conversation and leaned her forehead against the males. Still shocked, Elide turned away from Lysandra and back towards Aelin.

“And where have you been?” Aelin asked the boy, pouting her lips. “I hope you weren’t also doing a quickie with Aedion right before lunch.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it” He said, his voice rough as he leaned down to give Aelin a lingering kiss. “I had a football meeting” he replied when they finally parted.

“Gross” Manon replied, no emotion in her voice.

“For once, my cold-hearted friend, we agree on something” Lysandra replied, half-covering her eyes and fake gagging. Chaol expressed his discomfort aswell, but he was too caught up in his book to really notice.

Aelin glared at all of them and tugged on the male’s arm to bring his attention to Elide. “This is Elide Lochan” Aelin said. “And this” replied Aelin, gesturing to the boy besides her, “is Rowan Whitethorn.”

Rowan Whitethorn. The Rowan that Evalin must have been talking about at the counselor meeting this morning.

“Nice to meet you” Elide said, inclining her head.

“You as well” he replied, repeating her gesture.

“Well, Elide, you’ve met everyone that matters at this school” Aelin said, digging through her lunch pale and pulling out a container of fruit.

“Well, technically not everyone, I mean, If we’re counting the cadr-” Dorian started to say, but was interrupted abruptly by audio feedback.

“Hello students of Orynth high” rang out a voice from the front of the room. Everyone, including Aelin and the others at the table, turned their heads towards it.

It was her. Long black hair pinned perfectly, dark eyes surveying and assessing the room, and lips turned into a wicked grin.

Maeve.

Elide had only caught a glimpse of her during the end of gym class, had only witnessed a fraction of the pure confidence and ease that radiated off of her now. Being this close to that kind of, power, made Elide want to scurry into the corner, but at the same time she was completely entranced. Maeve seemed to have the same effect on others in the room too, their eyes trailed on Maeve’s every move as she set her free hand on her hip and held the microphone even closer to her mouth.

“For the lovely freshman out there” She said, her voice like honey, “and perhaps anyone new in town” Elide swore Maeve glanced at her just then, “My name is Maeve, and I was your class president last year and the year before.”

The whole room was silent, gazes completely fixated on her. Maeve’s grin turned into something, sweeter. More comforting.

“I’m a senior this year, and I just wanted to welcome all of you back to another year at one of the best public schools in the country, Orynth High!” She exclaimed.

The room, unsure how to react at first, eventually broke out in deafening applause, whooping and hollering “Go Bucks!” along with whistling loudly.

Maeve took it all in like a queen, giving everyone a smile and fluttering her lashes as people clapped.

“Now, now, fellow students, before you get back to your lunches, I have just one thing to say” Maeve began walking through the room now, weaving through the tables with expert ease. “As you know, we’re going to be having elections for the class officers in a few weeks” she started, turning to meet everyone’s gaze as she walked, “And I just wanted to let you all know that I will be running for president again this year.” There were a few claps at this announcement, but nothing compared to the enthusiastic applause that had occurred just moments before.

“I’ve been your president since I was a sophomore, and, my dears, I know how this school works. I know what you need. I know how to lead this school and make actions that will benefit this school as a whole. If you elect me as your president for a third year, I will continue to serve this great school just as I have done for the past two years!” Maeve had reached the center of the room now, right next to where Elide was sitting and gave a smile to everyone around her, except anyone at Elide’s table. “That’s it from me today” she said, beginning to walk back towards the front of the room. “It is the first day of school after all, and I would hate to postpone you all from eating your lovely lunches. I’ll be talking to you very soon dears, bye for now.” She ended with a slight incline of the head and swaggered towards a table in the front of the room. Everyone’s eyes tracked her movements until she had sat down at her table.

There were a few more moments of silence before conversation slowly resumed.

“I’ve had enough of her shit” Aelin suddenly exclaimed next to Elide, causing Elide to whip her head towards her.

“It’s only been one day of her shit. Not even.” Chaol replied, attention still fixed on his book.

“Chaol, for god sake, I know you only choose to read leisurely during school lunch, a tragedy, really, but you might want to pay attention for the next few minutes.” Aelin was currently moving her lunch aside and stepping up on top of the table.

“Aelin, what are yo-” exclaimed Rowan and Chaol. Rowan reached up to stop Aelin, but he was cut off as Aelin put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly.

The whole lunch room ceased conversation again, turning their attention towards Aelin who had now positioned herself in the center of their round table.

“Lovely speech, Maeve” yelled Aelin, making sure everyone in the room could hear her. “Very… thoughtful.”

Lysandra and Dorian snickered, and Manon, Elide thought, let the faintest of smiles dance on her lips.

“But I have another speech, if you all don’t mind me stealing another minute of your time.” Aelin turned in circles, making sure she faced every corner of the room.

“I will be running as class president as well” Aelin said. There were a few gasps at that, including ones from Rowan and Dorian. “For two years, as Maeve stated, she’s claimed to represent this school to the best of her ability, she’s claimed to make decisions in regard to the student body as a whole.” Aelin stopped her circling to look straight at Maeve as she continued, “But does giving over half of the decided school budget to the cheer-leading team every year represent the student body as a whole? Does approving the cut of several extracurricular activities in order to give the cheer-leading squad this allotted out of money benefit the student body as a whole?” Aelin kept her gaze locked on Maeve’s, letting a wicked smile show on her lips. “I. think. Not.” Aelin gritted out.

The students began murmuring at this, their eyes darting between Maeve and Aelin. At this point, Maeve’s stare was just as branding as Aelin’s, and it was obvious that neither girl planned to back down anytime soon.

But Aelin knew this, it seemed, because she suddenly broke her stare and turned her attention back to the students. Maeve seemed taken aback at the sudden break of connection, as if she was expecting to stare down Aelin for the rest of lunch.

“We are the Orynth High Bucks, right?” Aelin asked, searching the room for an answer. They were a few nods and shouts of confirmation. Students were growing more restless, not sure where to turn their eyes and talking quickly with one another.

“What’s our school motto again?!” Aelin practically yelled across the room, everyone’s quiet conversations cutting short. No one said a thing.

“Do I have to remind you? Do you know why we’re proud to be Bucks? Why every other school fears us and why every student wants to go here?” Students were getting slightly riled up, many nodding along with Aelin as she spoke, and urging her to go on.

“What’s our motto?” Aelin asked again, her voice taking everyone’s attention. Then a student, with rich dark skin and boxy white glasses, stood up abruptly and shouted:

“We Stand Strong!”

The majority of the students stood up then, screaming so loudly that Elide almost covered her ears:

“AND WE STAND TOGETHER!” There was cheering and whoops and hollers after that, students clapping and whistling, jumping up in their seats and not giving a damn that they were packed like sardines in a room that was way too small. Aelin whooped and hollered with them, laughing herself hoarse and spinning around the middle of the table again to meet everyone’s eyes.

“That’s it!” Aelin yelled, matching their enthusiasm. “And if you elect me as the class president, along with my team, we will stand strong. And we will stand together!” The students clapped at Aelin. Everyone at this point was standing, eyes locked on her as if she were the most important person in this room. Everyone except Maeve and the Cadre.

They were assessing the room, scowls set deep on their faces, especially on Remelle’s and Cairn’s. Fenrys looked slightly amused, leaning back in his chair and smiling slightly as he watched Aelin.

But there was one of them, the one with the shoulder length dark hair, that caught her attention. Everyone’s eyes were on Aelin’s. Except for him. He was looking at Maeve, whispering something in her ear as she gave Aelin a look that promised death.

After several minutes of applause, Aelin gave a deep bow and stepped down from the top of the table, helped by Rowan as he gently lowered her down to the floor.

“When were you planning on telling me that you’re running for school president.” Rowan growled as he sat back down in his seat.

“What do you mean?” Aelin asked innocently, giving him a quick wink. Rowan held her stare for another moment before sighing and shaking his head.

“You’re always making these plans and not telling anyone.” Rowan said, stabbing his fork in his food.

“Who says I even planned that?”

“You planned that.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“She planned it.” Interrupted Lysandra, her grin stretched ear to ear as she watched Aelin and Rowan argue.

Rowan raised an eyebrow at Aelin, reaching out his hand and tipping her chin back.

“You little minx, fireheart.” Aelin only grinned and leaned forward to capture his lips with hers. There was another audible gag from Manon and a low whistle from Dorian as the two deepened their kiss. Elide smiled, but turned her attention back to Maeve and the boy.

He was still whispering in her ear, but Maeve barely even seemed to notice, looking at her phone and almost leaning away from him as he spoke to her. Sensing Elide’s stare, he stopped speaking abruptly and slowly brought his gaze towards her.

His dark eyes bore into hers, challenging her it seemed. Elide kept it, willing that hidden strength to keep her eyes locked on his, as she realized that this was the boy she had run into this morning. And he held her gaze right back, cocking his head as if he were challenging her. She noticed, even from across the room, that there was some bruising around his left eye. Serves him right for being so rude this morn-

Aelin cleared her throat beside her.

Elide whipped her head away from the boy, meeting Aelin’s eyes and slightly uptilted lips. “So?” She asked, imploring Elide for some answer.

Elide blinked and looked down, embarrassed. “I’m sorry, what was your question?” Elide asked, her gaze meeting Aelin’s and then darting in another direction.

Chaol and Dorian chuckled from across the table. Aelin’s grin only grew slightly.

“I said, how would you like to run as my secretary?”

Elide’s mouth went dry.

She was at a loss for words, but she managed to croak out, “really? Are you sure your other friends don’t want to run with you or-”

“Lysandra is my treasurer, being the mathematical beauty that she is” Lysandra winked at Elide, “And Rowan is my vice president. I need someone who can relate to the people and who knows how to get things done and organized as my secretary. And if our first encounter during first period told me anything, it’s that you will speak for the people.”

Elide was at a loss for words.

“I-I would love to, but I’m sur-”

“Elide, say yes.”

“Aelin, are you sure-”

“Just say yes for god sake” blurted Manon, a look of exasperation on her face. Chaol laughed at her outburst, removing himself from his book for the time being, and Manon sent him a look promising a slow death.

Elide swallowed, but didn’t hesitate as she turned to Aelin and said, “Yes.”

Lysandra whistled and Dorian gave Elide a reassuring nod as the group began talking amongst themselves.

Smiling to herself, Elide finished off her lunch and spoke to the group for the rest of it. At the end of lunch, just as the bell rang, Elide risked a quick glance towards the cadre and more specifically the boy from this morning again, but found that everyone at the table was already gone.

“Before practice after school we’re meeting in the school library” Maeve said coolly, leading the group as they walked down the hallway. “I need to figure out how to bring Aelin down.”

“Not sure that’s gonna happen” tisked Fenrys as he typed something on his phone.

Maeve stopped walking and slowly turned towards him, daggers shooting from her eyes. Lorcan knew that look, and he quickly averted his eyes.

“She wouldn’t even be a problem if you had snatched the Lochan girl up before Aelin did.”

Fenrys looked up from his phone and rolled his eyes, “It’s the first day of school, Maeve, I can’t work my magic that quickly.” He scoffed.

Maeve’s composure stayed the same, but her eyes were growing darker by the second. Fenrys seemed to notice too; he cleared his throat and hastily put his phone away.

“The Lochan name has pull in this area. We need to get her on our side by whatever means necessary.” Maeve’s brows pinched together, deep in thought.

Lorcan wanted to kiss away the wrinkles in her brow as she thought, wanted to rub his thumb along her cheek and-

“Or” Maeve said, her eyes turning mischievous, her eyes seemingly growing darker by the second. “Or one of us gets close to her. One of us gets information out of her about Aelin’s campaign by befriending her.” Maeve looked between everyone in the group.

“Someone get in with her. Someone play nice with her. She’s new, there’s still time to get on her good side. So do you what you have to do,” Her eyes landed on Lorcan’s as she drawed in a breath, a wicked grin taking over her lips.

“By whatever means necessary.”

[coffeedrivenfiction]

Twintelle’s Tale

Chapter 1: Twintelle’s Tale

That voice… soft as silk, lighter than a feather….

She remembered that voice all too well, and the words were coming back to her.

“Mon amour… you will go on to do great things, so have no fear. Stand tall, stay strong… and remember… you can do anything. You are a star.”

Those words echoed throughout her subconscious, replaying over and over again like a cracked record, until her eyes fluttered open and she sat up, chest heaving.

Waking up sweaty was never a thing Twintelle liked to do—she abhorred it actually—but she was too preoccupied with her latest dream to dwell on how her nightie clung to her like a second skin. What would happen this time…? It seemed every time she dreamt of her mother, no matter the capacity, like clockwork, a major shift rocked her world. The last time, a little more than a year ago, she woke to find herself wearing this strange black mask that seemed utterly defiant to leave her face, and with it came the surprising ability to control her hair like an extra set of arms.

Apparently, this odd phenomenon was sweeping the world, so much so that it gained its own silly little sport, aptly named the ARMS Grand Prix.

That didn’t matter to Twintelle, who initially thought that her acting career was ruined by this strange occurrence, but it didn’t take her long to add in some action films to her repertoire, many of which were major hits at the box office. Critics lauded the fighting scenes and the choreography, and the world went absolutely crazy when Twintelle’s agent revealed she did all of her own stunts.

“Twintelle is the most versatile star in the business right now,” she remembered him saying ecstatically, “she can act, she can sing, we learned real quick that she can box with the best of them—she’s not letting this change to her life slow her down at all, she’s using it to her advantage! There’s no stopping the Twintelle train!”

She sighed, flomping back down on her bed. “The Twintelle Train, eh?”

Her room was vast, filled with the luxuries that her talent had earned her throughout life, including a lengthy table that housed a generous collection of perfumes. That was one of her main loves, buying and sniffing perfumes. The cornucopia of scents always set her mind, got her in the mood to take on the day.

“And speaking of starting the day… excusez-moi, really? This early?”

She spoke to her hair, which would seem odd by itself if not for the fact that both her length pigtails were currently lifting fifty-pound dumbbells.

“Honestly, can I not even shower first, obtenir frais?” she questioned with some annoyance, but her hair continued the set.

While fitness was something she always made time for, as her body was something of a temple worthy of worship according to a majority of her fans, Twintelle didn’t fancy the slight level of cognizance her hair seemed to gain since that mask appeared. Sure, it made daily tasks easy and fun, but sometimes, like now, her pigtails liked to go overboard….

As if she weren’t sweaty enough, she could fell the strain her hair was going through, which only caused her heartbeat to climb and her breaths to come out in heated pants. She would never not find that odd, how she felt the effects of working out through her hair, but she wasn’t going to complain either because she also received the benefits.

“Fine,” she relented, bringing her knees up and wrapping her real arms around them, “but this is the last set, d’accord?”

Her hair gave an energetic bounce.

“Alright then, allons-y. Un… deux… trois….”

Moments later, Twintelle was stepping out of the shower, towel around her figure and her sopping wet hair piled into a ridiculously high pile. Even though her body was sore from a workout that she hadn’t taken part of, the wash had done her good and she stared at her reflection in the mirror after wiping the mist away.

Her hair vibrated somewhat.

“Your guess is as good as mine, cheveux magiques” she sighed despondently, hearing the question without it being verbally asked.

That was another thing: so far as she could tell, besides being the only one afflicted with the ARMS epidemic and still retaining her arms, her hair could talk. In her mind. Where only she could hear. Smartly, she told no one about that little side effect and could only assume it was due to her ARMS being her hair, which was connected to her head. And that made her wonder if others afflicted, if their arms talked to them…?

Almost as if reading her mind, which it could, her hair vibrated in a ticklish fashion.

“No one else so far, hm? So I continue to be unique.” She smirked, whipping her towel off to wrap it around her hair in a playful jostle. “And how do I know I haven't simply gone insane over the past few months? You are attached to my head after all, you could be controlling my every move!”

Stifled by the towel, her hair gave a lackluster twitch and she giggled.

“True enough, I suppose. I never was one to be controlled… although taking a sign when I see it….”

She was leaning toward the mirror now, hands on either side of the sink. Her eyes were resplendent, and her shoulders firm. The hourglass shape of her figure, the delectable shade of her skin, the way her smile caused passerby to double-take, an attitude that was both firm and decisive yet tender and caring….

Many of those traits were the reasons beyond her immense popularity, why her films were considered box office hits before they even came out, why entire city’s turned up at her autograph signings. She had a built-in platform, she had the talent and determination….

“So… why not?” she wondered softly at first, clenching the sink, and now her heart was beginning to beat very fast. “Why couldn’t I master this as well?”

By ‘this’ she meant, of course, the ARMS Grand Prix.

Silly though it was, and utterly barbaric, it was something that had been on her mind ever since waking up to find her hair in the midst of making her breakfast. To participate in any ARMS sanctioned bout, one had to naturally have a pair of ARMS, and while hers may not have been literally that, her hair would surely qualify, right? Right. So why not give it a try? Why not venture into new territory and take her chances?

She was smirking now as the thoughts in her head began to swirl towards a conclusion that would no doubt flip the movie industry on its head if she decided to do this. Currently, she was set to appear in at least four films over the span of the next couple of years, one horror, two action, and a spy flick.

All of that would have to be cancelled if she wanted to take on the ARMS circuit. The training, the promotions, the matches and showdowns… Her mind was racing, she could see it… she could see herself standing at the final leg, fighting Max Brass, holding the ARMS championship belt over her head, the roar of the crowd….

You can do anything… You are a star….

That clenched it.

Hearing those words again, all worry and doubt was expunged from her mind and she whirled around with flair, hands on her hips with a defiant snort.

“Then, it’s settled!” she declared as though there were an audience before her. “I, the silver screen queen, Twintelle, am throwing my hand – er… hair! – into the ring!”

This was it, it had to be, what her mother was alluding to in that dream, how she could be whatever she wanted, that she was a star.

A few seconds passed with her just standing there, poised and still dripping from the shower, when her hair suddenly trembled. Whenever her hair moved on its own, it gave off emotions that translated itself into expressions in Twintelle’s mind, hence ‘talking’ to her, and right now, she was getting vibes of embarrassment.

“Moi? Embarrassed? Why should I be?”

Another shiver followed the first and it was then that Twintelle felt a chill slide between her legs.

“Ah… I see.” She facepalmed herself with a sigh. “Yes, I suppose standing naked and speaking like I just overcame a dragon is a tad bit – yes, I understand, right….”

If she could have melted in the floor, she would have, right then and there, but she couldn’t so she snatched her towel of her sentient locks and covered herself again.

“Ahem… now! As I was saying… oh forget it, le moment est parti…”

It didn’t help her bruised pride when her hair began vibrating, essentially laughing at her.

“Oh, tais-toi,” she snapped, unable to keep from smiling a little.

No amount of embarrassment could keep away the butterflies in her stomach. She was about to launch herself down an entirely new direction in life, one that she had no idea what the outcome would be. She had some experience using her hair as an ARMS weapon thanks to a few action films, but enough to take on a league filled with professionals? Could she rise to be a top contender? Was this even a feat worth attempting, or was she just chasing delusions brought on by her dream around a sensitive subject?

“Hm…?”

The way her hair started to shake… it was almost inspiring, like it were trying to encourage her; she felt it's confidence, that invigoration.

“You’re right,” she agreed aloud, a fire blazing behind her cerulean pupils. “You are absolutely right. Why not? Why not moi? The ARMS League… that's the next leg of my journey. I'll do it, because I can do anything.”

And she would have felt empowered in the moment were her hair not trembling with silent laughter.

“Yeah, yeah — arms, legs, I get it, hahaha….”

[robertshugartca]

If you had a chance to step inside the closets of Who What Wear...

If you had a chance to step inside the closets of Who What Wear editors, you’d be sure to find their drawers lined with pieces from athleisure label JoyLab—a brand we proudly co-design with Target. The items not only adhere to the coolest new trends in the world of workout gear but also fall under an unbeatable $50 price point.

Curious to find out which new JoyLab items my fellow editors have been wearing to the gym or to their weekend brunch stops, I did what any reasonable person would do. I asked them! Ahead, they’re highlighting the cute workout clothing they’re living in and exactly what they love about each of the pieces. Whether you’re in the market for a cool legging set, the perfect sports bra, or a winter-ready jacket , these stylish picks will point you in the right direction for your next active outing (or, okay, relaxing day in). Go on to shop the latest athleisure staples from our editors, and shop the full collection at Target .

“Working out in the winter necessitates a cozy top layer, especially for getting to and from a workout. I love how simple this one is, and the side slit gives it an extra dash of style that my college sweatshirt doesn’t have.” “The reviews on these leggings were so solid I had to try them for myself. Even a yoga teacher weighed in: ‘I’m a yoga teacher, and these are among my favorite yoga pants, including plenty of more expensive Prana and Lululemon pairs.’” “I can’t get enough of half-zips right now, and I’m definitely adding this mixed material option to my collection.” “You can’t go wrong with this long-line fit, and the stone gray is a cool alternative to an all-black option.” “I’m very into the pop of orange on this edgy sports bra.” “I would wear this as one of my layers to the gym, but also tucked into high-waisted jeans at night.” “I always forget to buy layering pieces to wear to and from workouts. This one would fix that.” “This is the perfect thing to wear with all of my high-waisted leggings.” “I’m very into metallic coats and tops right now, so a shiny sports bra is a natural next purchase for me.” “I love that the mesh detail upgrades a basic black sports bra—it would look great peeking out from a breezy tank top.” “No doubt I’ll be living in this crazy-soft, effortless tee—perfect paired with leggings for the gym and high-waisted jeans for an easy weekend look. The side-tie detail gives it a cool-girl edge.” “The perfect sherpa jacket to keep me cozy and chic pre- and post-workout on these chilly winter days.” “I own this top in multiple colors and just added this pretty light blue into my workout wardrobe.” “I’ve already talked about how much I love this jacket but wanted to reemphasize how much of a winter essential it is. Not only is it functional for a cold trip to the gym, but it has also become one of my travel staples.”

source https://gothify1.tumblr.com/post/182076772375

[gothify1]

If you had a chance to step inside the closets of Who What Wear editors, you’d be sure to find their drawers lined with pieces from athleisure label JoyLab—a brand we proudly co-design with Target. The items not only adhere to the coolest new trends in the world of workout gear but also fall under an unbeatable $50 price point. Curious to find out which new JoyLab items my fellow editors have been wearing to the gym or to their weekend brunch stops, I did what any reasonable person would do. I asked them! Ahead, they’re highlighting the cute workout clothing they’re living in and exactly what they love about each of the pieces. Whether you’re in the market for a cool legging set, the perfect sports bra, or a winter-ready jacket , these stylish picks will point you in the right direction for your next active outing (or, okay, relaxing day in). Go on to shop the latest athleisure staples from our editors, and shop the full collection at Target . "Working out in the winter necessitates a cozy top layer, especially for getting to and from a workout. I love how simple this one is, and the side slit gives it an extra dash of style that my college sweatshirt doesn't have." "The reviews on these leggings were so solid I had to try them for myself. Even a yoga teacher weighed in: 'I'm a yoga teacher, and these are among my favorite yoga pants, including plenty of more expensive Prana and Lululemon pairs.'" "I can't get enough of half-zips right now, and I'm definitely adding this mixed material option to my collection." "You can't go wrong with this long-line fit, and the stone gray is a cool alternative to an all-black option." "I'm very into the pop of orange on this edgy sports bra." "I would wear this as one of my layers to the gym, but also tucked into high-waisted jeans at night." "I always forget to buy layering pieces to wear to and from workouts. This one would fix that." "This is the perfect thing to wear with all of my high-waisted leggings." "I'm very into metallic coats and tops right now, so a shiny sports bra is a natural next purchase for me." "I love that the mesh detail upgrades a basic black sports bra—it would look great peeking out from a breezy tank top." "No doubt I'll be living in this crazy-soft, effortless tee—perfect paired with leggings for the gym and high-waisted jeans for an easy weekend look. The side-tie detail gives it a cool-girl edge." "The perfect sherpa jacket to keep me cozy and chic pre- and post-workout on these chilly winter days." "I own this top in multiple colors and just added this pretty light blue into my workout wardrobe." "I've already talked about how much I love this jacket but wanted to reemphasize how much of a winter essential it is. Not only is it functional for a cold trip to the gym, but it has also become one of my travel staples."

[ladystylestores]

12 Designers Giving Decluttering Tips – WWD

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With the confinement still on in many countries and recreational activities spanning from do-it-yourself tutorials, Zoom video calls and digital book clubs to online workouts — expansively documented on social media during the lockdown — there’s one entry many may still have to tackle: Reorganizing their wardrobes.

The moment to face one’s best — and worst — fashion choices of the recent past might have been postponed, but as the fashion industry is stepping into new territories and sustainability is set to dictate future shopping behavior, there’s no better time to get rid of the old and embrace changes.

The KonMari method — assembled by acclaimed Japanese organizer and author Marie Kondo — and its minimalist approach may be a bit drastic for fashion enthusiasts dealing with too many items “sparking joy” during their decluttering process. So, here, WWD asks creatives in Milan, Paris and London to share their tips on what to keep, what to give away and how to keep things organized — or at least try to.

Lorenzo Serafini, creative director of Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini

What to keep: An old denim shirt. It has no seasons but it’s really timeless.

What to give away: The tracksuits or the sweatshirts we wore to stay at home during the lockdown. We need new energy!

What to reinvent and how: Check if some long pants can become a pair of shorts.

Trick to keep your wardrobe organized: I’m not very good at this, I keep spring and fall clothes together!

  Margherita Maccapani Missoni, creative director of M Missoni

What to keep: What inspires me, like a vintage Vivienne Westwood piece, with timeless proportions, which I keep because one day it could take me to new aesthetics.

What to give away: I gift what I feel doesn’t belong to me anymore, clothes I bought when trending or in fashion and thought could be part of my style but now I don’t feel quite myself wearing them.

What to reinvent and how: All the things I didn’t use that much, including a small cardigan I wore over eveningwear but that now I wear over bare skin during the day.

Trick to keep your wardrobe organized: Every time I rearrange my closet I do it according to a different theme — color, category, etc. — so that different pieces stand out each time.

Margherita Missoni’s closet.  Valentina Sommariva/Courtesy Photo

  Giuliano Calza, founder of GCDS

What to keep: I had to proceed as if I were setting up an archive, so I kept the pieces that in 10 years could still be valuable or items linked to important memories. I have a T-shirt of “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” which I used to wear as a dress when I was a child, and now it’s a very skinny shirt but its value increased tenfold.

What to give away: Fast fashion. I had no mercy because my brain kept telling me that my seven closets were already over capacity.

What to reinvent and how: I had different creative moments. I took two XL shirts with different patterns and resewed the two halves, and now it’s one of my favorite shirts. Or with a sewing machine, denim can be padded with tinfoil and turned into oven mitts or place mats.

Trick to keep your wardrobe organized: I have divided my walk-in closet according to colors. That way I can certainly find an item that’s out of place or find similar ones, of the same color. Another secret that has changed my life is to keep on a separate rack all the pieces that are linked to a good memory or give me a good energy. A sort of “VIP rack,” so I can pick one item that makes me happy from there and then match the rest with pieces from the other closets.

  Vivetta Ponti, founder of Vivetta

What to keep: I have a small closet divided into Vivetta clothes and vintage pieces. For this spring, I kept Victorian-style items, such as an oversize man’s shirt I use as a dress; some white clothes from the Sixties, one in white lace and one in brocade with 3-D floral appliqués on the sleeves, and a robe with red marabou details, which I wear as a dress with red lace socks.

What to give away: In general, I don’t give away a lot, I always try to do targeted purchases buying high-quality and timeless pieces.

What to reinvent and how: I take the pieces I don’t think to wear in the current season to Assisi, Italy, where I have an archive for research. Every new season, I always find some item I didn’t wear for a couple of seasons and it’s fun to come up with different occasions to use them, new ideas and ways to match them to create new looks.

Trick to keep your wardrobe organized: I try to keep everything on hangers, considering I mostly have dresses.

Vivetta Ponti’s closet.  Courtesy Photo

  J.J. Martin, founder of La Double J

What to keep: I keep all of the Double J [pieces], so my closet looks like a thumping rainbow. And I keep all of my most precious vintage and designer clothes that had a memory attached to them.

What to give away: I recently moved apartments and before doing so I went through a mountain of clothes and accessories that I had collected over the last 20 years of working in fashion. I was astounded by the quantity and could not wait to clear it away. I am waiting until the virus lifts to hold a sale for all of these items at super-cheap prices so that young girls in Milan can have easy access to high-end fashion. I swept away every single item I hadn’t worn in the last year — there were many!

What to reinvent and how: I am reinventing myself as someone who really doesn’t consume anymore. For the last five years I’ve barely bought any fashion in fact. When you are designing and creating, you don’t really need that input from any other source.

Trick to keep your wardrobe organized: I organize my closets by season, by category of item and then by color. I’m a maniac about it. A well-ordered house is reflective of a well-ordered mind.

J.J. Martin’s closet.  Courtesy Photo

  Giuseppe Zanotti

What to keep: I can’t part from my beloved Lanvin jackets and V-neck cashmere sweaters. My advice is to keep everything you have been wearing in the past year, remove all the unnecessary (I often gift what I don’t wear anymore) and move everything else to the “archive” closet. Editing is so important to reset your mind and to let go of some old memories and make room for new ones.

What to give away: Everything useless. No matter how good we think we are, we inevitably make mistakes from time to time and buy things that we never wear. To me, this mostly happens when I travel.

What to reinvent and how: Timeless pieces can be easily matched in new ways.

Trick to keep your wardrobe organized: I organize everything by color, all the black jackets, all the blue, and so on. But I am aware this might be easier for a person like me who mostly wears the same few colors.

Giuseppe Zanotti’s closet.  Courtesy Photo

  Amina Muaddi

What to keep: What has sentimental value.

What to give away: What you never wear.

What to reinvent and how: Vintage pieces that you can transform.

Trick to keep your wardrobe organized: Organic by category first and second by color.

Amina Muaddi’s shoe closet.  Courtesy Photo

  Lutz Huelle

What to keep: I have an extreme relationship with clothes in that, most of the time, I will find a reason to keep something even if that reason is a particularly beautiful moth-eaten hole in a sweater. So I really have to be strict with myself. I also find it very counterproductive to actually hold on to things, so imagine my dilemma! My rule is to keep as little as possible in my closet and make sure that whatever I haven’t worn in the last 12 months goes out. I do keep things that I don’t wear anymore as an “archive” piece if interesting enough, or worth keeping for a detail that could be interesting for work, in which case they go to the office into my “Vintage Research.”

What to give away: Basically anything you haven’t worn for the last 12 months.

What to reinvent and how: The best and most useful things to reinvent are those that we wear constantly anyway. I started cutting into my bomber jacket because I kept wearing it and wanted to have another version, something less strict and that would make it look fresh again. The best way to reinvent something is to put it on and look at what we don’t like about it anymore. Perhaps it’s the length or color or a collar-detail. There are so many ways to change a garment, even without sewing or using any complicated techniques: cutting the sleeves or length, over-dyeing, and there’s something therapeutic about cutting into a garment and seeing what happens. Cutting into an old T-shirt and making a sexy top for people to copy on Instagram was by far the most joy I had during the last two months.

Trick to keeping your wardrobe organized: I only put coats and tailored pieces onto hangers, everything else is in boxes, which makes it much easier for me to find things. It also takes up far less space, and is very satisfying to look at.

  Christian Wijnants

What to keep: Everything! I hate to throw away clothes and usually only do so if they are falling apart. Some of the pieces in my wardrobe are more than 25 years old; I feel an emotional connection to them as they are full of memories. I will never give those pieces away, such as early Raf Simons pieces I bought when I was a student, pieces I received when I was working for Dries Van Noten, a hand-knitted sweater made by my mother when I was a teenager. I prefer to buy less by buying timeless pieces that I know I will cherish for a long time; this is what helps me avoid a cluttered closet. The latest piece I bought is a pink sweatshirt from Hed Mayner and pants from Jan Jan Van Essche.

What to give away: The main reason I will end up giving something away is when they get much too small, which works as I have two nephews I normally give the pieces to.

What to reinvent and how: I usually wear the same things, so I can forget about pieces if they are in a hidden part of my closet. It is a great feeling when you rediscover your own closet by cleaning up and finding those pieces, some of which you might never have worn before. It happens to me quite often.

Trick to keeping your wardrobe organized: I have the luxury of having a large closet with lots of space, which allows me to sort my clothes by color and by outfits. It usually helps me to organize the clothes in groups like I would style them, it helps me get dressed quicker in the morning.

Christian Wijnants’ closet.  Courtesy Photo

  Anine Bing

What to keep: I think it is so important to have all of the essentials covered in your wardrobe, for me this would be a classic white T-shirt, great pair of denim jeans and a blazer. I’ve been living in cozy knit tops while working from home. I still take the time and get dressed every morning — it keeps me motivated and allows me to maintain some sense of normalcy. My current favorite is our new Empowerment sweatshirt, the bold graphic reminds me to stay positive and that we will come out of this experience stronger than before.

What to give away: If you have not worn something for six months, I think it is time to say goodbye. The key is to only keep the things you love and wear and get rid of the clutter. This helps me to simplify the process of getting dressed every day. Whenever I clean out my closet, I always like to donate those pieces to a local charity.

What to reinvent and how: A perfect white T-shirt is great for any occasion. I like to pair a crisp white T-shirt with denim for a more casual look and with a pair of leather trousers for an effortless yet elevated style. They’re great under blazers, too, for a more polished look — so versatile and should be a must-have in everyone’s wardrobe.

Trick to keep your wardrobe organized: I recently moved into a new home so I have been doing a lot of organizing. I color-coordinated my entire closet and made sections for jackets, denim, shoes, handbags. Having an organized and up-to-date wardrobe helps to takes the stress out of getting dressed in the morning.

Anine Bing’s closet.  Anna Maria Zunino Noellert/Courtesy Photo

  Henrietta Rix, cofounder of Rixo

What to keep: Something that you genuinely love, re-wear and can rely on no matter the situation. I wore my Zadie and Donna midi dresses regularly day-to-day pre-lockdown and still do now. I have found that my style hasn’t changed much, as I’ve always dressed for me and focused on what I like rather than trends, whether in lockdown or not. Rixo dresses and separates are honestly as comfortable as pj’s, so I’m lucky I have something unique, yet easy-to-wear and flattering. The thing that’s changed now is the footwear I pair with. Wearing Rixo around the house with cozy socks has become my thing while working from home.

What to give away: Most of my wardrobe is either vintage, charity shop finds or Rixo. I’m quite conscious when buying, so usually I have pieces for a long time and will re-wear a lot because I actually really loved and invested in them right from the beginning. However, sometimes you do feel you can outgrow certain pieces, so I’ve passed some on to my mum, who has the best style (we share everything), or even Orlagh [McCloskey, cofounder of Rixo]. It’s nice to see how people wear and style them in different ways. Then really special purchases I’m saving to one side to pass down to my little nieces for when they grow up and are able to wear.

What to reinvent and how: Old prints you haven’t worn in ages, especially as we are coming into summer. I love pulling out old Rixo prints and mixing them with a vintage element. I’ve pulled out one of our earlier Georgia skirts and I’m wearing it with a tie-dye T that I made in lockdown.

Trick to keep your wardrobe organized: Organizing by type of clothing is a must — from midi skirts to vintage shirts, midi dresses to T-shirts and so on. And also color organized. If I need to quickly throw something on, I know exactly where it is. I’m lucky I have a few prints in some of the same classic shapes I love, so my wardrobe is pretty much organized by Rixo style names at this point.

  Merve Manastir, creative director of Manu Atelier 

What to keep: A pair of blue jeans.

What to give away: Any item which has been bought in a moment of seduction but actually does not reflect you and make you move around in comfort.

What to reinvent and how: Turning old denim pants into new denim shorts, which is one of the best never-go-out-of-style fashion item. And the great thing about cutoffs is you do not have to spend a dime to get a pair. Basically, first you need to make sure that the baggy jeans will become baggy shorts and tight ones will become tight. After you choose the type of shorts you want to get, pre-shrink the jeans and decide what length you want them to be. So put your jeans on, use chalk or a safety pin to mark where you plan to cut them off and align a ruler with the cut-off mark that you made. Now you can cut the shorts.

Trick to keep your wardrobe organized: Using hanger stands in my walk-in closet. They especially make it really easy for me to see clearly what I have in my wardrobe; the coats, jackets, pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, basically everything. Besides, you can style them and create a look on the stand without putting everything on and trying them out.

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Real Women Approved: 30 Tried and Tested Fall Recipes You’ll Love

Velvet leggings: Spanx–one of my favorite pairs of pants in the winter! I never take them off! They run true to size–such a fun alternative to regular leggings, and so warm! Turtleneck: J.Crew’s tissue turtleneck…duh..when am I not wearing one? I own one in every color (and pattern!) They run true to size! (I always get asked what size I wear–the one I’m wearing here is size small, but I also have them in XS…it just depends on how you want them to fit!) Cardigan: this one is old from last year, but similar here, here and here! 

What are you cooking this fall?

Happy Friday, guys!

I can’t believe it’s already been a YEAR since I originally published this post! With so many amazing recipes, I decided I had to refresh it for 2018 again! So–that means, even MORE recipes to make this year!

I asked for your submissions on Instagram and got sooo many incredible recommendations! I tried my best to include as many as I could! This post (originally published last fall) was actually my second installment of my “Real Women Approved” series (where I round up YOUR recommendations on varying topics) and it was really fun to see how many more posts we’ve published since then! (Find them all right here!) These are some of my favorite posts to create because I think the best ideas come from you guys, and I have so much fun collaborating all together!

A change in seasons always re-ignites my excitement to get back into the kitchen (I’m always partial to warm winter recipes! I think everything tastes better roasted, braised, or cooked in a dutch oven!) I’m always on the hunt for new recipe ideas (aren’t we all?) so I figured this would be an awesome topic for my next reader favorites roundup!

I might be a little biased, but I think you guys have the best recommendations around! 😉(Like your book recco’s for example? LIGHTS OUT! Or your most praised all-purpose totes for work and travel? AMAZING.)

Personally, one of my favorite things to make in the fall and winter is lentil soup–it’s so simple, rustic, and delicious.

The best part about lentil soup is that you can really go any way you’d like with it–I always start with this classic base recipe and then riff off of it based on what I’m feelin’ that day. (I love to finish it with a squeeze of lemon and freshly grated parmesan cheese!) Lentils are so good for you, so I love this soup when I want a detox but want something heartier than a salad. Despite the fact that it doesn’t have meat in it, it’s one of Neal’s favorite soups! (Sometimes I add kale as well!)

If you’re feeling a little indulgent, add bacon when you’re sautéing the veggies, and a bit of wine while the soup is cooking. You could also give it an Eastern twist adding spices like tumeric or curry powder, and a splash of coconut milk. It’s so easy to make your own and is perfect for a cozy night in!

Now, even more fun–below are LOT’s more fall recipes recommended by my favorite gals–you guys! Get ready for pumpkin and butternut EVERYTHANG. (And make sure to follow along on Insta stories so you can weigh in on our next reader roundup topic! I always love to hear all your opinions!)

Fall Recipes

TJ’s Cauliflower Gnocchi Hack:

Melissa says, “I’m obsessed with this TJ’s Cauliflower gnocchi hack from Kai and the Kitchen! It’s a bag of frozen gnocchi, rotisserie chicken, mushrooms (I buy them pre-sliced, obvi), butter and sage. Best weeknight hack that is good enough for the weekend!” 

Fall Chicken Skillet

Jean says, “You have to try the Fall Chicken skillet from Well Plated! SO good with apples, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts yummm!” 

Veggie Fall Casserole

Reader Molly loves this broccoli cauliflower brown rice casserole for fall! She says,“it’s great for when you need to use up extra veggies or want something meatless!

“Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good!”

Suddin says, “We make ‘pumpkin stuffed with everything good‘ every fall. It’s bread, cheeses, herbs, etc stuffed into a pumpkin and baked. I look forward to it every year. I usually grab a small pumpkin from Trader Joe’s and it’s the perfect size for two!” 

Roasted Tomato Soup with Everything Grilled Cheese

Tina, who also has a great food blog, Shredded Sprout–says soup is her fall go-to, especially roasted tomato soup with everything grilled cheese. YUM!

Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma

R says, “Just made this oven roasted chicken shawarma last night and it was super simple, but so easy and so tasty! The notes at the bottom give good tips on what to include so I added bell pepper along with the chicken as well as homemade pita and rice pilaf! 

Autumn Glow Salad

Kimberlyn says, “This is a delish salad perfect for fall. It has sweet potatoes and apples (AKA the Fall faves!) and keeps well for 3-4 days in the fridge so it’s perfect for meal prep. I usually make one big batch on Sunday and eat all week!”

Chipotle Pumpkin Soup with Chorizo

Laura is hooked on Halfbaked Harvest’s has chipotle pumpkin soup with chorizo! She says, “It has all the warming fall flavors you need and you can use soy-rizo/cut back on the cheese to make it healthier! I am obsessed with it 🔥”

30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen

Carly says, “I made 30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken from @halfbakedharvest via Cooking w/ Liz (@lizadams) last week and it was delicious! Plus, it was also quick, easy, and such a cozy meal.” Side note, if you don’t follow Liz, you definitely need to! I know you will love her–she does an Instagram live series called “Cooking with Liz” and it’s always so much fun!

Creamy Squash Rigatoni

Hannah says, “This pasta recipe has been my go-to fall recipe for YEARS! It’s basically like an inside out butternut squash ravioli! I’ve started using canned pumpkin (not the pie filling–the plain, unsweetened kind) instead of roasting the squash when I don’t have time!” 

Chicken Chorizo Chili

Karen describes this yummy Chili as “Spicy, easy, and a different take on chili. Such a cozy dish for a cold weeknight. And anything topped with cheese and sour cream is a MAJ victory IMO.” 

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Cat says, “Okay, so this recipe takes some work, but I kid you not, everyone in my family is now OBSESSED with this pie an dI HAVE to make it every Thanksgiving! All of Sally’s recipes are so great because they give you small tips that you wouldn’t otherwise realize so just be sure to read the entire thing before baking!” 

Spiced Pork Tenderloin

Kathleen says, “For the past couple years when the weather gets juuust crips enough, my husband and I have a lightbulb moment: ‘IS IT SPICED PORK TIME?!’ We use this recipe just as a guide and basically dump tons of the spices onto the tenderloins for maximum fall flavor. It’s very quick easy, and low cal for a busy weekenight, and it’s absolutely delicious!” 

The Best Creamy Chicken Soup:

Helen says, “For this recipe, I use leftover rotisserie chicken and substitute half and half for heavy cream but it smells amazing (thank you, celery!) and it freezes wonderfully so you can eat it later in the season. My boyfriend and I love to eat it with crusty bread or homemade grilled cheese!” 

Panko Crusted Chicken Thighs:

Emma says,  “Right now, my favorite is this Bon Appetit Panko Crusted Chicken with carrots. It’s UNREAL. So fast, so easy, so cozy on a cold night. It’s comfort food for me, plain and simple. And pretty inexpensive. Usually I use chicken breast instead since that’s my go-to. Whatever floats your boat!” 

One Pan Autumn Chicken Dinner

Bethany says, “I love the One Pan Autumn Chicken Dinner by @cookingclassy ! It’s easy, makes the whole house smell amazing, and goes perfectly with a glass of 🍷!” 

Instant Pot Short Ribs

Clementine loves Tyler Florence’s ultimate short ribs with parsnip purée. “Omg so good “ she says, and shared her time-saving hack: “I did it in the InstantPot in under an hour last week if you aren’t into using a Dutch oven!” 

Thai Butternut Soup

Charmain says, “this is my favorite go-to recipe for those comfort food days and it’s really so simple to make. Everyone I’ve made it for always raves about how tasty it is and then is shocked at just swapping out milk for coconu tmilk and adding a few unexpected spices turns ordinary butternut soup into something amazing!” You can see the recipe posted on her instagram right here! (Plus, her feed is so pretty, too!)

Crock Pot Zucchini Lasagna

Do you follow my friend Lauren from Lakeshore Lady? She shares TONS of amazing recipes–but her crock pot zucchini lasagna is one of her go’to’s for Fall! “Super cozy, and once everything goes into the crock pot, you can forget about it until it’s time to eat! Stress free!”

Quick Apple Turnovers

Whitney says, “These apple turnovers are SO simple and made with ingredients that most people have on hand during the holidays. They taste best when hot from the oven and served with vanilla ice cream!” 

Winter Vegetable Chowder

Katie loves Rachael Ray’s Winter Veggie Chowder–she says, “I made it in a Crock-Pot on high for four hours. It’s easy but there’s a lot of chopping–just throw veggies in the crock and heavily salt. HEAVILY. )You think it’s too much but it’s not–because it will draw the liquid from the veggies, which is where your borth comes from!) I just let the veggies sweat it out in there, and then add the remaining ingredients!” 

Skinnytaste Pumpkin Chili

Lee recommends this pumpkin veggie chili from Skinnytaste–“My husband who is a total meat-a-tarian (you know what I mean?) even says this is his favorite chili. Seasonal, delicious, lower guilt, even more delicious as leftovers with some shredded cheese and tortilla chips.”

Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Smoothie

Do you guys follow Morgan on Instagram? She’s a Chicago fitness and health blogger and she’s my go-to for EVERYTHING healthy and workout related! I might be her most annoying follower with how many questions I ask her on a weekly basis. Example: she actually didn’t SUBMIT this Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Smoothie recipe for this post roundup, I saw her post it on Instastories and pestered her for the link so I could include it 😂 I’m really lazy so let’s be honest I probably won’t ever have Medjooll dates or multiple kinds of nut butter on-hand so my version will likely never be quite as healthy or as delicious as Morgan’s, but hey, include what you have and I’m pretty sure it will be fantastic.

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Muffins

Haley says, “I LOVE pumpkin muffins, we use the yellow Trader Joe’s pumpkin dry mix and add in chocolate chips. Voila! Muffins!” 

Winter Corn and Squash Veggie Chili

“This is my favorite plant based chili,” Allison says! “It’s healthy (from my favorite magazine, Cooking Light) easy (either slow cooker or on the stove), flexible (you can throw in whatever you have around.) I always add in some cinnamon, because I don’t think you can have chili without it! It’s also freezable (because making soup for one person is difficult!) I swear by the recipe and make it several times each fall. It pairs amazingly with homemade corn bread!” 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cinnamon, Butternut Squash, Cranberries and Pecans

Jessie calls this roasted brussels sprouts recipe “the most delicious fall dish EVER!” If you’re in charge of bringing a side dish for Thanksgiving, I think this one would be such a great one to try out! Different than every other Brussels sprout recipe I’ve ever seen, but still with traditional fall flavors. Yum!

“Too easy” Pumpkin Waffles

Nina shared the most genius hack EVER. “My newest fall thing is pumpkin waffles. I make them the easy way. I follow the directions on a regular box of waffle mix and then add in pumpkin puree! It’s so easy it feels like cheating!” HAHA I like Nina’s style!!

Spiced Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Lindsey raves about this recipe for pumpkin spiced coffee cake (UM. YUMMM?) because it’s 1. Idiot Proof. and 2. Uses a boxed cake mix, but tastes completely homemade! Sign me up!

She says “I took it to a weekly group meeting and received so many compliments! Also, I live on a TINY island in Washington state and none of our grocery stores had the pumpkin spice pudding mix, so I used regular vanilla pudding and added a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice! Delish!” 

Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup

Carley says, “this soup is so flavorful and delicious! It’s my husband’s favorite dish and I took it to Thanksgiving last year and it was a hit! If you enjoy this, her blog has a ton of great recipes as well!” (Jess’ note: I agree–Damn Delicious is one of my favorite food blogs!)

Pumpkin Alfredo

Rachel recommends Pinch of Yum’s Pumpkin Alfredo! “It’s definitely indulgent (not healthy at all) but it is so so yummy. It’s rich with lot’s of flavor. Also, surprisingly, it only has 5 ingredients and is ready in 20 minutes! It’s the perfect weeknight meal when you’re craving pasta!)” 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Laura’s go-to recipe for fall is this one for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! “They are super easy and always fly off the plate,” she says. “My friends and family love them!” 

Pumpkin Maple Pecan Granola

Kaylee says “this pumpkin maple pecan granola tastes like fall and is super easy to make! I love eating it on Greek yogurt with a little bit of honey or even just a snack on its own! It’s delightful!” 

  Bon Appetit! What have you been cooking lately? I would love to hear your reccos! Tell me about your favorite Fall recipes below (links are even better!)

Shop my outfit: 

Source: https://thegoldengirlblog.com/what-are-you-cooking-this-fall-13-reader-approved-fall-recipes-to-try-this-season/

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Postpartum Q&A: Part Two

My second postpartum Q&A post is coming at you today!

If you’re just catching up, you may find my previous postpartum blog posts here:

The Great Big Postpartum Post 

Postpartum Q&A: Part One

As I mentioned before, I decided to break my Q&A post up into two separate posts to address all of the questions I received in a way that didn’t feel too overwhelming. Today I am addressing all of your questions related to breastfeeding and the two-kid transition. You may find answers to questions about my physical and emotional recovery, postpartum body thoughts, how I feel about having two boys and Ryder in my previous Q&A post.

Breastfeeding

How do you handle nursing hunger? I’m starving all the time!

Oh man, I feel you on this one!! I am so, so ravenous when I’m nursing. Thankfully my hunger has settled a little bit now that we’re three months into our breastfeeding journey but it’s still definitely elevated. In the beginning I truly felt like I could not eat enough and was a snacking machine. I still need to snack all the time and can almost feel like Ryder is physically draining my energy if I’m nursing and haven’t eaten in a while. Is that crazy!? I don’t know but I need to eat a lot and I need to eat often!

When it comes to satisfying my nursing hunger, I’ve found some of the more satiating snacks to be smoothies/smoothie bowls (I make them daily), chia seed pudding, nut butter (either on a spoon or on top of fruit, a muffin, toast, etc.), energy bites, a small wrap with leftover chicken or salmon, veggies, mayo and mustard, Greek yogurt with nuts and berries… Pretty much anything that includes a healthy combination of protein, fats, carbs and fiber.

Is this what my snacks look like all the time? Absolutely not, as convenience wins out sometimes and I grab whatever food is on hand in the pantry or fridge that is fast and appealing. However, when I take a moment to assemble a more well-rounded snack, it is waaay more satisfying and usually worth the little bit of extra effort. I actually want to do a post about some of my healthy prep-ahead nursing snacks that I’ll make in the beginning of the week to snack on, so stay tuned for that one!

Do you pump? Will you be bottle feeding?

I actually just started pumping and freezing breastmilk for the first time last week. Since I will be home with Ryder all day, I will probably do what I did with Chase which is mostly nurse but I do want to try to give Ryder bottles here and there so he’s comfortable with them should I want/need to be away from him for more than an hour or two.

Do you have the excess lipase issue with your breastmilk this time?

I’m not sure since we haven’t given Ryder a bottle since his time in the NICU but I really, really hope not!

For those in the dark about the excess lipase enzyme issue, according to KellyMom (<—a great breastfeeding resource for any new moms out there!), breastfeeding women who notice that their breastmilk turns bad quickly may have an excess of the enzyme lipase in their milk, which begins to break down the milk fat soon after the milk is expressed. Most babies do not mind a mild change in taste, and the milk is not harmful, but the stronger the taste the more likely a baby will reject it.

I had NO idea this was my issue with Chase rejecting bottled breastmilk and wanted to highlight this here again for any moms out there who might be scratching their heads and feeling frustrated when their breastmilk seems to turn bad so quickly.

Do you have a nursing bra you’d recommend? 

YES! Without a doubt my favorite nursing bra is the Bravado! seamless nursing bra. It’s incredibly soft and comfortable and doesn’t make your boobs look weird through clothing. All the important stuff!

For sleep or just to wear under casual clothing, I also really love the Bravado! ballet sleep bra. It’s a pull-on style bra that doesn’t dig into my sides at all. It’s a great go-to nursing bra to have in a few colors.

What workout clothes do you wear that are easy for breastfeeding? 

For some reason I haven’t really adopted a breastfeeding-friendly workout wardrobe. In addition to not wanting to buy tops I won’t wear for all that long, to be honest I find a lot of the nursing-friendly tops and bras just plain ugly. I’m mostly wearing my normal workout gear but I also don’t really mind simply lifting up my shirt, rolling up a sports bra over one breast and nursing Ryder that way. (This might be a little more feasible for me since I have a rather small chest… not sure!)

I do much prefer high-waisted leggings though since they keep my stomach covered during on-the-fly nursing sessions. My current favorites are the lululemon Align Pant (the same ones that were my pregnancy obsession — I bought four pairs!), Zella Live In High Waist Leggings and Fabletics High-Waisted Powerhold 7/8 Leggings.

As far as sports bras are concerned, I made the mistake of wearing a sports bra with no lining to boot camp last week and it was not the best idea. I dropped Chase off at preschool and then nursed Ryder in the car before boot camp and didn’t realize that the breast Ryder wasn’t nursing from apparently felt left out and decided to leak as he fed. Let’s just say I walked into boot camp with a wet milk mark in a rather embarrassing spot that day. Yeesh! Thankfully the Burn Boot Camp crew is a supportive and encouraging one and my friends just laughed it off with me but it’s not a mistake I plan to make again. I’ll be sticking to lined sports bras and am currently loving the Reebok CrossFit sports bras I’ve had for years, Montiel Teardrop sports bras, lululemon Free to Be bra and the super-soft bras from Balance Collection that I find at TJMaxx or Marshalls.

I’m wondering how you juggle getting out of the house with nursing? Do you nurse in public a lot? 

Right now I try to be as flexible with my schedule as possible to accommodate nursing. I try my best to time leaving the house right after a good nursing session so Ryder is full and happy. Of course this is not always feasible and I’ve done a lot of nursing in my (parked) car. I keep a Boppy breastfeeding pillow in my car which helps a lot with both Ryder’s comfort and my own during on-the-fly nursing sessions.

I’ve also become fairly comfortable nursing in public and just look for more secluded areas to nurse since added stimulation around Ryder leads to distracted nursing. (He’ll come on and off my breast and I’ll end up spraying milk everywhere which is not the most fun.) I also always have a muslin blanket with me to drape over us if I’m in a really public place but many times I just forget a cover and do my best to be as discreet as possible. Ryder, like his big brother, doesn’t seem to like to be covered when nursing and I’ve pretty much adopted the attitude that if someone has a problem with me nursing in public, that’s their problem and not mine.

(Nursing in the airport last month.)

I feel like for the most part Ryder’s head covers the important areas when he’s nursing anyway so I’ve become a lot more relaxed about nursing in public.

What are your favorite postpartum clothing items? Loose clothing? Compression? Any other nursing-friendly tops you love? 

I am all about casual, flowy tops and elastic waistbands right now! Like I mentioned above, I am opting for a lot of tops I can roll up if I want to nurse on the go and love comfy v-neck t-shirts in a size or two up from my pre-pregnancy size. I am living in Victoria’s Secret Perfect V-Neck Tees (size large which worked both during pregnancy and postpartum) and LAmade V-Pocket Tee which I love for the added length.

If I know I’m going to be nursing in public a lot, I will often wear a nursing tank underneath whatever top I’m wearing. My absolute favorite nursing tanks are the Gilligan & O’Malley camis you guys recommended to me after Chase was born. I’m wearing the same ones I wore after my first pregnancy and they’ve held up well.

As far as dresses, I LOVE my Gap Maternity Nursing T-shirt Dress. It’s comfortable and makes nursing in public much easier. I can dress it up with wedges or down with sneakers and a denim jacket and have worn it everywhere!

For nursing-friendly pajamas you cannot beat Nordstrom’s Moonlight Pajamas. I wore them in the hospital after delivery and have been living in them! I own both the pants and shorts versions and even gave a pair to my sister at her baby shower, too. They’re the best!

How do you explain nursing to Chase? What do you do when you need to feed Ryder but Chase needs attention? 

Chase is incredibly curious and interested in just about everything in the world and nursing is no different! I’ve tried my best to explain nursing to him in a way he can understand and he seems to get it. When it came time to talk to him about nursing, I took a similar approach to the one I used to explaining potty training and his questions about private parts. I try my best to be as accurate and open as possible and use proper names for everything. Even though Chase says milk comes out of Mom’s “nibbles,” I think he gets it and he will often tell me that Ryder “needs some milk” when he gets fussy. I let him watch and sit next to me if he wants to but usually he gets bored and wanders off to play with his toys.

(I snapped that picture when Chase told me Elmo needed milk “from his nibbles” when Ryder was 10 days old. Ha!)

When Chase is in a mood or extra fussy and Ryder needs to nurse, I try really hard to speak to him calmly and explain that we can do x, y, z once Ryder is done eating. I’ll also often provide some ideas for things he can do while I’m nursing (play with trains, draw a picture and Mom will guess what it is, pick out a book for Mom to read to you, etc.). While I initially worried that emphasizing Ryder’s needs over Chase’s would lead to jealousy, I’ve let that go during nursing sessions because I think it’s honestly a good thing for Chase to learn from a young age that sometimes we need to be patient and wait to get whatever it is we want when someone else needs attention.

The Two-Kid Transition 

How do you handle nap time with both boys? How do you get Chase or Ryder down when the other child is awake and noisy? 

My answer to this question is admittedly kind of crazy and I have no idea why or how I started to handle nap time this way but it’s all about embracing whatever works, right!?  We are ALL about a pre-nap time “picnic” over here these days. When Ryder is awake and playful during the time I need to begin to settle Chase down for his nap, the three of us head into Chase’s room with a snack for a “floor picnic” and some stories. Ryder will happily kick and look around the room while Chase eats a snack and I read some books. When I can tell Ryder is getting fussy, I wrap up story time and then tuck Chase into his bed and head out. This shockingly works REALLY well for us and we do pre-nap picnics ALL the time.

As far as how I handle naps for one of the boys when the other one is awake, needy and noisy, I try to be flexible on timing. If Ryder is crying and needs attention, Chase’s nap will get pushed back until Ryder is soothed. Ryder is thankfully still at the age where he can sleep in a rather noisy environment, so he naps in his Rock ‘n’ Play in our family room while Chase plays and it usually works out well. While this doesn’t happen every day, this strategy has actually helped get both of the boys napping around a similar time in the afternoon since Ryder is often awake for longer spurts when Chase is up and noisy and then he sleeps for longer stretches when Chase is asleep and things are calmer around him.

How do you handle bedtime with two kids when your husband isn’t home and your baby is cranky?

Sometimes bed time can feel like one battle after the next, especially on the nights when Ryan is working late or traveling. I’ve tackled bed time alone many times at this point and more often than not I feel like I’m making things up on the fly.

When bed time rolls around, I just try to be calm and firm but also flexible. It is much harder for me to soothe Ryder, nurse him, swaddle him and get him down for the night when Chase is still awake so I typically don’t even try. I try to take advantage of the time when Ryder is awake and happy to begin settling Chase. Only after I have Chase in bed does it feel possible to nurse and swaddle Ryder and get him down for the night. (Note: This is very different from the way I handle Ryder’s daytime naps which feel much more laid back and the daytime nap soothing often takes place with Chase around. Ryder sleeps in a bassinet in our room at night with a noise machine and I want nighttime sleep to feel different than daytime naps to hopefully cultivate deeper and longer stretches of sleep. Ryder also typically needs a very calm, stimulation-free environment to go to sleep at night which isn’t possible when Chase is awake.)

One HUGE thing I’ve learned about bed time with two kids is to start the process WAY early. We typically stay home in the afternoon and begin the winding down process immediately after dinner. If I want Chase in bed with the door to his room closed by 7:30 p.m., I try my best to make my way upstairs with the boys by 6:30 p.m. This gives us time ease into bed time which Chase responds to better than a rushed “we need to get to bed NOW” strategy.

What was Chase’s reaction when he found out you had a boy? 

I like to joke and say it was a non-event to Chase. It was almost like a “duh” moment for him because he really and truly never believed we’d be having a girl. Anytime someone would ask him about the baby in my belly, he’d confidently tell them it was a boy named Thomas the Train and get almost defiant if they ever said it might be a girl. When Ryder arrived, I think Chase simply got the baby brother he expected!

How has Chase handled the adjustment/shift in attention? 

You may read all about how Chase has handled becoming a big brother in the first few weeks of Ryder’s life in this post: Chase’s Three Year Update. To elaborate a bit more, Chase is adjusting really, really well and is so sweet with Ryder for the most part buuuut something happened around 9 weeks and a switch flipped and Chase was all of the sudden fussier and needier than usual. This coincided with a cold (which, in retrospect, I think was to blame for a LOT of his weepy emotions), a bunch of back-to-back dropped afternoon naps and Ryder needing more attention (he was no longer sleeping all day long) and we just seemed to have an all-around whinier and more tearful three-year-old. All Chase wanted all week long was Mom and my undivided attention. That was a really, really tough week. Thankfully that seemed to be fleeting and Chase is back to being his sweet and joyful self but just thinking back on that week makes me feel exhausted and tearful all over again. It was HARD.

Now, on a day to day basis, things are going really well with our two boys! Chase asks me to put Ryder on a blanket on the floor for him to play with multiple times a day every day.

Chase loves incorporating Ryder into imagination games and enjoys trying to “teach” him things as well as dancing for him and making silly voices to try to get Ryder to smile, coo and chirp. Chase gives Ryder kisses all the time and talks about being a big brother in a very positive way when people ask him about his little brother which melts my heart. Ryder is enamored with Chase and stares at him all the time! Overall, Chase has absolutely exceeded my expectations and handled the transition really well and we try really hard to praise Chase for his kind, inclusive, gentle and positive behavior around his little brother.

How are you finding time and energy to cook?

I seriously swear by meal planning. In the beginning I gave myself a lot of grace when it came to preparing meals and we did a lot of sandwiches, smoothies, wraps, pasta and simple one-dish recipes. Now that we’re emerging from the newborn fog, I’m trying to get back into meal planning and it’s making a big difference. I have a much stronger desire to put time and energy into meals when I have a plan versus when I find myself opening the fridge, freezer or pantry and waiting for inspiration to strike.

I also try hard to do a lot of food prep/cooking when Chase is awake. Chase loves helping in the kitchen and this makes cooking and food prep an interactive activity and also frees up any free time that might pop up during nap time for me to work. (Yes, this means our kitchen is often a mess but lowering my expectations for a sparkling clean house at the end of every day is crucial during this phase of life.) If Chase is content to play by himself and Ryder is napping or happy and awake, I’ll chop veggies, whip up a batch of muffins, begin dinner prep, etc.

I’ve also become a HUGE fan of Instacart. I never thought I’d be the type to order groceries delivered to our house but grocery shopping with both boys isn’t exactly a blast and since I usually do my meal planning on Sundays, if Ryan or I don’t make it to the grocery store over the weekend, I’ll often have an Instacart delivery come to the house on Monday. This may die down a bit now that Chase is in preschool but Instacart seriously saved us for a few weeks there and helped prevent us from ordering takeout all the time. Though there is a delivery fee, there are often promotions in place that make delivery free that I take advantage of and I truly think Instacart saves me money in the long run since I’m not impulse buying things during trips to the grocery store. Anything I can do to streamline the process of cooking/shopping/meal planning sounds great to me right now! We also love Blue Apron for easy, delicious meals delivered to our house and have ordered a handful of Blue Apron deliveries, too.

When it comes to lunches, I look to leftovers, smoothies or wraps and I am also still on a huge Daily Harvest harvest bowl kick. I love the way their harvest bowls come packed with veggies, herbs and good-for-you ingredients. The prep work is done for me and I typically just add something like leftover chicken, salmon or black beans to the bowls to make them a little more satiating. I chatted with one of my friends last week about how the first few months with a new baby is all about convenience and making things work and these are a few things that have helped me a lot!

Did you make any freezer-friendly meals to have on hand before you had Ryder? 

I didn’t but I wish I would have! Pinch of Yum just shared an awesome blog post featuring 12 healthy freezer meals that seems like it would be incredibly helpful to anyone looking to prep some freezer-friendly dinners before baby.

More details on sleep! How do you get longer stretches? 

I mentioned this briefly in my first postpartum post, but I am increasingly becoming a believer that some babies are naturally good sleepers and some aren’t and Ryan and I can now say we’ve had one of each. Looking back, Chase was a tough baby when it came to sleep and we were up with him constantly for months and months. (I don’t think he officially slept through the night until I stopped nursing at 15 months!) I would love to give more advice to help those of you out there struggling with baby sleep and while I do think following a schedule or certain sleep training methods can absolutely work, with Ryder we honestly haven’t done much to cultivate good sleep habits but I do have a few staples I swear by for baby sleep. None of these are anything new and you’ve probably read about all of them but just in case, I’ll detail them below.

With Ryder’s naps, I’m pretty laid back since he’s still young and not really on a schedule yet but I am already much more rigid with nighttime sleep. We always have a white noise machine on at night and try to keep our room as dark as possible for night time sleep. I also swaddle Ryder in his Ollie swaddle every night (that thing is a MIRACLE worker for those who struggle to snuggly swaddle their babies) and once he was around 6 weeks old and I got the okay from my pediatrician, I tried to hold off from responding to every little peep and chirp from his bassinet. (I still respond to any cries but in the beginning I was responding to everything.) I think this helped Ryder get used to longer stretches of sleep at night from an earlier age. Ryder’s weight is heavier than Chase by a ways (Chase was born in the first percentile for weight) and I have to think his extra weight also helps him go longer between feedings and sleep better through the night. Who knows if this is really the case, but I’m just counting my blessings for a decent sleeper this time around… and I am also well aware this could change at any moment!

I was wondering how Ryan finds energy to work out at 5 a.m. everyday while you have a newborn in the home? We are expecting our second child any day now and I know my husband is worried about having energy to get to the gym for his normal routine.

I should probably let Ryan answer this question but I know after Chase was born, he didn’t stick to his normal 5 a.m. routine for months because we were up so often in the night trying to soothe and settle Chase. This actually led to him outfitting our home gym so he could squeeze in a quick workout before work rather than have to take the extra time to drive to and from the gym before work.

With Ryder, I honestly have no idea how Ryan kept to his 5 a.m. workouts for the first few weeks there, but somehow he did. I think this may be because I was (and still am) really the only one up with Ryder during his nighttime feedings since we haven’t done the bottle thing yet. (This is by choice since I hate pumping and would rather just nurse right now.) Ryan is also blessed with the ability to not hear baby noises like my sonic ears do and can somehow often sleep through nursing sessions without realizing Ryder and I were just up. (You know that joke, “Forget sleeping like a baby, I want to sleep like my husband.” Yep, that definitely applies here!)

Ryder was also pretty good about nursing and going back to sleep fairly quickly (totally opposite from Chase) so this undoubtedly helped! So basically I don’t have any words of wisdom to offer here but if you have the space/ability to create a place where you might be able to work out from home, that might help with consistency once you’ve both emerged from the newborn fog!

How do you plan to balance working from home and being a mom to two? Will you have babysitting help? 

Oh man this question is a tough one! When I was pregnant with Chase, I truly thought I’d have childcare help but never ended up going that route. I tried my best to do as much work as possible in the early morning before Chase was up, during his nap time and then during his preschool time once he turned two years old and was in preschool two mornings a week. I am not sure how feasible squeezing in small spurts of work is with two kids in the mix (especially when naps don’t align) and I am trying to figure everything out right now.

Honestly, focusing on being a mom is where my heart wants to be in this phase of life and if that means scaling back on what I have the time to share in this space for a while, I am okay with that right now. I absolutely love blogging and connecting with all of you and it’s something that continues to bring me joy, so I absolutely want to keep writing and sharing my life, recipes, workouts and randomness here with you guys. I also have a bazillion blog posts I’m dying to write!

My gut tells me I will likely not seek out childcare but if all of the sudden I feel like I’m drowning and need help, I’ll absolutely go that route and would probably look to find a nanny to help with Ryder a few mornings a week when Chase is at preschool so I’d have some solo work time. Buuut we will see!

Do you want to have more children? 

The short answer to this question is yes. Neither Ryan nor I feel done having kids but I am admittedly a much more anxious person when I think about pregnancy and babies these days. Neither are a given in life and right now we’re focusing on our amazing boys and enjoying our family!

I didn’t get my cycle back until Chase was almost completely weaned at 15 months old and breastfeeding is a priority for me so even if we wanted to have another child ASAP, I think my body would want me to wait a bit. (And yes, I know breastfeeding is not a reliable form of birth control but I also know it can effect fertility.) Buuut when we talk about the future we definitely do talk about a shared desire for more children.

[Read More ...] https://www.pbfingers.com/postpartum-qa-part-two/

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MOMMY & ME WORKOUTS - 5 POSTNATAL EXERCISE TIPS

Remember that one time when you had all that free time, you know - the glory days where you could sleep in, drink (HOT) coffee, shower, go to yoga on Saturdays mornings and work on that 6-pack. Having a new baby changes EVERYTHING and sometimes we just get so busy taking care of everyone else we forget to take care of ourselves. But think about it - if you aren’t taking care of your self can you really take care of anyone else?

For many new mothers, exercise and eating right takes a backseat to more pressing matters - like sleep (if we can get any), or catching up on the loads on dirty onesies (like seriously how much poop can one little human create) trying to make the perfect homemade baby food (check out the blog story here) and making sure the house doesn’t burn down. But as mentioned above, sometimes Mama needs a minute or 20 FOR HERSELF and it's OKAY to admit it. Remember how good you used to feel after you exercised? YOU could conquer the world with your trusty pair of Nikes and your hot pink headband, anything was possible and now that seems impossible.

Between the feedings, burping, changing and breathing that’s all you have time for, but you’ll find you have renewed energy for yourself, your spouse and your tiny human(s) if you make time for even short bursts of exercise. Some exercise is better than no exercise even if it's only 8-10 minutes and it will do you a world of good! Plus, babies, toddlers and kids are watching you ALL the time! Yes, even when you lock yourself in the pantry and sneak a bar of chocolate because you can’t remember the last time you didn’t have to share.. they’re watching you. Think of all the healthy habits you can instill in their little minds at a young age by them watching you sweat it out… it might not be pretty and you might have spit up on your shoulder but you are GETTING IT DONE. Below are some tips to help you rock a little workout and feel like the powerful Mama you are!

Tip #1 Stay Confident

First off, when you go to put that pair of super skinny lululemons you used to wear to rock your first workout post baby and they are tight - DON’T FREAK OUT. Don’t negative self talk, you literally just grew a human for 9 months. You are a warrior queen so embrace your body for everything it can do, stretch marks and all! Your weight and your body will be changing back to normal and your skin has literally been stretched out a ton! We can’t just snap ourselves back to normal overnight. Time is your friend.  Find something you feel confident in, maybe that means hitting up the racks at Tjmaxx or Target. A new pair of workout pants or a top can be super motivating. Treat yourself Mama - you deserve something that’s not stained in diaper cream or spit up!

Tip #2 Put Clothes On and Plan It Out

Lets be honest, it’s a miracle you might have even gotten a few hours of uninterrupted sleep or showered this week but the second step after finding workout clothes is actually wearing them. 😊 As soon as you get up, change into your workout attire - shoes and everything and plan a workout just like you would a meeting! Because getting dressed and ready for a workout is sometimes half the battle so if you are already dressed you are COMMITTED and exercise is an important meeting you schedule with yourself and bosses don’t cancel! You put the effort to shimmy into those leggings and rock the messy bun so let's get sweaty (and no I don’t mean by sitting on the couch watching cops).

Tip#3 Baby Steps - Literally

You crushed hour long workouts at your crossfit gym prior to Mamahood and could lift 5 times your body weight while standing on one foot? Guess what, you probably shouldn’t do that right away after having a baby (that’s hulk status) because your body is healing and if you had a c-section typically it takes even longer to heal than those that delivered naturally. During the first 6 weeks you need to just take a chill pill and allow your body to recover. Your pelvic area is in need of some serious mending so start light before progressing to harder activities.

*Walking - put that new babe in the stroller and get some sunshine. It’s a great way to get started.

*Kegel exercises…no I’m not kidding and you’ll thank me when you don’t pee your pants when someone makes you laugh or you are jumping during a workout. But, if you do pee, don’t worry it happens to the best of us.

*Stretching - Imagine a rubber band that just sits on your desk unused. The minute you go to try and extend that band it almost always snaps in half. Our muscles are comparable to a rubber band. The more you use the rubber band, the more flexible and stronger the band remains and let's be honest can you remember the last time you actually stretched? It will feel so good as you are probably slowly but surely developing horrible posture with the breastfeeding and the constant bending over to lift baby up.

Tip #4 Pick an Activity You Actually Enjoy

If you despise running and the thought of jumping into a pit of burning coals surrounded by rattlesnakes sounds more appealing, then obviously DON’T GO RUNNING. Find something you LIKE doing.

*Yoga/pilates: Don’t hate meditate. Yoga can be very low impact and can help tone and stretch your body while also help destressing your mind. There are a ton of postnatal yoga/pilates videos for free on youtube or check out a class in your area! You may be experiencing a lot of hormone changes and even a little anxiety after giving birth and that is totally normal. Yoga can help calm your body and mind.

*Weight Training: Start light and build up from there. Hand weights are relatively inexpensive or lifting your new little human that is gaining weight everyday is FREE and then you can interactive with them while getting your workout in! Now that you are a mom, you will be doing a lot of multi-tasking so just embrace it. For some inspiration on Instagram check out: fit_moms_of_ig, nataliejillfit, and home.exercises.

*HITT (aka High Intensity Interval Training): After about 13+ weeks when your Dr. gives you the go ahead for more intense activity, HITT is one of the best ways to burn a maximum amount of calories in the shortest amount of time. When nap time comes around instead of running around your house like a crazy person because you can’t decide what task you should tackle first, crush a 10-30 minute workout. There are free Youtube videos, workout dvds you can buy or checkout from the library, apps for your home and classes you can take at your local gym. Many gyms offer free childcare as an added bonus. Sometimes it's nice to have a little Mama time alone or have the opportunity to talk with real grownups about things other than "poopoo" and "dada" (like seriously why is it so hard to say Mama… we were the ones that created our little offspring…did they seriously forget where they came from?! What are we chopped liver?!)

Tip #5 Sneaking it in is a thing...

There are so many easy ways to get in exercise! Use the rule of 3’s! If you don’t have time for a 30 minutes sweat sesh while your little one if off to dream land, break your workout into three 1-minute segments instead. And remember, if you are already dressed in your warrior queen workout gear, you can rock 10 minutes anytime. You can get an activity tracker to help you track all your hard earned steps while running around the house. When taking your tiny human to the store, park father away (weather permitting). It’s currently -20 with windchill here in the Midwest so clearly that wouldn’t apply for this month's crazy cold winter. While you're brushing your teeth stand on 1 foot and alternate. If you do this everyday not only will you be on your way to being a yogi but you’ll be working on that 6 pack and helping those muscles tighten that have been stretched out for the last 9 months.

It’s time for a little tummy time, no problem - do a plank over your sweet little one and try increasing your time by 5 seconds at a time. Pro-tip try walking planks from side to side and you’ll super charger your shoulder game! You can raise and lower your little exercise partner for reps of 10 for a little arm work and do sit ups in a game of peak-a-boo.

With all the tips you’ve learned from this article you can now put them to good use! Exercise for moms offers many incredible benefits including reduction of anxiety, stress and the likelihood of postpartum depression. Exercise creates endorphins and endorphins make people happy 😊 Exercising alongside your little one is also a great opportunity to bond and it’s a bonus which you both will benefit from! Remember you don’t have to be extreme, just consistent. Today, love yourself enough to exercise. You got this beautiful Mama!

If you would like to know more about this topic and other related topics please visit us at www.wawitababyproducts.com/news/blog. Thank you for reading. Don’t forget to subscribe to us if you would like to receive updates on new blog posts