Barbie Dreamhouse Surprise!

Today  I'm  sharing  a  post  that  seriously  gave  me  SO  MUCH  JOY  putting  together!  My  cheeks  literally  hurt  smiling  so  much  as  I  edited  these  pictures  and  relived  this  night  with  my  girls.  I  hope  you  guys  enjoy  it  too!

I  remember  as  a  child  always  wanting  a  Barbie  Dreamhouse (they  knew  what  they  were  doing  when  that  named  it  a  dream  house  that's  for  sure)!  And  while  our circumstances  growing  up  meant  I  never  got  one,  it  felt  that  much  more  special  surprising  my  daughters  with  their  own  Barbie  Dreamhouse!

When  the  girls  were  old  enough  and  we  had  the  space,  I  talked  about  it  with  my  husband,  and  we  still  weren't  totally  sure  they'd  love  it  -so  we  bought  a  smaller  dollhouse  just  as  a  test  run.  They  still  love  that  house,  but  it  was  clear  that  all  three  of  them  couldn't  play  with  it  at  the  same  time  -it  just  wasn't  big  enough!  

So, after  a  year  with  that  house  we  decided  to  get  a  Barbie  Dreamhouse,  and  let  me  tell  you  I  do  not  regret  it!  I  was  worried  it  would  be  too  big  (it  stands  at  4  feet  tall)  -but  that's  actually  what  makes  it  fantastic!  All  of  the  Barbie dolls  they  already  own  (who  are  beautiful  shades  of  brown  with  hair  ranging  from  straight  blue  to  tight black curls  - love  the  Barbie  diversity  out  now)  fit  in  perfectly  - from  the  bed,  to  the  couch  (that  converts  into  a  bunk),  to  the  pool,  car,  and  more!  And  my  daughters  all  have  plenty  of  room  to  play  together! 

Love  so  many  parts  of  this  house,  but  a  few  of  my  favorites  are  the  pool, slide,  the  elevator  (that  works  and  fits  4  dolls!),  and  the  little  details  like  the  grass  out  back  and  the  painting  of  the  back  exterior  complete  with  string  lights  and  all.  And  what  I  loved  the  most  is  the  wonder  and  imagination  I  see  in  my  girls  as  they played  for  hours!

We  decided  to  make  it  a  full  dine  and  watch  party,  so  we  enjoyed  some  of  the  Barbie  Dreamhouse  Adventures  Netflix  show (again  -LOVE  the  diversity)  and  also  played  with  our Barbie Ultimate  Kitchen playset - love  that  you  can  create  all  types  of  food  using  the  safe  Barbie  dough  it  comes  with,  and  even  hear  food  frying  on  the  stove  top  or  the  oven  timer!  It  was  perfect  to  play  with  as  I  got  dinner  ready!  Once  we  got  her  sisters  to  bed  Liv  and  I  cuddled  up  on  the  couch  and  spent  some  time  playing  with  the  Barbie  Dreamhouse  Adventures  app on  my  phone  - something  that  definitely  didn't  exist  when  I  was  a  kid,  but  was  such  a  fun  and  creative  game  to  bring  the  Dreamhouse  to  life!

Thank  you  so  much  for  Barbie  and  Mattel  for  partnering  with  me  for  this  project  and  helping  some  of  our  dreams  come  true!

In My Consult Bag

Hello hello! Today I wanted to share a quick and fun post based on the crazy response I got last week when I shared my consult bag organizer over on my Instagram stories!

I'm on a new rotation now where I hold the dermatology consult pager - in many places this may be a more "chill" rotation, but in our hospitals dermatology gets consulted all the time, particularly for high level patients who are either in the neonatal ICU, pediatric ICU, medical ICU, or surgical and trauma ICUs. The days can be unpredictable, but on average I'd say we get 5-10 new consults daily on top of following up with our consult list! So it's usually very busy!

As the consult resident you're traveling around seeing all of these inpatients and you need to be prepared with all of the tools you may need, so our consult bag is pretty important! A well-thought-out consult bag can certainly save you time throughout the day! 

The bag I use is this one I found on Amazon. Initially I was drawn to it because it looked like the MZ Wallace bag I really wanted but couldn't convince myself to buy, and now I've had it for over 2 years and it's still my favorite work bag. 

What I love about it:

- 3 main compartments to keep everything separate ; I keep my consult stuff that I take out in patient rooms in the main middle compartment, then my personal stuff (gum, chapstick, wallet, etc) in the front pocket so it's not touching the MRSA stuff (I'm joking lol, but really, I like to keep that stuff separate), and then the back pocket for papers and occasionally my laptop.

- outside can be wiped clean with a disinfecting wipe, I can even toss the whole bag in the washing machine.

- there's an incredible long string/lanyard that I attach my keys to. I didn't realize how amazing this was, but it's one of the best things about the bag and saves me so much time as I'm coming home with all the girls trying to get my keys out (the struggle was real, but not anymore)!

- comes in tons of colors (and is even reversible so if you prefer patterns wear it with pride)!

What I don't love about it:

- while two of the pockets zipper shut, the middle pocket doesn't (it has a magnetic closure). I've worked around it, but sometimes I do want to close the entire bag. 

- the straps can sometimes slip on your shoulders (they are super soft and padded so it's great to carry a heavy load, but the material is slippery if that makes sense)? I've worked around it by making sure to cross the straps when I wear the bag and it's pretty much a non-issue.

My actual consult organizer is just a travel toiletry organizer I found on Amazon - I loved the size and number of the compartments and thought it would be perfect for organizing my goodies to do shave and punch biopsies, Tzanck preps, and more! It's been fantastic! And of course was a crazy deal, so I bought two (one for my consult bag and one for the bag the senior resident prepares for the incoming residents)! What questions do you guys have about consults (or how I organize my bag)?

Miami City Guide

Hey guys! Today I wanted to do a really fun post and share a few of my FAVORITE places around Miami! I've done a post in the past about some of our favorite spots on South Beach, but today I really wanted to focus on the fun stuff outside of South Beach that you can't miss!

C o c o n u t   G r o v e
This is one of the older neighborhoods in Miami and has some incredible history, but also some incredible food! One of our favorite spots is Lokal which serves incredible burgers, local beers, and something everyone should try in Florida - alligator! It's actually really good! They've got great outdoor dining, and nextdoor at Vicky's you can grab some of the best milkshakes ever! The grove is fun because there are lots of parks, plenty of shops and bookstores in a very small radius, fun bakeries, and more.

W y n w o o d
This is probably the area that has exploded the most and now I find more people (particularly the "locals") go to Wynwood to hang out than we do the beach! Wynwood is best known for it's incredible art painted on all of the walls in the neighborhood, and again, for some incredible food. Some of our favorite restaurants include Kyu and 1-800-LUCKY - but our absolute favorite place is the The Salty Donut. Best donuts ever. They've got tons of markets and live music - one of the easiest places to find this is at Wynwood Marketplace.

Outfit details:  tee  //  jeans  //  leopard flats　

L i t t l e  H a v a n a  / C a l l e   O c h o
You can't come to Miami and not visit Little Havana. Miami culture is full of Cuban roots, and you can get a great taste of that here. The easiest place to start is at Versailles - their restaurant is world famous for cuban sandwiches and other cuisine - but the locals all know that their bakery next door is where it's really at. Grab a cafe con leche (or a famous cortadito if you really want to be awake all day), some croquettas, empanadas, and a sandwich, and thank me later. Head further down Calle Ocho and explore Cubaocho museum and performing arts center for more history, then refuel at Azucar for some INCREDIBLE ice cream. Right next door is the most important spot you don't want to miss - Ball & Chain! This restaurant/bar/dancing joint always has the best live latin music, dancing, mojitos, and more. It's one of my favorite places and just feels so electric!

Outfit details: dress (similar here as well)  //  persimmon flats

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Wherever you head to explore, make sure you're chic and comfortable (and environentally conscious) in some adorable Rothy's. I'm addicted to their "point" style, but love their other options too! They even have little girls' styles now! Thank you to Rothy's for sponsoring this fun post!

Instagram Lately

Sharing some of my recent looks on Instagram for those who may miss my swipe up story links when you ask for outfit details! 

Unfortunately a travel/funeral look: Draped front top (true to size, wearing XS)  // Cashmere wrap (a splurge for me but I've owned for years and it was so worth it - literally the best thing to travel with - use it as a blanket on the plane and as a scarf or shawl with outfit)  //  Pants (comfy for traveling but still look put together)  //  Flats (comfiest and a bargain price - go a half size up since they run a tiny bit snug)!  //  Tote bag (can never go wrong with a simple black tote, but this one is vegan AND reversible)

Fall in Miami look lol: Comfiest light camo sweater (runs a little big but I wanted it to fit looser; as an aside, bought this grey one from here too and it's amazing and currently on sale)  //  Shorts  //  Bag

Comfy cardigan I got dozens of questions on lol, unfortunately it's years old from urban outfitters, but this one looks really similar (and my initial necklace)

Sweater I just posted today that I've gotten lots of questions about! And here is a similar one that's even cheaper.