If I were to ever attend the Oscars, besides when I always do in my wildest dreams, I feel like it is the one awards show that I would feel like such a little kid, no matter what my age, among all of the grown ups. Like on nights when I remember my parents coming home from a night out, all dressed up and still being able to smell the sweet perfume my mom had on when she would kiss me goodnight as I was half asleep in my bed, I always pictured them as having gone to some fancy, amazing place that I couldn’t wait to go to when I grew up. Obviously, they weren’t attending the Oscars and probably only went out for date night but in my mind, wherever it was, it was going to be fabulous as soon as I was old enough to go. Even though, at 31, I am clearly a grown up (well, most days) I picture the Oscars to be this lovely, sophisticated, elegant night that wouldn’t be like any other, where I would constantly be in awe of all the classy and polished adults I would be surrounded by, just like I was in awe of my parents when I was little. That said, last night did not disappoint in terms of getting that feeling of all the elegance and glamour oozing out of my television screen.

I am all for taking fashion risks but I feel like, this night, is more about classic fashion, which each of these actresses achieved, in my opinion. These were my favorites from last night. The intricacy of these gowns were mind-blowing and hats off to each of these designers. Absolutely stunning.

Jennifer Aniston in Versace

Gwyneth Paltrow in Ralph & Russo

Rosamund Pike in Givenchy Haute Couture

Lupita Nyong’o in Calvin Klein (took drenched in pearls to a whole new level… made of 6,000 pearls!)

Okay, so I know it’s a commercialized holiday when companies can market to their heart’s content, in order to tug at your heart-strings for whatever they might be selling but what’s so wrong with a day that gets national recognition for love? In the fast-paced world we live in, I’ve come to enjoy this day more and more, especially when I feel like you get a free pass to just slow down and enjoy the simple things in life.

Now, we never went too overboard with this holiday but my mom always made us feel extra special and I plan to do just that with baby A. Here are a couple of my favorite Valentine faces this year, some fun decorations we put up around the house and a little gift my husband thought of to give Ava that we put the finishing touches on last night. Unfortunately, the second we gave her the chalk, she took it to draw on the actual wall vs. the chalkboard. Oh well, we will get there. It’s the thought that counts.

Several times throughout the day, I think of things I want to make sure I teach Ava or advice I want to give her along the way but can’t always tell her at that exact moment, especially if a good episode of Sesame Street is on so I’ve decided to document those things here so I don’t forget. These are just a few of the ones that have crossed my mind over the past week.

Promise Mommy…

…you will always cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze (can you tell we are still in the midst of flu season with this one?).

…you will continue to share the same enthusiasm when it comes to brushing your teeth as you do now. Good breath can leave a lasting impression. So can bad breath but you really don’t want to be that guy.

…you will be kind to everyone. They may not always be kind to you, for whatever reason, but you never know what they are going through and a friendly face may be just what they need.

In a way, I look forward to the Grammy’s more than the Golden Globes or Oscars because I know people will be a little edgier and have more fun with their fashion choices. This year definitely did not disappoint.

Top pick of the night: Taylor Swift
Dress by Ellie Saab
Fuchsia heels by Giuseppe Zanotti
Earrings by Lorraine Schwartz

That color, matched with per purple shoes, was absolutely stunning. I don’t know if her earrings were actual stud earrings or clip-ons but I slowly became obsessed with them as the night went on. They reminded me of a pair that Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s that I will forever be on the hunt for to find anything similar to them.

Worst pick of the night: Rihanna
Dress by  Giambattista Valli
Shoes and earrings by… have no idea, was too distracted (and not in a good way) by the dress

I kept thinking Leonardo DiCaprio was going to pop out from under her dress as her date. Not to mention, how bad I felt for the person sitting next to her! The thing is, I really liked the bandeau part of the dress but everything else, not so much. Off the top of my head, pepto dismal (no joke, I literally meant to say bismal but we can go with dismal) and cotton candy came to mind.

I know I have said it before but there is something about a good manicure in the winter that can instantly bring me back to life when I’ve got the winter blues. That’s exactly what I was hoping to achieve with these Sally Hansen Real Nail Polish Strips but apparently I shouldn’t be trying a new, fancy french manicure kit at 9 at night because, I kid you not, I could not figure it out for the life of me.

If I can find a cute pattern, nail polish strips are my go-to quick mani fix because sometimes I barely feel like I have time to let actual nail polish dry before I have to be on to the next thing, whether that’s dishes, laundry or letting the dog out. I have tried a couple Sally Hansen and Essie nail strip kits in the past so I thought, for sure, would have no problem with a french manicure version but alas, I was sorely mistaken. After staring at the packaging for a while, I gave up and reached for this Essie nail polish color, Mademoiselle, from my nail polish stash and it gave me the same results, even though I did have to wait for the dry time. Now, if only I could find a quick fix to help clear up all the dryness around my actual nails from all this lovely winter hand washing.