2023 Black Friday sales to shop

November 23, 2023

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Here’s a comprehensive list of the best Cyber Week sales of 2023.

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Easy, everyday outfits: no. 1

September 25, 2023

I’m back on the blog with easy outfits for early fall!

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What I Wore: Oct. 11 – 18

October 19, 2022

The weather is cooling down and the outfits are heating up. Here’s what I wore last week.

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Life – Skirt The Rules | NYC Style Blogger http://skirttherulesblog.com NYC Style Blogger Mon, 15 Mar 2021 23:38:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 How We Found Out + Announced That We’re Pregnant http://skirttherulesblog.com/2021/03/17/how-we-found-out-announced-that-were-pregnant/ http://skirttherulesblog.com/2021/03/17/how-we-found-out-announced-that-were-pregnant/#respond Wed, 17 Mar 2021 11:00:00 +0000 http://skirttherulesblog.com/?p=20505

It was a wild Friday night in the middle of a pandemic. We ventured to our local pharmacy and picked up a box of pregnancy tests. And the rest, as they say, is history.

We picked up a pregnancy test five days after my missed period.

Okay but really, when people ask me how we found out we were pregnant, the story usually goes like this: we started trying to conceive, I missed my period, and a few days later I peed on a stick that read “PREGNANT” within 90 seconds. That part isn’t very exciting, but everything else that comes after that most certainly has been!

The morning that we took the pregnancy test, we actually flew out to Phoenix to hang out with family for the week. We were staying with James’ younger brother and his wife, who we’re very close with, so as early as it was in our pregnancy, we weren’t worried about sharing the news if it came up.

Of course, as soon as we walked through the door, my sister-in-law asked me if I wanted a cocktail. Not too long after, she had plans to pick up some cold cut sandwiches and asked if we wanted any. Needless to say, there’s no way I could last a week – let alone a few hours – without sharing our big news!

Not too long after, James and I each told a co-worker that we’re close to at work – his co-worker was also pregnant at the time and mine was already a parent, so it was nice to be able to talk to someone who was going through or had been through the same journey.

Beyond that, we kept things pretty hush hush until Thanksgiving. By then, I was 14 weeks along and recently had my first two OB/GYN appointments during which we learned that the pregnancy was healthy and progressing normally. At that point, we felt comfortable sharing the joy with family and friends, and couldn’t wait to spill the beans to our parents!

The shock on my parents’ faces – simply priceless!

We had a couple of extra sonograms from my last doctor’s appointment to share with our parents. For my mom and dad, we wrapped a picture frame and presented them with “a special gift from New York.” My dad was so excited because he thought they were donuts. Spoiler alert: They were not donuts.

We surprised James’ parents with sweet treats and a sonogram.

For James’ parents, we had my brother-in-law and sister-in-law bring over Sprinkle cupcakes that said BABY and inside the box lid was the sonogram.

Baby’s going to have a sweet tooth like mom and dad!

It took them both a hot second to register what they were seeing, but once it clicked, their reactions were priceless! In the midst of a pandemic, I’m really thankful we were able to share the news in person. It was really fun to experience their joy and excitement, and I’ll forever cherish those moments.

The balloon was supposed to be rosegold, but looks more pink – we didn’t know what we were having at this point!

In the weeks that followed (around week 15), we shared the news with other family members, friends and co-workers before we made things social media official on our 16th dating anniversary. I had just gone to my 16-week checkup the day before, and once again felt reassured that our pregnancy was progressing along nicely.

James’ brother Uncle Dale and his wife Auntie Dianne!

Deciding when and how to announce a pregnancy is a very personal decision, but the best part is that the timing is completely up to you and your partner. The timing of the holidays worked out perfectly, but I personally found it assuring to hear how our pregnancy was progressing from our OBGYN before we continued to expand the circle of people who knew.

Our Christmas card photo to family and friends.

Don’t feel rushed to share if you don’t want to. James and I really enjoyed keeping the special news to ourselves for a little while, but it also felt good to confide in a few people that we could trust with our secret. And now that the big news is out in the open, we are just basking in all of the love for our sweet babe!

And in cased you missed it: Pregnancy Q&A + My First Trimester Recap

]]> http://skirttherulesblog.com/2021/03/17/how-we-found-out-announced-that-were-pregnant/feed/ 0 When Did We Feel Ready to Start a Family? http://skirttherulesblog.com/2021/02/18/when-did-we-feel-ready-to-start-a-family/ http://skirttherulesblog.com/2021/02/18/when-did-we-feel-ready-to-start-a-family/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2021 12:00:00 +0000 http://skirttherulesblog.com/?p=20390

To this day, I wouldn’t say I’m ready – but I’m ready as I’ll ever be.

My husband and I are 34 years old, turning 35 in March and July respectively. We’ve been married for five years and since the day we said “I do,” we were often at the receiving end of this perennial question: when are you going to start a family?

On top of that, sometime early last year, my mother told me I better start having kids before I get too old (oof).

If you’re of childbearing age, regardless of your relationship status, you’ve probably been confronted with this question. Most of the time, it probably comes from a good place with curious intentions. But quite frankly, it can be annoying as hell!

I think that’s where the pressure to have kids stems from. It’s as if only a singular timeline for life exists and if you’re not hitting those big milestones, you’ve got some ‘splaining to do.

But the only timeline that really matters is the one you set for yourself, or if you’re in a relationship, the one that you and your partner should set together as a couple.

James says he probably felt ready to have kids about two years ago. Many of his close childhood friends have children of their own, and I actually love watching James with them – he has always been so good with kids! But did that make me want them right then there? Nope!

Over the past few years in particular, I’ve really enjoyed our life together. I landed an incredible job in the airline industry in 2017, which enabled us to travel to places that we would’ve never been able to afford when we first moved to NYC. We were both focused on growing our careers, enjoying new experiences, and spending time on our marriage and our friendships. Our lives were constantly on the go, but it also had been really good. I wanted to enjoy that for just a little bit longer.

When the pandemic hit, life came to a screeching halt. Then, as we socially distanced and stayed at home, I began to find joy in other things. Like decorating our apartment. Taking care of plants. Learning new recipes to cook. Snuggling on the couch and sleeping in on weekends. On the few occasions that we got to see our families, it really made me cherish the time we spent together. And so just like that, my priorities began to shift and after a few months of having fun being an at-home cocktail mixologist, I finally felt like I was ready (at least as I could ever be) to have a baby.

Of course, I would be lying if the thought didn’t cross my mind: If I’m 34 now, I’ll be 52 when my kid graduates high school, 68 when they’re my age now, and so on and so forth. But in the end, I’m glad I was able to prioritize my needs and aspirations first, and feel incredibly fortunate that I have a partner that could appreciate that as well.

Remember to savor whatever season of life you’re in – it’ll make the next chapter even sweeter.

And let me tell you – it feels good that we’re both very ready and excited to welcome our sweet babe into the world! We can’t wait to meet him!

]]> http://skirttherulesblog.com/2021/02/18/when-did-we-feel-ready-to-start-a-family/feed/ 1 Reflecting on Today’s Global Conversation http://skirttherulesblog.com/2020/06/08/reflecting-on-todays-global-conversation/ http://skirttherulesblog.com/2020/06/08/reflecting-on-todays-global-conversation/#respond Mon, 08 Jun 2020 11:00:00 +0000 http://skirttherulesblog.com/?p=19327

Worthy by digital illustrator Danielle Coke

Black Lives Matter because black lives matter.

This past week has been unlike any other that I have ever experienced in my life. A global conversation, a unified call to action, a time to step back from our seemingly meaningless worries and better understand an issue that has been plaguing our nation for centuries.

I know this has been a long time coming, but it feels like many of us – myself included – are just now barely awake.

As a first generation Asian American, I always thought of myself as an ally to fellow minorities. I thought it was a title that I could easily award myself for simply by being kind to others and being in support of diversity in life and at work. Like many, I’m not racist. That much I know. But last week’s dialogue helped me realize that I’m not anti-racist – in other words, I don’t proactively condemn racism, speak up for those who don’t have a voice or seek out ways to support the dismantling of systemic racism.

I have so much to learn about the injustices that Black people face. And I understand that what a privilege it is to “get to learn about it” versus having to experiencing it every day.

Since then, I’ve read personal essays, watched documentaries and donated to several different causes in support of the Black community. There are so many resources out there and I am far from an expert on any of this, but if you’re looking for a place to start, here are some of stories and perspectives that I found insightful:

Reflections from a Token Black Friend, a personal essay by Ramesh Nagarajah (Medium)
13th, a documentary that explores the history of racial inequality (Netflix)
When They See Us, a limited series about the Exonerated Five (Netflix)
@ohappydani, artist who creates beautiful artists on allyship (Instagram)
@rachel.cargle, a public academic who teaches about the power of critical language (Instagram)

We have a long way to go, but this past week is one step in the right direction.

Ramesh Nagarajaj (third from the left) wrote a powerful essay called *Reflections from a Token Black Friend*

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