By Alexis Novak

I can’t help it, I’m a name snob.  I’ve always loved my name, Alexis Alden, which was unique and underused until recently.  (This year Alexis rose to #16 on the most popular name list).  So when we named our daughters we wanted them to have names that wouldn’t be extremely popular and would have a vintage, ultra-feminine vibe yet still emote strength and moxy.  As my mom says, “Could _______ (insert name here) be president of the board?”

I have a Julia (#50) and a Scarlett (#114) who were almost Avery (#23) and Lucy (#75)- names that still rank on my future baby’s name list.

Ask any teacher, the name choice for your beloved offspring speaks much about your style and aspirations of your child’s future.  I find myself trolling nameberry.com and babynamewizard.com whether pregnant or not and studying the new baby announcements at my pediatrician’s office.  I have also gone so far as to ask my pediatrician’s office how many Ava’s (#5) they have as patients.  Is that wrong?

Here are my personal naming rules.

1.  No sibilings with the same first letter.  I have an affinity for J and S names but think it’s totally 80’s when people have 4 kids named Mary, Meredith, Milly and Marge.  Once again, don’t be like the Duggars with their army of J-named brats.

2.  No made-up names.  I am consistently shocked by the popularity of fake names like Jayden (#8), Makayla (#44) and Neveah (#34). Maybe they go back to biblical times but they don’t seem like real names to me and my Microsoft Word agrees.  They feel like strange combo names that no one will ever be able to spell. This kind of naming “creativity” will be a curse to your child when they go to school. Which brings me to…

3.  No phonetically incorrect names.  Ever.  Spending years in the classroom, I can call myself an authority on the ways parents torture their kids with names that don’t sound the way they look.  A classic name, albeit a bit boring, wins over phonetically unsound any day.  Isn’t Katherine better than LaKatherynne that is pronounced LayKatherine?  Just sayin’.

4.  No names that lend themselves to weird nicknames. I love the name Isadora but dread Dora the Explorer as a nickname.  I also like Adelaide but worry about the laid component.  Same with Layla (#45).  High school is brutal.  I’m an authority on that too.

5.  No unisex names for boys. I went to high school with a male Kelly who was pretty hot and well-liked but I would never name a boy a mostly feminine unisex name.  A male Ashley or Shannon better be the hippest Irish kid in school to pull it off.  Unisex names are much easier on girls.  Even mostly male names like Charlie, Ryan and Cameron sound cooler these days on little girls which is a trend I’m hearing a lot of lately.

6.  Pass on explosive pop culture names (especially at the beginning of the trend when the names appeal to the masses).  If you don’t mind your child being one of five Isabella’s in her class, far be it from me to judge.   I like the five most popular and ladylike girl names, Sophia, Isabella, Olivia, Emma, Chloe, but don’t want my kids to have to go by a nickname because there are multiples.  If you pick a name made recently huge by “Glee”, “Twilight” or “Pretty Little Liars” then forget it.  If you pick a name that is already monogrammed on a crib quilt in the Pottery Barn catalogue then you have reached the ultimate in yupster popularity and that name has already peaked.  It happens to the best of us.  Then you simply have to…

7.  Wait for the popular to become unpopular again.  Naming trends are always cycling.  I like many popular names but I would wait five years to name a child a formerly very popular name like Ella (#13) and by then my eggs will have expired.  You could also just name your baby the name you like and not give a crap about popularity.  What if your fave popular name isn’t big in your area anyway? Check the babynamewizard maps which tracks where in the country parents are naming their baby boys Aiden.

8.  Give a nod to your ancestors.  Half the reason I’ve done genealogical research is to discover interesting family names like Olive (#546) and Mathilda (#800).  I took a something borrowed, something new approach to naming by giving the kids familial middle names from their grandmothers and then original first names.  We all deserve our own identity (I am not a fan of juniors for this reason) but history is important too.

9.  Keep the name a secret until the baby arrives.  How rude is it when you love a name while pregnant and then everyone weighs in that they hate it?  Once the birth announcement is out and they see that precious bean no one will be rude enough to say they hate the name.  Ok, well some will…

10. The name I am in love with is a name my friend hates.  I had a friend tell me that she was surprised I picked Julia since it was so plain and she expected “more” from me. And my sweet Julia was over a year at that point.  Then another pregnant friend said within my ear shot that she hated the name I chose. Um, thanks. Maybe I shouldn’t talk names anymore with my equally-opinionated still-breeding friends.  I won’t make fun of your little Neveah if you will leave my Julia alone. Truce?

What are your naming rules? How did you decide on the names of your children?

Check out the Top 100 names here!

Written by Alexis Novak • 8 Comments

I thought this recipe was quite fitting for today. Enjoy your Cinco de Mayo! I know I will.

Ingredients:

• 1 inch-thick watermelon wedges (enough to lay flat in two 9×13-inch baking dishes)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup tequila
• 1/4 cup Triple Sec
• 2 limes, halved or cut into wedges
• sea salt

Arrange watermelon wedges in a single layer in 2 (9×13-inch) baking dishes. Prepare Spiked Simple Syrup: Bring sugar, water, tequila, and Triple Sec to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

Pour cooled syrup over watermelon and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes (longer if you wish). Remove watermelon from syrup, and arrange on a platter. Squeeze limes over the watermelon and sprinkle with sea salt.

An alternative way to serve these: you can use a melon scooper to scoop out round balls of watermelon to soak in the syrup, then place two watermelon balls on a toothpick and serve them that way (more like an appetizer).

Reader Tip: These will look delicious to the kiddos. Make sure they have their own virgin wedges to join you in celebration. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Written by Lea Barlow • 1 Comment

The 3-month long Baby Boot Camp Mother Love Challenge has officially ended. The last month was Cardio Love. I chose to spare you pictures of me doing running man and jumping jacks while sweating profusely. I didn’t think those would be very flattering. Take my word for it – month three was a butt kicker. Instead I wanted to take you beyond the Baby Boot Camp workout and show you what else we were up to.

Every month BBC schedules both a playdate for moms and kiddos AND a Girl’s Night Out. This month for girl’s night we prepared dinner for families at the Ronald McDonald House. Doing this reminded me how important it is to give back in your life and I’m grateful for the experience. Luckily for the families I was given the task of bringing condiments only. To everyone’s delight there was even an actual Ronald McDonald sighting…

He seemed please with the spread.

Before heading out for drinks we got this adorable group shot of all the boot camp ladies.

My experience over the last few months has been fantastic. Being a mom, especially a new mom, can be very isolating. Joining a group like this is a very positive outlet. Not only do you gain confidence by seeing the results of the incredible workout but you meet wonderful women who you can easily relate to. If you are contemplating something new, give Baby Boot Camp a try. You won’t regret it!

*A special thank you to Meghann Ayers Photography for all your picture taking expertise*

Written by Lea Barlow • 1 Comment

Name: Laura Hunt

Kids: Kylie (18), Brii (17)

Occupation: Image Consultant/Wardrobe Stylist /Fashion Reporter

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida

H&H Interview with Laura:

1. What are your top 5 wardrobe essentials?

Every woman should have the following basics in her closet year round:  a little black dress, crisp white button down shirt, black pumps, nude pumps and a great pair of jeans.

2. What style advice do you have for new moms stuck in a fashion rut?

Hire me! Ok, just kidding. I tell new moms to take the time to pick up fashion magazines so when they get that little break, they can peruse the pages to help inspire them. If you surround yourself with pure “baby things” all day long, it is easy to forget about yourself. After you feel that kick of style inspiration, shop your closet. If you have items that you feel you will never wear again, get rid of them. Keep what you will still use and then coordinate outfits that make you feel good. Some women wait to lose the baby weight before buying new clothes. This is not the right thing to do. You should always own clothes that fit well and look good no matter what your current size is. If you need to buy a few new things to fit your body while you lose weight, do so. It feels amazing when those new clothes start becoming too big for you. Once they do, donate or sell them and get yourself some new items that fit your new size!

3. What is your guilty pleasure when you get a little coveted ‘me’ time?

Sneaking away to the beach with a good book is one of my favorite ‘me’ things to do. When I tell my friends, “I will be out of the country washing my hair” they know it means I am sneaking away to take a break from everything. And sometimes, I REALLY AM out of the country washing my hair!

4. What would we be surprised to find in your purse?

Hmmm. Not sure about this one. A pocket dictionary maybe? Those who know me well would not be surprised because they all know I love words. I’m a self-proclaimed word geek of sorts. I embrace my geekitude.

5. What is your favorite reality TV show?

I actually don’t watch television, but I will catch old episodes of “Project Runway” or “ANTM” on the Internet occasionally.

6. What is your cocktail of choice?

I’m a fan of full-bodied red wine. On a really hot day, I love a good mojito.

7. What is the funniest thing your kids have said or done lately?

My girls are constantly making me laugh. They recently told me that when they were little they felt sorry for me because they thought I didn’t have any style because I didn’t match my socks to my shirt like they always did. And I didn’t have headbands and bows to match my dresses. Now they look at photos and ask me, “why did you dress us that way?”

8. What is your favorite quotation?

“A woman should be two things: Classy and Fabulous!” -Coco Chanel

9. What is your most dreaded household chore?

I loathe doing laundry. It isn’t so much the sorting, washing and drying. No. It’s the folding and putting away.

10. Who is your favorite celebrity mom style icon and why?

Heidi Klum. Not only is she a mother of four children and looks absolutely amazing, she is an extremely smart business woman. I respect both sides of Heidi; her hard-working entrepreneurial side and the loving, kind mother side who adores all children, not just her own.  I also love that she and her husband Seal renew their wedding vows every single year. Some may think that is a bit much, but I find it enormously romantic. What a way to keep things alive!

11. What is one thing most people don’t know about you?

I’m extremely expressive and pretty much an open book so there isn’t much people don’t know about me. I guess one thing people might not know is that there was a time in my life (long ago) that I wanted to be a meteorologist or study atmospheric science instead of fashion.

12. What is your secret to staying Hot & Healthy?

Eating healthy and exercise are obvious answers, but so important.  My biggest secret, however, is being positive and surrounding myself with positive people. Negativity will age you faster than too much sun exposure will!

*Top photo of Laura courtesy of Anne’ Phillips Photography

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment