A Little Spring in My Home

Spring is finally here in Saskatchewan!!!!  Like really here.  Sunshine. Shades.  Lighter jacket.  Snow melting.  Dirty pants from puddle jumping.   It has arrived! (I am a little scared to put that out into the universe actually because historically we always get one more snowfall, but maybe this year will be different).

 

Either way, my house needed a little Spring Sprinkle and that's what it got.  Last year, I decided that I wanted to create a seasonal tray form my living room.  Nothing over the top fancy, but I wanted a little decorating to represent the different seasons, without having to redecorate my whole home for each season (this is just not reasonable for me with my current work/mom schedule).  A round tray with a few decorations is the perfect way to update your home without going overboard on the budget or time. 

 

My Spring tray includes this amazing fake flower arrangement and an old style pitcher from Ikea, as a focal piece.  I've had so many complements on this flower arrangement and often people think they are real.  I will say that I did spend a good penny on these flowers, and you can get them much cheaper, but the price also matches the quality.  I place them in different areas of my home during different seasons  so I  think the price tag was worth it.  The rest of the items in the tray are all from Dollar Tree.  My favorite are these delicate little birds that I got and then gently placed into little vases to create a nest look. 

Tanner is unsure of this tiny bird.  

Read how to make your own  spring flower arrangement from Micheals here.

 

Other ways I've sprinkled spring around our home is a new pillows, some tulips on the kitchen table, and a plant here and there.  

And, finally the wreath we made as a family a couple of years ago, continues to hang on my door each and every year from spring to summer.  See instructions and everything you need here.

And, finally here are some transitioning into Spring, you know for us who still have some cooler days ahead of us, that I wore last year that I'll be copying again this year.  Get full details and pictures here.  I think I might have to do another 5X5 challenge soon.  

Happy Spring everyone!

 

Shop This Post:

Ikea Tray

Ikea Pitcher Vase (similar)

Floral Pillow (Micheals; Indigo blush floral;  Indigo mint floral)

Dollartree (2 vases, 2 bird decorations,  straw like paper decorations, tray of Easter eggs, little lantern/small candle)

How We Do Date Night & What I Wore

 

We love date night.  We make it a priority.  We plan for it.  We are intentional with it. 

 

What do we do for date night?

 

Recently we celebrated Logan's birthday with a date night out with several of our couple friends.  We got all dressed up and headed out for a child-free evening. Generally we enjoy going to a nice restaurant, ordering a bottle of wine and taking our time.  We usually end up coming home, relaxing and watching a show together .  What I love about a nice  dinner out is a) I don't have to cook, b) I don't have to clean and c) is that we can talk without any interruptions or input from the children.  We get to catch up with one another, like really catch up and not pass information and schedules back and forth. 

 

 

Active Date Nights!

Dinner is one type of date night and one that is our go-to in the winter months.  In Spring/Summer we prefer to have an outdoor activity followed by either an evening at home, cooking together, or dinner out.  We absolutely love being active and making memories together, check anniversary date night here.  Some of our favorite actives:

Tennis

River walk/run/bike ride

Paddle boarding/canoeing

Board games with friends

Picnic

Hiking on new trails

Golf (not really cheap but fun)

X-country skiing/snowshoeing

Skating at an outdoor rink

Pinterest board full of great ideas here.

Sometimes dates are as simple as sharing a cup of coffee and some chocolate together.

Just us and the pups.  Reconnecting with each other and nature.

Anniversary date 2018.  15 years of marriage. 

 

 

What we DON'T do on date night?

We don’t go to the movies.  We used to but now it’s a no-no for us. 

Why? 

Because we don’t talk.  We don’t have to be engaged with each other.  We watch enough TV at home the return on a movie date night isn't high enough.  If movies are your thing, by all means, it's just not something we tend to do.   

 

How often do we have date night?

I think this is, and should be, different for everyone.  What works for you, doesn’t necessarily work for everyone.  Also, this has changed with the seasons of our lives

Our goal is once a month but in reality it’s more like every 6 weeks.  That being said the last couple of years as our children have gotten older and can stay home on their own, we carve out time to go for an evening walk, jog, or go to do errands, just the two of us almost every week.  Currently we don’t have a specific evening that we do it due to our ever changing schedules but we tend to aim for Wednesday evenings. 

The monthly “date” night is much more planned.  We make a plan with friends or by ourselves a couple of weeks in advance.  We connect with my parents, or a babysitter (which we don’t need anymore).  We are fortunate to have my parents nearby and they love having the kids which often means a sleepover for the kids!!!   It’s glorious.  If you don't have this as an options here are a couple of suggestions

a)  Kid Swap.  Kid swap with friends monthly so that you can have a date night.  I think friends are some of the least utilized people in our lives.  We don’t want to impose or inconvenience others, but the truth is they are  likely feeling similar.  They would probably love some sort of arrangement but just like you, but don’t know how to ask. 

b)  Budget.  Babysitters are costly.  I get that.  I would make it a priority and put it into your monthly budget plans. 

c)  If you can't make a monthly date night work, see if you can sneak in an hour weekly into your schedules for a walk by yourselves, and a bigger chunk of time for an evening out quarterly instead of monthly. 

 

Why date night?

Here is my take on this.  In the hustle and bustle of life, the first things two things to go are

a) me and

b) my relationship with my partner. 

It’s easy to get disconnected.  It’s easy to get complacent.  It’s easy to get annoyed because life is hard to juggle.  When I was in my teens and just after high school, many of my friends parents ended up getting  a divorce.  I am not opposed to divorce, in fact I strongly urge people to find happiness and joy that they need to live their best life overall.  That being said, I also feel that it’s easy to let life take over and then find yourself with a person that you care deeply about but necessarily know anymore.  Example, when Logan and I went to London/Paris years ago now, we realized that we hadn’t spent 12 days, heck 3 days, on our own without the kids.  Once we exhausted the topics of our kids, work, and day to day life, we were struggling to figure out how to be just the two of us again.  On this trip not only did we explore new places but we relearned how to make our own fun, reminded each other of why we fit so well together and what drew us to each other in the first place.  The memories we created are now reminisced by us time and time again and we know that we need to carve out some extended alone time.  We can't afford to always go to Paris/London but we can do a weekend getaway to the lake or last year we took a 3 day road trip just the two of us, read here. 

Remembering who we were before getting the best and most important  job in the world, parenting. 

 

 

What I Wore to Date Night Recently?

It's finally warming up here but two weeks ago, it was COLD, COLD, COLD.  I love this monochromatic  outfit, black turtleneck, houndstooth skirt, black tights and booties.  I showcased this exact outfit last week as one of my work outfits, but I actually put it together for this evening and loved it so much that I wanted to replicate it for the office as well.  The best thing about this outfit is the wool coat.  It's finally spring here but two weeks ago we were still in the depths of one of the coldest winters and this 70% wool coat, linked below, is worth the price tag at Aritizia and I see it as an investment piece.  If you are looking for a coat that's classy, chic, and extremely warm, go buy it now while it's on sale, you won't regret it.

 

Shop This Post:

Houndsthooth Skirt (similar, Shien)

Black Turtleneck (similar, Shopbop)

Aritzia Wool Coat (sale alert!)

Black booties (similar; Hudson Bay) 

 

Now tell me how you stay connected with your significant other? 

 What are your favorite date night ideas? 

Five Work Outfits and Flatlays

Argh.  Let's give this another try.  I wrote it late last night and low and behold it disappeared on me.  Yep, gone, gone, gone.  Oh well.  

As a working mom I use my weekends to rest, recharge, spend time with my family and friends, meal prep, grocery shop, do laundry, clean the house, catch up on some reading,etc.  Okay, I am exhausted just listing it all. LOL!Anyway, in order to make the work week flow, these are the things that I strive to accomplish on the weekends, or as best as I can.  Another thing that I do is pick out my outfits for the week.  I check my calendar for events such as school visits, book clubs, professional learning development events that I might be hosting, meetings, or desk work.  I also consider the forecast and then plan my five outfits accordingly.  The reason I do this is:

 

1.  I am not a good decision maker under pressure.  Since I often do my workouts in the morning, the rest of my routine (shower, hair, make-up, breakfast) is rushed.  I get overwhelmed by choices in my closet and it throws my day off.

2. I like to know that I am utilizing the clothes, shoes, and accessories that I keep in my closet.  Planning my outfit tends to show me what I am reaching for and what needs to maybe find a new home if I am never in the mood to wear it.  It also allows me to get creative with my outfits.  

 

Generally this process takes me 10 -15 minutes on a Sunday.  Once my outfits are picked out I hang them in my closet, usually on one hanger, in the order of days M-F.  Usually I don't make flat lays but I did for last week just to show you how the outfits come to life.  Some of the items are old favorites but I linked up some great subtitutions, or the real deal when it was still available.

Day 1- Black pants (these are worth every penny), bold sweater, riding boots, rose gold hoops and simple "love" necklace.

Day 2- Poncho, fuax leather pants, OTKB and H & B necklace.

Day 3- Black tights, black turtleneck, houndstooth skirt, black suede boots, H & B necklace & sparkle ball earring. 

 

Day 4- Fuzzy sweater, plaid pants,  burgundy pumps, H & B gold necklace & bracelet.

Day 5-Sweater dress, OTK boots, leggings, long gold necklace and gold stud earrings.

And that my friends is a wrap.  Follow me along in IG to see what I am wearing next week! 

Currently: February Edition

Family

We went to Mexico and had the best time.  We desperately needed to get transported out of the freezing cold (between -45 and -58 F for two weeks).  My mom and dad joined us and we traveled really well as a group.  I'll be doing a full  highlights blog post of the trip but for now I'll just say that we relaxed by the pool, enjoyed the evening shows, and danced into the night to live music.  We opted out of doing any excursions and just enjoyed doing nothing as a family.  It was the prefect way to spend seven glorious days in paradise.





Some wave action and fun.

 


This is how we attempt to do a jumping on the beach photo in our family.  LOL!!!!



I already miss this view.

 

Reading

While on holidays, I read Sisters Like Us by Susan Mallery.  It was the prefect beach read that moved along quickly, the characters were funny, real and dynamic.  It's NOT a lifechanging or high literature  kind of book, but it was perfect for the beach.  I am also making my way through A House In The Sky by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett.  I am not really sure what I think of it so far.  It's not a book that I can't wait to pick up again, but it's one that I feel I need to make my way through slowly.  I'll update you on my thoughts once I've finished it.

 

Cooking

When it's cold and you contract a bug, all you want is soup.   When I was growing up, whenever I was sick my grandma made us chicken noodle soup.  Now as an adult, what do I make when we are all feeling a little worn out, chicken noodle soup!   I love this Sicilian Chicken Noodle Soup recipe.  It's a hearty soup, packed full of fresh veggies and it makes so much which I freeze into smaller glass jars for lunches.

 

Listening

Everything by Hasley.  Several years ago I became acquainted with the song Closer which was done in collaboration with the Chainsmokers.  It's still one of my favorites and now I can't get enough of  the song Eastside by Benny Blanco, Khalid & Halsey. 

 

 Watching

The Bachelor.  It's my total guilty pleasure and my hubby is so sweet to watch it with me on Monday nights.  Have I mentioned how much I love that man.  I actually don't who I am 100% rooting for this year, but I like Hanna G (no drama), Caelynn and Tayshia. 

 

Celebrating

We celebrated both Logan's 37th birthday in Mexico and our nephew Coopers 3rd birthday this month!  Our family birthday busy season is October - February, and then there is only a few left from now until fall, including my aunt, grandma, niece and me.

That's a wrap for February 2019.  I always find March to be the hardest month for me.  The winter continues to drag on here and the spring is nowhere near in sight for us, thus March drags.  I am hoping the sunny vacation will help me stay positive through March this year and that the extreme cold warnings will at least be behind us and we can get outdoors to do a little cross country skiing, sledding or snowboarding.   Plus, I am excited to receive my next FabFitFun box, spring addition looks sooooooooooo good.  Use code to get $10 off of your first box.