A Refreshed New Look

Ahhhh.  I just wrapped up my first big professional development presentation of the year and I am exhausted.  I am enjoyed the 20 minutes of piece and quite in my house while my husband is out with the girls.  Though I feel tired, I also find the whole process exhilarating and meeting all the new K-Gr. 3 teachers that I will be working with this year is the best part.  The team I work with is funny, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and invigorating. 

With the start of a new year comes a fresh new look so I treated my self to a new hair color/highlight combo.  You know when you are a mom and this is just the most pampering you get so you are excited for days?!?  Well I was and then........My color was awful!!!!  :(  I wanted to cry.  I came home and my 9 year old asked why I had "gray" hair pieces.  (not the best time to hear this honesty) What do you do in these situations?  I usually just want to pay again and have it fixed by someone else but being as we are really watching our spending at the moment, I texted the lady who did it and I was just honest with her that this was not at all what I had hoped for.  She was WONDERFUL and had me come in the next day, she put a toner on it and though it's not what I indented, I feel that I can live with it and feel good about it. 

Old hair color. Bye, bye, summer.

Strange, ash color that I didn't like.
 

                                             

New Fall Color!

 

What do you do to spruce up your look or to pamper yourself?

DIY: Musical Wall

This is such an easy DIY project friends. If I can do it, anyone can.  I am not usually that crafty but as I am getting older I am becoming willing to step out of my comfort zone more often.   This spring I was looking for some new pictures for PWIM (Picture Word Inductive Model that our school division uses for language arts and a beginning place for inquiry in K-Gr.3) I came across an outdoor symphony photograph, that we got permission to use for educational purposes, and  I loved that these children are exploring music in an non-traditional classroom and in a non-traditional way (a mix of real and created instruments).  Right away I knew I wanted to bring that idea of music, the outdoors and non-traditional instruments to our youngest learners to explore and hopefully be inspired to learn and create new ways of creating music.   

Materials:

 

-palette                                          -xylophone                                                   -cheese grater

-screws                                          -wooden spoons                                           -egg beater

-nails                                             -plastic container                                           -metal bowl

-hammer                                       -cheese grater                                                -metal colander

-power drill                                   -pot                                                               -soup cans   

-utility hooks     

-twine                         

 -an item that I found at Value Village but don't know what it is, but it makes a great sound!

 

 ****Anything you can find that would make a unique sound is a good buy.  I was really hoping to find a wooden wind chime but no luck.

The set-up, assembly and clean-up took maybe an hour, so you don't need a lot of time.  

 

First step:   I took off the xylophone pieces from the instrument and string them on twine.  Be sure to think about the length of the twine so that they all hang at the same length once you place them on the palette.  I used nails to hang the xylophone pieces off of.  

Second step: I lined everything up on the palette to see what arrangement would work best.  I had to rearrange it a few times.

Third step:  Start working!  I used a power drill for the very first time in my life and it made me feel STRONG, EMPOWERED, and HANDY.  

 

Fourth step:  Clean up.

 

Fifth step:  HAVE FUN!!!!  My girls were thrilled with the wall and they created musical patterns, concerts, incorporated dance, etc.  Let's just say it's a new favorite toy and who cares that it makes a ton of noise, it's outside.

This musical wall I am taking to work to give away as a prize for new teachers but I have promised the girls that we can go shopping and purchase new items so that we can make another one to keep in our backyard.  Total cost was approximately $40. If you are a teacher you could easily give parents a list of possible items that you might need and I  bet everyone would be happy to bring at least one item.    I am actually considering making one for our nephew as a birthday present, something different and unconventional. 

Weekend Wear

Around here the weather has been changing on a daily basis which means I am tappin' into both my summer and fall wardrobe.  I always post my work related outfits, so this week I am switching gears and showcasing two very casual, mommy outfits. Realistically when I get home from work, or on the weekends, I wear very comfy, casual clothing.   My first outfit is all about the embracing the change in the season, while the second one is about hanging on to summer for just a little bit longer. 

 

Look #1 The comfy and sporty look.  Honestly I should probably share more of these because they are truly what I mostly live in.  I am a fairly active person who enjoys running, boot camp, walking,  biking, and exploring the outdoors. Lately we have been getting outside and exploring various hiking trails right here in our city.  It started with Logan and I taking the dog for daily walks by our river in the city while our girls were away in B.C. with my parents.  Since the girls have returned we have been sharing these new found places with them and  have enjoyed getting outdoors as a family.  Being outside fills "my bucket" (if you are a parent or a teacher you are familiar with this story, Have You Filled a Bucket Today?). 

 

Most of my "off time" is spent wearing lululemon athletic wear  all year long.  The thing about lululemon gear is that you really don't need to have a lot of it.  I have a couple of long pants, couple of capris, couple of pairs of shorts, 4 tank tops and 3 long sleeved tops.  I have had these items for YEARS and I just keep washing and wearing them; and I wear them all the time for both running and leisure activities.

Look #2   I just love this crop top!  I was somewhat hesitant to purchase a crop top at my age, but I am so glad that I did.  :)   I paired it up with my skinny jeans and flats for a casual look for a family gathering. It was a warm weekend and we spent a lot of time just hanging out in a hall. 

I have also paired this top with my culotte pants (here) for work.  I am going to keep this top in my rotation through the fall season and pair it up with my navy blazer and also my jean jacket. 

 

Crop Top: Top Shop

Jessica Simpson Kiss Me Skinny Jeans: The Bay

Guess flats (similar)

 



 For more fashion inspiration head on over to the Blended Blog and Thread for Thomas.

 

Transitioning into Fall with a LWD & LBB

Two nights ago Logan and my enjoyed our last evening without kids. We headed downtown to watch the fireworks festival before going to pick up the girls and my parents up from the airport.  We had a week long vacation from parenting while my mom and dad had the kids in Victoria, B.C. visiting my sister. 

I decided that I wasn't ready to let go of this little white dress that I purchased at the onset of summer ( see how I wore it HERE), so  I paired it up with these adorable little black booties (LBB) that I just purchased from The Bay.  LBB are a staple in my wardrobe and finally this past summer I said goodbye to my favorite pair, that I held on to for six seasons!!! I figured if I threw them out then I would be forced to purchase new ones, and  I am glad I did because these LBB are perfect.  I love the gold buckle detailing, the rounded toe, stacked heel and the comfort.  I am thinking I am might snag a pair in grey as well.  I also threw on my jean jacket and some gold accessories to spruce up the outfit.  If I had a black motto jacket I think that would pair up really well as well.

 

 

Shop This Look:

Guess Dress (on sale 60% off)

Little Black Booties

Jean Jacket

 

 I would love to hear how other people our transitioning their favorite summer pieces to fall.



Potter's Clay Culottes & Crop Top

The other day was my first day of school/work for the 2016-17 school year.   Here are my educator stats to date:

 

🍎 Starting year #9

🍎 3 Schools: Buena Vista, Queen Elizabeth, Lakeview, and now I work in a variety of schools supporting teachers in Prek-Gr. 8

🍎 1 School Divisions
🍎 Grades taught: PreK-Gr.4
🍎 Most experience in: Early Years (K-Gr.2)
🍎 Students taught: ~250 +
🍎 Principals: 4
🍎 Provinces taught in: Saskatchewan, Canada

 

 

Many teachers prepare their first day of school outfits in the same fashion as students :)    For me it wasn't so much the first day but the second, when all the teachers in our school division get together for a beginning of a new school year celebration.  I knew that I wanted to wear these  culotte pants that I snagged while doing a little bit of shopping in London this past summer.  You could say it was love at first sight with the cut/style and even more so with the color;  I was super pumped to see the potter's clay color in the pantone fall 2016 color palette.  The other color I am super excited to wear this fall is the spicy mustard!

 

 

I paired these sweet pants up with my new crop top from Top Shop, which I will wear all winter long under a blazer, and it pairs nicely with my circle skirt that I wore last week and heels.  And this year I was able to snag my very own back to school backpack from Zara.  

 Shop the Look: 

Culottes (similar) option 1; option 2

Backpack (similar): Simons

Crop top: Top Shop

Happy back to school everyone!!!

Summer Style: Circle Skirt Crush

I have spent the last half of July and first part of August living mostly in shorts and t-shirt/tank tops while at the lake with the family, but in early spring my very talented mother agreed to sew me this amazing circle skirt (see below).  My mom is a miracle worker with her sewing machine but I hate being measured, adjusted and overall touched so she was shocked when I asked her to actually make me something. We picked out a pattern together and she got right to work.  

Since June, I have worn it several times to work, where I received a ton of complements  and then passed them on to my mother.  It's the perfect length to be work attire and for chasing children around.  Here are three of my favorite looks from this summer.

 

Look #1 Paris Graphic Tee 

 

What's better than a Paris graphic tee, while actually visiting Paris?!?  This outfit was absolutely perfect for a long day of walking in the summer heat.   I love contracting this floral skirt with a tee and my Etnies.  

 Look #2 Pretty Pastels

 

For a more feminine look I paired the skirt up with a soft pink camisole, a little cardigan for added warmth, and nude flats for another lengthy day on my feet.  I added a chunky necklace to help accessorize the outfit and it's one that I feel I can wear to the office!

 

Look #3 Around Town

 

After wearing the same shorts and shirts over and over at the lake for several weeks, I was kind of dying to get a little dressed up.  I wore this outfit to do some running around and catching up on some errands the other day.   My favorite piece of this outfit is this new to me cross-bag that I picked up on our local buy and sell for $3!!!!  

I love new-to-me stuff  :)

Needless to say, I am loving my circle skirt and will definitely be taking it into early fall with me and possibly wearing it to the first day of school.  Yes, I am an adult that still loves to dress up on the first day of school :) 

Giving Them Their Childhood Back

WOW, it's been just about a month since my last post.  Summer is just flying by.  We have been enjoying a ton of family time at the lake while camping.  What I want to reflect upon today is how I have been giving my children their childhood back.  Please remember this is my story and in no way am I a perfect parent, nor do I feel I know best, nor our my ways of parenting better/worse than anyone else's.  These are my own observations and my own feelings, which you may/may not agree with. 

 

When we first began camping, I went all Pinterest mom.  I created not only a meal plan, which I still use in order to help with packing our little trailer efficiently, but that first year I was full on in TEACHER MODE.  I had every day planned with games, crafts, nap times, activities, the WHOLE THING.  My type A personality completely took over and I felt very mom of the year.  Guess what happened?!?  We got out there and the kids just were kids and we barely touched all my goodies.  That was 4 summers ago and I quickly realized that is not at all what my kids wanted/needed/craved.  Now I basically let them pack some coloring stuff and a couple of books, cards and dominos.  That’s it because what I’ve discovered is that my kids find all kinds of things and new friends to play with. 

 

Catching a bucket full of minnows.



Anya and her friend making a mermaid tail for Halie.

 

 

Over the years we have gone camping with a bunch of friends a very kid friendly camp ground.  This place doesn’t have bears or wild animals, which is sad but also wonderful at the same time.  We take their bikes and they just GO (with and//or without helmets, don’t judge).  They go into the tree area and have a secret hide out which over the years has been a fairy garden, hide and seek spots, maze, grocery store and restaurant.  They fall and get back up.  They get disorientated and they find their way.  The thing is they mostly do this without me or my husband. 



Ice tea stand at the campground. 



 

 

I used to sit with them at the playground, being the responsible parent, sometimes even judging the parents who were never there, but now I am that parent.  You know why?!?  Because over the years I’ve realized in an attempt to keep my children safe from harm, I’ve actually helped cultivate their inability to make decisions by just trusting their instincts.  In order to ensure that they didn’t get hurt I always stopped them and told them why that might not be a good idea; I never actually gave them an opportunity to come to that conclusion on their own.    I still remember when I realized this about myself.  It was our second year at this playground and Halie was six and a half.  We let her go to the playground in the evening while we cleaned up and put Anya to bed.  She had been going confidently all week.  It got a bit later and I wondered over to the park to find my sweet girl, sitting by herself, all the kids had left, and crying quietly.  It broke my heart and I felt horrible.  We talked about it and went through what maybe she should have done.  I went with her the following day and probably the days after.  Upon reflection though what I came to realize was that this was a great lesson to learn in a safe environment.  Honestly we talked to her about noticing the kids leaving, asking a adult for help, yes a stranger!, and just thinking what she should to logically.  The truth is we had always been there to make the decisions and even though we talked about these decisions we had never given her an opportunity, or very few, to make them on her own.  By doing, making a mistake, children actually learn. 

Halie's camping pet. 

 

 

So now we free-range parent in a safe environment.  We created a scavenger hunt for the kids and sent them off in a group of six at 8 p,m. and told them to come back when it was done or when it got dark.  We told them their parameters were the campground which they knew well.  They stuck together and were gone for 45 minutes.  They had a blast!  They felt confident! They worked as a team!  They figured it out! They felt successful!  We even had a bonus on their that they needed to find a stranger and get their signature, we talked to them about how to use their manners and approach someone. 

 

 

Off they go to find the treasure!

 



They found all 10 items, plus the 2 bonus rounds. 

 

 

I want my kids to be safe but I know that in order to develop “common sense” they need opportunities to encounter challenges and to make decisions by themselves and hope for the best.  It’s not always possible in the city, when we are running from place to place, but at the camp ground they can just be kids.  Run wild.  Play in the bush.  Use their imaginations when they are bored.  Depend on themselves as children to come up with tier own fun rather than having adults create the opportunities for them. 

 

 

For an interesting read check out the following article I'm Done Making My Kid's Childhood Magical.