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.

Lace, Fringe and Summer Date Nights

Almost every spring/summer and fall/winter season, I purchase one item that may not be super practical but makes me feel pretty and unique.  I saw this dress prior to our trip to Europe and my husband talked me into getting it with my birthday money.  On our first evening in Paris, which was also my birthday, I got to wear it out for dinner.  I felt so pretty, somewhat young and carefree, that I even did a little spin (check the photos below).  

 

 

This was also the only time I wore shoes with a heel, my Nine West wedges, instead of my sensible Etnies which I lived in for the most of our trip.  I paired  the dress up with the  simple, yet feminine, H & B rose gold necklace (also a birthday present) and my sparkle ball earrings.

 

 

Though I wore this dress for a date night, it actually looks very cute with some fancier flip flops, or sandals, a floppy hat and a beach bag for a casual beach look or for running some errands around down.  

Shop this look: 

Guess Dress

H & B sparkle balls and necklace

Nine West  Peep-toe shoes

What is everyone else wearing and doing for summer date nights?

London 2016 in Review

It's been a long time since my last post but for good reason.  Logan and I just returned from a 12 day, adult only, trip to London and Paris.  We did 6 full days in London and 3 days in Paris, and then a few travel days.  While in London we stayed with my friend Alley and her significant other Adam, and they were wonderful hosts.

 

Today's post is a bit lengthy but here are my top five events, in no particular order,  from London.

#1 London’s Parks (St. Mary’s Gardens & Kensington Park)

If you love the outdoors and beautifully manicured open spaces, London will not disappoint.  Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many beautiful parks in my life and they are literally EVERYWHERE.  There are so many to choose from, St. James Park, Hyde Park, Victoria Park, etc.  My two favorite parks were Regent’s Park, specifically the rose gardens and the boating lake, and Kensington park.  As we strolled through Regeant’s Park on a Sunday afternoon we witnessed numerous children and families picnicking, as well as structured sport practices taking places.  The London Zoo is also located nearby but we didn’t check it out but it sounds like a great place to visit. 

 

 

My second favorite park, in which we spent at least 2.5 hours in, was Kensington Park/Gardens.  This is a HUGE park and not only does it house Kensington Palace, but has numerous playgrounds including Princess Dianna’s playground which we weren’t allowed to checkout because we didn’t have children with us.  You will find several gardens, two lakes, row boats, picnicking areas, walking paths, etc.   It also has the Peter Pan statue and Princess Diana’s Memorial fountain, which is more like a large paddling pool that children of all ages were playing in.  

 

 

#2 Buckingham Palace & The Royal Mews

We did watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace but honestly it was not something that stands out in my mind at all.  Truth be told it was kind of a waist of time but it’s what you are supposed to take in and do while in London so we did.  

Afterwards we wondered over to the Royal Mews where they keep all the horses and the carriages used by the queen, and all the previous royals.  We did a walking tour with a guide and really enjoyed our time there.  

This carriage is mostly used by the queen for state affairs.  

This is the gold state coach and it is massive. It’s the oldest coach, mid-18th century.  It is so heavy that it takes them two days to prepare it and get it out of it’s holding facility.  This has been used for every coronation since the mid-18th century and also for the jubilee celebration.  The heavy coach needs 8 horses to pull and 4 riders to pull it. It is heavy due to it’s wooden frame as well as the luxurious gold decor.   

This is me practicing my royal wave.  

The Royal Mews also has a daycare area to drop of your children if you are visiting with them. I know my girls would have loved seeing all the carriages though.  

 

 

3) Live Theater

We were fortunate enough to see two different shows while in London.  The first was at the Shakespeare Globe Theater, which also included a tour with the guide of the actual theater and learning about Shakespearean times.  I have always appreciated Shakespeare, though I don’t always understand it all, and have read/seen quite a few of his plays.  What I grew to appreciate even more is how talented he truly was.  His plays are written so that both the rich and the peasants would be able to identify with the story.  As you can imagine this would be very difficult as the two classes were leading such extraordinarily different daily lives.  In watching The Taming of the Shrew, which I didn’t know much about except that it was a comedy and 10 Things I Hate About You is loosely based on it, I recognized how the play is actually very tragic.  It depicts and questions women’s roles in society.  I was devastated by the fact that the “Shrew”, the young woman with her own view of the world, what being a women men’s, and a strong will, gets tamed by a man.  Sure Shakespeare made it funny but I wonder how many people left the play years ago, and thought that’s not right. 

 

The second performance we went to has been on my wish list for some time, Les Miserables .  We didn’t purchased tickets ahead of time, so we were super fortunate to get standing tickets for our last evening in London.   The show was completely sold out but when we went to Lancaster metro station to buy daily discounted priced tickets the gentleman saw how disappointed I was that he told that us that if we went straight to the box office they sell a few standing only seats if the show is sold out.  We both got tickets for $30 pounds!!!!!  The show did not disappoint! The stage, the actors, the singing, the story, all blew my expectations out of the water.  It’s such a beautiful story of love, human devotion, kindness, empathy, overcoming obstacles, and also a time piece representing the class system that once existed and how that impacted human character.  If you get a chance, it’s a must see!!!!

 

4) Tower of London

We spent 4.5 hours here!!!!!  Honestly there was so much to see and learn at this place that we could have spent more time but we were meeting up with our friends for drinks so we scooted out of there.  One thing we didn’t do, but wished we had, was get the audio tower for the towers.  We did however enjoy a enactment of the peasants charging the tower and a tour of the white tower.  Anytime we could we joined a tour because you learn so much and they always add so many antidotes that make the place come to life.  We saw the crown jewels, totally worth the 45-minute wait, and even purchased a broche for my grandmother from the gift shop. We saw the etchings of prisoners who were kept captive in the ‘prison’ tower.  Some of the prisoners were held for their whole lives, others were kept until they were beheaded, while others still had lush accommodations if they were of royalty and were just kept until a ransom was paid. 

What we found interesting about this location is that it was where the London Zoo actually originated!   When the wealthy would come to see visit the king they would bring exotic animals as a gift, which came to be known as the Royal Beasts.  The tower saw an elephant, snakes, lion (this is were the lions found in Trafalgar Square were sketched), ostrich, monkeys, etc.  At the time the guards did not know how to take care of the animals so they were left to roam around the tower and they struggled to feed them as they didn’t understand their diet.  They fed the elephant wine daily, stray dogs to the lion, and nails to the ostrich because they were told it needed ‘iron’.  People began visiting the tower to see the exotic animals but after several attacks on humans they realized that they needed to contain the animals and they were relocated to what is now the London Zoo!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

5)  Westminster Abby was worth the visit and it’s absolutely stunning in it’s architecture as well as it’s history of people who have come to worship, carnations, wedding, baptisms, and the ones who are laid to rest there.  We took the audio guide and it provided us with a wealth of information.  As we walked through the abbey its difficult to take all that it’s made up of, the art, stain glass ceilings, the tombs and the statues that represent the ones laid to rest there, the architecture of the church itself, etc.  The coronation chair is also seen at the end of the tour and I have to say was not grand as I had envisioned it but then again it’s 720 years old!!!!! 

 

There are so many things to see and do in London and of course we didn’t get to it all.  We did go down to the famous Borough Market but after a half an hour we wandered off into Notting Hill and enjoyed the quite neighborhood rather than the jam packed busy street filled with vendors.  We ate and drank in fancier and local pubs.  We took in a roof top movie with the locals.    .  I did a little bit, very little, shopping on Oxford street and found a new store that I absolutely loved, M & S (Mark & Spencer) and I just found that they do ship to Canada but haven’t explored it yet. 

http://www.marksandspencerlondon.com/ca/home

 

Thanks for stopping by.  

 

 

 

 

Kindergarten is over...

Today is Anya's Kindergarten graduation.  It's currently peaceful in the house and everyone is asleep. I am grateful to have this opportunity to be alone with my thoughts, reminisce and drink my coffee.  The truth is my thoughts are sad.  I know I am supposed to be happy to see Anya on her special day but I feel a lump in my throat the size of a baseball and tears welling up in my eyes.  How did time slip away so fast?  When did my little kangaroo jump out of the pouch and begin hopping all on her own?   How did I miss it?  I never imagined having older children, let alone a pre-teen with attitude and a strong willed six year old.  LOL! 

 

ANYA.  She is the  baby of the family and knows how to work it.  She knows when I need the cuddles, kisses and when to crawl into my lap.  She willingly gives it to me still but I know those days are numbered and maybe that's why I feel so sad.  She still humors me and  pretends she is a baby and will let me smoother her, as will Halie, but not nearly as often as they used to.  While Anya is sweet and cuddly,  she is also very bright and knows how to use her love in order to get what she wants.  She loves to play and be social.  When we pick her up from school she hugs everyone in sight; this is how she ended up with  lice earlier on in the school this year.  She enjoys school, socially and academically, and is extremely curious. 

 

Her graduation ceremony was wonderful.  There were three classes combined to sing songs and recite poems for all the parents.  Afterwards her teacher prepared a PowerPoint slideshow of just their class back in the classroom and gave a heartwarming speech addressing the parents and then the children.  She is everything you want your child's teacher to be.  She is gentle, kind and firm all at the same time.  She is young, hip, cool and knowledgeable.  She nurtures the children's curiosity and exposes them to new ways of looking at the world.  My personal favorite moment of the year is when she invited me, along with other parents, to share our cultures with the class.  I was reluctant a bit, nervous in a way, but teaching them about my country's song and dance, also made my child proud and curious of her heritage.  It was a great year for Anya. She is ready for grade one (a lot more so than her mother). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One last thing.  I got this idea from a friend and have started it for my own girls this year.  I bought them each a book, Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Life, for each of their teachers to sign from K-Gr.12.  We will give it to them at their grade 12 graduation.  Most people choose Dr. Suess',  Oh, The Places You'll Go!, (excellent choice), but I wanted something a little different.  Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Life is filled with inspirational quotes from Albert Einstein to Confucius to Abraham Lincoln to Shakespeare and more!  Check it out, it's super cute. 

 

It was a good day.  A day to celebrate.  A day to be remembered. 

Little White Dress

A little white dress can go a long way in the summer.  Work life, dinner date, patio drinks, weddings, church, or in my case a baptism.  I used to shy away from anything white but then a couple of years ago I joined Alison's Get Your Pretty On Style Challenge, and invested  in a pair of white jeans and  tee's.  Now I wear white a LOT, without fear, and bleach is  always on hand :) 

A couple of weekends ago we were invited to celebrate our nephews baptism. It was a beautiful Sunday and following the church service we were heading outside for a BBQ at my sister in-laws.  I decided to wear this adorable, new to me, white dress, courtesy of my sisters closet YAY! I also paired it up with a floppy hat, and some sparkle from Hillberg and Berk. 

This stunning, three-in-one, rose gold, necklace was a gift from my sister and her family for my birthday.  Eek, I am one lucky girl.   

 

 

Last, but certainly not least, my girls agreed to wear these adorable, matching dresses.  They are totally not into matching these days but I was so excited when they both choose to wear their lovely, spring bloom, maxi dresses to the baptism.  I just think they are so darn cute and still head over heels in love with their cousin Cooper. 

 

 

Happy Hump Day!!!

Halie's Tears of Joy

A couple of  nights ago I took my little girls to their first concert ever, Justin Bieber.  Halie, 9 years old, has been asking to go see a concert for the past year and a half but when she heard in October 2015 that Justin Bieber would be coming in June, she begged us to get her tickets.  Since the girls have their birthday's in December and January, along with Christmas, we decided we would do our best to get tickets for their birthdays.  My grandma, their great-grandmother, was the most loved person at the birthday party in December as she was the one to give their girls their tickets as a birthday present (she always gives them money so this time we used the money, along with our money, to pay for the tickets). 

 

Finally two nights ago we ventured out to the  Justin Bieber concert.  Halie had been counting down the days for a couple of months.  They both had every Bieber song memorized as they listened to it on their IPods and danced around in their rooms for weeks and weeks.   We did out hair, check out the purple and blue, and put on just the tiniest bit of make-up.   We entered the venue to a LOT  of girls, mainly 15-25 years of age.  The line-ups for the T-shirts were LONG, like 45-60 min. wait time, but we stood in them without any complaining from the girls.  They didn't even want junk food (if you know Anya, nothing matters more to her than sugar, so I was stunned), just the t-shirts.   

 

 

Finally we made it to our seats after getting our t-shirts, popcorn and water (my kids declined pop, I couldn't believe it)!!!  We missed most of the opening act which was fine because we had no clue who it was. 

 

Pre-show excitement

THE BEST MOMENT OF THE NIGHT!!!!  When the lights went out, the music started, and finally Justin emerged on the stage, you can imagine the screams that echoed throughout the venue.  I looked over to my girls who were both screaming, and my Halie, who is so reserved and timid, was loosing it and had tears in her eyes, slowly escaping and running down her cheek.  Later in the car she said to me, "Mama, I was so excited.  I had tears of joy in my eyes."  This was the sweetest moment.  My heart was so thankful that I was there to experience this with them, especially Halie who seems to be growing up so fast and whom I've had so many ups and downs with.  Just writing it, thinking about it, fills my soul and makes tears of joy come to my eyes.  I feel grateful that I have a life in which I can afford these extravagant luxuries for my girls.  I have the ability to spend an insane amount of money on one night to make special memories.  I believe memories can be made without these extravagant outings but it was a special night.  Dancing with my girls, watching their eyes aglow as they experience their first concert, them being overcome by joy, excitement and pure love for this singer (gag, but it's what they like).   This is a memory I will treasure forever as a mom and they will hopefully remember for their whole lives as well. 

Anya's first reaction.

This is Halie's face when he first came on stage.  LOL. 

Halie dancing the night away.