it's my girls' world: January 2015

Friday, January 30, 2015

It's Friday!! Winter's still here

Happy Friday, friends! It's been busy around these. At this time of year (tax time), I do some part time work so the blogging gets to be a bit less frequent. And my parents just left yesterday so we were busy spending time with them also. I didn't want to miss yet another set of Friday fun though so I thought I'd post some warm stuff that's been keeping me sane this winter.

1- Blardigan Love

If there is a piece of clothing I wear every-single-day, it's my blardigan-- part blanket, part cardigan-all PTMT. It's a bit of an investment piece but it's light enough to wear all the time but warm enough to wear all the time. I got for Christmas 2013 and probably wore it 350 days since then. That's mere cents per usage! Totally worth it, no? I've also bought it as presents for a couple people and they adore it too. My mom even travels with hers! If that isn't a testimonial, I don't know what is!

2- Thermal Jammies

I'm not usually a pajama set person. Usually it's just the bottoms I buy with some sort of soft long sleeve tees (Gap mostly). But I bought this as a birthday present for myself last week and loooved it. So light and warm at the same time. The actual set is sold out but PJ Salvage is the brand.

3- Knee high socks

I've really been into knee high socks with my leggings these past couple years. They just add an extra oomph. I've gotten a few but they are hard to find. Any recommendations?

4- Accessories

Love me my chunky accessories and I always wear them when I'm being fancy. However, for just the running around, these pieces that have been all the rage in the blogosphere are cute enough to add some moxie but light enough not to bother me too much.

5- March Break Fun

Ok, this ones really keeping me from sinking into a winter funk. We were debating taking a warm trip for March break but in between just having come back from Trinidad, the insane prices of tickets and just wanting to keep it local, we're going with some friends of ours for a couple nights at a resort a few hours away from us. So excited Should be a wonderful time!!

Linking up with virtually everyone….

Andrea, Erika and Narci for Favourites on Friday

Jenny for Friday Favourites

Amy for Hey Friday

Amanda for Friday Favourites

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Weekly photos-- the baby it's cold edition

Good morning, Juno! Did you see all the snow in the Northeast? My parents flight got cancelled (one of thousands) and they are now grounded until Thursday. Hope everyone is warm and drinking lots of hot stuff-- or red wine. Whatever rocks your boat. In Canada, it's way colder than it is in those parts but at least there's not too much snow around. Winter driving sucks!!

Day #12

Back to school. These kiddos weren't used to putting on their winter gear after their trip to the Caribbean so little A needed help. #bigsistersrock

Day #13

All the dry indoor heat also makes everyone thirsty. #glassisbiggerthan she is

Day #14

D's cousin gave her this head warmer for Christmas. I think she looks like the little match girl with it on. #homespunrocks

Day #15

A sneaked off and put these on. Apparently she missed seeing her toes. #imissseeingthemtoo

Day #16

Pizza making night. #cheesemonster

Day #17

Elsa party #2. Note the rapt attention on all the little faces.

Day #18

Enjoying a little midday snack. #toddlersnacksforthewin

Day #19

MY mom bought this outfit for her. #cracksmeup #originalgangsta #2Tshouldfitbynow

Day #20

Officially in out break status with the mighty bug.

Day #21

Picked up my parents in the airport and took them for masala dosa. #yummygoodness

Day #22

My birthday…. A blew a candle out after this. It was her half birthday after all :-)

Linking up with some lovely ladies for Tuesday Talk

Stay safe and warm!

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Birthday stuff

This birthday was a different one… our house was knocked off it's socks with this insane stomach bug that's left us all virtually on the floor. All of us except for C… that kid's immunity has become insane. So my birthday itself was pretty low key….

C gave me an iPhone holder for the car---- hmmmmm….

I sneaked off to get my nails done

All smiles with my little Typhoid Mary- she's been home since Wednesday

This little lady is full of festive fun for occasions.

There was cake but through no fault of D- it was frozen (but not in the Disney way) and the top tasted a bit funny-- oh and the bakery botched the order and didn't order the cake he asked for. #firstworldbirthdayproblems

Then on Thursday night, my parents caught the super bug as well. And then C's school went into official outbreak status with this bug as well…. eeek!

D and I slipped out for a bit on Friday night to have a belated birthday drink and a grilled cheese sandwich for C. I also wanted a good piece of chocolate cake to make up for the night before but unfortunately the slice I got also disappointed. I was beginning to think it was a sign from above telling me to stop eating cake and begin my detox.

All decked out on a very cold Saturday night to head out to dinner with friends.

Some special people who came out with us. Appreciate the effort in sub zero temps!

And then there was dessert that finally met this sweet tooth critic's approval. PS> Not all was mine, but I might have had a couple bites from all .

A couple of us then headed to a bar opening for a drink after!

So that was it! Birthday's done, bug's (hopefully) done and here's hoping for a great year ahead!

Linking up on this fine day with Biana for weekending

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Currently…. on my birfday

It's my birthday!!! (Well according to A, it's her birthday- technically it's her half birthday so she's only half wrong and only half egocentric) I haven't done one of these in a while so I thought that it would be a fun to do a bit of a catch up!

Currently....

thinking | I need a detox- warning, this will be a recurring theme all through this post!

drinking | Water, water and more water!

reading | other blogs….

loving | how my two year (and a half today) old says Jupiter--- more like Joopitah!

wanting | these Zella Live In Leggings- thanks PTMT- waiting for a sale

looking | at The Bachelor (a little bit shamefully)

listening | to Blank Space- over and over and over again. A loves it and if I miss my phone, she has it and it turning on Blank Space.

remembering | to fill in those medical claim forms for last year soon (exciting stuff I know)

trying | to not eat sugar, and carbs--- ick!

wishing | I was sometimes more patient with my kids and didn't lose my temper

planning | for March break- based on a lot of feedback from my friends and fellow bloggers, we're keeping it local - in Ontario anyways

enjoying | some quiet time before I have to clean, bathe, pick up, fix something or someone

day dreaming | of some fun vacation we can take later on in the year.. we're debating Disney with a 6 and 3 year old. Crazy or not crazy?

waiting | (not so patiently) for the day that I don't have to buy diapers anymore.

liking | a homemade deodorant D's cousin gifted me for Christmas. 4 ingredients and it works!!

wondering | how much this piece of steel I have in my back from my scoliosis surgery weighs-- totally random I know

needing | to organise so very, very, very much. Each-room-of-my-house.

wearing | lots of leggings and tunics- my uniform in the fall/winter months. With knee socks and cute jewelry to accessorise of course

noticing | that I need to do my nails! Winter hands are raggedy.

starting | to get Quickbooks ready for some part time work I need to so.

pinning | valentine stuff

smelling | nothing right now thanks to a stuffy nose. January kinda sucks!

thanking | God for another healthy, peaceful, family filled year :-)

Pretty low key birthday planned but my parents have come to spend my birthday with us. So I get to sleep lots, spend some me time, eat some of my favourite food-- oh and yeah, there'll be chocolate cake… lots of it!!

Oh and this weekend we go out :-)
Cheers.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

That time with the lice scare

A couple months ago, we received a notice from C’s class stating that ~~lice had taken over the school and our kids' heads~~ there was a lice infestation. Two kids and one teacher had it. They were very careful to be non-descript with the note but as soon as we went in the car, C offered up the info that her best friend XXX had creepy crawly insects in her hair so said friend has to leave school early. C was like of course I gave her a (long) hug before she left. Super!

The minute we entered the garage, before I even took them out of their car seats, I googled lice and prevention. Reading that both tea tree oil and hair products help to avoid the ‘creepy crawly’ insects, I opted to use a combo of both to double our success rate. So into the bath they went, both sets of hair scrubbed and washed with this tea tree cleaner I had bought a year before that was supposed to be magical for skin, heads, pots and pans…. I don’t make this stuff up, folks (the Dr Brommer’s products) Diluted for pots and pans but used straight on for lice.

Then the little heads were air dried and combed with gel. Of course, ~~because I am a hypochondriac~~ I threw in a couple drops of tea tree oil for good measure as well. All at lighting speed as of course the quicker you do it, the higher the chances of everything working?? And then for school, her hair was combed into a scraggly ponytail and braided… once again with tea tree oil/gel combo for the win. Win being no lice.

You see...as a kid, I got lice as a kid and had long hair. Not a fun combo, friends and so much of a pain to rid the house of it. And it was one thing for C to get it, but what about two year old A? And her little class? Can you imagine a whole classroom of toddlers being infested because of us!

But long story short, we avoided the lice but it didn’t stop C from telling everyone who would listen, "my hair is itchy. I might have lice. " EVERYONE. Even during our vacation a few weeks ago. And there were some ~~dirty~~ weird looks.

Crisis averted… for now. We have at least 16 years of school left1

PS. This story may or may not entirely have a moral—the early bird (paranoid parent) catches the worm (saves the spread of lice)? Mama should have been a theatre major? C should be more careful with her words and maybe hugs?

Linking up with Jess for It's The Little Things… cause there are few things more little than lice.

Monday, January 19, 2015

This one's for you, my friends…..

This Saturday was two years since my first blog post. What started as a very simple way to document all the little stuff about my kids has turned into so much more. It's become a portal to our lives for my friends, family and my fellow blog peeps. I share updates, tips, recipes and still include all the little stuff as well.

But to me, I get more out of my blogging than I give. The blogging community are my people. You guys are the first to cheer me on and celebrate our family's successes, laugh at all our antics (with us of course), give advice when solicited, send encouraging words when we need them and just comment on all the day to day silly stuff. I appreciate the reading and the comments so, so much. I get all these great ideas, tips and tricks just from my fellow bloggers. When I first left the corporate world, I thought that the world had become a more solitary place. But thanks to some great friends I've made in my mommy life and to you guys, my readers, it's still a very connected world after all.

So thank you friends for tagging along. The ride simply is not the same without you guys!

And some funnies for this Monday Morning!

(well another two anyways)

Heck, yeah!

D & C do this sometimes!

Linking up for The Grateful Heart with Ember Grey

Friday, January 16, 2015

Favourite Little Getaway

This Friday Favourites post is not the usual randomness of whatever's in my head (if you're dying to read that, check out yesterday). When we were in Trinidad, my mother in law arranged for us to spend a couple days at the beach. We went to Mayaro, a beach that was less than two hours away from where we were staying, for two nights. Our friends Sean and Amra with their kids also joined D's parents and our family of four. D's brother and his family also came down for one night.

It was a wonderful combo of sun, sea and sand with some fresh local seafood thrown in for good measure. We built sand ~~castles~~ forts, swam a ton, took lots of walks and played and played and played. Here a a few too many pics…..

I adore this pic of my in-laws taking a stroll on the sands.

Fresh coconut water in the islands is a must.

We had our breakfast out facing the beach one day. Sean and Amra made nutella pancakes! THe kids were in chocolate heaven. (so was I, nutella is my jam and I don't keep it in the house).