it's my girls' world

I saw this prompt on A Cup of Jo and knew I had to do it too... a little fun for ya' Friday!

What are the little things you are secretly good at? Here's a little list of ten random things that are my call to fame.  #reallynotreally.

1- I can clean out my fridge, use up what I have and make a really yummy soup. 

2- I'm pretty good with accessories like jewelry, hats and scarves.  The trick is one large piece and not overdoing the rest--- or lots of little pieces.

3- Need someone to win shower games. I'm your gal. I usually walk home with a prize.

4- I'm a pretty great editor. Family and friends call on me when they need to send out an important email, text or letter or if they need someone to proofread a presentation. 

5- Building on that, I'm awesome at word games like scrabble, cross word puzzles and jumbles. My kids are always asking me for help LOL.

6- I'm the queen of sandwich making. Now that I try not to eat bread, I'm awesome at salads! I constantly invent different flavour combos. 

7- I have long arms and legs and a short torso so I can do an amazing bind for all the yogis out there. I appear to be better than I am! 

8- I never set an alarm on a regular school/work day. My body clock wakes me up pretty well. When I'm travelling early morning however, I do. I'm not a crazy lady!

9- I can raise my left eyebrow and touch my nose to my tongue 

10- I'm great at easy entertaining. No nine step meal for me to make.... I pre-make what I can, buy a few things and try to enjoy my guests as much as possible! 

I'm not the only talented one in the bunch. D can choose the best thing on the menu and is better than anyone I know at packing a suitcase or a trunk, Alex is good at making drinks out of whatever you have in your bar and Petal knows the lyrics to every single song ever. C can make me calm more than anyone else can and A's comedic timing is on point. Dani knows how to throw a  cheap, beautiful party and my mother in law is a super hero at making platters. 

And a little tongue in cheek quote for ya!

Sidenote, what I'm not good at: dealing with when people don't like me, parallel parking and choosing the worst line in the grocery. 

What special talents do you possess?! Sound off below!

Taking a little blogging break for the next 10 days while I spend the last few days of my kids vacay with them! Have a good one, lovelies!

It's time for Let's Look... with Shay and Erika . This topic is very near and dear to my heart, LOL.... My favourite binge shows.

Here are my criteria for binge worthy shows.

 +It has to be light

+ has to have little to no gore

+ can't involve too much grey matter as I watch it in the background while I'm in the kitchen, doing household stuff, in the gym or on the computer. 

Also, I have the binge watching tastes of someone in their early twenties.#dontjudge

Some of my faves have included:

Downton Abbey

Oh I love Lady Mary and the gang... and was also infuriated by them. I got sucked into the pomp, circumstance, rituals and family sagas. It was such a different time!! Sidenote, we intend to re-watch this, this time with the girls  when they get older.

Jane & The Virgin

Such a light, laugh out loud dramedy/telenovela about the three Villanueva women. I binged on this until Season 4 on Netflix - when a key character returned from the dead- then I waited for it to come out every week. Team Michael until Season 5 when I switched! 

The Fosters

This was a wonderful family drama about the members of the Foster family, led by a lesbian couple raising 5 children. Not a light hearted show by any means but very current dealing with a lot of issues going on right now. 

Parenthood

Can you tell I love the family comedy/dramas... The Bravermans are my favourites! Loved all the big family fun, the stories of each of the grandkids and kids and all those awesome family dinners. 

Brothers & Sisters

Are you going to tell me stop already?! Loved this the first time around and really enjoyed it back on Prime Video again. 

Honorable mention goes to Gilmore Girls, Party of Five and Call the Midwife (until season 3). 

Sidenote,  D loves Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, House of Cards and Dexter-- talk about opposites attracting, LOL!

So now that you know my viewing patterns, any shows to recommend? Do you prefer D's shows or mine?!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Well it's Monday. Camp and a quite sick kiddo. But it's still glorious summer!! So let's look back at our awesome African Lion Safari Adventure from a few weeks ago.

My brother and nephew came from NYC and we wanted to show them some fun. African Lion Safari is about 30 minutes from us and is always a great time. It was an even better time since I had coupons from their soccer league and saved about $83 in kids' tickets (special thanks to my girl Jenn for the third coupon)

Let's explore, kids!!

Hello and Happy Friday! I thought I'd switch it up today and try a new link up 10 on the 10th. This month, it's all about the friendships and 10 ways to be a good friend.. or loved one... I have so many family members I also consider to be  my best friends. 

 

1- Make time for your friendships. Text or call if you can. Even a quick meme to bring a smile to someone's face. 

2- If possible, meet from time to time. With busy schedules, still try to fit in a lunch, coffee or quick walk together. Real time spent together is like nothing else. 

3- Develop an attitude of gratitude with your friendships. Always try to remember to say thanks when your friend does something or makes time for you. A quick thankful text is never a bad thing. 

4- This one is funny, but try to support their social media efforts. Like or comment on their photo. Like their pages or donate to their cause if you believe in it! I hold some of my high school friends in such high esteem who make time to do this for me. 

5- Listen. You don't always need to voice an opinion. Sometimes people just need to vent. 

6- Respect their wishes and beliefs. Differing opinions are okay. 

7- Don't trash talk behind their back. I had this friend in my teens who would always bash this other friend and the other day I saw her post such a beautiful tribute to her on IG. I couldn't help but remember how ill she would speak of her and really admire their friendship took a different turn.

8- Talk it out. If something is there between you that's not feeling right,  if you have the relationship to do so, call and try to talk it out. If not, take whatever space or time you need. 

9- Give and take. I believe that friendships are about both giving and taking. No one likes a taker who doesn't give their time, effort or energy in return. I find myself getting weary of being the only one making the effort in certain friendships I have had in the past so I've paused on occasion. 

10 - Be happy for their joy and celebrate with them.  When good things happen to them or their family, ask a lot of questions. Get all the tea! And let them know you are thrilled for their wonderful news. 

What do you do to be a good friend? Any tips and tricks to share?

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!!

Life lately has just been buzzing by and standing still. Summer is filled with a whole lot of nothingness, busy, entertaining, downtime, pool time, screen time, family and friendships... Let's play a little catch up with some currently with Anne

Prime Lately for some of it. 

 The Ordinary Skin Care stuff to try because of the rave reviews and great prices. I will do a trial and report back here after a few weeks. 

The kids also got new Go Walks from the 50% employee friends' and family sale last week.

Movies with my kids in the night. 

The Grand Hotel while I'm cooking

The Jane the Virgin finale (so sweet)- initially Team Michael but now strongly Team Raph

Bachelor In Paradise (oh Blake, my fave from last season)

And I'm totally stoked for the 90210 reboot!!

Super easy stuff

Grilling creatively

Simple salads

Cauliflower

Soups to use up the veggies in the fridge

A whole lot of randomness :

Whether A can go to tennis lessons with her cut on her foot

If I can get a handle on all of this taxation stuff I'm slowly learning

What A will think of the cheer class she is trying next week

If I can really have no sugar until next week - I'm thinking no LOL

What next year's extra curricular is going to look like...

When next we can go to the market.

My kiddos at home.  Yeah they ask for snacks all the time, bicker often and try to get away with lots of screen time but I love those crazy, lazy summer days!

Yay for Tuesday... said no one ever, ha! We've had the most awesome staycation weekend with my brother and nephew visiting. More about that another time though. Today is all about Prime Lately with Tanya and some awesome purchases from the last couple months. Truth be told, Prime Day didn't much impress me this time around. I bought some sunscreen and mineral powder (that's still on sale) but other than that, nothing! That's not to say, we haven't been using Prime lately though... take a look:

Jane Iredale PurePressed Base

This is the powder/mineral foundation that I use daily. Seriously, I use it in the am before the gym or I use it for a special night out as well. I just layer on the coverage. Added bonus, it has a mineral sunscreen SPF. It's been in my arsenal for 5-6 years so far and we love it!!

Tassel  Fringe Earrings

Love a good tassel earring and these are so much cheaper than the ones at J Crew/Bauble Bar ones. These are so light and a great price!

Geometric Octagon Earrings

These are also light and a great price. A fun summer piece to add punch to dresses in lots of different colours. 

Compostable Disposable Wooden Forks

For bigger parties, these compostable forks are a great alternative to plastic ones!! 

Reusable Bamboo Cotton Face Pads

A great alternative to the disposable cotton face pads. You just throw these in the wash in the mesh bag they come in and then reuse!

Glass Electric Kettle

Hi, I'm Sarita and I'm obsessed with glass kettles. This is our third kettle and might I say my favourite. I love the shape and the price that goes with it. There are other glass kettles that are cheaper but I bought this one because of the reviews and the cool look. 

What's been on your Prime list lately?