Showing posts with label Weekend Roundup. Show all posts

WEEKEND DIY AND FINE MOTOR ACTIVITY



One thing I love about all the experience I have with working at early learning centres, working with children, and going to school to study education is all the ideas and creative outlets I have brought with me. This weekend I decided to practice some fine motor skills with Everly and make Christmas ornaments. 

I was surprised with how stocked our local dollar store was and decided to grab as much as I could while they had all the supplies. We used pom poms with different textures and colours, bells, confetti, and some fake snow. I basically set out the different items and let her fill each ball to her liking. It was so cute to see her grab each item, I made sure I supervised her heavily because like most toddlers she has an obsession with putting everything in her mouth. 

I think overall what shocked me the most was the fact that she actually sat there and made three different ones. Being able to hold her attention for that long was a miracle all in itself. 

Each ornament is like a snowflake, no two are the same and that's what I love the most! She made each one herself and we still have some more left over. We kept some for her "playroom tree," and we plan on giving away a few as gifts to family. 

This was such a fun way to start spreading holiday cheer in our house and shape up her fine motor skills. The educator and DIYer in me was smiling the entire time :) 


If you are looking for a fun and inexpensive activity to do with your kids that is fun and helpful to them, I would definitely recommend this one!
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WHERE HAVE I BEEN?!


It has almost been 2 months since I have posted something and it is so crazy to me that I haven't had the time or the desire to. Truth is, I have sat down a couple times and started a couple posts that are saved as drafts, but I just haven't felt like the content is anything original or worth sharing so I have just walked away and left them as drafts. I started this blog just after I got married to highlight my life, the good and the bad. Whether people read it or not was never an issue for me, I just love writing and I love being able to look back on moments of my marriage and remember everything. When I was home with Everly I was able to write updates and little DIY's that I was doing while she was napping, but now that I am back at work my focus is on so many different things that I just haven't felt inspired to write anything. 

Currently I have been back working full time which has come with its challenges, being off for a year you realize how rusty you get with your job but everyday it gets a little better. Everly loves daycare and is always exploring and doing different things with friends. One of her favourite things is when they walk down to the bus stop to take the school age kids to school. I plan on doing a little mini update on Everly in a little bit so stay tuned for more updates for her! When Everly is sleeping I have been keeping busy at night, whether it is crocheting or painting wooden dolls (peg people) I have found both to be a lot of fun. 

Life has us pretty busy, I didn't really realize just HOW busy until I saw it had been two months since I last wrote a blog post. The fall was absolutely beautiful so every weekend we were outside doing something whether it was the pumpkin patch or going for walks in the trail. I have a couple ideas for blog posts for the holiday season because I am OBSESSED with Christmas. 

This season of our life has been pretty busy with some difficult transitions but slowly we are accepting our new normal and starting to get used to everything. It was a rough start but since then I feel like everything is falling into place. I felt really lost there for a while and I felt like the things I held close were slipping away and I also felt like I was having trouble really figuring out what I want to do as a career. I'm still not quite sure but I feel like I am slowly getting closer to figuring it out. I also feel like my marriage is in such a better place than it was a couple months ago, I am so thankful for how patient Kyle has been throughout all this craziness. 

I hope everyone enjoyed their fall and are getting ready for that holiday hustle! 


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EVERLY'S FIRST BIRTHDAY


I don't think my heart has fully been able to accept that I am sitting here writing the blog post of my daughter's first birthday party. Even though her actual first birthday is September 11, we wanted to celebrate before all the back to school and end of summer madness. What a year it has been for my family and myself, I sometimes sit back and think about how far we have come in this whole journey in general. How just about two years ago we had no hope of starting a family, we weren't sure if it would ever happen for us and here we are - celebrating our daughter's first birthday. It took everything in me not to cry through her entire party, she is so loved by everyone in her life and that really showed this weekend. We had close friends and family on both Kyle's side and mine come together and spoil Everly with laughter and memories. It is truly one of those days I will never forget, 18 years from now when she wants nothing to do with us haha and I see these photos and videos I will always remember the feelings I felt celebrating with her.

Her theme was "Onederland," which was like a little floral oasis mixed with pinks and pastels, pretty much as girly as it gets. There was so much more I wanted to make for her party but overall I think it turned out really beautiful. The kids did a piñata which was fun to see the little ones try their hardest to break it. We filled it with small toys and some candy. The birthday favours were all personalized hand painted peg people, I figured instead of getting a bunch of small cheap plastic toys that people throw out anyways I would get something a little more special. We also had the most beautiful hand painted sugar cookies made by someone local to us, she had put water coloured flowers on them and they were so amazing, but at the same time way too beautiful to eat lol.

The weather was perfect, not too hot and not too cold. Overall the day went smoothly except for some minor teething pains (she popped another tooth that morning). We also had printed out some photos from her cake smash we did the weekend before. Those turned out so amazing, I styled the shoot and Kyle snapped away - reminded me of how much I loved working with him for photography. We decided to try a milk bath for her photos afterwards and it turned out perfect.

Happy First Birthday my sweet sweet girl!










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PLAYHOUSE GOALS : SUMMER DIY


At the beginning of the summer, maybe even the spring I made it my mission to search for a playhouse that needed a little extra love. Going into it I thought it would be easy to find, but little did I know the hunt was long and when I did find a listing it often felt like the hunger games fighting to see who actually ends up with it. I had no idea these were in such high demand, and they resold for quite a bit of money. I saw some going for $80+.

I had pretty much given up my search when I stumbled upon this listing in my community buy and sell page and I almost had a heart attack, I saw it was listed for $20 which was a steal, but I also saw it was posted 6 hours ago so I figured it had already been swept up. As I scrolled I found out that it was still available so I did not waste any time, I got Kyle to take his dad's truck down to the house and load it up! I was so excited to start this little project because it was in perfect shape to do so. There was sun damage so it wouldn't be hard to cover it up with fresh paint.

I borrowed a power washer and cleaned it off the first night and let it dry over night. The next day I went to Home Depot and got some outdoor spray paint that is meant for plastic. I got all matte shades, except for mint because they only had it in gloss finish. Funny thing and important to note if anyone wants to attempt this project, you don't see any mint here and that's because gloss does.not.work at all for this. It did not coat the door well and it dried streaky and gross. So I went with this magenta colour instead and I like the pop of colour it brings to the playhouse.

I pinned a lot of ideas on Pinterest and that helped going into it. I had read a few other posts people did and they said it took them cans and cans of paint. For mine, I only used 3 cans for the walls, 2 cans for the roof, and one can for the pop of colour (I still have tons of this magenta colour left).

All in all I LOVE how this turned out, I am so excited for next summer for Everly to play and enjoy it. I want to buy some accessories for her like food and such so she can really use her imagination. Am I a completely "extra" parent for doing this? For sure. BUT doing stuff like this is what makes me happy, it is no secret I love DIY's and creating, this is just another way to channel that but for Everly's benefit :) 

This project cost me $20 to buy the house, and $50 to paint it, which I think is pretty great. Since used these go for a lot more, and new they are $150-$200 to start! Above is the before picture, and here is the after! I think it looks much more sophisticated and modern, and less in your face with colours. At first Kyle thought I was crazy, but once he saw it all come together he thought it was a really fun and inexpensive way to take something and make it new again.



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WEEKEND ROUNDUP


We are finally getting the nice weather here and we decided to take full advantage once again! We spent most of the weekend outside clearing up the yard and today we decided to take a break and head on over to the zoo!


Everly still doesn't care much for the animals but it is still so cool to take her around and have her seeing all the different types. I also probably looked like a crazy person explaining each animal and the sound they made to a baby who could care less but oh well! Every opportunity is a learning opportunity haha.


It is also time for us to invest in the front of our house and creating gardens and making the curb appeal a lot nicer. Kyle is so proud of the front garden and the one on our deck so we had to snap a few photos of the finished product! I love the way the ladder turned out (thanks Pinterest!) I think it adds something to the garden and helps carry the eye up and around the trees.




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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY


To all the amazing mother's that are in my life - today is for you. I know now how special, exhausting, and rewarding it is to be a mom and I hope you take the day and spend it exactly how you want to! I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such strong women who can truly do it all, thank you for always being there whenever I need advice. Each and every one of you are truly amazing.

To the women still fighting for their little one - today is for you as well. I know that this day can bring sadness, but you are all just as much a mother as those with physical children. Keep fighting, you are all amazing and brave.

To my daughter: Thank you for choosing me to be your mamma, for loving me every single day, and for being you. You are everything I wished for and more, you have made all my dreams come true. Not a day goes by where you don't make me smile or laugh, I love you endlessly.



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WEEKEND ROUNDUP: FAMILY DAY EDITION


This past weekend we celebrated Family Day - our first one as a family of three! The weather was absolutely beautiful for Canada in mid February, blue skies and over 0 all weekend! We kept it pretty low key but also made it a point to visit local family. Here are a few pictures of how we spent the weekend!


Now that Everly is in a convertible car seat we don't have anything to block the sun in her eyes, and the window coverings just don't cut it so I brought out a pair of her sunglasses and they seem to help a bit more! I just can't with her, she is too cute! 


We took advantage of the weather and went for a family walk and brought our dog along too who you can't see because he's running waaaay ahead because he loves the outdoors. Everly wasn't the biggest fan of our walk, she buried pretty deep inside my carrier but it was nice to get out and give her some fresh air! 


Kyle and I managed to go on a little day date, we were supposed to go to Casa Loma but the line up was 2 blocks (not even exaggerating a little), so we thought we would go to the CN tower, but there was NO parking left. So our last idea was to go to Dave and Busters and then go out for dinner which is what we ended up doing! My pizza was amazing, we love going to Pie! 



Everly and I spent the afternoon on Friday hanging with Weston who is her cousin! They don't really see each other very often so it was so cute seeing them interact, he is so helpful with her! He was feeding her and giving her toys, even though in the photo he doesn't look too happy ha he was excited to help her and play with her. 

All in all it was a really great weekend spent as a family and it just reminds me more and more how happy and full my heart is and I love experiencing events and life in general through Everly's eyes.

I hope all my Canadian friends had a great Family Day weekend as well!

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WEEKEND PROJECTS


One thing I have noticed about having a baby is that it feels like your house shrinks down to nothing and you are left with one corner of your house to make room for a ton a baby stuff. As frustrated as I have been in the past with the size of our home, I have changed my outlook and have become obsessed with finding ways to utilize our space as best we can, and of course Pinterest is my biggest inspiration for that. This weekend I kind of went into overdrive and enlisted my husband for his muscles but also for his building expertise.

I could get lost for hours looking at Pinterest, and when I need DIY inspiration or anything home decor related Pinterest has never failed me - this time is no different. I first wanted to better utilize and spruce up our entry way, so I looked for ways to create a makeshift mudroom in a small space. I found a ton of different pins and tutorials, and ended up putting out own spin on a coat hook using this website. We ended up making this for about $25 which is a total bargain! The most expensive thing was the hooks we needed. I love how it turned out, and I love that we created a shelf to display some wooden signs. The whole thing added something completely different to our entry way and we took a wall that we didn't use at all and made it functional for our family.


The next thing I wanted to do was designate a space for Everly as she grows, so she can have a little "playroom" without having a whole room dedicated to that. There are still a few things I need to add to the space, and I want to maybe make a gallery wall above the shelf, but overall I think this turned out great. We were able to declutter a space in our home and make it useful. I know once Everly can crawl and interact with toys more she will be using this space a TON! It also works great because it is in a corner of our living room so if I am in the kitchen I can see her safely and not wonder what she is getting into. I took inspiration from this post and ran with it.

Every year around this time I get the declutter bug and I'm not sure if it is because I'm home more in the winter and I can pick out flaws in our space or I just get sick of looking at stuff we don't use but either way I'm happy I have turned two places in our home to be functional and also places that everyone can enjoy! 
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WEEKEND ROUNDUP : PHOTOS

I will never understand how the weekend will always come and go in the blink of an eye. This weekend we did a lot and I thought I would share some photos!



We took our nephews to an indoor trampoline place and they had so much fun! At first I thought booking half an hour would be more than enough time, but it went by so fast and I think next time if we take them I will book an hour for sure! 


I had to go to Value Village for a DIY (next photo) and needed children's books, and while I was there I found these two older books that I fell in love with. They are in amazing condition and I just love how they have a vintage look to them.


This is what I needed the books for! My friend Jessica said they are doing a Lion King themed nursery, and I went and bought block letters and made the initials for her to display where ever she would like in the nursery. I thought it turned out a lot better than I originally thought it would and I can't wait to see the rest of her gift come together! 

I hope everyone else had a great weekend and you're all ready to get back to the grind tomorrow!

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FRIDAY, FINALLY

You are looking at my very first font creation! I invested in a typography app, and have been consumed in creating and testing it out. I thought this quote was fitting, especially for me. More often then not, I spend most of my time talking myself out of something that I am potentially really passionate about. This comes from the fear inside thinking it won't work out, so why try? But, I hope that as I continue to work on myself, this will slowly go away. 

Once again, it is Friday! Monday I go back to school and finish my last semester. This Christmas break was so relaxing and much needed! It has been the most time I have had off since I started school last January. This weekend there isn't much on the checklist, but I thought I'd share my to-do list this upcoming weekend:

01. Pack the bag: I want to make sure the trusty backpack is ready for Wednesday's classes, which also means clearing out everything that was in there from last semester.

02. Find Placement outfits: It is important to me to make a good impression, especially when it is my placement at a potential future job. I tend to sleep in a lot, so I want to make sure I am prepared in case I run late!

03. Have a date night: Before Kyle and I go back to the hustle of our life, I would love to be able to get a date night in. 

I hope you all have a great weekend! Stay warm, we are supposed to be getting a large amount of snow :/ 
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WEEKEND LINKS


Happy weekend everyone! Sunday always comes so quick and then it is back to the grind for another week! This semester is winding down which means Christmas break is almost here! I love this time of year, minus the snow. This weekend we took our yearly Christmas photo (above), and I seriously think it turned out so cute. I thought I would share some links I have been loving this week.

01. I have decked out my phone and iPad with this free download. It is so cute and simple and looks perfect on all my mobile devices. Go download yours, and tell her that I sent you!

02. It is no question that Pinterest is my guilty pleasure, I have been searching for new recipes to try because I feel like we have to shake it up a bit. This week for dinner I plan on trying this cauliflower mac n cheese recipe, it looks yummy and is a healthier alternative to regular mac n cheese. 

03. Whenever I am in a slump and looking for inspiration of any kind, whether it is fashion, nail, DIY, or home stuff, I look to Pinterest. This week I have been pinning A LOT, and re-organized my boards. Check out some of my pins here. 

04. Did anyone take advantage of the Black Friday deals? I was definitely lusting after some of the deals that would have been perfect gifts. We are pretty much all done your Christmas shopping for everyone, but if you're looking for something personalized I love these pieces that offer personalization to bracelets and necklaces. 

05. Blogging is not new to me, but there is a vision I want to have and things I want to do to make it better. Finding articles like these, help me improve on writing and the look of my blog. In the next year I slowly want to improve on things and experiment, so these are great help. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and check out some of these links I have been loving this week!
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