"Mine" - A Video

For your viewing pleasure on this fine Thursday. 
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Julian's first try at recording with my iPhone {upright nonetheless} so apologies for the quality, it isn't great, but this? It was just too funny not to share.

What I Wore : Mama Style

As mama to 3 who range in age from 2 to 14, I like and need to reach for pieces that are comfortable, easy to wear and that still make me look like I put a tiny bit of effort into putting myself together.

On any given day, I could be at a toddler play group in the morning, grade school pick up in the afternoon and then dropping off a group of teenage girls at the mall in the evening. 

I like to look somewhat hip. You know how it is. 

And so, my go-to usually ends up looking something like this:

plaid shirt - Roots | reversible vest - The Gap | necklace - local boutique | skinnies - J Brand | booties - Asos

My closet couldn't.live.withouts?
1. uggs (so cozy and the other huge plus? no need to wear socks. boom.)
2. denim skinnies/leggings. (i wear one of the two almost daily)
3. ray bans (remember how ms. Ava didn't sleep for 19 months? yeah, that. these were and are a necessity)

Linking up here and here. 

Royale Golden Kittens Blog Tour

So, picture this. 

You find out that you are the lucky winner of $50,000 in cold.hard.cash

Can you imagine? First off, I'm pretty sure I would call my husband and he wouldn't believe me. 

My kids would each promptly ask for one of these...

Once he finally realized that no, I wasn't kidding, my husband would talk me into doing a few cosmetic renovations on the house including new mouldings and interior doors. Oh, and maybe some wainscoting. 
Since, you know, I did just win $50,000 big ones.

Of course, I would go on a shopping spree to end all shopping sprees.
I'm thinking Bloor Street. 

And a pair of these would most definitely be on the list. 
Maybe even two.
So, there.

With the cold weather we've been having lately, a little R and R and time in the sunshine would definitely be on the agenda.
Turks...here we come! 

And of course, I could never forget Ms. Ava. 
I think this little guy would make all her dreams come true.
We'll name him fifty.

I'm done. I think.
Now, onto the good part. The part where I tell you that someone out there may actually have all their shoppingspree.puppyfinding.vacationgoing wishes come true!

In celebration of their 50th (50th!) anniversary, Royale, a brand we all know and love, is having an incredible promotion. As part of this, they are giving one lucky Canadian the chance to WIN $50,000.

No, I'm not kidding. 

So, go on, dream big. You know you want to.

It's actually kind of fun deciding what you might do with money you don't really have. 
Yet.

Here are a few more details: 

~ there are 500 instant win prizes up for grabs (think Samsung TV's, tablets and blu-ray players, SpaFinder gift cards and adorable limited edition royale kitten plush) including 440 "golden kitten" tickets hidden inside specially marked Royale products and 60 on-line tickets available via royale.ca or the promotion's facebook page here.

~ if you're lucky enough to find a Golden Kitten ticket, enter your PIN on-line to win one of the above instant win prizes AND be entered to win the $50,000 grand prize or one of four runner-up prizes! 

So, tell me, what would YOU do with $50,000?? 

Disclosure: I am participating in the Golden Kittens Blog Tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Royale. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are strictly my own.

Mama Monday : Janet from FashionAholic

I am literally giddy with excitement about Ms. Janet being here today.  I came across her via a comment that she left on another blog, visited then and have returned every day since. She has an amazing eye for fashion and has led me to many a great website for new and vintage finds. Janet is mama to two sweet babies and she also runs not one, but two, extremely successful businesses. And she's so modest about it. What an inspiration.

Meet Janet from Fashionaholic!

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Do you work outside the home or stay at home? What led you to either decision?

 I am both. I stay home with my kids Monday and Wednesday and work Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I started my businesses a decade ago so that came before my children. Fortunately, it's a decision that was already made for me before having children so I'm happy to be able to juggle both.

Did you always see yourself as a stay at home/career woman? Was it a dream of yours?
Definitely a career woman. Having a family was not in my plans until I met my husband. I always worked and never thought that would ever be an issue. My dream was in fashion and blogging is as close as I get to achieving that dream.

What frustrates you most? What would you change if you could?
My frustrations are not being able to balance both efficiently. I'm always on the go and multi-tasking. It's hard to put everything you can into 5 important things in your life. Just not enough time in a day to accomplish my tasks and goals. If I could change something ti would be to be less ambitious in everything and focus on what's important, my family, to be less controlling and to learn to delegate better.

Any words of advice for mama's struggling with this decision?
Being a parent is hard enough and working also is harder, especially during the early stages. I say focus on whats important to you NOW. If you can be a stay at home mom then focus on that and make that your priority. Jobs come and go but your family does not. I wish I could stay home and raise my kids but it's a hard decision when you have your own business. Kids grow up fast and I want to be there as much as I can with them. 

ONE MORE THING TO INCLUDE!
Marriage and Kids. I noticed recently how much my husband and I disagree on topics concerning our kids and how difficult a marriage can become with kids involved. With that in mind, I would like to share my thoughts on this: 
1. Always be honest and talk things through no matter how bad. Kids understand your body language and can hear your pain when you argue. So be calm and don't involve the kids with your anger. Hard to do I know!  2. Never ever go to bed angry at one another. Not a great feeling waking up unhappy. 3. TRUST each other no matter what! 4. RESPECT each other 5. COMMUNICATE with a calm tone and present your frustrations and thoughts respectfully. No one wants to hear negative comments in a condescending way. 

The decision to work outside the home or stay home with your children is such a personal one. There is no right answer or right decision but rather, I truly feel each woman must do what is right for her and her family. I commend each and every mother out there for this. It is not easy. We are women and man, we're amazing.

Can I get a huge amen on Janet's thoughts on marriage? I think we can all agree that marriage before children and marriage after children is a whole different can of worms. Both great, but in different ways. It's all about priorities.

Thanks so much for your openness and honesty fabulous Janet! 

Friday Fancies : It's pretty black & white

If I had to choose just one color combination to wear for the rest of my life it would most definitely be black, white or a combination of the two. 

It always looks fresh. 

full outfit details here

I am totally on the lookout for a jacket just like this one (minus the price tag of this Stella McCartney lovely). I'm envisioning it with a simple t-shirt and jeans, maybe a little bling. Dressed up with a sky high heel or dressed down with a simple ballet flat. 

A must have for the spring. 

Happy Friday. 
Hope it's warm where you are. No sign of relief in sight here.

Linking this post up here.

What that baby Wore : Athletic Inspired

I have mentioned before that I sometimes quite enjoy being matchy.matchy with Ms. Ava.

So of course, when I spied this little track suit that looked ridiculously like my own Lululemon one, I knew she had.to.have.it. 

And today, since it's beyond freezing again, we did nothing at all athletic but we certainly looked the part. 
And isn't that really half the battle? 

on Ava: 

tracksuit - Joe Fresh

I tried to teach her a few blogger fashion poses about halfway through.
Ava demonstrates the hands.on.hip and then, she gave me tiger. 
Obviously, a natural. 

Winner of the SilverSpeck giveaway was Chelle Thompson. Congrats! I will email you.

Home Tour : Ava's Nursery

By far, my favorite room in the house {and each previous house} has always been the nursery.

There is something so calming about the space.

Even before the little ones were born, I remember spending so much time in their rooms
 just rocking. And dreaming.

Her room came together with a lot of love. 
Her papa (my father) did all of the bead board work himself and it turned out just as I imagined it would. 
It makes me happy whenever I look at it.

Sweet Dreams.

Mama Monday : Beck from Oomph

So, here are a few things I can tell you about today's mama. 

One, she is a die-hard fashionista. 

Two, she is a mama to two adorable little ones : mini-he and mini-she. 

And three, she lives in Hawaii. 

Oh, and four, she says I can totally come and stay with her when I visit. 

I may or may not have made that last part up. 

Beyond excited to share Beck from Oomph with you all today. 

I know we share a lot of the same readers and friends, but for those of you not getting a bit of inspiration daily from this gal, you must visit. 

Like, right now. 

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 instagram

shop

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Do you work outside the home or stay at home? What led you to either decision?

 I work full-time outside the home as the CFO of my sister's

architecture firm. Anyone who owns a business knows that the work

doesn't end at 5pm. helping to operate a family business means that i

wear many hats...i also answer phones, get lunches, pick up my

sister's kid, and even take out the trash and clean toilets on the

weekends! I am a single mom, so staying home isn't an option.

Did you always see yourself as a stay at home/career woman? Was it a dream of yours?

 Honestly? when i was growing up, i never thought i would have kids

(as soon as i did). I always saw myself as a career woman. My

background is in graphic arts, and i envisioned a career in

advertising. I love the creative expression (think storyboards and

jingles), the hustle and bustle of big cities, travelling, deadlines,

and working under pressure. love. it.

What frustrates you most? What would you change if you could?

 What frustrates me most (about being a single mom) is not having

help. which leads to not having time. which leads to me being stressed

and feeling like i can never quite catch up. If i could change one

thing at this point in my life, i would love to be able to work

half-days so that i could get a few things done before the kids came

home. Then i could give them my full attention rather than constantly

multi-tasking.

If you are at home, do you plan to return to work one day?

Since I work, would i ever stay home? Probably not. I get restless,

I need interaction, and I like getting dressed up. i love my quiet

morning drive to work, and i love my

blast-the-music-and-sing-into-the-lint-roller drive home. Like i

mentioned above, half-days would be good.

Any words of advice for mama's struggling with this decision?

 If you want to and are able to stay home, do it! But never lose the

passion for things you enjoyed before kids came along. Find a small

way to incorporate them into your new life as a parent.

The decision to work outside the home or stay home with your children is such a personal one. There is no right answer or right decision but rather, I truly feel each woman must do what is right for her and her family. I commend each and every mother out there for this. It is not easy. We are women and man, we're amazing.

Beck, I cannot thank you enough for the taking the time to share this space with us today. 
You are an inspiration girl! 
I seriously don't know how you to do it all. And look so fabulous doing it. 
Maybe it has something to do with the singing in the lint roller? I must try that. 

Friday Fancies : Outfit Crush

I've decided.

If I could raid any one single person's closet, it would definitely be Olivia Palermo's. 

This is the second time I've chosen one of her look's as my outfit crush. 

Between her and Gwyneth, they get me almost every time.

I tried to replicate the look using all  lower-priced items (minus the handbag) including the above $20 faux leather leggings from Top Shop. I dropped the cardigan and opted for a military style jacket with leather sleeves. 

Dare I say I might like this outfit even better?

Yes. Yes, I dare.

Linking this post up here.

Pictures of You

If you're like me, at the start of the year, you are doing a lot of purging. 

Closet organizing. Christmas decor re-organizing.

Teddy bear condensing.

That kind of thing.

And among other things, I began to go through photos : old and new.

So many photos. The older kids as babies always make me smile. And feel a little bit sad.

The vacation pictures always make me wish I was still there.

And then, during all this reminiscing I realized something. 

I have very few photos of me with my children. 

Often times, as mamas, we are the ones behind the camera. Non?

Or else, we're the ones saying "no, no. i look awful right now." "in a minute, i just have to..."

I see hospital photos of other mamas in the with their new babes. Radiant and glowing.

I did not look like that. I did not feel like that.

I really did not want to record it.

Now, I wish I had. 

Afterwards, during the years time of so many sleepless nights, the last thing I wanted to do was be in photos. 

Heck, I'm just happy I had the energy to take photos of the little sleepless wonders.

And now, I regret it. I really do. 

So starting today, I am vowing to take more photos of both myself and my husband with our children. 

Embracing them. 

Loving them. 

Just plain old being present. 

What I Wore : Vintage Peplum

So, if you've been following this blog for a time, you will know what a huge fan of navy I am. 

Naturally, when I went shopping looking through my mama's closet again last week, I couldn't resist this sweater.
I'm not sure how I hadn't seen it before.

Sweater - Vintage by Rino Rossi | Jeans - Fidelity | Boots - Miss Sixty | Necklace - Alilang Jewelry
Bracelet - J Crew | Watch - Michael Kors

And that's what I'm wearing on Wednesday.