Ballet Beautiful

In preparation for our upcoming beach vacation, I thought I should probably get my butt in gear and do something physical, (it has been embarrassingly WAY too long).  So I thought I would be able to commit and complete at least a half hour at home everyday to a video series called Ballet Beautiful led by the gorgeous Mary Helen Bowers.  

I tuck myself away in the master bedroom while the kids watch an episode of Paw Patrol in the very next room and I plie, stretch, and lift for a solid thirty minutes.  I'm going to do this everyday until we go with the hopes of building muscle, tightening and toning some troublesome mommy areas (such as my tummy) and just getting a little sweaty without completely drenching myself at the gym - which I also love doing.  HA!

You can find these quick (and tough little workouts) on Youtube under Ballet Beautiful.  They are usually in 10-15 minute sections so I'll do two or three and call it a day.  It's fun, relatively easy to do, FREE and it sort of makes me feel like I'm back in the dance studio doing fitness exercises rather than dancing - which is totally ok.  Here's to a FIT FEBRUARY and feel free to join me and fill me in on what you think in the comment section!  I love hearing for you guys.

Luvs,

Kate

XX

(Photo credits: @balletbeautiful and @balletinspiration) 

Cuteness overload

I don't have anything to write today, I'm just going to put these here for anyone who wants to smile (and I dare you not to).  ;)  

No filter - no edits, just William.  

He's got a secret and it probably has to do with his diaper...

How is it that I'm over here trying to thicken up my lashes with Cover Girl extension ten times over - and little boys are born with these... ???

Happy day friends.  Hope you enjoyed these xo

Kate 

Stella Cove!

Today we received the most beautiful (and fun) package that I have opened in quite some time - perhaps it was because it was all items that will be used while we're away on vacay so I was forced to think about pineapples and pools, and the best part about it all was that everything was for Scarlet!

First off - isn't the the most beautiful toddler girls bathing suit you have ever seen?!?!  I mean - that keyhole neckline and the material?  It screams sophisticated girly girl and I'm not going to lie -

 I want one...

This little matching duo has me wanting to order a cervesa por favor under a big leafy green palm.  That dress is just the sweetest light weight number that will be perfect to pack and amazing for travelling from the beach back up to the hotel in.  I'm in #love

Speaking of love  - you just can't go wrong with baby blue and pink combined.  The camera didn't quite pick it up but there is also a shiny silver that sparkles when the light hits up.  UGH!  

Cuteness overload.

This little cloudy sky blue duet has me swooning because Scarlet's skin is so fair.  They both boast of UV50 protection so although we'll be slathered in sunscreen, I won't have to worry THAT much when we're working on hour number two, or three, outside in the blazing sun.  I'm going to be honest - she'll probably be in the swim shirt 24/7.

We'll be breaking in Daddy slowly with this next number.  Nate has always been fairly strict that Scarlet doesn't wear a bikini until she's 28 years old (I'm not kidding), but I'm hoping this sailboat seashell theme sways him a little.  PLUS, it's actually a tankini which means her stomach is still covered up and we aren't breaking any Daddy house rules.  Hopefully... ;)

I'm so pumped about these Paisley leggings.  I'm going to pair them with a flowy white toddler blouse for Scarlet and some little white sandals for when we head out to do evening dinners near the lapping waves.  Can't you just hear them crashing when you look at this pattern?!  TAKE ME NOW!

We have one little dress saved for the actual trip and I didn't want to spoil the surprise by posting it now, but I bet some of you can guess which one I'm saving if you have a look on StellaCove's instagram page or website www.stellacove.com  Let's just say it involves a very sweet and tropical fruit.  

Now, I'm going to go blast Bob Marley and make myself some guacamole with salsa and chips.  I can dream for another month and a half right? 

William is getting some vacay gear too so stay tuned!

Happy Monday friends!

www.stellacove.com

luvs, Kate

XO

#stellacove #beach #vacation #mexico

Miss Scarlet and her sweetness

I realize much of the focus and most of the blog updates have been about our little man William, so I wanted to take some time and share with everyone some current info on our Miss. Scarlet.  It also gave me an excuse to try out my lens on the cutest little girl I've ever known.

So as you can see, Scarly is quite a character.  She makes life so amazing and interesting everyday.  Nate and I have been told by numerous friends, family members, neighbours even our family Doc that Scarlet's vocabulary is quite advanced for her age - but we really didn't have any idea about it since she is our first - we just sort of guessed that all kids were this way.  However, just as a small example; we were in the car driving past a construction site.  Scarlet was intrigued to see that there was a female working alongside all the men.  She said to me (word for word because I wrote it down immediately after she said it): 

'Perhaps the lady is attempting to become their boss?'  

The word use of PERHAPS and ATTEMPTING at 2.5 years old is staggering to me - I started to use those in high school.  So, I'm thrilled but also terrified that she's at this point.  Also, the concept of that thought!!!  The WOMAN is TRYING to be the man's BOSS!?!  Awesome.

She has (as of late) be quite particular in her outfits.  She started to refuse to wear anything that she felt wasn't feminine.  For example, she wouldn't put on a gorgeous Zara blouse that had little brown flowers all over it.  She is truly into Pink.  Pink ice cream, pink pencil crayons and felts, pink trains.  We even bought her a pink shovel so that she could help with the front driveway.  I find her pink obsession fascinating because I definitely didn't push that onto her.  

She is still the best eater around.  I'm planning on doing another 'WHAT I FEED MY BABY AND TODDLER' post in Eats soon, but to give you an example, she has a full bowl of steel cut oatmeal in the morning with frozen berries and full fat yogurt.  After finishing that she has a snack and then about ten minutes later she wants her veg and hummus.  Then I try to hold her off until lunch(11am) where she'll have a full cheese, turkey and avo sandwich, a piece of fruit, a fruit pack, granola bar, more veg and a cookie if she is lucky.  An hour after lunch she's hungry again, so snack three and four occur before she has a full dinner at around 5pm.  At 6:30 she wants a bedtime snack which we give her before she brushes her teeth.  BOTTOMLESS!

Scarlet needs something to go for a bit of advanced learning.  Although we do flash cards, painting, building etc at home, I've noticed that I can't keep up with her learning needs - even as a teacher.  She needs to be stimulated.  So, we will be enrolling her (early) into a Montessori school that is about a ten minute drive away from our home.  WHOOP!  We went and met the head director and they'd like her to start immediately.  I'm very conflicted about letting her go at 2.5 - most kids don't start preschool until much later - so I'm the one that's holding her back for my own sake.  I know it's wrong, I know it would only be three days a week, but I still want my little chick under my wing at this point.  Can you blame me?

Kissy face started to droop into a pout.  Haha.  Don't think she was aware of what was going on.

THOSE LIPS!!! <333

Favourites include:

Veg: Yellow or red peppers

Fruit: Strawberries

Takeout: Sushi and pizza is right up there...

People (besides me and Nate of course ;) : Dzjadzju and Grandma

Song: Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson

Dance style: Ballet (Lord help me)

Pastime: Painting

TV show: Paw Patrol or Angelina Ballerina (help me)

Treat: Chocolate

Number: 300

Letter: W

Sport: Soccer

Game: Hide and Seek

Instrument: Guitar or Piano

Idol: Princess Elsa

Best friend: Renee from down the street
Book: The Berenstein Bears and the Trouble with Chores 

Obsession: Cars and mommy's makeup (which I never allow her to put on...we do Burt's Bees and that's it)

Scarlet weighs around 30 pounds and is tall for her age.  She has super long legs!  Definitely from Daddy (sniff sniff) but her best feature is her pure heart and soul.  The one I hoped for, longed for, prayed for - she is everything I ever imagined I would ever come into contact with and more!  My life  and so many other's lives are exponentially better because you are in it.   

Have a lovely day friends!

Kate 

XO 

Just freezing in the snow...

One of my new gifts from my hubs for Christmas was a new lens!  I was so stoked and absolutely thrilled when I opened it and then he said that he would take the kids grocery shopping while I played around in the snow outside with the new gift!!!  Ummm.  WIN!!!  But clearly, CLEARLY, I have some learning to do because these shots are kind of laughable.  I was going for a certain vibe (the gorgeous blogger vibe that I see so often on Insta) but really don’t understand how to control this very powerful and advanced lens.  But, I’m learning and I’ll continue to figure it out until I get it.

Hope everyone has a fab weekend!

Luvs,

Kate

xx

#vicidolls @vicidolls www.vicicollection.com