Zara Haul

It was the free shipping when you purchase 'over $50 dollars worth' that got me.  Anyone who has a 1.5 year old knows shopping is a gong show.   

a) They are still napping so you have very little time either before or after they go down to do any quality ‘browsing’.

b) They eat on time, unlike Mommy who can skip lunch if she happens to come across a sweet new perfectly fitted trench with her name practically stitched onto the sleeve.

c) Everything is a toy.  The hangers?  Toy.  The buttons on the credit card payment terminal?  Toy.  The shoelaces on a complete strangers feet?  Toy.  It's totally impossible sometimes.

So, having the opportunity to look online while Scar is fast asleep and then have it delivered to your house (FOR FREE) was just way too much of a happy dance for me not to do.

Here is the start of our Fall/Winter haul. 

Pretty box that it came in ;)

This little squirrel sweater is from Carter's but everything else is Zara.  I wanted to pair it with the dress which is not something that I would typically choose but the little brown flowers with pink buttons were so adorable - I had to.  The pattern would be way too much on it's own so the tights and the sweater tone it down a little.  I also have the perfect headband so the outfit is good to go.  

We love blue too.  Scarlet's eyes are a little lighter than this shirt so I can see them really popping out of her face when she wears this top (in a cute and good way).

I'll throw a little onesie underneath this top since it is so lightweight, but I just couldn't resist the polar bears.  Perfect for winter.

Pretty little peacoat that she is going to have to grow into - even though it's a 12-18 month piece, she is more of a 9-12 in Zara clothes.  Oh well, I know how long our winters are here so this might be a January/February item.  

Ooops! just realized I forgot to take a pic of the 'Make a Wish' grey t-shirt.  It's really basic and super cute.  Also, the little drool bibs that you see on the left are for our son.  I'm seeing these everywhere on little guys and I'm stoked to have a few on ______.  OH!  Almost just typed the name.  J/K  

Kate

XOXO

Smiles for miles

So far, 17 months is probably my favourite ‘age’ with Scarlet.  She is exhibiting a really cute and enthusiastic personality, she’s talking, and for the most part she’s just generally happy. Even last week when she was suffering from the cold that I gave her (which I felt horrible about), and teething her back molars at the same time, she was still a little spit fire of energy and joy.  She makes life so much fun.

Nate and I find ourselves laughing daily at her antics.  Dancing like a little salsa queen and trying out new words and food, meeting new people and just going right up to them and giving hugs and kisses!    It’s just so wonderful and crazy seeing this little person emerge.  Don’t get me wrong, we have had bad days (and longer) too, but for some reason at this stage it’s just been one of the easiest and enjoyable.

The decision to go back to work for me was actually a very hard one, but now being about a year and a half into ‘stay-at-home-mommy’ life, I wouldn’t change it for a second.  It’s these sweet days and smiles that would just be too much for me to go without.  I’m looking forward to this next year of Mat leave (when baby boy arrives) and then will re-evaluate the working thing…  although right now, the job of mommy is the best I’ve ever had.  

Kate 

XOXO

Pregnant and Sick tips with a little Throwback Thursday

I picked this shot of Mom, Dad and me to share because this is sort of how I felt all week long with my cold; but I'm happy to report that it has definitely subsided.  I'm feeling way better!  

Here's what I did!

But first, let me say that I had 5 weeks of code red, full blown, bust a move in your nose and throat cold during my pregnancy with Scarlet right at the end of the third trimester.  FIVE.  WHOLE.  WEEKS of it.  Now with 8 weeks left to go, I had a bit of a breakdown this past week.  I just couldn't handle the thought of going through the same thing again.  Preggo + Cold = Crazy Kate.  It's just the pits.  Not to mention, if I heard my doctor say 'salt-water gargle' one more time, I was going to jump right out of that reclining checkup bed and shout in her face:

'Really?!  That does JACK lady!  Come up with something else... you are a DOCTOR!  AND BY THE WAY, EVERY SINGLE INTERNET SITE SAYS THE EXACT SAME THING!  TIME FOR SOME NEW MATERIAL!!!'. 

So, I was determined to do whatever humanly possible no matter how weird or wild it was to kick the stupid cold's ass asap - even if I had to make some stuff up.

Here's what has helped.  It's probably all mental, but hey, whatever.  FYI - I'm not a doctor, I'm not a nurse, nor have any of the following ideas had any research (that I know about) done to prove them right or wrong.  Here you have it...

10) Cut all your finger nails off asap.  

Yup - it sucks but just do it.  Why?  Cause gross sicky germs get and stay under them even when you wash your hands so if they have nowhere to hide, they'll die.  

9) Since you can't suck on a lozenge, suck on a Vit C tablet

Let's face it, the medicine in the lozenge probably isn't that bad but we don't want to take any chances.  So, to ease your sandpaper throat, suck on a Vit C tablet and you'll be killing two birds.  You can do this twice a day!

8) Change or wash your pillow case daily. 

I know, MORE LAUNDRY?  But if you think about it, all the mucus and sneezing and boogers that without a doubt end up on there throughout the 5-8 hours of sleep that you're getting, it's no wonder your body is having a harder time fighting off the cold.  Kill those bugs!

7) Get your partner to clean all the doorknobs with a Lysol wipe and then get them to do the remote controls for the t.v. 

It will take 5 minutes.  

6) Switch out your toothbrush head as soon as you start feeling better.

Definitely don't want to be fighting germs two, three or four times.

5) Drink tea and slurp soup like you've been in a desert for a week wearing an Alexander McQueen fur coat - which would be horrible and inhumane, but you get it...

Even if you hate tea like me.  Find one that's OK and just chug.  

4) Don't go out too much, just shop online.
I had to postpone a date with a girlfriend (and I hate doing this), but it's for your own good.  You'll feel better anyway when you can actually taste the food and not coughing up a lung every two seconds.  Also, some retail shops online (ZARA just to mention one) will ship for free if you spend $50 or more.  Worth it!

3) Don't sniff it up, BLOW IT OUT!

I noticed I was making this mistake just yesterday.  By habit, I just sniff when my nose is runny.  It's not even something I think about, but when I did think about it, I realized that's nasty!  We want that gross stuff out!  So carry around a kleenex box if you need to and just get it gone!

2) PVR it.

As in, watch your favourite late night stuff earlier the next day and go to bed at 9.  Extra bonus?  You can skip all the annoying phone sex commercials that come on after ten.  Nope, thanks but nope. 

1) If you need to, milk it...

I know.  There are only a few times in a woman's life when she can and/or should 'milk' a situation to her advantage - when she's sick and pregnant and when she's planning her wedding.  Luckily, I don't have to milk it too much with Nate, but that extra hour that I don't have to cook or clean or run after my toddler is like a $1,000 dollar Nordstrom gift card on a popsicle stick.  Remind whoever it is that you're too weak, too dizzy, too drained (which is all the truth) to do that task right at the minute and you'll really try to when you can get out of bed.  Most of the time, they'll get it and will just do it themselves.  

So there it is - top ten tips from Moi that you probably won't find anywhere else online but will hopefully help.  Also, always remember, we're women, we convert food into adorable babies.  A nasty cold isn't going to break us.  Mind over Matter Mommas!  That's what I'm going with today anyway ;)

Kate 

XOXO

32 weeks pregnant

Weekly Update

How far along are you?

32 weeks.  8 MONTHS BABY!!!

How are you feeling?

Better!  Much better.  Not totally 100% as you can sorta tell from the pic, but the major symptoms have died down and I’m just left with a bit of a stuffy nose, which is AWESOME!

Scarlet is still pretty sick though, (first time in her life) so it’s been a little tricky trying to keep her happy but we’re managing. 

Any weight gain? 

1 pound for a total of 21 pounds putting me at 136 this week.

New symptoms?

Just a bit of difficulty breathing.  His head is right underneath my right ribcage and it makes it really hard to lay down to sit for long periods of time without feeling like I’m short of breath.  He needs to drop please.

General mood?

So much brighter and more positive.  

Gender?

 Boy!

What foods are you craving?

Still soup funny enough.  Spicy too.  

  Do you miss anything?

 I miss my regular size.  Third trimester is a challenge for me.  I find it uncomfortable and it’s hard climbing stairs constantly or running after Scarlet with the extra weight.  Not to mention, it is so frustrating dealing with unnecessary comments.  I find it’s only ever women that do it (sorry, but true) and it always seems to be the older generation that point things out.  I have never received a questionable comment from anyone in my age group or younger in either pregnancy except that ‘YOU LOOK GREAT KATE!  Can I get you anything?’ which is all you ever need to say to a pregnant woman.  Just a little while ago, I ran into a woman who said word for word (because it stung for a few minutes and I remember it so clearly):  

‘MY!  How you’ve sprouted since the last time I saw you!  Look at that big belly!’  

HAHAHA!  Can you believe it?!  Like,… thanks.  Honestly.  As a dancer, growing up in front of a mirror is not easy.  I’ve had to work very VERY hard to be confident in my own skin and body - it would be so easy to resort to an eating disorder or negative thinking but I resisted those impulses and temptations with every ounce of my being because I never wanted to waste energy or time on the negative.  But it took work, and it wasn’t easy and pregnancy has definitely challenged certain thoughts, so to get statements like these (and others) is not cool.   

Also, it’s not like I or any other pregnant woman on this planet can control what is happening to their body.  It’s like I had something to do with the ‘sprouting’ or I’ve gone completely wild since the last time she saw me and just have been eating my face off when actually the opposite has been fairly true.  In fact, again I’m measuring small for gestation.  Finally, I question the motivation behind these comments…  During my pregnancy with Scarlet, I got my fair share of them as well (all from ladies older than me) and it just really made me wonder ‘what the heck are they trying to say?’  If it were ME and I said something like that to a younger woman, would I be trying to make her feel insecure?  Uncomfortable?  Ugly?  Self-conscious?  Obviously, she KNOWS she’s growing larger, so why point it out?  I swear, women are tricky sometimes.  My girlfriend said it may be because they are envious of our current youth and ability to become pregnant.  This thought made me think twice about it all.  

Anywho, that’s my vent.  I know without fail there will be more comments coming my way, but it’s just so wild.  When I lose all the weight (and more) like I did with Scar, none of these women will ever say a peep about it, but I can definitely feel their eyes on me and my tight butt (hehe) after giving birth.  Where’s your comments now huh?    Just kidding, I don’t care that they’re too proud to say anything afterwards and I really don’t need to hear it from them.  It just goes to show you, people will always remember the way you make them FEEL.

Sleep?    

Has been pretty good.

Working out?  

Walking and running after our almost one and a half year old!  Can’t believe that she’s just shy of 1.5!  AHHH!

Best moment this week? 

Going out with Nate and Scarlet on two separate picnics during the same day!  The first was lunch at Fish Creek park in an area I had never been to, and the second was dinner at the beach.  So nice!

What are you excited about?

I’m still excited about dinner last night!  My girl Ali and I were Momma’s-on-the-loose and we got a little cray cray!  She doesn’t drink and I can’t right now, so when I say cray cray I mean extremely tame and civilized, but still it was so much fun.  Can’t wait to do it again.  I really value my girlfriends.

Kate

xoxo

Anything boys do, you can do too!

I want Scarlet to grow up with the post title notion ingrained in her head, so I sent her outside to go and finish building the deck with Daddy yesterday morning.

 Way too often (especially when I taught high school) I noticed females shying away from activities because typically they were ‘male’ oriented.  BRUTAL!  I want Scar to learn you can be absolutely anything you want to be - a girly girl, a tomboy, a literary historian, a brain scientist; but just know and understand that anything a boy can do, you can do too.  Math, politics, construction work, taking out the garbage, firefighting, ANYTHING!  If you’re determined and want to, get on it girl!  No limitations.

Construction Chick.  

Kate

XOXO

Final summer days

Thank Goodness for this weather!  After the little winter ‘sample’ that we had a about a week ago (where it snowed three days in a row...ugh), our little famjam has been doing everything possible to get out in the sun and enjoy every last minute of it before that happens again.

Last night after dinner at Famoso, we went to Fish Creek park and just laughed and ran around and played.  Scarly was in her glory - it’s thrilling watching her discover leaves, stones and insects.  She has such a little curious soul.  As you can see, she almost looks like she’s leaping from foot to foot or dancing.  I just love observing her when she's this joyful.

 In the current book that I’m reading, there is a sentence that really spoke to me about these types of family times.  It reads: 

‘In that moment they were holding the world at bay, if only for a short time.  They let themselves stop worrying’.  

So often, we undervalue the precious moments that God blesses us with. I know that these are the moments that make life so incredible.  What a gift to be able to experience them.

Kate

XOXO

Geek Chic

It was time.  In fact, it was time about four or five years ago if I’m being honest.  I needed new glasses, but for some reason had it in my head that my ‘blinged out’, thick rimmed, tiny Dior frames were still cutting the mustard.  They pulled my temple hair out every time I took them off and slid down my nose whenever I looked anywhere but straight ahead - but still, I thought they were doing the trick.

So Nate encouraged me to take the plunge and purchased some new frames for myself and they’ve kinda changed my life.  Here are a few shots of the new geek chic styles and I’ll be sure to take a few selfies and post in the 'Style' section to show you how they look on my mug. 

Cute tortoise frame

I love these brown RayBans - they go with everything.  They're a bigger and more rectangular look which I'm seeing everywhere.  'Vintage Hipster meets Modern MadMen character' is how I feel in them.  They're the 2015 design (how does that even happen?), so I definitely don't feel dated wearing them.

The ones in the pic below were a little bit harder to convince me about.  I originally wanted some black (VERY black) frames but as soon as I put these on, Nate and all of the sales people in the shop kept ooooing and ahhhing over the 'shape' of the frames on my face - so I succumbed to the peer pressure.  The colour also threw me for a bit of a loop.  The pics don't show it so well, but the colour is actually a dramatic purplish grey, which I would never have picked.  But after getting them, I LOVE them.  So fun and not to mention they are Dolce & Gabbana!  I've never owned anything from this label so I feel extra fancy.

Probably won't ever use this to clean my frames - maybe just to stare at ;)  haha.

Kate 

XOXO

31 weeks Pregnant

Weekly Update

How far along are you?

31 weeks.  9 more to go praise the good Lord.

How are you feeling?

Awful.  Somehow, somewhere I picked up a cold.  I went to Central Memorial to visit my colleagues and some students so it could have happened there and I was also at a one year old birthday party with a million cute kids - could have happened there too.  Regardless, I’m miserable.  Being pregnant and sick is really horrible, about 100 times worse than just being sick.  It happened to me in the third trimester of Scar’s pregnancy too and it lasted 5 WEEKS!  Basically, right up until the day or two after I gave birth, so if I’m stuck with this thing for 9 more weeks?!  I will literally lose it. 

Any weight gain? 

0 pounds this week for a total of 20 pounds keeping me at 135.  No doubt it’s because of all the soup broth and tea I’ve been drinking (and I don't love tea).

New symptoms?

None.

General mood?

Can’t lie - pretty grumpy and moody.  

Gender?

 Boy!  Still so happy and excited about that.  First Weiland boy born in a long time!

What foods are you craving?

Soup.  Spicy hot soup. 

  Do you miss anything?

I miss sleeping through most of the night - the trips to the bathroom have increased substantially because of all of the liquids.  It suuuuuuucks.  

Sleep?    

Not great.

Working out?  

None.

Best moment this week? 

Meeting two girlfriends for Coffee at Starbucks for a whole two hours (before I got sick).  Also, hearing Scarlet say the words: Kangaroo and Hello!  She’s really talking and we just love it.

What are you excited about?

Getting our Halloween costumes together, painting the nursery, decorating the house for fall, meeting a girlfriend for dinner this week and watching PVR’ed new episodes of DWTS and The Canadian Bachelor.  SO TRASHY!

Kate

XOXO

Fall threads for the little guy

When I showed Nate these adorable little slip-ons he said; "I would absolutely wear those!".  Haha.  I'm totally going to dress these two guys up in matching outfits when the time is right.  These came from Carter's and I bought them in a size 0-3.

Fun little t-shirt.  I plan on pairing this top with some black newborn boys 'leggings'.

DOGGIE ONESIE! 

When Scarly saw this in the shop she immediately went into hyper overdrive excitement.  I think she wanted it more than I did for her little bro!  Still - I think it's pretty cute.

Have to get the doggie footprint one too.  Also, the material is a warm fleece so it will be perfect for the cooler nights.

Little fox striped fleece onesie.  Also meant for the cooler winter nights.

What does the fox say?

#cantstopshopping

Bitsy Blossom

Cute Shoes!

 I really wanted to feature these sweet little grey flats that I bought for Scar a little while back.  They are so dear and work with so many outfits.  

 If you haven’t already checked out this fantastic little shoe shop (which I initially found on Etsy, but is now working straight out of their own website) absolutely have a look:

                                                   http://www.bitsyblossom.com/products

These sweet little flats have been perfect for our transition from summer into fall.  I custom requested that the suede strap around the arch be included since I could just foresee Scarly kicking her legs and feet around and the shoes flying off.  The owner put them on free of charge even though the original design did not include them.  

We LOVE these and will definitely be ordering from this sister team again soon.  Here's a close-up of their card so you can get some for your sweetie if you want to too ;)

#bitsyblossom

#weloveshoes  

Kate 

XOXO

Featuring the Four of us on mom_hub

For one of mom_hub’s daily themes

It’s a Set Up 

our picture of the four of us (AHHHHHH!  I just said FOUR) was chosen as a feature.  I can’t believe that in less that 10 weeks we’ll be a little famjam of four (plus a cat).  It’s just too exciting for me.  

We’re starting to do little things like finish up the nursery and the decorating - I’ll post pics in the Home section.  As well as pack the hospital bag and prep Scarlet for her little bro to be coming home.  I don’t think she has a clear idea yet what all this talk about Baby Boy is, but she still kisses and hugs my belly on a regular basis.  Maybe she does have a slight idea, who knows?  Anywho, we’re just counting down the weeks and so looking forward to revealing our precious miracle.  The end is in sight! 

30 Weeks Pregnant

How far along are you?

30 WEEKS!

How are you feeling?

Good.  Pretty big.  Tired but good.  He really steals all of my energy. 

Any weight gain? 

1 pound for a total of 20 pounds putting me at 135

New symptoms?

Well, this isn’t really a symptom but we discovered that our tiny hooligan is actually BREECH!  At around 34 weeks the docs said we would talk 'options'.  I REALLY hope he flips so that I can labour and deliver naturally again.  I just don’t think I have it in me to deliver a breech baby naturally.  (OUUUUWWWWWW times a bazillion). 

I’ve also noticed my feet are really swelling up almost every evening.  I think it’s simply because I’m on them all day long. I definitely don’t love the puffy feet feeling so I stand on the cold tile floor in various spots of the bathroom to bring it down.

General mood?

Pretty good.  I’ve been baking and cooking a lot lately which always makes me feel good and makes the house smell just amazing.  I know Nate loves it too so this makes me happy.  

Gender?

 Boy!

What foods are you craving?

Savoury, my food desires have been so boring during this pregnancy.  

  Do you miss anything?

 My brain.  I really miss my brain.  We’ve been killing ourselves laughing at what comes out of my mouth these days.  It’s just ridiculous.

Sleep?    

It's been fine.  I’m at three or four bathroom breaks per night so this gets increasingly frustrating, but I know it’s temporary.  I can usually get back to sleep pretty quickly so it isn’t that disturbing.

Working out?  

IT SNOWED YESTERDAY!  Like oh, my, goodness.  Walking outside for the next few days will be a no-go.  We take to the mall, the library, Indigo, TommyKPlay and a new place that my B.F.F is going to introduce me to (Cream and Scream) to get a little bit of exercise. 

Best moment this week? 

Going out for dinner with Jenny and having my sister-in-law Laura and her son Charlie over for dinner.  I love girlfriends XO

What are you excited about?

Halloween!  I have a really fun idea for a costume this year ;)

Kate

XOXO

Already being chased by a boy!?

Colton: Hey girl, where you been all my life?

Thankfully he's a sweetie, and I can’t lie, Scarly was really into him too.

You can't tell from the weather that we're currently having outside right now, but we had another late summer beach day this past weekend with our good friends.  They have a son a few weeks younger than Scarlet - so naturally his mother and I conspire to wed the two when they're 27 or 28 years old.

All it took was a small suggestion (from me) to give one another a kiss and then all you-know-what broke loose.  They were holding each other and smiling and just getting involved.  Us parents were just standing there killing ourselves laughing and obviously I was taking pics.  Just too cute!!!

(Instagram pic)

Back for more

Scar: Mom!  He kissed me!

Colton: Get back here...

THIS IS SO FUN AND AWESOME!