Nothing like the smell of summer

What does summer smells likes to you, fresh cut grass, coconut sunscreen, flowers, the smell of the beach?

Today was one of those days, that it smelled like summer. And so was our first trip to a sandy beach

 Feeling the sand between my toes was like therapy, loved every minute of it, well until the rain showed up. I even enjoyed that rain.

Summer, please stay a long time this year, we love you

Spring into fashion ~ Fashion Friday

Spring is a fun time of the year, when the weather is warmer and you can ditch the coat, hats and gloves.

This spring started with beautiful warm weather for a few weeks but then the rainy days came afterward, and the temperature dropped too.

What to wear to face the ever changing spring weather.

Short are fun this time of the year, but sometime with unpredictable weather, wearing a pair of nylons help keep you warm. I like bright colors, can you tell. I think this spring, stripes are very pretty.

Accessories are always fun

I'm wearing big loop earnings, and a cute bird and pearls eggs necklace from Vintage pearl

and a cute pair of black shoes

I don't wear a huge amount of makeup, but with spring comes spring allergies that makes me have really bad dark circles. Haven't found the right concealer for me yet, I hate them if they make my under  eyes look cakeky (is that even a word) and wearing glasses does not hide it.

I keep it simple, am wearing dark mascara ~ organic wear mascara in Ultra Black, it make my eyes look bigger and brighter.

On the lips I like a soft lipstick, with a little bit of sheer and shine ~Revalon colorburst lip butter in Sugar Plum is one of my favorite this spring.

I sometime go crazy on the nails, love that pop of color that they bring. I am wearing covregirl outlast stay brilliant in My Papaya, it's a gorgeous color that makes you smile every time you see it.

And with spring comes new hair. Yes I got my scissors and did something crazy like cutting my bangs all by myself.

I link this post to Fashion Friday make sure to check them out

Mother's Kryptonite

There is not much that can stop a mother, we do what needs to be done no matter what. But, we all have a weak spot.

Speaking for myself being sick is my Kryptonite.

 The kids seems to have extra energy when mother as very little, and for some reason my body acts like a uncooperative toddler and my brain like a mother that won't back down.

 Here is an example (Imagine me with spring allergies, a common cold and adding to the mix being THAT time of the month. Yes oh joy!)

Brain That pile of dishes won't clean it self, better get up and clean them now before they get dry and crusty

Body but this chair is so comfy.

Brain the longer you wait, the longer it will take to clean them.

Body Ok Ok, lets go. See I'm standing up, putting one foot in front of the other. Look a comfy couch, must lay down NOW. Eyes getting heavy, very heavy.

Brain don't you dare are fall asleep now!

Body I'll show you brain. Here is a headache.

Brain  haha, you can't stop me. Did you forget to pay that bill that is do in 2 days, what are we eating for dinner, did you reminds the girls to feed the fish, did you got the laundry out of the washing machine, did you did you did you????

Body and Brain : Girls it's NAP TIME!!!!!!

How about you what is your Kryptonite????

Three braid ~ As seen on pinterest

Saw this cute hairstyle and wanted to give it a try

To find this pin click here

Wasn't difficult to make at all, kept all the hair in the braid for the day (with layers sometime I get issue with hair getting loose after an hour or two of braiding them)

Oh, did I just notice a loose strand of hair in the first picture!!!! 

Ok, so it kept most of my hair in the braid, but that loose little part in the back that I haven't notice, nor did anyone present at the kids birthday party that we attended mentioned . 

Would you try this hairstyle on yourself or your girls???

You dress like Zooey Deschanel

" I like your style, you dress like Zooey Deschanel" ~ Random lady in the store 

 I have to be honest I had to google her and her fashion style to figure out if this was a compliment or not, oh the life of a mother. 

I do actually like her style, she is absolutely adorable. Do I think we share the same style, I don't know?

 You be the judge.

Zooey

Dress, Belt, Cardigan ~ Tommy Hilfiger

Shoes, earrings ~ Aldo

Also I link to Fashion Friday   Come join in the fun

A SAHM should have a very clean house, right!

There are days that I look around the house and think, we have been home all day, I have been cleaning all day....why is this house still looks like this?

How easily I can get into that self pity mood.

 "But I worked so hard and have nothing to show for it"

Have you ever think like that too?

Found this picture on fb and laugh out loud, because it's true

Reading this post about Striving for perfection made me think about the roots of the issue. Here are a few points to consider when the green eyes monster comes to visit

• Do we really have realistic expectations? 
• Do we play the comparing game with others homemakers?
• Do we really do the work or do it half way because of distractions?
• Are we willing to learn more about homemaking letting go of pride? Seeking help if needed.

First of, I am no expert on homemaking, these are to help me figure it out a bit more and if anything help you, well that would be a bonus.

Expectations

I often have that ugly little voice in the back of my mind telling me that I "should have this house in order, since I am home all day". I am still learning to quiet that voice, because putting myself down, won't motivate me to get things done. 

Having 3 busy little goose, making beautiful memories, sure can make this house look all upside down in a hurry. But they won't stay little forever and soon will be real big help.

Choosing to have real expectations, for the season of life that you are in, help you focus on what can be done now, and not what should be done. And in the end, it will all get done, maybe not all in one day, bit it will.

Comparing

I think it might be a girls thing, we compare ourselves.  We might do it because we are insecure, wanting to look at someone who has more flaws then us to make us feel better. But also we can look at someone who seems to have it all together, them we beat ourselves down thinking that we are not good enough.

Reality check, we all fall short, we all struggles and that is ok. 

If we really want to compare ourselves to us in a positive matter, we could strive to be better then yesterday knowing that will be better tomorrow. 

Do the work

On those days that I feel like I ran around the house like a headless chicken, work hard and yet got nothing accomplish, I have to remember what I really did.

Here is a example of what happened yesterday, taken from facebook

Just folded the last load of clean laundry, turn around and saw my youngest little goose coming out of her bedroom closet covered from head to toes in Nutella.

So that's why she was so quiet while I was busy trying to catch up with laundry!!!!!

I can be busy doing some house work and yet being distracted by doing so and not noticing the mess happening in the other room. But sometime, being online, even for a short time can be a distraction, and my girls do take that time of me not fully being attentive, to be productive in the mess making.

Sometime I do thinks half way, like doing the laundry but leaving the clean basket of clothes on the bed to be folded later. That is one source of temptation, if you were 2 wouldn't it be fun to empty that basket and scatter those clothes all around just for fun? How about us, just because it's clean and in the basket can we justify leaving it there just because it's easier then taking the 5 minutes to fold it and putting it away, but choosing to do something else instead?

If we really want to be real with ourselves, we should take a good look at our motives and how to overcome them.

Be willing to learn

I did not feel that I was fully equipped to be a homemaker, but we live at a time that if we are willing to learn, we can do it, just a few clicks away. Pinterest has been good to me, and I created a board just for homemaking tips. If you are using pinterest as a learning tool, please just don't pin those cool recipes  cleaning tip or home decor pins and not trying them, do please do try them and see what works for you. Try 1 pin a week, that sounds reasonable?

I think making list and crossing things off helps me get motivated, here I will share some list that are found on my pinterest homemaking tips board (for some reason can't do a direct link to those pictures anymore)

Extra tips

Sleep and eat well, put on some music and be fully caffeinated, yes the last one really helps!

Now, your turn. Share with me 1 tips that makes your homemaking better and easier for you and your family?

Spilling over

Some days are harder then others, and Mondays are definitely harder then the rest. Lots of little things like not enough sleep, change of routine  that happens during the weekend and the trying to get back into the week routine, makes the beginning of the week sometime not-so-much fun.

Things spill over

Within a few hours of those morning, the house looks like it had vomited all over, the sink in the washroom looks like this picture, and because I let the girls dressed themselves, I have a empty dresser and all the clothes scatter all over the room.

But it's not only the messes that you can see, little girls attitude pretty much looks like the picture above, spilling all over.

 Meltdowns after meltdown, when they are send to their room before 9 am, it ain't pretty!

But the funny things is, I feel inside the same way they are expressing their little feeling. I want to trow myself on the ground, kicking and screaming

  "I want to go back to beeeeeeeeed, I need a quiet house right nooooooow"

but because I'm somewhat a grown up, I try to keep it all together.

Trying to teach them self control, when you are feeling that you yourself is about to loose all the self-control you got isn't easy.

Who says that motherhood is easy.

Since the sun is shining, I let them play outside, the cleaning up will wait, because their little heart clean-up is more important. And playing in the sun, is a wonderful remedy to cure grumpiness, and sometime a long force nap works wonders.

How about your family, how do you deal with the Mondays Meltdowns????

Share the love Friday

I was in university when I meet her, a common friend put us on the same path, and I remember liking her right away.

Have you ever meet someone like that?

And so was the beginning of our friendship.

Not only is she gorgeous, look at that smile, she also has a beautiful heart, what's not to love.

She married her best friend, you know that friend that we had in common, yap she married him.

I remember taking that picture 

And now have 2 beautiful little kids, both are wonderful parents and even if we don't live in the same city anymore, I still feel that their family is close to mine.

Why am I sharing this, well because I love this lovely mama and wanted to share her with you.

She started a blog called Wholesome Motherhood, and  if you all would be so kind to spot by and say hi to this mama today, that would make my day!

How about you, do you have friend in real life that blogs, would you like to share their link in the comment box with me, so we could all get a little bit closer together?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Cupcakes fit for a Princess ~ as seen on pinterest

The birthday was approaching fast, it was a big deal. She wanted everything to be pink, white and purple. Each night counting how many sleeps were left until the big day, and each evening I look to pinterest for ideas.


Found many cute ideas like these one

 For the link of those pictures and their pin visit here 

I am not not most creative when it comes to cake decorating, that is a skill that I should be working on!. But here are the cupcake that I made for the special little princess in my life

Having my princess jumping around like a jumping beans, saying that all her wishes came true, well that made my day. Those flaws that I saw in my work, melted away, because she was happy and didn't care if they weren't PERFECT.

I use this recipe for the cupcake, they are so easy to make and turned out nice and fluffy. And the icing   was this lemon icing, it was yummy, not too sweet and with enough tart that the citrus bring.

Yes of course you all want to see a picture of the birthday princess, so here you go

6 years old, where did the time go.

Happy birthday princess

Attitude and style

She sure got both.

Have a wonderful weeked

No more frumpy mama

Spring is finally here, the weather is gorgeous and nothing can keep the girls indoor anymore.

I have to admit I never was really into fashion, or have a style or knew anything about how to put an outfit together. Thanks to pinterest I have learn a few tips, learn what I like and how to put things together.

I am no expert but here is a few things that makes me feel good when I am out and about.

A walk at the park, no more frumpy mama!

Lets start with hair, if you have long hair and little time, a messy bun is a must. If your hair in thin, using the sock bun can help create more volume. This look here was easy, High ponytail, twist the hair and tie with an extra elastic. I also use a elastic headband to control my bangs.

Makes the messy bun less frumpy, add some dangling pretty earrings.

Motherhood and diaper bag goes hands in hands, right? Maybe not. Using a purse big enough to get what you need (basic essential, snacks, water, change clothes or diapers) but small enough to carry without injuring your shoulder, is do-able.

It's doesn't hurt if it's pink and pretty.

Spring weather can be unpredictable, a colorful jacket will keep you warm on those early walk to the park. I try to choose colors that won't look dirty after the girls comes and hugs me with their little hands that just played in the wet sand box.

Forget heels, chasing after little goose a nice flat shoes will be best. Paired with some nice fitting skinny jeans, you'll be ready to play along side of your little one.

  
And the most important fashion accessories you can have at the park, is your KIDS, and maybe your pretty smile.

So beautiful mama, are you going to be the frumpy mom at the park this spring, or a mama that will wear her beauty inside and out?

And before you ask

Purse ~ Sears
Jacket  ~ Tommy Hilfiger
Shoes ~ Aldo
skinny jeans ~ RW&Co
Earrings ~ Walmart
Cute kids ~ homemade