I’ve always believed in professional photos for the big life events like weddings and newborn photos. It wasn’t until my entire family did a photo shoot last summer with one of our longtime favourites, Bliss Photographic that I realized how nice it is to splurge and capture a moment in time while it’s happening. I have so many photos of myself from the blog, but I’m always the one taking the photos for our family, and images of myself and the kids are a rarity. I’ve had the amazingly talented Jody from JAC Photography photograph both my babes within their first week of life, and when she released family mini sessions earlier this year I knew I had to book. I had envisioned an experience filled with laughs and giggles, adorable poses and unbearably cute candids. From the photos you may even be tricked into thinking that’s exactly what it was. Don’t be fooled, that is the magic of Jody, not the cooperation of the small child in the faux fur vest. The session itself consisted of numerous tantrums, a strong willed child that made it her job to NOT follow direction, and it ended with me profusely sweating whilst carrying my screaming two year through the beautiful scenery, back to the car. Jody reassured me though, it would be all worth it in the end, and she couldn’t have been more right. I’m so grateful we went ahead and took the time and effort and invested in these images. Time is so fleeting, and I know in the future these images will bring me back to the good ol’ days where those tiny hands loved to be held and I received a rockstar worthy greeting anytime I walked in the front door.
Alice and Olivia Sweater, Zara Denim, Gucci Slides, Celine Handbag
Since entering a season of a serious lack of fashion, after being so immersed in it for both work and play, I’ve had time to take pause and reassess. Pre-kids I was obsessed everything fashion, and willing to give it all a try. Multicoloured stripes, check. Leather skirts in every colour of the rainbow, check. Denim in pink, red, blue, green and burgundy, check, check, check, double check. As I find myself coming out of a season of loss, pain and isolation, I’m ready to slowly start dipping back into fashion, my absolute passion. As I’m no longer the same person I was, my fashion tastes are no longer the same either. In fact, I’m not so sure what exactly I love anymore, for me that is. While I’m slowly starting to fit back in to my ensembles again, there’s a clear picture of what I’m reaching for and what is pushed to the side. While it’s evident that this season doesn’t include a ton of colour, fuss or frill, I’m unprepared to commit to purchasing anything until I lock down the look I’m going for. I promise to share my roadmap and how I plan on navigating the addition of new items, and until then I’ll be keeping the black ensembles on heavy rotation.
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I have a closet full of beautiful silks, sparkly sequins, deliciously soft wools and gorgeous leathers. Ask me how often I reach for these items and my answer would be, rarely. My season of life right now consists of spending the vast majority of my time at home or out and about with my babes. I’ve overhauled my wardrobe a few times and consigned dozens and dozens of pieces I know I won’t reach for in the short, or long term. My plan is to recreate a wardrobe that is realistic for the season I’m in. I need comfort dammit, and I’m no longer ashamed to say it. I want my look to be pulled together, but I’m unwilling to sacrifice the coziness of my clothing. It’s a balancing act, and I’ve created a visual map of sorts to help articulate my personal weekday looks. Some of the items I already own and the others I’m looking at adding to be able to create multiple ensembles. I often do this with personal shopping clients, having a road map makes it easier to navigate, rather than adding piece after piece into your closet and realizing nothing goes. I didn’t add arrows for everything because I didn’t want it to look too overwhelming, but my goal, as should your own, is to have all items able to seamlessly be thrown together. Plotting it out visually helps to see that with just a few pieces, numerous ensembles are able to be created. Don’t mistake me, my wardrobe will always hold some glitz and glam, as I know there will be a season for that again. But for now, the overall goal is to feel like I’m still in my pyjamas, but look like I’ve got it all together, not a bad concept, right?
- Madewell Whisper Cotton V-Neck Pocket Tee
- ALO Cadence Crop Sweatshirt
- Free People Jaden Rib Knit Blanket Scarf
- Zella High Waist Crop Jogger
- Zella Taryn Ultrasoft Recycled Joggers
- Zella Erica Twist Cowl Neck Pullover
- Beyond Yoga Slashes Raglan Sleeve Sweater
- Smash + Tess The Sunday Romper
- Nike Air Max Thea Sneaker
- ALO High Waist Lounge Leggings
- Adidas Originals Trefoil Hoodie
- Nike Roshe One Sneakers
- Beyond Yoga Featherweight Sweatpants
- Free People Gossamer V-Neck Sweater
Vince Sweater, AG Denim, Valentino Chelsea Boots, Oscar de la Renta Scarf, Chanel Handbag
I had intentions of getting this post up on Monday, but the entire family came down with a serious flu-like illness, and I’ve been parenting horizontally for the better part of two days. Today is looking much better, I have dinner in the slow cooker, both kids fed, and plans to actually get outside. It may seem insignificant, but these days I take any victory, large or small.
These photos were shot up at my parents place on the lake, and the best part of shooting at my parent’s place is being able to dip into my Mom’s wardrobe. Since having my babies I have yet to shed enough of the weight to fit into 90% of my wardrobe. I’m not concerned as I know it will eventually come off. I’ve never been a restrictive eater, so the thought of any kind of diet is extremely unappealing. I’m making healthy choices and staying active, and little by little it’s coming off. In the meantime I’m more than okay with raiding my Mom’s fabulous closet. For the last year I’ve been outfitted for every event from something in her closet. This gorgeous scarf and fab denim are hers, and I don’t know what’s better, having a Mom with such fabulous taste or one that’s incredible at sharing.
Part of rebooting the blog meant consciously carving out time to bake delectable delights. Pre-kids I baked all the time. Someone popping over for coffee in the morning meant fresh blueberry muffins. Entertaining friends for dinner would always guarantee a homemade dessert. Hosting my fabulous parities, which have literally been non-existent, equaled a carefully executed culinary experience that always had a baked good or two crammed in there. I would often bake cookies just so I could send them to work with my man for him and his coworkers. When the kids showed up I lost all desire and motivation to bake. I had a very short lived experience trying to involve the kids, but have you tried corralling a one and two year old whilst baking?!? It wasn’t pretty and it was so defeating I declared a hiatus.
The solution to this predicament eventually became evident. I now take the kids up to my parents so I can bake away while the grandparents get some quality time in. Which also means I have two extra taster testers who can not only help devour the baking, but can give honest opinions on whether it’s worthy of being shared with all of you. In honour of this arrangement I decided to kick off the first baking post with this unreal Root Beer Float Cake, as root beer is my Mom’s favourite flavour. It’s from one of my favourite bloggers and her baking book, The Sweetapolita Bakebook. She also has a slightly altered version online, which is incredibly similar to the recipe in the book. If the pictures look delicious, the cake itself is exponentially that in taste. It took me a while to track down the root beer emulsion, which I ended up ordering on Amazon. If you love root beer, I’m telling you my friends, this cake is for you. Rich, moist, with that distinct root beer flavour. The icing in-between the layers has actual vanilla ice cream added to it, as do the scoops of icing assemble on the top of the cake. My mom has already declared this is the cake she would like to have served on her birthday, forever more. You really can’t argue with those results, now can you.
