#motherhood inspired
Happy Fall everyone! For the first time ever, I’m sharing a FREE crochet pattern on my blog! I have been creating crochet patterns for my Etsy Shop, Harper’s Hats, for the past couple years and I thought it was time to give back a little and provide one for FREE. This Jillian double wrap scarf pattern is so easy to make and a great one for beginners. Plus, read more to get all the gorgeous shoppable style in this week’s post.
As the frugal fashionista that I am, finding great deals is definitely my thing. I get so many outfit questions and most people are surprised to learn where I shop the most: not the expensive brand name stores that you’d expect from a fashion blogger but the well-priced stores that offer good quality at good prices. It’s all about how out take a simple dress, customize it and make it your own. Add a little glam to your style, even on a budget! Here’s how to take an $8 dress and make it look like an $80 dress…
I started this blog about a year and a half ago because I wanted to inspire other stay-at-home moms to not give in to the “mom-rut”. As moms, we are unanimously tired. There’s barely enough time to drink a cup of coffee and scarf down a piece of toast in the mornings, let alone time to shower, get dressed, do your hair and put on make-up. Well, I’m here to tell you, MAKE TIME. And this is why….
I’ve been waiting almost a year to be able to share photos of the time that my son and I spent on set, filming AMC’s Hell On Wheels. So with the final few episodes now airing and Cooper’s big debut revealed, I’m excited to finally share some stories and photos from our amazing experience.
Let me first say that there is nothing like being a part of the magic of show business…
I’m back home and refreshed from a five-day vacation to Scottsdale, Arizona, sans children! It was the perfect getaway for any mother who needs a break: sun and shopping. Like many Canadians, I get giddy with the prospect of getting to wander through the aisles of an American Target store. From clothes to home decor to wine, Target is this mom’s dream.
And why shouldn’t it be when you can find an adorable and trendy outfit for a total of $38? Today, I’m sharing one of my new favorite trends: the off the shoulder dress.
I’m a thirty-something mom of two little boys and I live a three and a half hour plane ride from the nearest family. Starting a family was something that both my husband and I really wanted. I knew it was going to be tough, being without grandparents to help but I didn’t care, I wanted babies. I would stay at home and raise them, like my mom did, and he would go to work everyday to provide for us. The plan was in place. And after three pregnancies and the birth of two beautiful boys, our family was complete.
And I was happy. I loved (and still do!) being home and being a mother. It’s the hardest and most rewarding “job” there is in life. But what maybe I wasn’t so prepared for was how mentally and physically exhausted I would be some days. A cup or two of coffee in my favourite mug from The Top Knot Boutique and a glass of wine were things I looked forward to every single day.
After awhile, something started creeping in: resentment. I would watch my husband every morning: wake up well rested, get dressed up in a nice suit, take his travel mug of hot coffee and head with purpose to the office. He’d come home at 6:00 (or later) every night telling me of the nice lunch he’d had at a restaurant downtown or the beer he’d shared after work. All the adult things he got to partake in. Then there was me: feeling like if I had to deal with one more tantrum, change one more diaper, do one more load of laundry, or empty the dishwasher one more time, I was going to go outside onto the front porch and scream.
It’s a new summer season, and time for a new pineapple shirt. I am a sucker for flamingos and pineapples so its hard to resist the shopping temptation when I come across one or the other. Ask my neighbour, I just put those plastic flamingos in my garden. They aren’t tacky right?