A Walk Round The Neighbourhood

Baby and I went for a walk to the bank today.  It’s a simple and rather mundane walk, but today I went out focused on trying to see the fun and pretty things on the way. 

The first thing I saw was this awesome cement truck,  No, you’re not imagining it – it’s pink!

Then I noticed a cute habit that Baby has developed.  When we’re walking, instead of leaning back and enjoying the sights, she always sits straight up in her stroller and holds onto the tray.  This is her go-to walking position – perched on the edge of her seat.  She’s gonna be a go-getter that one!

I also noticed some fun building art.

And finally, after our walk, Baby shoved herself into the smallest, most awkward place in the room.   Why?  I don’t know.

 

  Sometimes, I don’t get that kid.  But I love her.

Do What You Want To Do

The beautiful roses in bloom in my backyard.

Baby is sleeping.  She’s been tired a lot lately – lots of activity, the heat and not sleeping well at night.  I’d love to go run right now, but alas it’s only 8am.  I feel that out of respect for my neighbor, who shares a wall with my house, I should wait until at least 9am.  The treadmill is in a part of the house that isn’t at all attached to them – it’s in the extension – but I’m sure some noise and vibration gets through.  So here I sit.   I want to run.  But I can’t.  I should probably go shower and get dressed.  But I don’t want to.  I kind of want to online shop.  But I won’t.

I did have a production meeting/read-through for a project I’m working on.  And once again, I’m going to be put in a pretty dress and locked in a cage, and tortured and abused.  Yup, it’s a suspense/horror.  Why do I do this to myself?  Oh right, I love acting.  Boy am I dumb!

Baby’s First

As I mentioned, today is Baby’s one year birthday.  This morning as I cuddled Baby on my lap I was complaining that she’s no longer a baby, she’s a toddler now.  And I’m lamenting the fact that she’s no longer a baby.  But then Husband immediately informed me that she’ll always be my baby.  So Baby she is and I’m sticking to it. 

As a family we all headed out and bought a gluten-free cupcake that we shared over iced tea at Starbucks.  She loved the yummy lemon icing and the dough, but after a while I think she had enough of the sugar.   So Husband decided to valiantly *ahem, ahem* finish up the cupcake for her.

Only after this pic was taken did I informed him that he had lemon icing on his mouth. *tee hee*

We then headed over to the park where Baby had a swing.  It’s a recent discovery for her, and every time I put her in it she cries for a split second unsure of whether she likes this.  But then she grins and giggles and enjoys herself.  Every time.

At the park, Drake the Dog made quite the impression on the ladies.  Not only did he attract the attention of the female dogs, but he also had quite the groupie following of little girls on the playground.  The kid is a chick magnet!

He’s such a player!

My Baby Birthday Suit

Forgot make-up…again.  Ssseesh, I got to try to remember that
Dress – somewhere in Barcelona.

Hey, it’s Baby’s birthday *I’ll share all that with you later* but here’s the dress I’m wearing today.  It’s one of my favs.  I got it in Barcelona and wore it a lot while bumming around Europe. 

I love how easy it is to throw on a maxi and head out the door.  It’s one of those things you really don’t have to put a lot of thought into, but it still looks put together.  That’s true of any dress really, but maxis especially.  I think because they’re so long, they’re a show all in themselves and they make a statement without really trying.  

Just so you know, I didn’t manage to get any shots, but I’m actually just wearing a simple nude flat sandal with it. 

These Are A Few Of Baby’s Favorite Things

Reading light, remote controls, Drake the Dog, and a piece of wood.

Toysrus?  Forget it!  Walmart?  Who Cares!  These are Baby’s favorite toys: a reading light, remote controls, the dog, and a piece of wood.   The Wii remote is especially alluring since we usually keep that out of her reach; so, on the off chance she sees it lying around she bee-lines straight for it!  She loves the swirly nature of the light and the dog is fun to pull, poke, prod and generally annoy.  As for the piece of wood?  Your guess is as good as mine on that one!

Raise A Toast To Friends

Shirt – Lucky 7; Shorts – Smart Set; Shoes – Zellers

It’s hot out!  Yay!  But I have a stupid cold.  Boo! 
That’s okay ’cause I got to see a good friend today.  Baby and I went down to the local coffee shop *those people must think I’m weird ’cause I’m in there so much with constantly rotating people, but oh well* to meet a friend for tea.  And I must say it was wonderful.   We laughed, we cried,  but I feel really positive about where things will go from here.  Too often I think we let people fall by the wayside for the silliest of reasons.  But if you love someone – friend, lover, whatever – you owe it to yourself and to them not to let that happen.  And I really care for this person, so the fact that we had lost touch was sad.  But like I said, after today I feel really positive about where things will go from here.  
And speaking of friends, my friend was recently on a trip and she says that when she saw these magnets she immediately thought of me.
 
I know which is my personal favorite, but can you guess?

Feminine, Flowery, and Flirty!

Shirt &Skirt – F21; Belt – AE; Shoes – Payless; Earrings – ?
I love being feminine, flowery, and flirty! 
And I love an older silhouette.  This makes me think of something my grandmother would wear when she was younger, but that’s what I love about it.  Flowers and lace are kind of a timeless thing.  The key is to have some bright color and a creative way of tying a belt to make it seem young as opposed to ‘granny.’
Want to hear something crazy?  Right after these pics were taken I ran upstairs to wash my face.  Turns out I put on expired sunscreen and was having a reaction to it.  Yikes!  Not cool.  So my face is a little pink today.  Kind of matches my outfit.  C’est la vie. 
One last thing, if you have 3 minutes check out my demo reel here.  Let me know what you think!

Tuesday In Review: BabyHawk Mei Tai Baby Carrier

Me carrying Baby in my own BabyHawk.

Mondays have a freshness to them (Make-up Mondays, etc), Wednesdays are ‘hump’ days (Weddings Wednesday) , Thursdays are ‘awkward and awesome’, Fridays are for fashion and friends, Saturdays are well awesome, and Sundays are lazy.  Tuesdays are never mentioned.  Tuesdays are the black sheep, the underdog, the slightly forgotten.  I always root for the underdog. So on that note, I’m starting Tuesday In Review.  On Tuesday every week, I’ll review something.  It could be fashion, lifestyle, electronic, mommy or child related.  Frankly, everything is up for grabs.

Therefore, without further ado I give you the BabyHawk.

From the official website.

The BabyHawk is just one brand that makes a Mei Tai style baby carrier. Out of all the carriers this has been my absolute favorite.  At first the price kind of made me hesitant *anything over $50 makes me tremble* , but after trying it I think it’s the best piece of baby gear ever.  And I seriously consider it a must-have for parents.

It’s made of a strong fabric that’s really easy to clean – I just threw it in the washing machine.  And it came out looking great.  Also, it’s rated to carry up to a 4 year old.  You can wear newborns and babes on the front, and as they get bigger move them onto the back.

The thing that sort of frightened me at first was that the strapping looked really complicated.  But I put that aside and figured I’d deal with it.  And to my surprise, the first time I tried to put baby in it I was severely overtired, hot and cranky, and I still managed to do in under two minutes.  Within a matter of three attempts, I was a pro and could whip Baby on in less than 30 seconds.  The strapping looks complicated, but if you just follow the instructions once, you’ll see that it’s actually really intuitive.  It just makes sense.

The best thing about it is that most of Baby’s weight is on my hips.  With other carriers *Bjorn, etc* I’ve found that the weight is on my shoulders.  For a man, that’s great since they tend to have a lot of strength there, Husband for example loves it.  But I’ve found that I get fairly tired under the strain on my shoulders, especially as she grows.  I prefer to have her weight carried by my hips.  It’s easier and allows me to go about my business for extended periods of time.

I carry it in my stroller basket when I know Baby is going through teething or a fussy period.  That way when we’re out and she wants to be held and cuddled, I can just strap it on and continue doing what I’m doing.  The world doesn’t have to come to a screeching halt.

And of course, it has a really cute design for me to show off!   But what’s cool about that, is that it’s reversible; so my husband can wear the plain gray outside so he doesn’t feel silly sporting around a pretty pink pattern.  ‘Cause you know, he’s so macho!

If you’re in Toronto, you can get the BabyHawk at Evy Mama and they’ll teach you how to use it too! And while you’re there get fitted for a nursing/maternity bra.  The ladies are super helpful and they’ll set you up with something suitable for your life and budget.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

My Brain Makes No Sense Today

You can’t see but my nails are a pretty ballerina pink!

Cardi & Belt – Zara; Dress – H&M; Tank – ??; Shoes – Payless.

Sorry, but my hair is wet and unstyled in these shots!  I had to head out and I needed to take pics ’cause I knew I wouldn’t get a chance to later.  So that’s my excuse.  Lame, I know.  But there it is. 

Don’t you hate summer colds?  It’s warm and nice outside *well, maybe not today* and you’re stuffed up and headachy.  Kinda sucks.   Well, that’s where the whole Fam is today.  Yup, we’re all sick.  Well, maybe not Drake the Dog, but he eats poop so he probably has the immunity of a cockroach. 

I’ve got an activity planned for Husband and I.  It’s something that I’m instituting and I’ll tell you about it once he knows.  It’s only fair that he should hear it first.  So you’ll just have to check back. 

Also, check out what a professional *not really, but that’s the funny part* I am on set here.

Okay, this post is random and all over the place, but that’s just where my head is at today.  can’t think straight or in coherent ideas and transitions.

So I’m gonna go eat gluten-free pizza. 
*yes, I’m just that wild ‘n crazy*

K. Bye.

Random Sundays: Sappy Beyond Recognition

This is the beautiful sight that allows me to enjoy my morning cup of tea/coffee.

My living room after just 3 minutes.

Sometimes people ask what it’s like to be a mom.  It’s messy.  It’s tiring  It means that the living room *and every other room* is always messy.  It means I don’t always get a chance to clean.  It means I don’t always get a chance to shower.  It means being pulled, poked and prodded all the time.  It means having to be patient when you don’t want to be.  It means no more sick days.  It means no lazy Sunday afternoon spent in front of the tv.

But.

It means unconditional love – both for and from you.  It means hugs all the time.  It means kisses.  It means a sweet smelling, smooth skinned baby nuzzled into your neck.  It means hearing ‘Mama’.  It means seeing sparkling eyes light up at the sight of you.  It means giggles.  It means looks at you to make sure you’re watching those proud discoveries because they mean nothing without you seeing.  It means daily amazement at this beautiful creature destroying your living room.  It means a new sense of importance, a new sense of meaning, and a new purpose.  It means your heart swelling in ways you never thought.

It also means you become a sap who talks about things like ‘heart swelling.’
Oh well, the bad with the good I guess.
 

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