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New Season, New Blog Posts . .Hopefully!

Sorry for the total radio silence over here! I can’t even remember the last time I sat down and had some free time on my laptop. It is rare and when it happens I usually waste time on Pinterest! So let’s see what has been going on…
Summer went by in the blink of an eye. As per usual we got inundated with smoke from the forest fires. It unfortunately has become the norm for Interior BC. Well actually a lot more areas than that but those are where the fires are that effect our breathing space. It is not only horrible to be happening in the first place but really puts a damper on the summer fun when you can’t breathe fresh air or see the skyline. We still managed to make the most of it though and got in lots of camping and lake time. Feels like forever ago but the warmer temps are long gone as are our tan lines. Till next time summer, you were a peach! No complaints for fall though. It is one of my favourite times of year, especially here in Kamloops. The colours are stunning and for the most part we have sunny days. Crisp but sunny. A few months ago we removed a few fruit trees from our yard so the leaves clean up is pretty minimal this October. In a way that is great but it also took away a lot of fun for the kids. They love playing in the piles of leaves, as most kids do. Still my raking time has been drastically reduced. I will take it!

We are in the throes of Halloween as it is only a few days away. A local landscape company put on fireworks last weekend which was a blast. The fireworks were fantastic though the fact that EVERY CHILD in Kamloops was in attendance made the whole event a little overwhelming. Not to mention my daughter sliced her tiny finger open getting it caught in the port-o-potty door, followed by a bad reaction to too much candy and the site of blood and puking all over me. All is well now but I will not be surprised if we have trouble getting her back in one of those again when its potty time at a public event. Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year so that means Hallie has preschool for half of the day, followed by an afternoon/evening of Trick-Or-Treating and large amounts of sugar. It will no doubt be a very long day, but hey that is what it’s all about!

I love, love, love Halloween but this year i have found it challenging to really get into the swing of things. We still have yet to carve pumpkins and the decorations are not up to the usual Hayward standards. We will have to make up for it next year and go all out! Or maybe we will make up for it this Christmas. The kids are already asking me when the Christmas tree will be arriving. God help my husband, they are turning into Christmas obsessed little monsters, just like their momma. Speaking of monsters….. The phases these two are in at the moment are quite the treat! That was some thinly veiled sarcasm in case no one picked up on it. Jackson is two and is … emotional. A mama’s boy. Stubborn. Sweet as pie. Constantly running around. Oh and hates sleeping. Hallie just turned four. Also emotional. Slightly bipolar it seems at times. Very attached to mom. Heart of cold. Extremely sensitive. They love and hate each other fiercely and like to drive me bonkers. Can’t wait to see what the next phase is like! Often leaving the house with them is extremely daunting but it’s exactly what they need most of the time. That or a tranquilizer… I mean they are perfect little angels and I am never annoyed at them (eye rolls here!). Time and time again I keep telling myself I need to read a parenting book or meditate or work on my patience…. but when I actually have time to think about these self-improvement plans, I end up wasting time googling home decor ideas and recipes on Pinterest. I tried listening to some parenting podcasts on a recent road trip to Vancouver (for a little Luke Bryan baby!) and after four of them I was so annoyed at the people speaking, the sound of their voices was making me cringe. Not to mention I was with Henry and he couldn’t stop making fun of them so it took all of the learning right out of the activity. Sometimes I think parenting is just a survival game. And your weapon of choice is coffee or wine. At least mine is! So now that we are up to date on current events, where are we headed. November is busy. I have limited my business to three local events, including one at a winery. I need to shift the focus of the business to more online presence. The markets just take a bit too much time when you factor in load-in, being there and taking everything down. So I hope to focus on building up the website which you can check out here, and developing the brand on Etsy. If any of you have experience in building your business on Etsy I would love to hear from you! It seems a bit daunting but I know it needs to be done. November will also present some health commitments including flu shots for the kids and the usual dentist visits. Can’t wait for those! Again, sarcasm detected here. We will also begin the slow filtration of ‘winter decor’ which really is my way of decorating for Christmas early. I usually stick to natural tones though so it’s not too obvious (to the husband) and wait for December for the festive pops of colour. Just a hint we are going to play with a lot of greenery and wood this year. I think it’s time I learned how to use power tools. My DIY to-do list is far too long for a certain handy husband. In the next few weeks though I hope to share some DIY decor projects we have already completed, some recipes I am loving at the moment, and some holiday plans and bucket list items we intend to tick off this winter. So stay tuned for some fun, I promise to make more time for sharing on here.

Babies Grow Up

When I started this blog it was mainly because I found out I was having a baby. I wanted to document the growth of my adorable bump. Which eventually lead me into the not so adorable 9^th month of just being huge and desperately uncomfortable. My intentions then switched gears into survival mode and learning how to be a first time mom. Learning how to keep a human alive, how to work WITH my newlywed husband at keeping a tiny human alive while focusing on our marriage and helping it flourish in it’s infant stage. The blog was comical, raw and loving all in it’s own unique way. Slip in a massive move to a new city where we knew no one, as well as the news of a sibling on the way, the blog began to encompass many things.: Family, parenting, chaos,a new business, cooking, crafting. . . Really whatever I decided to write about. Fast forward to the present. The blog has taken the back burner big time. I have taken time off of writing but keep feeling the heartstrings pulling to find more time for it. Yet again, I feel the direction shifting. It’s no longer going to be about surviving babies, but more so the children they are growing into. My kids are still young. Nearing four and two. Yet they seem to be these growing forces of energy, personality, and increasingly strong abilities to outsmart their mother. They take me to the brink of losing my mind and patience, and reel me right back in with their snuggles and giggles. How do they have the power to do this? And how are they so bad at doing things sometimes? I try to hand them the open goldfish package in the gentlest way, yet as soon as it reaches their hands it seems to be on fire and explode into the air. I will be picking up goldfish until they go off to high school, I promise. Even as I sit here writing this, I am quietly hiding behind my coffee and laptop, as I know Paw Patrol will end in ten minutes, and so will the peaceful silence. Rider and his pups will happily rejoice about their latest savior and as that theme song blares, my darling children will automatically turn to me, zombie-like stagger their way over, climb ALL over me demanding snacks, strawberry milk, more paw patrol, ice cream, and anything else they can think of. (This actually DID happen too, as soon as the show was over. It’s like a weird magnetic mom-pull.) Don’t get me wrong. I am NOT a complainer nor do I ever want it to seem like I am ungrateful for my children. I love them to absolute bits and pieces. I am just in complete amazement about how they shifted from my tiny babies into these crazy little humans: Tiny toddler explosions that keep going off in weird ways that you don’t expect. And this ride is just beginning. Babies, I fear were the easy part. Children, for now you win! I have seen your special powers over the last few weeks! Unfortunately I can only blame your dad, and myself as you had to get it somewhere. So I am excited to see what direction this blog will take next. Excited and scared for what parenthood holds. Hopefully I can find time amidst the craziness to keep documenting a few of our stories here, and the lessons I am learning along the way. Thank you for joining me and reading along!

Spring Break

This post is a little late but hope y’all had a great spring break!! My kids are little and not in school so it doesn’t really apply to us but for whatever the reason may be, it still felt like a break. It was like everyone else’s routine was flipped sideways so we could get away with it too. We had busy days to start. A ton of fun stuff planned too! However, don’t they say something like ‘make a plan and see what your toddler thinks of it’. It’s murphy’s law in my house I promise you that. Both kids got super sick. Hallie had a really gross cold that simply made her super emotional all the time and gave her the hall pass for cartoons and ice cream whenever she wanted. Jackson however took the ‘man cold’ to new levels. He is JUST coming round the corner to feeling well. Needless to say, all plans went out the window and we were somewhat housebound. We still managed to get out and play at the park and what not, but we definitely kept to ourselves. I really didn’t want to be that mom who spread the kid’s cold germs like confetti. It is such a relief now though that everyone seems to be feeling better. We had a pleasant shift in the weather today as well so we are hoping for a sunny Easter weekend away in Grand Forks and not such runny noses. Hey a mama can dream right!? One delightful morning I did want to share with you from our sicky spring break was what we called pancakes and pjs. Hallie was adamant we all wear our cozy housecoats one morning so we decided to really make a morning of it and test our new Pampered Chef pancake molds. Couple lessons learned. They are a ton of fun, especially when you get to the final step of actually eating them. Second lesson, there is an art. These are quite tricky to master (especially if you are a perfectionist) but I think after a few rounds of trying, I will get the hang of it. Come on now, we all want star shaped pancakes. No room for the boring ol’ circular style anymore right? Gotta step up my pancake skills stat.

(If you want to get your hands on these they are sold through Pampered Chef, and are quite awesome! The silicone molds are a great size, super durable, and I LOVE the pancake mix shaker. Can’t wait to take it camping and only have ONE dish to do after making breakfast!)

(Who knows what happened to the housecoat!)

It’s A…. BOY!

So much for my theory on having two girls in tutus! We had our ultrasound and appointment on Monday and got the big news that baby number two is a BOY! Of course we are so happy and excited! It was a bit of a shock to me, only because for so long I envisioned another little lady joining us. I am getting used to the idea of a little gentleman though. I am hoping with the warmer weather coming soon (fingers crossed!) that some cute boy outfits start presenting themselves in stores. Right now it’s a little lacking. It is probably better that way though, one can get carried away shopping for newborn baby clothes! I started going through Hallie’s clothes to sell consignment or give to goodwill. What an emotional process! I have definitely shed some tears over her tiny onesies and adorable outfits. It is hard to believe my little girl was once so small! Where does the time go?! I blame a lot of the tears on pregnancy hormones too. Hubby has allowed me to keep TWO storage bins worth of my favourite baby girl clothes – I think he just felt so bad when he saw me on the living room floor over tiny pink Minimocs. So I have kept all my faves for baby number three…… yes I just said that! But for now, eye on the prize. Little man is joining us in four months! How quickly did that time pass?! We have had some real sunny days lately so all I can seem to think about is summertime, baby boy’s due date and how much fun we are going to have as a family this summer. With Hallie, I spent so much time planning her room and making sure we were getting everything we need. This baby doesn’t even have a room yet I am not too worried. I know there are a couple things I want to upgrade or get for this time round with a newborn. I just know that even if I don’t have everything or his ‘space’ (no room of his own so he get s space in my room hah) isn’t ready, we will be fine. We will be overwhelmed and it will be crazy for a little while but really, we will all be fine. We will all be loved. There happens to be a lot of love in this house!

Just for fun, I thought it would be fun to share some highlights and lowlights of this current stage in my pregnancy. I am a little over five months pregnant so well into the second trimester.

Cravings: Granny Smith Apples, Strawberries (actually any berry will do), Pepsi – all the time! So bad for you I know. Eggs with avocado and fresh ground pepper. WINE. Not that I indulge. But as soon as it’s sunny, I am salivating over thoughts of a chardonnay. As soon as it’s nighttime and I am sitting down to dinner, OR completely overwhelmed by the day with my cray cray toddler, I can’t help but envision a large glass of red wine. Overall I am really quite hungry all the time with this baby. Now that all of the morning sickness has passed!

Feeling: Good! Again, now that the grossness of the 1st trimester has subsided, I am feeling quite good. Some daily exercise and stretching has proven to be a key factor in feeling good but so far that has been pretty easy to achieve chasing Hallie around. Oh and lots of water! I have been drinking a TON of water and I believe that is playing a huge part.

Daily Challenges: Sleep. Pregnancy insomnia seems to settle in every few days. Which is the worst when you are exhausted. I seem to wake up at three in the morning and think about EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN! It’s not necessarily worry or stress but that hamster sure is running on his treadmill at the worst possible moments. How I long to sleep. All the time. I guess I will when the kids are like 18 years old.

Skin/Hair/Nails/Etc. : All women that I know have had exceptional luck during their pregnancies with hair growth. I am not in that circle of the lucky ones. My hair does not grow. In fact since my first baby, my hair seems to have thinned drastically at the sides. Hellion postpartum hair loss, lovely to meet you. You can piss off anytime! Nails seem to be doing okay. Skin is doing AMAZING! Though I do not thank pregnancy for that – I thank my daily regimen from Rodan + Fields with the weekly microdermabrasion facial for that. Oh and my eye cream! The results have been amazing so far and I have only been using the products since Christmas. LOVE! Thank goodness I sell it and get a good discount. So overall, looking like a glowing pregnant woman I suppose. Chubby middle and all! The downfall is this time round, I really have to make an effort to dress nice and not wear leggings EVERYDAY. With Hallie, I was managing a store, Anthropologie, and looking stylish was mandatory on a daily basis. Now I am working as a mom and there is no one here to raise an eye brow if I am still in my pjs at noon. I do try to dress up for most of the week. Not saying the ‘mom bun’ doesn’t present itself almost daily! Can’t win em’ all.

Looking Forward To: More baby kicks! He has really started moving in there and each time I feel kicks I get a huge smile on my face. I am also SO EXCITED for sunshine and warmer weather. I have some very cute dresses that will show off this bump perfectly but I am gonna need that warmer weather to wear them. Not to mention a bit of a tan!

Next week I am excited to share some Friday Favourites that will be entirely tailored to baby boys so be sure to check back. Have a wonderful weekend with your loved ones and don’t forget to count those blessings. XO

IT’S A BOY!

We are early but we broke out the Easter Decor!

Time With Tiffany

Motherhood, Lifestyle & Design