What I Wore: The Family Tartan

May 28, 2014
This past Saturday we went to a couple of special birthday parties so I used them as an opportunity to wear my kilt made in Scotland with my family tartan. I ordered my kilt from Scotweb which is based out of Scotland and has their own weaving mill. My family's tartan was not immediately available so I did have to wait a bit for them to create the fabric and then make it into a kilt -- but that makes it all the more special. I'm already planning on ordering a scarf for next Winter.




Shirt - Garage Clothing
Skirt - Scotweb
Sandals - Le Chateau
Sunglasses - Marc Jacobs



2

The White Horse

May 26, 2014


While we were driving out to help my Great Aunt celebrate her 90th birthday, I spotted several groups of horses along the highway -- several of them had colts that were sleeping in the warm Sun while their mothers stood guard, which was such a precious sight. I told my husband that on the way back I wanted to snap some photos of horses, and we happened upon a farm that is the home of this sweet girl -- the white horse you see above.

I slowly walked up to the fence while taking some photos, and she immediately noticed me. The other horses could have cared less, but she carefully made her way towards me and even let me pet her nose. It had been a long time since I had touched a horse. For a moment I was instantly transported back to my childhood, and then we were gone. She left an imprint on my heart in the way horses always do.



0

Listen, Look, Love: May

May 23, 2014
Listen

I've been listening to CBC Radio 2 a lot more during the drive to and from work. I've grown tired of all the music that plays on the popular music stations, and I learned that CBC Radio 2 still plays the people that you've heard of, but they play songs that are not the singles they released for the other radio stations. CBC Radio 2 also plays a lot of Canadian bands and musicians and I am so glad that I am able to hear artists that don't typically get radio play. The song "I'm Not Your Hero" from Tegan & Sara is one that caught my attention this month. I love everything about it.




Look

While looking at these shells I am reminded of the time that I had celebrating my birthday in Hawaii last year, and the seashells that I discovered in the beaches of the North Shore and the South Shore -- which I still must share with you.



Love

I am really enjoying the outdoors right now: the heat, the dinners on the deck, playing at the park. I love the idea of intimate spaces to enjoy the outdoors right in your own backyard. It's quite hard to achieve this in areas that are relatively new and have a lot of growing to do, but I want to get everything done now so our yard can grow around it all. I have so many dreams for our backyard, and a patio with a pergola is one of them.





0

The Backstreet Boys Concert

May 21, 2014
I had the opportunity to go see Backstreet Boys live in concert and I snapped it up. It was an amazing experience that is right up there with Celine Dion. I guess you could say that it was something on my Bucket List to be able to see them perform -- I don't care that I am 30-years-old and was screaming at a Backstreet Boys concert. Those guys still have it going on :)



My friend and I made a weekend out of it, staying with her friend and her cat Blue and even doing a little shopping -- we found some pretty sweet stuff at the mall.


0

Life Lately: Adventures Outside

May 16, 2014




0

Mother's Day 2014

May 14, 2014


It was a Sunday like every other, and I wouldn't change it for the anything in the world.



0

When My 3-Year-Old Takes Control of the Camera

May 07, 2014


The Little Boy has always shown an interest in my DSLR camera. Yesterday he decided to pull out the tripod and requested that I set the camera up so that he could take some photographs -- "It's my job to use the camera." he told me, which is often what I say to him when I'm taking photos and don't want him to bother the camera. He carted the tripod around the house and took various photographs, often telling me what he'd like to take a photo of or how he'd like my husband and I to pose. It was a lot of fun to see his interest in photography grow, and maybe one day he'll own an SLR of his own. The following are a few of my favourites from the 60-some photographs that he shot with a Nikon D40 DSLR and a 50mm lens:






1

The Gift of Open-Ended Toys

May 05, 2014
Open-ended toys are toys that allow the imaginations of children to soar to their highest peaks. They give children the building blocks to create the world that they want to live in at that moment, and they can easily make anything from a restaurant to the Batmobile.

At the early learning centre that I work in we only provide access to open-ended toys -- closed-ended toys are typically battery operated or have only a few ways of possibly playing with them -- and their imaginations go wild. I love seeing the things that they build and the scenarios that they create. 

Even in my own home I have provided my son with many open-ended toys. That's not to say that he doesn't have any access to closed-ended toys. When he was a baby he had a lot of fun playing with a little battery-operated walker that played music and animal sounds, and he recently has fallen in-love with remote-controlled cars. He even gets to play games on my iPad, but the majority of the time we encourage him to do art, play with his musical instruments, build Hot Wheels tracks with his Dad, and play with his toy dinosaurs.


 
It's good to have a balance of open-ended and closed-ended toys. When we look back at our own childhood's they were filled with making shoebox houses, mud pies and Lego cities, and I want to provide a similar experience for my own child.

Good ideas of open-ended toys include:

1. Animals and dinosaurs made from any kind of material. They don't have to be wooden -- find the elephants and other animals here.
2. Blocks of any kind -- wooden, plastic, milk cartons, tree stumps and branches -- find wooden blocks of all shapes, colours and sizes here.
3. Toys that can be manipulated in any way -- Lego, Tinker Toys, etc -- find the connecting rings here.
4. Cars and other vehicles -- motorcycles, dump trucks, school buses, etc. -- find the car here.
5. Clothing and other toys that encourage imaginative play -- babies, dress-up clothes, jewellery, fox tails :)
6. Play food and other kitchen items -- find the felt vegetables here.
7. Child sized furniture and toys -- find all sorts of rocking horses here.


Other good open-ended toys include any musical instruments, art supplies, and sensory things such as water, dirt, sand, and play dough.


0
Powered by Blogger.