Striped Sleeve Top

 

I'm sitting here typing this next to the fireplace under the coziest blanket I could find.
The cool crisp air is FINALLY here and I am so happy about it.
It is supposed to get up to almost 20 degrees celcius later on today though, so this weather is a bit tricky to dress for!
This morning I walked the kids to school in a coat, mitts and hat but by the afternoon I won't even need a jacket.
My favourite outifts for this time of year are simple ones.
A basic long sleeve tee paired with a pair of skinny jeans is my go to outfit.
I'm loving this striped long sleeve tee from Pink Blush.
I like the extra detail the stripes on the sleeve gives this basic tee.
The shirt has extra length too which would make this perfect to wear with a pair of leggings and high boots as well.

 **This is a sponsored post which means I was provided compensation and/or product for this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. **

My Cozy Fall Day Playlist

Music is a huge part of my life so I thought it would be fun to share some of the music I'm currently listening to.
I actually am writing this post for the second time because I accidentally deleted the original post.
I made this playlist to listen to on a cool Fall Day where you feel like staying indoors with a warm cup of coffee curled up on the couch under the coziest blankets.
Click here
to listen to my Fall Playlist and let me know what you think :)


Kelsey
oxoxox

Encouraging Sibling Bonds With Enchantimals

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mattel Canada for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

My girls can be like Night and Day, and just like many other siblings, they have been fighting like crazy lately. 

I don't know if it is their ages, or what, but they've started being really mean to each other, which is not cool with this mama. 

Everything was starting to become a competition of who was better at what, who had more of this or that. 

So when I was asked to partner with Mattel's to Meet the Enchantimals, whose core message focuses on caring and special bonds - it was a no brainer. 

Truth be told, in our home we don't buy gifts for the kids just because. 

Toys are purchased for holidays, birthdays or to celebrate a great accomplishment - so I knew receiving these dolls would be a great opportunity to use as a learning tool. 

 I told the girls that I had this opportunity for them to receive a new line of dolls to play with on two conditions: 

1  - They had to work on being kinder to one another until the dolls arrived. 

 2-  Once the dolls arrived, they could not fight over who got which doll - they had to share the dolls together. 

The girls were SO excited for their new dolls to arrive. 

They had a million questions about what the Enchantimals would be like. 

I explained to them that they were a group of girls who each have a bond with their special animal friends and who believed in being caring and compassionate. 

The dolls finally arrived one morning, and I won't lie, they started fighting over who would get to play with what doll as soon as we opened the box. 

I quickly reminded them that the Enchantimals didn't like fighting and if they wanted the privilege of playing with these dolls they had to treat each other like friends treat one another. 

After a little convincing, they started playing together with the dolls. 

They even asked if they could bring them with us when we went on a nature walk this past weekend.  

I love seeing them bond together over dolls and I'd like to thank Mattel for creating a line of dolls that helped bring our girls together! 

 

Check out the Enchantimals YouTube Page

My Favourite Kimono

I can't believe I've never owned a kimono before this one.
Kimono's are the perfect way to dress up any outfit.
I paired this floral kimono from Pink Blush with a pair of light ripped jeans and a basic white tank.
It's perfect for end of Summer/beginning of Fall where it is still warm throughout the days but nights are cool.

Back-To-School Pampering With Glama Gals

Somebody pinch me!

How are we almost through the first week of school?

I am officially mommy to a Grade 3, Grade 1 and Junior Kindergartner!!

I wasn't sure how this week would go, but aside from some minor meltdowns from being so tired from school, all is smooth sailing!

Luca is doing great at adjusting to his new routine and the girls are thrilled with their classes, teachers and friends!

Last week, I took the girls to Glama Gals Barrie for a little before school pampering.

The girls are at such impressionable ages, and taking them to Glama Gals before school started up was a perfect way to spend a little quality girl time and celebrate the wonderful young girls they are!
They brought their BFF Jayda a long to enjoy a little Back-To-School Special as well, which included a manicure, facial, washable rainbow hair streak and they even got to create their own pencil case and lip gloss!!

                               What I love most about Glama Gals is their positive brand messaging:

"Be Confident! Be Positive! Be you!"

Just in case you have never heard of Glama Gals before, I'll fill you in!

Glama Gals is a tween spa owned by sisters Laura & Josie, you may know them as @theggsisters.
Currently, there are 9 Glama Gals Locations in Ontario.
Each location offers themed spa services that are all about affirming a tween girl's positive spirit.
I know, amazing right?
They also host monthly work shops on self-esteem, anti-bullying and maintaining friendships.
I can't tell you guys enough how much I stand behind this brand and their messaging.
I actually started taking the girls when they were just little when the Newmarket, Ontario location opened and have been coming back ever since.
Kids today are exposed to much more than we ever were as kids, and as a result are suffering from low self esteem at very young ages which is why I am so happy to have a place like Glama Gals in our community that I can take the girls to to have a little fun with beauty but also remind them to empower them and celebrate their uniqueness.

I could go on, and on, about my love for Glama Gals but I'll leave you with some photos instead!
The Back-To-School special is on until September 15th!

To book an appointment click HERE.

Oh, and I wanted to share one quick thing that I thought was SO cool.

Glama Gals offers a program to girls ages 7-13 where they get to work as a Glama Gal for a day!
They get to work in the spa for 2 hours, get a certificate, a free t-shirt and more!
Emma (my 8yo)  kept saying she wished she could work at Glama Gals when she grew up so we were so excited when we found out about this program and will definitely be signing her up!

You can find more info about this program HERE.

A Letter To My Son On His First Day Of Kindergarten

Dear Luca,

In a couple of sleeps I will be sending you off to your very first day of kindergarten.

People keep asking me whether I'm sad or excited for you to be going to big boy school, and the answer is both.

You have such an incredible energy and it's going to feel really weird without you here during the day, but I am so excited to see you thrive in a new environment, because I know you are going to do so well.

There will be Lego to play with, friends to make and you even get this really cool thing called recess where you get to go outside and just run around with your friends in the sand pit outside (your favourite thing to do). 

You're a busy boy, and school will help you focus that energy on to amazing things like problem solving and building giant block towers.
I'm so excited to pack your lunches and go on field trips with you like my mom used to do with me.

I've loved being home with you these last four years (even if sometimes I tell you you're driving me crazy lol )
To be honest, all summer Ive been counting down the days until I'll finally be able to go into a store without you asking me to buy you ever chocolate and transformer you see, to be able to start working out again and taking care of myself for a change -  but now that the time is almost here I have this empty feeling inside.
I'm sure at school drop off you'll be running into that kindergarten pen, that your sister was so excited to graduate from just this past June, with so much excitement.
I know you'll be okay but mama might shed a few tears - I'll try to save them for at home where you can't see though.

I'll be waiting for you at the end of the day to embarrass you with the biggest hug in the world and a million questions you'll probably be too tired to answer, but that's okay.
I wish you the best first year of kindergarten baby big boy.
I know you're going to have the best time and make some mistakes a long the way that I know you'll learn from and make you an even better person than you already are.
Remember to treat everyone with kindness and to eat your veggies!

Mommy, Daddy & your two sisters love you to the moon and back!

Back-To-School Essentials For Tweens That Won't Break The Bank

My oldest, Emma, is going into grade 3 this year and I cannot believe I have a tween daughter! 

I still remember her first day of kindergarten like it was yesterday.

This is the first year that Emma no longer fits into the children's only clothing stores, so I was really excited when Sears Canada asked to partner with me for a back-to-school post.

I remember shopping at Sears Canada for back-to-school clothes with my grandma as a kid, so it was a no brainer saying yes to partner with them.

Emma has had a strong opinion on her clothing choices from a really young age, but more so now than ever.
She's at that age where she's starting to care about her appearance and wants to be on trend.

I let Emma have the majority of say when choosing her back-to-school clothes as long as it is appropriate (no crop tops in this house) and within our set budget.
Sears Canada has great selection for bigger kids like Emma, with clothing that is on trend and at affordable price points.
This Social Media Expert Shirt she chose was only $3.97 !!!!
Can you believe we #GotItAtSears ?!

Sears Label Pink Cardigan $19.97 | Social Media Expert Tee $3.97 | Denim Skinny Jean $14.97

 Emma's whole outfit is from the Sears Canada Private Label and the total cost of her outfit was only $40 !!!!
Emma asked if we could buy some stationary for her room to have on hand for any projects that come up over the year, so we were really excited to see that Sears Canada had several stationary sets to choose from.
We purchased the The Magic Maker set that came with a bucket of crayons, pencil crayons, markers & two notebooks for only $20!
We also grabbed this cute water bottle for $7.97 and this clear organiser for $8.

This post was sponsored by Sears Canada and was compensated for this post.
As always, all opinions are 100% my own.