Girls Valentine's Day Outfit Ideas

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and I've been dreaming up outfit ideas for my girls for months!
The girls love celebrating Valentine's Day and sending out little Valentine's Day cards to their classmates.
Some years we make homemade cards but this year we will be buying pre-made.
When I was a little girl my mom used to make these big Valentine's gift baskets for my brother and I filled with colouring books and Valentine's treats for when we woke up on Valentine's Day morning.
She still does this for our kids, which they absolutely love!
Since she has the chocolate covered, Louis and I usually buy the kids a new Valentine themed outfit that they can wear to school for Valentine's day and well into Spring.... because Spring should be right around the corner....right?! haha I sure hope so!

Here are some of my favourite Valentine's Day Outfit ideas (and some extras) for the girls this year!
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We're on Youtube

Happy Monday Friends!
We've hopped on the YouTube bandwagon and uploaded our very first, very amateur Family Vlog!
We filmed it over the Christmas holidays on my hubby's 31st birthday!
We still have a lot to learn about video but we are excited to dive in and start this little adventure together as a family!
We would love suggestions on things you would like to see on our Vlogs so leave me some comments below.
We would also love it if you would subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
(I promise the videos will get better over time haha) 
Enjoy!


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Friday Favourites

I can't believe January is almost over. 
At the end of the month we will be celebrating our oldest daughters 8th birthday (how?!), three days after that I turn 28 and three days after my birthday our youngest daughter will turn 6. 
It's a busy time for us! 
This year we are skipping the big birthday parties and heading up to Blue Mountain with some close friends for a day filled with skating and snow tubing.
 It's been a while since I've done a Friday Favourites on here, so thought I'd share some things I've been loving lately. 

Favourite Cake: { These Mini Potted Cactus Cakes are the BEST! Would it be weird to make them for my own birthday? haha }


Favourite Dress: {This Mesh You Lots Dress by Tobi.com I'm obsessed. It just arrived late last week and I cant wait to wear it on my next date night. I'm more of a casual over dressy type girl but I couldn't resist the edgy style of this dress.}

 

Favourite InstaFeed: {This family is seriously the cutest! They are my favourite family to follow on instagram at the moment. Be prepared for your heart to melt over all their cutness.}

Favourite Work Out: Kayla Itsines BBG workout. It's INTENSE but effective. I'm currently on week 2 and I already feel like I've gained more strength. }

Favourite Guilty Pleasure: { I can't get enough of The Bachelor. It's so bad but SO good. I was a huge fan of Nick going into this season, but sadly I see why many people were rooting against him. This guy needs to start thinking with his head!}


 



Favourite Hair Style: { This Heart Shape Hair Tutuorial. so cute for Valentines Day! This makes me want to grow out my hair super long. } 


I'd love to hear what you are currently loving. 
Let me know in the comments below. 
Happy Friday, Friends! 

Kelsey, ox.
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How To Cut Back Your Caffeine Intake The Right Way

One of the goals I set for myself for the New Year was to make healthier choices, which included drinking less coffee and drinking more water.
If you know me, you know I LOVE my coffee.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a coffee drinker but for me it was getting to the point that I was replacing water with coffee.
I'm talking 6-8 cups of coffee a day and maybe a few sips of water.
My plan for the New Year was to cut back to back my coffee intake to just one cup of coffee in the morning.
I didn't have any plan in place as to how I was going to cut back and if I'm being honest, I thought I could just do it cold turkey.
Day 2 into my caffeine cut back and I legit thought I was going to DIE from the withdrawal.
You guys - coffee withdrawal is NO joke.
Luckily, my husband was off work that day because I was basically bed ridden from the withdrawal symptoms.
The first thing I experienced was a headache - like my head literally felt like it was going to explode.
Next came the muscle aches.
It felt like I had weights strapped to every muscle in my body.
Then came the fatigue - holy moly this hit me hard.
I could barely keep my eyes open throughout the day.
The next day my husband went back to work and I knew I couldn't take care of the kids alone if I was feeling like this, so I turned to my good friend - Holistic Nutrition Practitioner and Culinary Nutrition Expert - Stephanie Long.

Stephanie guides woman in bringing out their best selves by teaching them how to eat healthy and put themselves first.
I turned to her and asked her to help me figure out a way to cut back my caffeine intake without feeling like I was going to die! haha
Here is the advice she gave me:

 When setting out to cut down on coffee, make sure that you slowly reduce the amount of coffee you are drinking daily. This means, if you are currently drinking 3 cups per day and want to cut down to 1 cup per day, reduce to 2.5 cups per day for the first week, 2 cups for the second, and so on until you reach your daily desired amount. 
Cutting down slowly and incrementally is important so that you do not experience a complete withdrawal, which could lead to headaches, muscle pain and fatigue – a trifecta of symptoms that have you regretting cut down in the first place!
While cutting down your intake, be sure to drink 2-3 litres of water per day, as well as 1 additional cup of water for every cup of coffee. If you have trouble getting your water intake in, simply add in cut up fruit or herbs to your bottle for a naturally flavoured drink. 

My favourite combinations are orange and basil or strawberries and lemon – super yummy! 
Plus, by adding in fruit or herbs, you infuse your water with a number of beneficial vitamins and minerals that help to support your body through the transition.


One way to support your body during the transition to less coffee is Bulletproof Coffee. 

Whenever I want a coffee, I opt for this version, as it gives me ample amounts of energy because of the healthy fats that are blended into it (coconut oil and grass-fed butter), it stabilizes my blood sugar levels (meaning no shaky hands or jumpy energy) and it keeps me feeling full all morning because of the healthy fats and added protein (collagen). 
Check out Stephanie's Bullet Proof Coffee Recipe here


I hope this post helps at least one person avoid a terrible coffee withdrawal!
Happy Wednesday!

Kelsey, ox



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Falling into the "Bad Mom" Trap

 I had a rare, but much needed night away this weekend.
I spent Saturday at Tetley's Tea Talk event with a blogger friend and Saturday evening at a friends house for a cocktails n canvas party.
At both events conversations about motherhood came up.
Conversations that I so desperately needed.
You see, for a while I was falling into the "bad mom" trap.
It is almost "cool" now to be a bad mom, to complain about motherhood and act as if it's a burden instead of a blessing. 
I noticed myself falling into this trap and looking at motherhood in a negative way.
 This weekend away and these uplifting conversations with these women are exactly what I needed to snap me out of it. 
We all have bad days and hard moments in motherhood - but let's not forget what a beautiful gift being a mother truly is. 
I've mentioned before that I've been more present with the kids lately. 
That means phone out of sight, all distractions put away. 
I've also talked about putting myself first - which sounds like the complete opposite of being present, but as a result of taking care of myself ( ie: a relaxing bath after a long day, going for coffee with a friend etc) I've been able to be so much more present and happy as a mother. 
I notice a lot of moms only speaking negative things about motherhood and It has a ripple effect.
 I challenge you to try to be positive about motherhood for even one day, it's contagious.
❤ Ps - looks like the kids had fun with daddy because the kid that never sleeps is passed out on the couch.

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2016 - Best of Nine


2016
What a year 2016 was.
There were a lot of ups and just as many downs.
I started the year off by going back to my career and then leaving said career only a few months later to be at home with my family and pursue a business from this little blog of mine.
I learned a lot about myself and gained a confidence I've never had before.
I got to know and explore the new city our family moved to and finally feel like we've finally found our place to settle down.
I stepped outside my comfort zone numerous times and only good things came as a result!
{see that time I played model for a day}
I had the opportunity to meet and work with so many inspiring women {see here} and {here}


I said goodbye to my grandfather - which was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.
 We started attending church and two of our children were baptized.
{our oldest will be baptized later this year}


I attended my first blogging conference. 
I spent a lot of time with one of my best friends and her four kids this summer.
I learned that it is NOT easy shopping with seven little ones - but it sure is fun.
Most importantly, I learned that there is no such thing as being a perfect mother or finding that perfect balance.
All we can do is love with all we have and that's really all that matters.



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Hello 2017


Hello, 2017!
I feel like I'm already really going to like you.
We rang in the New Year with friends and family by our side and I couldn't have asked for a better way to say farewell to 2016.
I want to write this post today so I have something to look back on a year from now.
2017 is going to be a big year - I can just feel it.
I feel like 2016 was a big year of growth.
Growth of my little space here on the web and growth of me as a person.
I stepped outside my comfort zone many times this year and an amazing thing happened as a result -I gained a lot of confidence this year.
Confidence in who I am and the ability to not give a shit what anybody else thinks.
I ignored all the nay sayers and did my own thing and I couldn't be happier.
 2017 for me is going to be the year of being intentional.
I'm very impulsive by nature, which can be really amazing but I also know the negative effects of that {hello Amex bill}
This year I want to slow down and be very intentional in everything that I do.
I want to focus on relationships and make them stronger than ever.
I want to continue to clear clutter from my world and only allow the things that I love or need into my home.
I have spent the past two years de-cluttering and I am almost at a point where I love everything in my home which feels amazing and I want to continue down that path.
I want to be more intentional with spending.
I want to have weekly money meetings where I discuss our household budget with my husband so we can pay off our debts and create wealth.
I want to make lists before I do any kind of shopping - whether that be grocery shopping, shopping for the home or my wardrobe - which will not only result in saving money but also only allowing things I really need or love into our home.
I want to be intentional with what I put into my body.
I want to eat foods that are better for me.
I want to exercise more for my body and my sanity!
I want to make sure that this year I make myself a priority.
I've spent the last 8 years putting myself last and I was starting to feel pretty burnt out - so this year mama comes first so I can care better for those around me.
I want to Travel.
With less stuff and less spending this should be easier to do.
Eventually, a few years from now I would love to be able to do three trips a year.
One with my hubby, one as a family and one with my girlfriends. 
 I'm so excited for a whole new year of endless possibilities.
Happy New Year!

Kelsey, 
ox.
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