We Bought A Van | Health Update

We bought a van! We have been praying and hunting for a van for a year now, we needed a vehicle with more space to service our lifestyle. God is so good and His timing is perfect! I share the whole story (over fighting kids) in this weeks vlog as well as a quick health update. Check out the video below and if you haven't subscribed to my YouTube channel, please do by clicking here!

The Plaid Shirt | Classic Style | American Eagle

The plaid shirt has a vast history, especially a plaid flannel shirt which was first manufactured in the 1850's. It was not until the 1940's when women adopted the style for themselves by actually first borrowing them from men. Depending on your age and who you have seen wearing plaid shirts as you grew up, this style may bring back memories of specific phases in your life.

Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video made grunge the next big style in the early 1990's. I remember back to school shopping when I was around 10, buying boys wide leg jeans because the girls section did not have the exact style I was going for and pairing it with a t-shirt and plaid shirt tied around my waist.

Now plaid shirts are a wardrobe stable and we ladies don't have to borrow the styles from the men, we can find them tailored to our shape and in a variety of colours. I have gone through a few plaid shirts over the last 10 years but I am always drawn to a pattern that has a significant amount of red in it. I love the classic look of the red plaid shirt. I love that I can dress it up and create a nostalgic holiday vibe or pair it with jeans and a t-shirt for an all Canadian everyday look.

When did you first wear a plaid shirt? What memories does this style bring back for you? How do you wear your plaid shirt today?

My entire outfit was shopped at American Eagle in the Lambton Mall. This store has an amazingly helpful and educated staff that is passionate about helping you find fashion that makes you feel great!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Audrey

Reference website, Glamour.

Mindful Beauty Review

I have had the pleasure of experiencing a handful of products from Mindful Beauty over the last few months. The first thing I loved about using these skin care products, is their fragrance. Each product has the ingredients printed on the front of the label so I know exactly what I am smelling, I didn't have to look far to know its a natural fragrance. When I am using my Mindful Beauty  skincare routine, it transforms my bathroom into a spa. I love wearing makeup almost everyday but I really love cleansing my skin. The cleanser leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean and the soothing facial mist is refreshing and rejuvenating.

I love that the products are made to order. You know your ingredients are fresh and the product has not been stored for a significant amount of time. I bath often with Elizabeth so we enjoyed a Mindful Beauty Bath Bomb together. It felt good knowing the products I use, I can share with my children on their delicate skin. I have tried a variety of natural skincare and it often falls short for me not performing the way I want it too. I am particularly impressed with the cleanser and how well it draws out impurities and how well the scrub works at renewing the skin on my face and body. The scrub is actually quite powerful and the first time I used it, I applied it with a bit too much pressure. Not needed as the scrub does the work for you.

The creator of Mindful Beauty is a Canadian, beauty loving, momma and I just love that she is creating safe skincare for all the other moms trying to stay fresh while keeping their homes safe! You can shop Mindful Beauty in their Etsy Shop here. 

Petrolia Fall Fair 2018

It is fair season! One of the simple pleasures I look forward to enjoying with my family during the fall. We love the fair for the food. As soon as we walked into the fair on Sunday, we all started reading the menu signs at the various food trucks. All of the delicious smells make it easy to get hungry the minute you walk through the gate.

We watched some of the demolition derby first. It was my first time seeing this event live. It was loud, a little smokey and entertaining, even the kids were amused by the smashing cars (I wasn't sure if Lizzy would be a little scared). Watching the derby got our adrenaline pumping and our appetite going so we headed to a truck for lunch. The kids shared a hot dog and fries, I had a jumbo cheese dog, Tyler had chilli cheese fries and my mom had a chicken burger. We all shared bites of our food and everything was delicious.

Next we went on some rides. Next time I think we will do rides first and then eat lunch, our stomaches were feeling a little crazy on the spinning tea cups. Elizabeth really surprises me lately with her bravery, she enjoyed all of the rides she went on and would have gone on some bigger ones like brother, if she was tall enough.

We finished the afternoon with chocolate chip cookies and the tractor pull. We had to head home because Elizabeth was tired but I am sure Luke could have stayed until the end to watch every single tractor. Next weekend is the Wyoming fair, I am not sure if we will make it to that one but we are planning on the Brigden fair for sure. Which fall fairs are your favourite and what is your favourite part of the fair? Take part in the conversation on social media, I love hearing from you guys.

If you liked this post, you may also like the following posts:

I Am Thankful For Thanksgiving (a post pre kids)
My Everyday Fall Makeup (from a few years ago when I had short hair)

xoxo
Audrey

Taking Your Kids To The Beach | Expectations | 5 Tips For A Successful Beach Day

If you did not grow up on the beach, going to bed each night with a tiny bit of sand in your butt, you may think about going to the beach as a lot of work and very messy. These things are true, you are not wrong in thinking that but I promise you, it is totally worth all the sand and all the work for the experiences you will have with your children and the memories you will leave them with.

Here are some tips and realistic expectations for taking your young children to the beach.

Snacks
You need snacks, swimming and playing outside makes you hungry and its also just fun to eat on the beach and watch the water. I try really hard to bring exactly enough food to the beach because anything we don't eat, normally has sand in it and will not being going back into the fridge or cupboard. The word "sandwich" has a whole new meaning.

Sand Will Get Everywhere
Let go of the expectation that you will be able to sit on your beach towel and it wont get sand on it. Sand will get everywhere, embrace it, its part of the experience and when its dry and you are off the beach, it dusts off and shakes out pretty easily.

Swim
I always had the most fun when my mom, dad, aunts and uncles swam with me. I loved it when they were right in the water with me so I could show them my backflips and handstands and so they could throw me around. I know my kids have the most fun when we all swim together.

Shade Tent
I just added a half shade tent to our beach items this year. This is great for babies or anyone who just wants a break from the sun. It is light weight, easy to set up and take down and is a nice place to have a rest while enjoying the water. I linked one here if you would like to check it out for yourself.

Safety
I go to the beach alone with my two children and sometimes even my niece and nephew as well. My niece is older and a good swimmer but she has limits as to how far out she can swim and all the babes wear a puddle jumper 99% of the time we are on the beach.

Taking your kids to the beach is absolutely not relaxing but it is absolutely so much fun. And, they will most likely fall asleep on the drive home, so grab a coffee and take the long way home!

Please share your tips for taking your young children to the beach.

Summer To Do List | Southwestern Ontario Adventures

We are loving the family day trips right now. We were blessed with some serious family time and got a start on our summer bucket list. One of my friends suggested I do a round up of fun family activities and I was so grateful for her content suggestion. Here is a list of things we could do this summer on either a day trip or weekend trip. Please comment with your ideas as well so we can all have the most fun summer!

We captured our adventure day to Greenview Aviaries in the video below, I hope you will check it out.

Pinery Provincial Park

Baseball Game

Brander Park

Greenview Aviaries

Detroit Zoo

Ripley's Aquarium

Adventures On Wonderland

African Lion Safari

Cox Youth Centre Splash Pad & Pool

Story Book Gardens

Grand Bend

Canatara Park

The Movies 

Rondeau Park

Swimming or Indoor Playground At The YMCA

Rock Glen

Toledo Zoo

Bluewater Boarder Fest

Fishing & Having a Fish Fry

Strawberry Picking

Fry Trucks Under The Bridge 

Parks Blueberries 

Toronto Island 

Beach Days 

Pool Days 

River Days 

Boat Day 

Picnics 

Goderich Beach 

Culbert's Bakery Goderich 

Purdys Dockside 

Mad Taco 

Point Pelee 

Pinery Provincial Park | May 24 Weekend 2018

May 24, the kick off to summer! We spent the holiday Monday exploring the Pinery Provincial Park. This day trip has been a family tradition for a few years now, check out a post from a few years ago here.  I love watching the kids explore everything, picking up sticks, throwing stones in the water and just running happily outside (all seen in the video below). Sometimes when we are around the house, its hard to have focused family time but on day trips like this, we all just feel closer together. All there is to do is enjoy each others company and take in the sights. What do you and your family love to do for family days? We always love to try new adventures.

Check out a little video of our adventure here

And lots of pictures below

Mandakani Yoga

A few weeks ago I attended a restorative yoga class at Mandakani Yoga in Corunna. It had been months since I attended an actual yoga class, I do my own practice at home from time to time but normally stick to what I know at a pace that is comfortable. I was super excited to check out my friend Shannon's new studio and take one of her classes that I chose my class based on the time slot, not so much the type of practice I wanted.

Shannon offers a wide variety of classes for beginners to advanced yogis, you can check out her schedule here  and I have taken classes taught by Shannon before and loved them, so I knew I would like anything she teaches.

Restorative yoga is a slower pace class, focusing on just a few poses and relaxing into each one for longer periods of time. I was not prepared for this class mentally. I went into it thinking it would be relaxing but it turned out to be extremely mentally challenging for me. There were points in the class where I experienced guilt for not being more productive with my time on the mat or away from my family, my mind drifted to; to do lists and even some other emotions I didn't enjoy. It took me at least half the class to slow my mind down.

After class I had an opportunity to chat with Shannon and share some of the emotions I experienced during the class. She put me at ease that I wasn't alone in my challenges with this style of yoga. I always learn so much when I am on my yoga mat and when I challenge myself through my practice and that doesn't always mean in the form of a fancy pose. Shannon didn't realize but that night she created a space for me to feel some stuff I was avoiding and face a fact that I need to be more conscious about how fast I move.

I can't wait to take another yoga class at Mandakani, take a time out, face some challenges and learn something new. If you have never tried yoga, and especially if you live in Corunna, you need to check this place out.

Lots of love,
Audrey

Christmas Vacation 2017

I am not sure what to say that has not been said before. I love Christmas more every year, it gets more fun and I love the little things woven through the big holiday season moments.

I thought a lot about traditions this year, we celebrate some old traditions that have been passed down from our families but we are creating our own now which is pretty cool too.

Here are some traditions or moments I would like to remember from this holiday season.

An impromptu snowy family photo shoot. 

Getting together with family from out of town, no matter the distance.  

Christmas concerts on fire places.

Christmas Eve service in our very best Sunday best!

Cooking in my Mrs. Claus apron. 

Scavenger hunts for gifts. 

Snuggling up with Christmas books. We do a Christmas book advent with the kids and open one Christmas book each day in December before bed. 

Luke’s sweet and soft voice on Christmas morning, waking me up “it’s Christmas, Merry Christmas” a sound I will never forget, locked in my heart forever. 

Christmas day in our pjs, playing, eating and moving slow as a family. 

Dance parties!

Winter walks. 

Doing everyday life together like going to the grocery store. To me these moments are a gift, just doing life, our little Lapier squad. 

New Years Eve as a family! We decorated cupcakes, watched the countdown on TV, ate appetizers, danced and blew our horns. Lizzy was in bed by 8, followed by Luke at 9 and mom and dad at 11:30. 

We actually had plans to go out but changed our minds last minute and did what we really wanted to do, chill. It was an awesome way to start our New Year. We need to focus on us, whats good for us and our family, look more at each other for direction, not so much on whats going on around us. 

I hope your Christmas and New Year was filled with all the great stuff that makes you happy and that you are pumped for the year ahead. 

I love you and am so glad you have spent time with me hear. 

xoxo

Audrey