Photos :: Milo Having Exactly No Fun at the Playground

You can't tell from these photos but Milo seemed to enjoy his first trip to the park. The weather was beautiful yesterday so we went for a walk and ended up stopping in at a playground in our neighbourhood. It is just so nice to get outside and do things!

:: hat, thrifted :: sunglasses c/o BonLook :: sweater c/o ModCloth :: jeans c/o ModCloth :: shoes, thrifted (for only $6!) :: Beco baby carrier ::

Nicer weather makes me feel a lot happier and more optimistic about life in general. This year it is also making me want to declutter and reorganize our whole house. We just have so much stuff. I am now really good about not obtaining new things but I sometimes still have a hard time getting rid of things I already have. One minute I want to just get rid of everything and then the next I'm thinking of how this or that might come in handy someday. I am infinitely better about this "I need to keep everything just in case" attitude than I was a few years ago but it really is difficult to change the way you think about things. I really want to simplify though so I'm working on it. I'm sure some of you guys struggle with the same thing, right?

Well, I hope you are all enjoying some beautiful weather and I will talk to you all again soon!

♥elycia

This post contains affiliate links which help me run my blog and contribute to my family. For more info on affiliate links click here. Thank you for your support!

5 Fave Friday

5. Katie's garden box DIY is pretty much my favourite thing so far this year.

A Beautiful Mess

I am definitely going to make this.

4. This backpack is so silly and adorable.

Fungi House Backpack

3. I love this Boy & Bee print. Milo has it in his room.

theblackapple on Etsy

2. I had just been wondering if there were vegan, eco-friendly moccasins for babys. Turns out there are!

Faux Moccs

1. I'm in love with this cute shirt.

WhistleFlute on Etsy

I just saw that this company is Canadian which makes them just a tiny little bit cooler.

Ok, so I have a weird question about affiliate links for you guys. Would you prefer that I write "affiliate link" in brackets beside something if it is an affiliate link? I kind of just take them for granted myself. If I see a link on a blog I pretty much assume that it is an affiliate link. I don't really give it a second thought but I know not everyone feels the same way about them. If you're like, "What's an affiliate link?", well it just means that if you click that link and buy something I make a percentage of the sale for sending business to the company. I don't really know why this is on my mind at the moment but it is so I thought I would mention it. Like I said, I don't give them much thought but I wouldn't want anyone to feel like I was trying to pull a fast one on them.

Well now that that is out of the way...have a great Friday! It is warmer here today but very gray. I serioulsy can't wait for park weather! Oh yeah, not supposed to talk about the weather.

♥elycia

This post contains affiliate links which help me run my blog. For more info on affiliate links click here. Thank you for your support!

What I Wore :: This looks familiar

:: scarf, thrifted :: glasses c/o BonLook :: shirt, Target :: pants c/o ModCloth :: socks, ? ::

This isn't really a what I wore post. It's kind of just a 'here's what's going on around here' post. We had a bit of a rough weekend. Ivan was sick, Milo was grumpy and I was in a really grouchy mood. Fortunately I was able to recognize how grouchy I was, state it as a fact and just move on with my day. My Mom came over one day to help organize our kitchen cupboards which made me feel better. Sometimes keeping a positive attitude is difficult but silly little things like making things neater help.

I am back to feeling good and enjoying each day for what it is. As I mentioned, Milo is determined to walk so we spend most of the day doing laps of the house, stopping when something catches his eye. Sometimes he sits down and plays for a bit but usually he prefers to pick up whatever caught his eye and carry it around.

I think Milo and I might head to the mall today to send out some mail & maybe take a photobooth picture. We'll see!

♥elycia

This post contains affiliate links which help me run my blog. For more info on affiliate links click here. Thank you for your support!

Photos :: 365 (March 4 - 10, 2014)

63/365 :: This is blurry but it's just so sweet. Look at the drool!

64/365 :: Yum, block. This is one of my favourite photos so far. Milo's eyes just look so pretty.

65/365 :: Really Mom? Me again? That's three days in a row.

66/365 :: I have probably already mentioned this but Milo gets so excited when he sees the cats. Farva is pretty scared of small children who show interest in him so he runs away a lot.

67/365 :: Oh man, that fluffy hair and the love for his Daddy.

68/365 :: Just a random assortment of things on top of the piano. Why are my socks there?

69/365 :: I should do a whole series of photos of the things that Milo puts in his mouth. So really it will be a series of photos of everything in our house.

I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has made Seattle suggestions! You guys are so, so helpful! I am really bad at researching what is good to do in new cities so you have made my job so much easier. Turns out that we will actually be leaving next Friday instead of this Friday so I have an extra week to wait to do all those awesome things.

I'm hoping to get out of the house for a bit today even though it's supposed to be cold. I know it can be annoying to complain about the weather but seriously, this winter has been the worst. Yesterday it as beautiful and sunny early in the day but still freezing cold...and then it got all stormy and snowy. Grrrrr. I need spring tell winter that it's turn is over. Ok, I won't say anything else about the weather unless it's good.

I hope you are all having a great day and that it isn't snowing.

♥elycia

9 Months Old

We have absolutely reached the point where these photos do not happen unless Milo has something to play with. Toothbrush, hairbrush and comb are the best toys to keep him occupied. What can I say, the boy is into good hygiene. He must get that from his Dad. I just burned myself. Is the term 'burn' still a thing? Do I now seem really old?

Nine months is a pretty fun age so far. Milo's full time job is learning to walk and he has hired me as his assistant. My job is to hold his hand and walk him all over the house...all day long. It pays pretty well though (baby smiles & giggles). He has already taken a few steps on his own here and there so he will probably be walking pretty soon. It is equal parts exciting and terrifying.

We had a checkup yesterday and Milo is right on track height and weight wise. He has been pretty much following the same curve on the growth chart since he was born. I remember when he was born he was right smack dab on average height and weight for a baby born at 37 weeks. We thought he was going to be super tall because Ivan is so tall but as long as he is healthy Milo can be whatever size he wants.

It still blows my mind how quickly Milo is growing and how much I love him and how much I love seeing how much Ivan loves him. Confusing sentence? The summary is: we all love Milo so much!

♥elycia

Photos :: 365 (February 25 - March 3, 2014)

56/365 :: Quite a while ago now I inherited a huge stash of cameras. I finally decided to put some film in some and see how they work. I have been snapping lots of random photos with this camera over the past (at least) month and I'm excited to see how they turn out.

57/365 :: This is a case of me forgetting to take a photo during the day and then just quickly snapping one at night.

58/365 :: Baby legs!

59/365 :: Back carries are now essential if I'm actually trying to do something. Front carries are ok for just hanging out but a helpful, grabby baby makes it hard to get things done.

60/365 :: Hi March. Oh, you prefer 'Mar'? Sure.

61/365 :: Ivan is an amazing guitar player. I'm sure I've mentioned that before. He recently brought a guitar and small amp into the living room so he can play more.

62/365 :: Pinny, Pinny, Pinny.

There's a little flashback to the end of February and the beginning of March.

Today we are going to visit some friends who have babies around Milo's age. I'm very excited to see everyone.

I hope you all have a really good Saturday.

♥elycia

5 Fave Friday

5. If only these really existed.

Thank you Katherine for sending me the link!

4. I like this coat.

Pont des Arts Picnic Coat

3. Have I posted about these before? Either way, I need them!

JennisPrints

2. One thing that I have become really bad at with blogging is visiting other blogs. I used to read so many and now there are maybe three I visit on a semi-regular basis. I am missing out. My blog crush this week is definitely Midge. Twin Peaks lover, awesome hair, cute clothes. Oh, and a pretty kick ass name.

1. The A Beautiful Mess Actions are really pretty. I am usually too lazy to play around with actions and figure out what looks best so I don't use them much but if I did use them a lot I would totally get these.

Ah, Friday. One week from today Ivan will be going to Seattle for work and Milo and I will be joining him. I am really excited for a little trip to change things up a bit. Being a stay at home Mom is completely awesome and I absolutely love it but everyday can start to feel kind of like a repeat of the day before. That's not really a big problem because it is a pretty fun day to have on repeat but I look forward to little changes in routine a lot. I am excited to explore Seattle so please send me some recommendations if you have them!

For one more week I'm right here though, hoping that the weather warms up a bit more. Or at least hoping that we don't get another snow storm.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that today Milo is 9 months old. That is kind of blowing my mind.

Have a great Friday!

♥elycia

This post contains affiliate links which help me run my blog. For more info on affiliate links click here. Thank you for your support!

Photos :: 365 (February 18 - 24, 2014)

49/365 :: Snow starting to melt and fall off our awning. Awning is a word, right? I never would have questioned it but I don't think it's a word I have ever typed before and it looks weird. You know what else looks weird? Snow in March. Get out of here snow! (I know this photo was from February but it's still here!)

50/365 :: This kid has such great eyes. Milo is sleeping right now but seeing this photo makes me want to wake him up and snuggle the heck out of him.

51/365 :: He's thinking of starting a blog.

52/365 :: We take oral hygiene very seriously around here. We don't just brush our teeth, we comb them.

53/365 :: Boo! It's me. This was before I went to solid blue on the bottom. I was not digging the dark on top and light on the bottom look.

54/365 :: Spiralized zucchini looks so neat!

55/365 :: This photo makes me laugh. Milo looks pretty hardcore. You could definitely put a funny caption on this photo but it's too much pressure for me to come up with a really good one.

I am way behind on these updates. I'll catch up in the next little bit because I have still been taking my photos everyday and I want them all on my blog for documentation purposes.

On a side note, Ivan is watching Twin Peaks while I'm sitting at the kitchen table typing this up and the episode he is watchin has lots of good lines. Really, every episode has lots of good lines. Man, I love that show.

♥elycia

Review :: The Whole-Brain Child

When I was pregnant I really loved reading books and watching movies/documentaries on pregnancy and birth. I guess it only makes sense that now that I'm a parent I love reading parenting books. I don't love reading all parenting books though, just the ones that talk about children's brain development and more gentle parenting methods that correspond with that brain development. 

My favourite book so far has been The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. & Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D. I am awful at describing books (I always make them sound crazy & weird) so you can check out a description here (or Google it). Anyways, this book is amazing and I will definitely be reading it again. I actually got pretty upset while I was reading because it hit home so many times about things that I recognized from my own childhood. I'm not saying I had a terrible childhood, because I didn't, but I definitely dealt with some issues that I didn't understand and this book helped me realize what was probably going on. 

I feel like The Whole-Brain Child doesn't even just apply to people who are dealing with children. Since reading it I have become more sensitive and patient about the strange things that people sometimes do. I honestly think that everyone should read it if you are at all interested in how the brain works and handles emotions. 

I really can't say enough good things about The Whole-Brain Child. This is in no way a sponsored review, I bought the book with my own dollar bills, I just really loved it and I think that everyone in the world should read it. Yep, everyone, in the whole entire world.

Have you read The Whole-Brain Child? What did you think? Any other recommendations for similar books?

♥elycia

What I Wore :: These are the days

Yep, crotch shot. I had to show you the neat buttons!

:: glasses c/o BonLook, necklace - Stick Man Creations, shirt - Hello Apparel, jeans c/o ModCloth ::

Milo is wearing an amber necklace that is too big for him, a striped onesie that he has been wearing since he was about 3 months old, & a green diaper cover for St. Patrick's Day.

It has been a long time since I hit that 'New Post' button. I could go into a long explaination of where I've been and what I've been doing but...boring, blah, blah, blah. I was getting grumpy about the internet so I took a breather.

Anyways, for now I'm happy to be back and sharing live up to the minute fashion direct from my living room/Milo's bedroom. We took these photos this morning so this stuff is hot off the press.

I was so in love with my ModCloth jeans that I got another colour. This Hello Apparel shirt has been one of my favourites since I got it and most days I walk around in bare feet. That's just how I roll. Plus socks just take way too much time to put on.

So apparently my break from the internet greatly affected my ability to type. I don't even want to tell you how many typos I made, including writing 'cocks' instead of 'socks'. Yikes.

I hope everyone is having a really good day and I plan on coming back tomorrow to tell you about some books that I've read lately.

♥elycia

This post contains affiliate links which help me run my blog and contribute to my family. For more info on affiliate links click here. Thank you for your support!

PS. Anyone who was sponsoring my blog during my hiatus has received an extra month of sponsoring free. Thanks for supporting me!!