Spring is here!

Spring is here, on the calendar at least, even if some of us are still experiencing cold temperatures (and snow and ice for others!).  Today is just a collection of pretty spring things to get us into the mood.

Pretty robin's egg blue dress from anthropologie

I love the different layers of colour in this top from Loft

I love plain tops from the Gap, like this one.

I am a sucker for pitchers. I love this one from Magnolia

Warm weather means eating outside; these plates would be good for the patio.

Having a package of paper napkins around is good for those snacks and meals on the go.

If you're looking for some good Instagram accounts that show pretty spring pictures, check out:

@jossandmain

@prettylittelondon

@nectarandstone

@natgeo 

Looking forward to the greens and other colours that spring will bring!

Weekend Recap

We capped off our March Break fun with a weekend trip to Blue Mountain for some skiing and other winter activities.  We left early on Friday morning and arrived at the Village around 9:00.  We got some skis for E and then he and Dave hit the slopes.  It was a beautiful warm day, and although the snow got a little soft in the afternoon, they were happy to be out.  E did some jumps in the terrain park and even with some wipeouts, had a great day!

I walked around with Q.  Winter/Spring views.

We met for lunch at the pizza place in the Village.  E looked at this maze and said, "it's so easy", and turns out, it was!

It was St. Patrick's Day so I enjoyed a Guinness with my lunch :)

They headed back up after lunch, stopping for a beavertail of course!

After checking into our room, we changed into our bathing suits to enjoy the outdoor heated pool and the hot tub.  The pool was warm, but once I got into the hot tub, I didn't want to go back to the pool.  It was fun to have that as an option and E thought it was neat to swim outside during the winter. 

Then we donned our green shirts and went to the Irish Pub for supper.

The music was a little loud, so we did our best to muffle Q's ears.  Fortunately the band took a break shortly after we sat down. 

The next morning, it was my turn to ski with E.  He's so excited he can't sit still!

Here we come.  Dave walked over to the bottom of the Orchard lift so he could see us and take a few photos. 

It was colder and wetter on Saturday so after lunch we just went back to our room for a few hours to rest.  Then Dave took E back up for a few more runs.  Q and I chilled by the fire pit and listened to the live band.

Dad of the year!

We went back to our room and had some snacks and drinks.  We decided to go for a small supper of poutine and frozen yoghurt, and a walk around the Village.  It was a good call since we were all too tired to sit at a restaurant.

I have never had Menchies before so I was a little overwhelmed with all of the toppings.  I won't tell you how much mine cost, but I will tell you, I enjoyed every bite!

On Sunday morning, we had breakfast and checked out of our room.  We had no plans to ski because we wanted to check out the other activities.  First up, the Ridge Runner Coaster.  E went with Dave and then I went with him.  It was much more fun than I thought it would be, and although the cost is a little high, I would recommend it.

We had a slice of pizza for lunch and then it was off to the tubing hill.  The cost is per hour and you have to pull your tube up the hill (and sometimes your child hops into their tube making it extra work), so it is a work out.  I was way overdressed in my long puffy coat, but we had a good time.  Dave even borrowed my tag to get a few runs in at the end. 

We were so happy we booked this little weekend getaway.  We love visiting the Blue Mountain Village for the skiing and the atmosphere.  As much as we love the lessons at Snow Valley, we were happy for the more challenging runs at Blue. E did great on the big hills.  

Workin' it Wednesday (on Monday)

This edition of Workin' it was postponed from earlier, and it falls on today's date.

I'm linking up with Shay and Erika to talk about how I balance work and home life. 

Right now I'm on maternity leave so work is on the back burner for now.  That being said, I still have a lot going on throughout the day.

It is rare that I am only doing one thing at a time and that helps me do the "extra" things I like to do. I like to read blogs and my social media, so I will do that while I'm nursing Q.  I like to read books, so I'll do that while I'm waiting in line or in the car for something.  I listen to podcasts while I'm walking to do errands. I work on my blogs while watching TV.  I like to cook and bake so I do those things with my kids as an activity - quality time and something yummy to eat, all in one.

I plan things, like trips and parties, out long in advance.  It helps me to get everything figured out so I only have to think about it once.  Thinking about something once also saves time.  I can spend a few minutes planning our meals for the week, and making a grocery list, and then I save time each day.  

I am constantly making lists. I have a running to do list on my phone and I'll add everything to it that I need to get done that day.  It helps to keep me on track so when I find myself with a spare minute I can refer to my list and get something else done. 

When I am working, I try to leave all of my work at the office.  When I get home, my phone usually stays in my bag until the kids go to bed.  I may answer some work emails at that time, but typically I wait until I get back to the office the next morning.  

My secret weapon in getting stuff done is this guy:

We take turns putting E to bed (although he has been doing it more often since Q came along), he picks up and drops off E at school a lot of time, he cleans up, makes meals, and keeps our finances and home renovations organized.    

Speaking of Dave, it is his birthday today!!  I see some tacos and ice cream cake in our future for tonight.  A few gifts and a Raptors basketball game tomorrow :) Happy Birthday to our favourite guy!

Friday Favourites

Linking up with Andrea, Erika and Narci for Friday Favourites.

Talking about our March Break fun we had this week.  

First of all, we started our week off with a trip to the Sugar Shack.  I talked about that earlier this week here.

We made some St. Patrick's Day crafts.  Thank you Pinterest!  My plan of making a rainbow using Q's hands didn't work out since he screamed for the first two colours so I decided not to torture him anymore. 

We went to the mall to do some birthday shopping for Dave, and grabbed some lunch at the food court.  

We went to the Art Gallery of Ontario with friends, and then out for Chinese food.  It was really fun and we could have stayed even longer.  I can't wait to go back!

Looking for coloured dots in the cardboard maze

Posing for a portrait

Building with big foam shapes

Building something for the cardboard city

E ate all of those dumplings, he's a fan. 

Now we're off to Blue Mountain for the weekend for some skiing and other winter fun. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!