Mood Board: Kid Valentine Brunch

I love mood boards. I find them to be really helpful in coming up with some touch-point items that  make the whole event come together. I think it is also good to have 5 or so ideas that you really want to make happen at your event. The rest is just gravy. I find 5 goals a very manageable number, anytime you move above that you setting yourself up for that "gosh, I wish I would have had more time ..." 

So, my touch-points for the kids brunch are pretty simple... but fun. 

• Color scheme - I went with a red, pink, and orange color palette. I think there is something fun and innocent about introducing orange into this romantic holiday. It makes it more kid-friendly and less serious. However keeping pink and red and white still hold true to the tradition of the holiday. 
• Fans and garlands - fans, garlands, and tissue paper tassels always do such a great job of dressing up a wall or a table. They don't take much work, they are completely reusable and you can put them up days in advance so decorating only takes a few minutes each day. 
• Heart backdrop wall - I love photo back drop walls, I can't say I have quiet perfected them. But this heart one is super cute. We will have our Polaroid camera at the ready for guests to snap pictures :) 
• Heart balloon wall - I think this would be super fun and not that difficult. I am going to do use this as the main decoration for the basement. Just a big heart balloon wall. I'm sure the kids will love it. 
• Valentine Mini Mailboxes - I love favors. I take a lot of time and attention on the favors because after a party that is your physical lasting memory. I found these super cute mini mailboxes at Target for a dollar. I'm filling them with some little dollar store favors: bubbles, slinkys, rings, and stamps. I am also going to put in a little package of vanilla flavored goldfish and gummies. I am doubling them up as decoration as well. They will adorn the mantle during the party with a balloon attached them. 

So that is the plan... I have some over ambitious ideas about balloon garlands, that may or may not occur but those are my top five as they stand... 

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day... 

What's mama gonna wear: Kid's Valentine Brunch Party

Valentine's isn't exactly super romantic in my house... I don't really go in for planned romance. I prefer the idea of spontaneous romance... Nonetheless, I don't need an excuse to have a kid's party and I don't need an excuse for brunch. I absolutely adore kid's party. There is something so fun about chatting with good friends being continuously interrupted by the most entertaining small people. 

I look forward to spending time with my family and my friends family. It makes for such a wonderful large "framily." I tend to get so caught up in games, and children activities and the menu that I tend to forget what I am going to wear. This time I thought I would take a minute or two and plan out my cute-fit. Cause be mama's got to wear clothes too... 

• Simple casual sunday outfit... Stripey shirt from LL Bean, Levi's Jeans, fun cheetah socks from Happy Feet and of course some super cool All Star shoes
• Make-up... make-down... not so much made up. Lately I have been super lazy and done Baby Lips which is a really nice chap stick, and Tarte cheek stain
• Hair ... I am so excited to wear this sequin heart, I haven't decided if I am going to keep it on the headband or just use it as a clipey with an updo... but either way, sequins and hearts will be worn
• Jewels... my usual pearl earrings, tortoise shell watch and a little cupid twist... my arrow necklace, which i love... I might if I am feeling flirty add some Alex and Ani bangles... we shall see. 

So that is it, my cutefit for Mama. I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day. Lots of love!

Cozy Winter Outfits

We are setting off for a cozy winter retreat and ski weekend. My plan for packing includes three daytime non-skiing outfits. There are some constants: long champ bag, beanie hat, initial necklace, leggings, bean boots, infinity scarf, pearl earrings, tortoise shell watch.

  

1. Hand me my book and a bourbon - plaid button down shirt, oversized wool academic sweater + constants

2. Let's make hot cocoa and play candy land - henley waffle shirt with buttons, fair isle  wool sweater + constants

3. Brewery and a walk anyone? - plaid button down shirt, cashmere camel cardigan, green field jacket + constants 

When I am planning travel, I use three techniques to minimize overpacking... 

• Fiddlethings... I try to minimize my jewelry and make-up. I always use the same accessories for the whole trip... my signature pearl earrings and tortoise shell watch always seem to come. I don't do a lot of makeup usually just a bb cream, mascara baby soft lip balm and Tarte blush tint. It is winter so you will need a moisturizer for your face and hands.   
• Think outfits... Don't bring a bunch of shirts and pants you won't use. I pack entire outfits from the underthings to the outer layer and roll it up. If you want to bring even less use the same outer layer  and just change the inner layers
• Space concerns... I love leggings, they take virtually no space and are extremely comfortable. I try to wear your largest most rugged shoes when you travel and try to bring only one pair. 

Although I was raised in a military family and I did serve in the Navy there are some creature comforts I do enjoy. Not that I wouldn't be fine without them, but there are three I love to bring where ever I go...

• A good book, even if I don't think I will have time to read, I love bringing a book along. 
• Slippers, in a hotel or a house rental you don't want your bare feet to get cold on a carpet that who knows the last time it was steam cleaned 
• Blanket, a small throw that you know is clean is lovely to have in the car, on a plane or cuddle up on the couch... yes, I know there are blankets there, but it is nice to have one that you know is clean. 

As always, much love, many blessings, and happy winter!

Ski Weekend Sundries

I am so thankful to have wonderful family friends. We started out as the Michigan Girlfriends Club, then became Michigan Wives. I'm pretty sure in a few years we will be the Michigan Mom's Club. Thankfully, we all got married around the same time and had children around the same time, so now we tend to vacation together. We have a wonderful system. Each person brings one dinner and one breakfast for every two days we are there. We also bring cocktails and wine as well, but those proportions are a little fuzzy. Nonetheless, this is my sundries list for the weekend: 

• Chili - premade and frozen so a quick heat up in the pot and we are ready to go
• Corn bread mix - normally I like to make things from scratch but vacation is a wonderful time for convenience
• Hot Cocoa and Marshmallows - as required for any ski weekend
• Pancake Mix - make all of it and freeze the leftovers, that way, you can just heat up what you want later
• Sprinkles and Whip Cream - this does double duty for both the pancakes and the hot cocoa
• Cocktail du jour - for me this trip it is a Hot Toddy which is concocted with an elegant mix of warm ginger ale, honey, cinnamon, lemon and bourbon
• Red wine - a lot of it
• Coffee, coffee filters, sugar and tea 
• Good quality olive oil, pepper and salt 
• Some freshly baked cookies

Fresh items that we will bring along include: 

• Milk
• Butter
• Juice
• Veggies and Dip 
• Fruit 

There are a few kitchen things I bring as well just because I feel rather unsettled without them: 

• Sharp chef's knife
• Cutting board that is dishwasher safe
• Vegetable Peeler
• My hot cocoa maker and electric frother (this fun for the children, rather than a necessity) 
• Glass water bottles 
• Drop water filters 
• Venturi wine aerator 

That should be about it, it is only three days after all. As always, much love, many blessings, and happy weekending!

Play Time on a Family Trip

Discussing motherhood, is like discussing religion. It is deeply personal, and every mother is unique, every child is unique, the relationships are unique twice. Nonetheless, I believe the most important thing you can do, for your child, is to be emotionally available for them. Part of being emotionally available for me is play time. Play time is so important to the development of young person's mind and social skills. I think all too often parents look at playtime as free time for them. Not that children shouldn't be given freedom, but I think adult attention not supervision is craved by children, and boundaries given them a feeling of safety and security. Now that I have rambled, I will sum up my position by stating, play time on a family trip should be enjoyable for both the parents and the children. Here are some of my son's favorite playtime activities, and they are all portable and perfect for a weekend away. 

• Games
• Hoot Owl Hoot - a board game with cards that is cooperative. The object of the game is to get all six owls back into the next before daylight. 
• Let's Go Fishing - a motor skills development toy, players have a small fishing line and they try and get fish of a certain color
• Hungry, Hungry Hippos - this is more of a fun game where players make their plastic hippos gobble up as many marbles as possible. In the end, children practice their counting when they total up the marbles.
• Sneaky Squirrel - a motor skills development toy, players have a darling squirrel tweezer and they try and get acorns of a certain color depending on the spinner
• Candy Land - a darling game where players draw cards to see which spot they move to. Its education value is on color coordination and counting, when you count the places. 
• Learning Toys 
• Wooden Tiger Spelling Toy - my son is just learning to sound out letters, but I love this cute spelling tiger. You can use it to spell five letter words, it is very portable and darling. 
• Spelling Puzzles - These flexible foam spelling mini puzzles are quick, easy, and provide both the educational benefit of learning to spell but also the social benefit of confidence. 
• Imagination Toys
• Playdough - what child doesn't love play dough? I don't know one. Play dough can super enjoyable and so portable. Worst case scenario to trash the lot of them and buy new ones for a few dollars after the weekend is over
• Balloons - blowing up balloons and jumping on them, throwing them around, are a wonderful way to entertain children. Because they do take up space I recommend playing with them in a family room or children's space. 
• Kazoos - small, fun, and endlessly entertaining. Probably the most easily played children's musical instrument, and a parade is great fun. 
• Bubbles - small, portable stimulating for young and older children. As a bonus, whether you are going to the beach in the summer or the mountains in the winter bubbles outside is endlessly entertaining. If you blow them outside when it is below freezing the bubbles will freeze and fall to the ground. 
• Crayons - a little bit of paper and some free time and children's imagination can go wild. My son prefers it for me to color on the same sheet of paper with him. But it is great pre-writing skills for him to develop, and I love to color. 
• Books and Videos
• Seasonal books - I rotate our books so that the novelty effect adds to the excitement of reading a "new" book. I think all children love books and there are some that adults can enjoy also. I love Skippyjon Jones, Steam Train, Dream Train, Arctic Animal Books. 
• iPad - the ever present iPad. While I don't enjoy copious amounts of children's videos I do think some are very educational. My son currently enjoys Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Doozers, and Dinosaur Train. 

Whatever you choose to bring with you and your family on your weekend trip, involve your children in packing. I use a large "Boat and Tote" bag from LL Bean. Whatever fits in the bag goes, if it doesn't fit, it doesn't go. I also wrap new books and toys as presents. It adds more meaning and excitement. It is also a wonderful positive enforcement tool.

Another important tip to remember, is to bring toys that can be shared, if you are going to a house where there will be more than one child. One kazoo, or one silly straw would probably get more than its fair share of germ sharing, so best to bring multiples. 

As always, much love, many blessings and happy family time. 

Cozy Ski Weekend Retreat Packing List for Mom

I am not a skier. I have only skied once in my life. To my dimmed recollection, I was a much less than graceful on the slopes. Nonetheless, I love the idea of my son being a good skier, like his father and his father's family. I also have watched White Christmas, too many times, and love the idea of a cozy ski lodge and wonderful family evenings. We are off to Wisp, with our wonderful family friends. My husband and son have their own ski packing list, but here is mine and it also includes a few things for the house as well. 

• Cozy warmth
• Two warm oversized wool sweaters
• Two button-down shirts, one flannel and one chemise
• Two long-sleeve pullover shirts  
• Four leggings
• One pair of jeans
• Four pairs of cozy socks
• Duck Boots
• Two pairs of ski socks
• One set of base layer wicking tights and shirts
• One fleece jacket
• One waterproof over jacket
• Two sets of waterproof pants
• One set of waterproof gloves
• Flannel Pajama Pants
• Moccasin Slippers
• Cashmere beanie hat
• Infinity Scarf
• Puffer Down Vest 
• Wool Coat
• Fun Times
• Kids games (Hungry Hippos, Candy Land, Fishing, Sneaky Squirrel and Hoot Owl, Hoot)
• Kids books 
• Deck of Playing Cards
• Currant Candle
• A good read (All the light we cannot see)
• Reading glasses
• Hot Cocoa
• Red Wine
• The makings for Hot Toddies
• Carry All 
• Vera Bradley Duffle Bag
• Long Champ Large Tote 
• Wallet
• Phone
• Charger

Christmas Dinner Party

A peaceful and happy Christmas Day is so important. I find the easiest way to enjoy the holidays and see all my loved one is for us to "take the show on the road." We are going to spend the morning at my mother's house. She kind to have us over. After brunch we will head back home for a much needed nap. Then we will be spending the evening at a friend house. 

You want to dress up and be festive for Christmas but it is a long day, so you want to be comfortable. 

• For him: comfort is key, find a comfortable sweater, some slacks that are roomy, and comfy shoes. If he tends to get hot... wear a breathable shirt underneath, so that if you get to warm, the top sweater can come off. 
• For her: embellished sweaters are the best, they are warm and have sparkle. I love pleated metallic skirts, they are comfortable but at the same time fun. For jewelry, some sparkle dangle earrings and cuff bracelet are comfortable and still elegant. Shoes, D'orsay pumps with a low heel is both lady-like and wearable for a long day. (You can always slip them off under the table). 
• For the little guy: Oh to be young and not notice clothing. A button down plaid shirt, some blue slacks and a little sweater says polished but not snooty. 

As for what to bring. Always, always bring a hostess gift. Hosting is very expensive and time consuming, and a small token like a nice candle or stationary says that you understand and appreciate their hard work. I also like to contribute to the meal. If it is a breakfast a fresh pastry and some fresh squeezed orange juice is nice. At dinner, I usually try and bring a nice bottle of Champagne and a dessert. This year for Christmas Dinner, I will be attemping (cross your fingers) to make Nigella's Ultimate Christmas Pudding and a Jello Mold for the children. What is nice about both of these desserts is that they can be made a few days in advance leaving plenty of time for enjoying Christmas Time and the company of loved ones. Remember to send a Thank you note the next day and a phone call. Hostess and Host always want to be sure that their guests had a nice time.