don't let the bad outweigh the good...

Does anyone else do this? You'll be having a great day and then one thing will go wrong and in your mind the day is ruined. I am so guilty of it and only noticed it recently. Why do we do this? it's ridiculous really. At the end of the day I want to look back and remember all the fun and great things that happened not the bad ones and in the grand scheme of things the bad things that happened were so minor that I need not waste my time on them. 

the reason I bring this up is because that's the kind of day I had. Insta-daddy has Wednesday mornings off and we have been trying to be more deliberate about spending quality time together when he is not at work. So we packed the kids up and went to the beach. it was beautiful! 

We found lots of sea creatures. Starfish are our favourite lately. Purple are the most common we find, orange are a special treat and we are yet to see a pink one! 

We could spend hours at the beach. I find it so relaxing and Rupert has an unending inspiration for play. Everything is something. a stick is not just a stick, it is a shovel, a pencil for drawing in the sand, and in this case a steering wheel on his "train" while he drives with his buddy Cason to a new beach in Nanaimo. 

this is friend crab. all creatures great and small that Rupertee finds lately are friends or Misters. ie. Mister snail, friend worm and friend crab. 

This is my favourite part of beaching. The sea glass, and it was plentiful today my friends! Anyways, it was a beautiful morning but a certain little lady who shall remain nameless, refused to nap and showed her discontentment, (again read: scream bloody murder) for the last half of the journey. Luckily I was unaware of it til we got back tot he car because Colin had graciously taken her to the car to try and get her to sleep. I felt so bad that he had to deal with her but with a genuine smile on his face he said, "it's ok, I had a really good morning with you guys." I thought about it and I know that would not have been my reaction had I been the one to have to deal with her. But really it should be. What would I gain by erasing all the choo choo riding, starfish discovering and sea glass finding and only remembering the screaming lil Olivia, oh right, she was supposed to remain nameless... oops. ;)

who me? am I the nameless one????

these are some moments that I want to remember at the end of the day!

{watching Octonauts with the kiddos}

{glad I had my phone to catch this moment!!!!!!! precious little hand holders}

{sometimes the just look so much alike to me!}

this little girl has been trying ever since we put her in this swing to get her bee! she finally got it today and just sat holding it for a good five minutes refusing to let go. so precious.

So this next set of pictures is an idea I got off of pinterest and it is what I am trying to remember after a very trying bedtime routine full of "I have to go to the bathroom..."'s and "mommy! mommy! MOMMY!!!!"'s and "I need a snack"'s.... oye! I hate saying goodnight to him when I'm frustrated. So for now I will remember the fun we had doing this craft this evening! 

{choose some beads, clear are best for a sun catcher but solid colors are fun too. Line a cake pan with a single layer of beads. Bake in a 400 degree oven for twenty minutes and it's done! Let cool and it pops right out!}

We tried two, the second has more clear beads in it! Catches the light much better!

So tonight when Colin and I replay our days I will choose to spend more time regaling our triumphs rather than focusing only on the struggles. night friends.

this and that from yesterday

today, or rather yesterday was ladies and babies, a mom's group I host in our home. It is my favourite! I love having a scheduled play date for the kiddos, but more importantly for me! I am friends with a great group of mommies and ladies! the children generally destroy our house, but i'm not afraid of a little mess, (read:BIG mess!), if it means my children are entertained and I get to drink coffee and chat. I love to chat. 

{betrothed whether they like it or not}

        {the aftermath and a baby}                                                      

{some of Rupert's artwork. thinking of making a little collage on his wall of all his art. He is such a creative little guy and I want to foster it as much as I can}

{these are things I loved today... yesterday. ;) my pottery mug filllllled with coffee, red nailpolish and a necklace my grandpa made.}

{my mom is the greatest, these flowers arrived on my doorstep yesterday afternoon!}

{Olivia liked my grandpa's necklace too}

{my precious boy pretending to be me. My hat, my slippers and doing some baking}

We have been trying to be a bit more healthy in our eating habits lately. Last night we tried our first tofu dish. just a stirfry with tofu instead of chicken. not bad if I do say so myself, which I do. I need to still work on learning how to get the tofu a little crispier.. tips? 

doing some baking with his new baking utensils from grandma. they are just for him and he is thrilled! we made chocolate chip cookies, with whole wheat flour and agave nectar instead of sugar! Colin says they taste "healthy" haha. They're still real chocolate chips so I think that makes up for the healthy parts.

baby girl is wild. as soon as she is stripped down she just starts moving all around! Look at all those rolls! my chunky little girl!

Pyjama cuddles at the end of the day! 

Confessions of an instamom

hi friends, welcome to my new blog.... confessions of an instamom. what's with the name you ask? well now having two kiddos instead of one and one of those kiddos being a baby I sooo don't have the time I used to to do fun things like blogging! When the kiddos and I aren't involved in play or routines, they are napping and I am sitting on the couch watching something glamorous like The Real Housewives of Vancouver, (insert giggles here, but honestly, it's what I watch :) ). So blogging which I love has taken a back seat until I could figure out how to do it quickly.... enter iPhone! I love my iPhone. It is generally in my pocket or at least close at hand at all times. And some people may scoff at how much time I spend on my iPhone, but seriously it helps keep my sanity and helps me be a good mom! Here's why... it keeps me contacted with friends aka adults so I don't go crazy throughout the day. It helps me capture moments that I wouldn't be able to otherwise on my camera. It is a constant source of ideas and activities to do with the kids, (thank you pinterest!) And sometimes... ok, often... keeps the boy entertained with games :D So I signed up on instagram to post of photos of our daily happenings, mainly for the grandparents and also for my husband to see what we're up to and make them feel connected. That's where I got the idea to start a blog just using photos that I take on my phone. Easy peasy lemon squeezie! 

So my thoughts and therefore words may not always be coherent but by golly there will be photos! I hope you enjoy my daily (maybe) ramblings and adventures all seen through my phone. About family, friends, bargains, food, fashion, art and most prominently my darn cute kiddos.

So a little introduction... me, insta-mommy: my name is Sarah and I am the mom to my precious babes Rupert (3) and Olivia (4months). I'm also wife to my summer camp romance Colin. We have been married for 8 s'marvelous years! I used to teach preschool and would one day like to return but for now am enjoying being a stay at home mom and wife! I love everything vintage and adore a good bargain. I also prefer to make things instead of buy them, I'm always in search of a new DIY project to take on.... finishing them on the other hand... :D 

Insta-daddy: Colin is his name and youth pastoring is his game! He is a ridiculously good dad to our kids and is my adventuring partner. His gentleness and humility even out my rashness and pride :D We all love him so much. 

Insta-boy: Rupert or Rupertee as he'd rather be called is our fun loving kindhearted 3 year old. He is enthusiastic about life! everything is exciting, but particularly he loves our backyard, the beach, doing art projects and black choochoos.

Insta-baby: Olivia is our sweet and fiery 4 month old. She gives smiles freely and is not shy about telling us what she wants, (read: screams bloody murder when she is discontented). She loves her big brother and we are enjoying getting to know her better each day!

So here's a couple photos to get us started! Enjoy :D 

{Insta-boy loves camping! I made him this tent out of tongue depressors, felt and cardboard for his little playmobile people}

               {insta-boy and insta-baby laying outside in the warm spring evenings! love this time of year!}

                                          {insta-baby looking cute. it's what she does best!}

till next time!