1. all smiles at breakfast time is golden.
2. this past weekend was a rainy one. so fort building was on the agenda and i think it’s gonna be a thing in our house from now on. or at least for this long cold winter we are about to enter. it’s such a cozy thing to snuggle under blankets together and read a gazillion books together.
3. baby legs and new pj’s. that is all.
4. oh hello. this is toque 2/2 and i’ll be wearing it for at least half of the time you see me for the next 6 months. don’t tell me i didn’t warn ya.
5. daani’s been real helpful lately. everything she does now is because she’s “this much” (said while holding up three fingers.) i love this extra confidence and sense of capability in her.
6. a semi-throwback of me and him from a few weeks ago. we have almost no pictures of us anymore. so when i saw this on his phone i grabbed it immediately for my own records.
7. attempted beet frites yesterday, and they were eh…. gotta experiment with the cook times a bit. i still chomped them all up, the girls… not so much. i snacked on them while preparing dinner and topped our salad with a few of the extra crispy ones.
8. new print up in the shop. for me it’s a reminder of who this is all for. a You and only You kinda thing.
9. a little blurry mirror selfie. maybe not the prettiest, or most clear shots, but i like it.
10. we almost switched niyya’s crib into a toddler bed this weekend, but i got cold feet even though we switched daani from crib to bed at about the same time. i can’t, or maybe just don’t want to imagine her as a big girl. im being a little too sentimental about this, but if you can’t be sentimental about your own kids, then who on earth can you be that way with?! it will have to happen soon though, daani wants to be able to hang with her sissy in the mornings and after quiet time. she want to crawl in her bed and cuddle with her and “take all the things.”
SOME THINGS / 4
THE POWER TEN / 6
1. the other day we brought out our play doh to make some fun and silly faces. googly eyes and plasticine is equal to about thirty minutes of bliss! download our printable play dough play sheet here.
2. i never thought i would use emoji’s as much as i do and really never thought i’d be classified as a kissy face emoji. but truth be told it’s so freeing! 😘 see? which one are you?
3. as a mom of two girls I’m so interested in products and books and parenting techniques to raising smart, empowered, confident women. i recently came across a mighty girl and every single time i read an article or see a post, I go away with a gem. it’s a nicely curated site of inspiration for my future mighty girls!
4. the other day i was pressed for time so i made a quick and easy dinner for us to eat. who knew a mix of leftover roast beef - chopped, spinach - chopped, feta - crumbled, and red pepper - roasted would be such a nice combination in butter puff pastry. or is it that everything tastes good in a butter puff pastry? haha.
5. i love this street style shot of natasha goldenberg in paris during fashion week in 2012. the silhouette is not something you’d find me wearing per say, but the oversized-ness of it is so appealing to me. i especially like the color blocked shawl. i wonder if this look lent some inspiration to christopher bailey for his current burberry prorsum collection. the colour blocked wool cashmere blanket on all the models in the finale looks strikingly similar. have a look at the show and tell me what you think.
6. friday was valentine’s day. check out my photo essay of the day. and please drool over the delicious lunch of peri-peri chicken wraps i was treated to last week! recipe for this to come soon.
7. “children are people too.” it’s something i am working on. it’s the truth. parenting should be as simple as treat your kids the way you would like to be treated and teach your kids the way you would like to be taught. click here to read an article of one’s mom’s epiphany.
8. one of my go-to bloggers had her home in nyc decorated by on of my go-to interior decorators. I love the layering of colour and texture, the mix of high and low and the beautiful natural light. emily is amazing stylist and her aesthetic really resonates with me.
this gallery wall is so effortless and i love how it frames the tv.
our master is in need of some tlc in the decor department. it seems all the other rooms in the house get shown love (especially the girls’ rooms) and ours just falls by the wayside. this bed is giving me major inspiration on how to get some design-mojo back! love those cushions!
click here for more nursery shots and here for more of the master and here for more of the main living area.
9. i don’t know much about this stuff, and the science behind it, but it is scary and eye-opening that so many things that are not good for us are so readily available. who knows what the contraindications are when all used together. toxic is toxic in my books. see also this toronto star article. let’s eat and live clean people. thankfully on the other spectrum (yes, i used that word,) there are people like belle who are bringing clean eating to the accessible forefront. check out the whole pantry and make something good for all of you.
10. good tv has returned! we are currently watching, 1. the walking dead and 2. house of cards. we watch number one despite the fact that it’s about a zombie apocalypse and more for the interesting and unexpected dynamics between people in the face of survival. the lines between “right and wrong” become quite blurred. and we watch number two because it’s just. so. good. it’s very well-written, current, and while it’s considered “fiction”, it definitely makes us wonder what really goes on in washington. also the fact that netflix preloads all the episodes for the season upfront doesn’t hurt! oh yeah, and a weekly dose of lena dunham’s girls is good for a few laughs and then some.
hope you all had a great family day weekend!
THE POWER TEN / 4
1. yesterday we went to a program at the mosque and after turning my head for only a minute niyya got her hands on a whole piece of cake. she is just too quick for me these days.
2. i attended an intimate and interactive session with yuna the other night at manifesto.
“being a real woman is about being confident and empowering other women.”
she’s so cute and her voice is angelic. listen a little to the song that caught my attention a while back and the song that’s currently on repeat.
3. i can always use a tip or two on how to be a better mama. especially when it comes to alternatives for dealing with my toddler.
4. no frills was practically giving kale away today. picked up two bunches and finally made these. thanks for the recipe samina.
5. i really enjoyed this streetstyle shot by the sartorialist in marrakech. something about the way she’s sitting. and the bright strings on her wrist.
6. no matter how much I brush her hair, niyya wakes up with this nest at the back of her head. every. day.
7. in honour of world hijab day this weekend take a look at this and this. thanks for the share on the second vid, shahnaz!
8. i’m having some serious playroom envy. kourtney kardashian’s newly decorated home has been featured in instyle and on the coveteur. check and pin away!
9. an unaddressed addiction. could it be the root of all evil? read it and weep folks.
10. we watched a take on the very interesting julian assange this weekend. perhaps add it to your friday’s movie night in?
hope you all had a great weekend and happy monday!
THE POWER TEN / 2
happy saturday everyone! hope this day has a little down time so you can click through and check out this weeks power 10 of what’s been interesting us theses days. i sure am glad for the afternoon naptime lull when i can kick up my feet , sit back, scour the net, and, if i’m lucky, get a little shut-eye.
1. every time i go in to get niyya from her nap she brightens my day. daani couldn’t resist her either, so she jumped right in!
2. this song is on repeat today. and this one. actually the whole album is my jam. download it here.
3. i learned more than a few tricks this past week from my aunt who is visiting from new york. applying oil to my face; gently pat your cheekbones please!, baked ziti from heaven; hold the cheddar please!, and my personal fave, pomegranates opened in water; hold the mess please! thanks riff!
4. find your song. it might just change your life.
5. snack of choice this week was plain yogurt with persimmon purée (thanks nani,) cinnamon and pomegranate seeds.
6. this is where i’ll be booking our next vacation off of.
7. thinking of doing this ‘do for tonight’s milad un nabi program at mosque. yes, i wear hijab, but no, i don’t wear it in the ladies section at mosque. this is where we go and doll ourselves up! most girls like to dress up and get fancy, muslim girls are not exempt.
8. for all you book-heads. read this and join perhaps?
9. eat healthy. its easy. see?
10. last nights milad un nabi party was a hit! quite possbily the start of an annual tradition.
enjoy!
