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August 2015

Shibori (indigo tie dye) With Kids!

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One of the things on our summer bucket list that I was most excited about doing with the girls was tie dying. I’ve really been loving the indigo dyed trend that’s been going on for a little while and wanted to give that a go instead of your traditional brightly colored tie dye. I ordered this kit off of amazon and got a bunch of muslin and white pillow cases to dye. I wanted to use the pillow cases on our bed and make the girls a dress or skirt with the fabric. These cloth napkins would be awesome to use as well. Wouldn’t your table be so cute with dyed napkins?

I am not going to get into super detailed instructions because the kit comes with them but here are some pictures from our process.

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Materials:

1. Indigo Tie Dye Kit (comes with dye, gloves, wooden squares, instructions)
2. fabric, pillow cases, etc…
3. Elastics
4. Popscile Sticks
5. 5 gallon bucket

Instructions:

1. Gather all your materials. Read instructions. Mix dye. It needs to sit for at least an hour (I think) before you use it. The indigo dye is so much cooler than just a regular rit dye. When you first dye the fabric it’s green until the air oxidizes it.

2. I did a lot of pinterest looking to see how best to fold and tie fabric. There are lots of techniques out there and really you can’t go wrong (this was super helpful). I found that the best way to get results is to stick with some type of accordion fold with the fabric and then use popsicle sticks and/or elastics to bind it all up. The girls had a lot of fun (and it really kept them entrained for quite a while) folding the fabric and using the elastics. Of course I had to go back and make sure everything was tight enough to actually work with the dye but for the most part they created their own designs.

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3. You’ll notice an oily looking top layer with a yellow-greenish colored liquid below. This is when you know the dye is ready. You need to soak all your knotted and bound fabric in clean water first before you submerge in dye. This is a great job for your little ones to do.

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4. Once everything is soaked you can submerge into the dye. This part I did myself only because I had one pair of gloves but otherwise I would have let Rowan help as well. When you put the fabric into the dye you sort of massage it around a bit, making sure the dye seeps all the way into the center of the bound fabric. Keep submerged, working the fabric for about 5 mins.

5. Again, when you first bring out the fabric it will be this neon green color. As it sits in the air it will turn that deep indigo color. It’s really cool to watch. The girls loved that part, they thought it was magic! You can repeat the dye process if you want a deeper darker color.

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6. Let the fabric sit for at least 20 mins and oxidize in the air. Then you can open it up and hang it up to dry. Some parts of the inside may still be green when you open it but it will turn blue very quickly. You can wait till it drys completely or you can throw it into the wash partially wet. Wash on cold with a gentle detergent. Hang to dry.

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7. If you dyed fabric try using this tutorial to make the easiest and cutest skirt for your little ones.

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enjoy!

Summer Outtakes…

I was about to format the memory card in the camera the other day when I realized there were all these random pictures left on there. They’re pictures that weren’t part of any big or special day or anything and for whatever reason just never made it into any posts. I didn’t want to not post them so here’s a big ol’ photo dump of random (but still memorable) moments the last few months…

IMG_4245^^ playing in the court yard of the Roots store in NYC.

IMG_3923^^she loves to take all the pillows and blankets and make beds and forts on the floor. Having a little lunch picnic while watching a movie.

IMG_3922^^Our little sanctuary. Love our bedroom and all the natural light.

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IMG_3883^^ a little day trip with friends to see the Van Gogh exhibit at The Clark in the berkshires. What a beautiful day! Such sweet little buddies.

IMG_3857^^one last picture of Finley’s old room before we took everything out and started again for new baby. It was such a sweet little nursery for Fin!

IMG_2713^^family photo in the car!

IMG_2758^^A true Finley face.

IMG_2979^^a green’s haul from the garden one morning.

IMG_2534^^someone found my phone.

IMG_1966^^gardening with Meme

IMG_2542^^setting up her still life. She found toys, arranged them all and practiced drawing what she saw in front of her. Oh my art teacher’s heart was exploding it was so cute!

Can you believe September 1st is in a few days?!?! Oh man, summer has been so sweet! Not sure I am ready to let go.

What Rowan Wore | With Stride Rite & Target!

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I think it’s safe to say we created a little fashionista out of Rowan. It’s not surprising though, I obviously like fashion a lot and over the years she’s seen me taking a lot of outfit photos for the blog. Many of which she’s been a part of as well. As she gets older though, I do let her call the shots about whether or not she wants to be in the pictures for the blog. When I asked her if she wanted to do her very own What Rowan Wore post for today it was a big “YES, YES, YES!” though. 

We teamed up with Stride Rite to introduce you to their new Surprize brand exclusively for US Target locations and Target.com. Since Rowan is all girl (I like to say she is more tomboy princess though) she was in heaven getting to go to Target and try on all the shoes and pick out her very own pair. It was no surprize (wink. wink. see what I did there? Boy, I’m funny) that she went with the pink and purple sparkle running shoe. They fit her great, are super comfortable and totally practical (and durable!) for the playground and running around. Now that’s the making of a great kid shoe!

Rowan knew exactly what she wanted to wear to show you all her new shoes. I think it’s about the cutest little outfit ever. I am especially fond of the tall socks that she matched to the shoes with their purple polka dot tops. Oh man, I love that girl! It’s fun letting her express her creative side with the clothes she chooses.

Which Surprize shoe would your little one love the most?

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Shop Surprize by Stride Rite and find more styles here: Surprize for girls // Surprize for boys

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Stride Rite. All opinions, words and photos are 100% my own.

Packing Kids Lunches for School and On The Go

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We’ve had a busy summer. Most days during the summer we are out the door by 10am and not home till late in the afternoon. It would have cost us a fortune if we were always grabbing lunch out at restaurants all summer long. I have gotten into a pretty good habit of quickly packing up healthy lunches for everyone to eat on the go this summer. I’m calling it good practice for the time we have to send Rowan to school with lunch each and every day. Thankful it is not this year yet! Here are our favorite items that help us make lunches on the go possible!!

1. Smart Planet Collapsible Lunch Boxes: We love these things! We have 4 of them. One for each of us!! Kev uses it every day for his lunch to work and I pack them full for our daily adventures around town. I love that they are easy to wipe out, throw in the dishwasher and collapsible for easy storage. The top even comes with a little spoon/fork combo tucked right in. They even make big ones for a large salad!

2. Itzy Ritzy Reusable Snack Bags: I AM OBSESSED WITH THESE!! I’ve been trying to kick the ziplock baggie thing forever. It always feels so wasteful!! I love these reusable bags though. They come in 2 sizes for snacks, have a waterproof lining and are machine washable. I use them for everything… grapes, carrots, cheddar bunnies, etc… They come with us everywhere. On a side note I also love their wet bags! I use them for wet bathing suits after the pool, to carry a change of clothes for Finley as we potty train on the go (and when accidents happen- peed clothes). I’ve used it as a camera case at the beach and to protect my iPad on a plane. You name it!

3. Wee Appetite Reusable Pouches: So not to go on a rant but… you know what really grinds my gears? Kids yogurt. It’s such a marketing scam. It’s really just yogurt with waaaaaay more sugar in it and probably a lot of other ingredients you do not want your kids eating. Plus don’t get me started on the price of the organic tubes. Yes, I’m not perfect and cave to my kids whining every once in a while but these amazing little reusable pouches are wondrous! In a bowl I mix some plain greek yogurt with some thawed berries and a touch of honey and voila! homemade kids yogurt that you’ve controlled the amount of sugar in. The girls don’t complain either, they love it! I fill these pouches with the mixture and we have yogurt on the go! These are also so great for homemade baby food. We will be using them for up coming baby for sure!

4. ZoLi Water Bottles: I have such a pet peeve for water bottles that leak or that are too fat to fit in cup holders (why?!?!?!?). These ZoLi water bottles do neither! That’s why they’re among my favorites. Simple, clean design with a slim bottle frame. The girls and I have matching ones. Pip size for Mama, Squeak size for them.

Do you have any tips or tried and true products you love for kids lunches on the go?
I’d love to hear!!

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Favorite Finds | Happy Monday!

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It’s Monday! Did the weekend go fast for anyone else? I thought all day yesterday it was only Saturday. We are missing Kev a lot this morning. We spent the weekend celebrating a little friends bday and exploring the adirondacks with friends. I may have over done it though with the hike yesterday. I always think I will be fine and don’t want to use pregnancy as an excuse but I’m feeling that hike today. I am exhausted and kind of achy all over. Whoops. I guess it’s time to maybe start slowing down a tiny bit. Is it October yet?

Anyway, we had a super fun treat arrive all packed in dry ice on Thursday. It’s-It were sweet enough to send us a yummy package of their delicious ice cream treats to try out. Let’s just say they’re amazing and every single one of them is gone already. Something about that oatmeal cookie makes these things SO.DANG.GOOD!!! My favorites were the cappuccino, mint and plain ol’ vanilla. You can bet we will be ordering these San Francisco treats again very soon. I mean I may have already ordered more. They ship overnight so they arrive frozen and ready to eat. Yum!!!

Here are a few of my favorite things from around the internet this week…

1. The perfect slouchy top for fall. I am pretty sure I am going to be living in this shirt! Hello 40% off today!!!

2. My most favorite place to buy jewelry! Such a good selection of delicate necklaces, rings and earrings. All reasonably priced as well!

3. TACOS!!!! How good do these 2 recipes look? One with meat and one without.

4. How cute is this shower curtain? I love it so much!!

5. How cool does this bottle ranch look? Totally want to visit here!!

6. On the look out for a seriously cool blazer for fall. Love this cross between blazer and sort of trench type twill blazer.

7. Ummm I don’t think I could love this new little baby anymore!! We share the same name!! So happy for Danielle and family.

8. Just got a pair of new Dr. Martens in the mail for fall. Seriously considering getting matching ones for the girls. So nostalgic!

9. These Lou & Grey Joggers sort of look like heaven!

10. ow awesome is this diy necklace?

11. What are your thoughts on saddle shoes? Would you wear them? I kind of love them. Love this traditional pair or a more subtle/more oxford type pair.

12. The courier shirts are my most favorite thing that Madewell makes. I can’t get enough. Just ordered this plain white one for fall.

13. Looking for something fun to do with your kids? Check out my crafts with kids folder on pinterest. Lots of good ideas over there!

14. Did you see that The Honest Company is now selling organic cotton tampons? Soon they will be releasing a new make line as well. So awesome!

15. An awesome new series from one of my favorite Mom bloggers. If you have pre-teen or teen boys check it out!!!

Our Everyday Style | Denim Love #32weeks

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It’s back to school season! Can you believe it? Whenever I think of fall or back to school fashion I naturally think of denim. Well, no matter what season it is I think denim. I am kind of obsessed. I would be embarrassed to admit how many chambray shirts I have in my closet or how many denim dresses are in the girl’s. I am just drawn to it. It’s the closet staple that never goes out of style. This week we teamed up with Kohl’s to style up some must have denim items for this years back to school season. Kohl’s has a great selection of denim for the whole family. As you can see from the picture we are not afraid of a little denim on denim action. Hahahah! Canadian Tuxedo anyone? I can’t help it- we’re Canadian, it’s in our blood! And YES! to awesome maternity jeans.

What are your must haves for back to school/fall fashion??

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OUTFIT DETAILS:

Jen:
Maternity Chambray Shirt: Old Navy (also similar)
Maternity Jeans (I added the distressed knees): c/o Kohl’s
Hat: Target
Clogs: Lotta from Stockholm

Rowan:
Levi’s Top: c/o Kohl’s
Skirt: Carter’s (similar)
Sandals: Nordstrom

Finley:
Carter’s Overalls: c/o Kohl’s
Top: H&M
Sandals: Nordstrom

On Marriage…

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I am no marriage expert. Let’s get that out there first before I write a big ol’ post on marriage. Kev and I celebrated our 9th anniversary back in June and while we have so much still to learn, we’ve also come a long way from when we first got married. I totally laugh now about some of our first “big” fights after we got married. They were shallow, silly and soooo embarssing. It’s been on my heart lately to share a little bit about my thoughts on marriage and how it works for Kev and I. We started off this year a little out of sync. Things were far from bad by any means but we just felt a little disconnected. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was exactly (probably crazy 1st trimester hormones) but I think the daily grind, monotony of life and taking care small children had sort of taken precedent over nurturing the most important relationship in our family… ours. As our anniversary month started nearing, I began praying a lot about our upcoming 9th year together. I wanted to find a verse from the bible to sort of guide us in our marriage for the next year. I started reading in search of this perfect 9th year motto. Nothing seemed to fit at first. There were all the traditional wedding verses and standard marriage ones but then I randomly started reading in Ecclesiastes one night. Not really the book of the bible one would think to find an inspirational verse about marriage, but there on a random Monday night I found it. The Lord just totally laid it out in front of me…

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Wow. A wave just totally rushed over me with understanding about what I needed to fix. In a lot of ways, I had stopped seeing us as a team. And not just a team together but also a team with Christ as the center (a cord of three). I think when we lose sight or don’t trust that our spouse wants the best for us in any situation things get really messy. Fights happen at the drop of a hat, tensions rise and our guard is constantly on high. I love this quote from Tim Keller’s book The Meaning of Marriage… “Within this Christian vision for marriage, here’s what it means to fall in love. It is to look at another person and get a glimpse of the person God is creating, and to say, “I see who God is making you, and it excites me! I want to be part of that. I want to partner with you, and God in the journey you are taking to his throne.” And when we get there, I will look at your magnificence and say, “I always knew you could be like this. I got glimpses of it on earth, but now look at you!” Each spouse should see the great thing that Jesus is dong in the life of their mate through the Word, the gospel. Each spouse then should give him or herself to be a vehicle for that work and envision the day that you will stand together before God, seeing each other presented in spotless beauty and glory.”

How beautiful is that? I want that. I want to do everything I can to help Kev become the man God has designed him to be. I am a part of his journey and he is part of mine. Together as 3 (God, Kev and I) we are stronger than on our own. I fully trust that Kev and I want the best for each other and that God wants the best for both of us as well. He is not a distant God. He is present, loving and rooting us on to succeed. He just wants us to come to Him.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

I believe the purpose of our marriage is not for our own happiness (yes that comes as a bonus for sure — goodness I love that man) but for God to mold us to be more like Him. So this year I am clinging to Ecclesiastes 4:8! Knowing that I have a role to play in this team and that both Kev and I are working in unison to build each other up in every aspect of our life together. I designed the poster (above) and printed it off to hang in our bedroom as a daily reminder. I also made a hand bound journal (stitched with 3 different color pieces of embroidery thread) for Kev as an anniversary gift as well. We decided that to keep us extra close this year we would use it to write notes of encouragement to each other; sweet nothings, doodles, jokes, particular verses that we want to share to each other, etc.. and pass it back and forth from one night stand to the other. When I add something I put it over on his side and when he writes back he puts it on mine. Sure we could speak these things out loud to each other (and we do as well), but there is something extra romantic about seeing the journal back on my night stand with a hand written note from Kev.

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The Lemonade Stand

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With the summer winding down quickly, we are trying to pack in as much as we can before the schedule of school starts. We’ve been marking items off our summer bucket list as best we can. Top on Rowan’s list was a lemonade stand. She’s been talking about it for months! She made a whole business plan for the stand including name, logo and how she was going to get customers to stop and buy the lemonade. #ladyboss in the making. The stand was called The Lemonade King. She only charged 1 penny for the lemonade, which of course everyone took pity on her poor (or super smart) asking price and gave her mostly dollars instead. The neighborhood policeman came by for thirds even. We made the lemonade from scratch by juicing a whole bunch of lemons and making a simple syrup to mix together. After getting out a Pink-a-licious book from the library where she makes pink lemonade, Rowan knew for sure she wanted to have that option for customers as well. We just added some crushed up strawberries to the lemonade to make it pink. It was a super fun day that actually brought out a ton of neighbors we hadn’t really talked with before- it was awesome!! I love that things like this bring people together. By the end of the day the girls were full on dancing on the street to try to get people to stop. It was pretty dang cute!

I know we won’t get to everything but I’m still hoping to accomplish…
1. camping
2. zoo
3. more bonfires
4. drive in
5. make a pie

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IMG_3626^^waiting for customers can be tough…

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My Everyday Style | 31 Weeks

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Oh man! Took a bit of time off there. I just can’t seem to find the time to sit and write on this ol’ blog. I have blog post ideas and backed up photos from the beginning of the summer. One of these sleepless nights (dang pregnancy!) I just need to get them all typed out into drafts. So! How is everyone doing? I joined Snapchat! Am I crazy? I don’t know yet? I can barely figure it out BUT I am kind of loving it. I LOVE making daily little stories that I can save to my phone and have to watch over and over. What a fun way to remember the regular, everyday things we do. I also love watching friends in their day to day as well. Are you on Snapchat? Do you love it or hate it? Any tips you have for me. There is so much I do not understand. It makes me feel so old.

Come find me on Snapchat @ Jenloveskev (betcha couldn’t have guessed that)

We went home to Massachusetts last weekend to visit family, sneak away for a date and go to Kev’s sister’s baby shower. I wore this dress to the shower and felt pretty dang good. It’s not maternity but it worked out perfect. I just sized up a ton and made sure the front wasn’t too short after it had to cover my belly. Love me some T.J.Maxx. Hello 31 weeks! Just put my deposit on my birth pool. It’s getting real around here.

p.s. my hair is doing wild and crazy things this summer with the humidity but I am just going with it!

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OUTFIT DETAILS:

Dress: T.J.Maxx (similar here, here and here)
Shoes: Target (similar here and here)
Sunglasses: Toms

Hi, I'm Jen!

Welcome to my personal lifestyle blog. It features topics such as motherhood, family life, fashion, cooking, and all sorts of adventures. I hope you enjoy what you find!

Jen Loves Kev
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