five things | twenty

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This family of lil bandits welcomes you to today’s links post…

In the wake of all the recent articles about all the ways women are ruining their own lives by not speaking correctly, here is a helpful guide on how to speak while female.

A more serious take on the topic that explains why the war on female voice is just another way to tell women to shut up (similar to the way I put it tbh).

This personal injury lawyer-obsessed toddler is my new fave. Or is it this series of portraits of a girl and her dog?

Baby elephant plays with birds :3 :3 :3

… aaaaaaand a lil shameless self promotion: In case you missed yesterday’s post (or my carpetbombing social media lol) right now everything in the shop is 25% off with the code SUMMER25 (valid on orders of $10 or more). If you’ve been thinking about ordering something fun for yourself or a friend, NOW IS THE TIME! Banners, boots, blocks AND MORE are all discounted!

rainy day

rainy day 1

rainy day 3

rainy day 2

rainy day 4

rainy day 5

rainy day 6

rainy day 7

A rained a bit over the weekend and Gwen took full advantage of it in her Newt Suit.

On Saturday I took Sym to her first real concert, 5 Seconds of Summer. She’d actually be quick to point out that her ACTUAL first concert was the White Stripes in Deer Lake Park, but she was like… five for that show. This was the first time seeing a band she loves, her favourite band, a band she really wanted to see live. It was also my first time seeing a concert where basically every person there was a screaming teenage girl and it was kind of amazing? Just WAY more screaming than any other concert I’ve ever been to. Teenage girls are amazing. Anyway I don’t have any pictures because Sym hates pics but after the show she said she could “die happy” so I think she had a good time.

Recently I’ve been writing myself to do lists each day. It helps me keep on top of all the crap I need to do each day, it’s really satisfying crossing things off AND it allows me to break everything down into tiny manageable pieces so I don’t get overwhelmed. Like previously with banner orders I’d be like “I have to make these banners this week so I’ll print out all the orders” and then I’d have this big stack of paper and I’d panic about how it was TOO MUCH and feel paralyzed and do nothing. Now I just put the one or two banners I need to make each day on my list, and if I do MORE than that I feel extra accomplished but if I don’t get it done it’s just like… one or two banners, not a whole stack. This system was a little derailed last week when I was sick and didn’t wanna do anything but this week I’m back to do listing.

fern friend

fern friend 1

taylor gwen market

gwen sitting market
I bought Gwen this pink hoodie with bunnies & squirrels on it and she is obsessed, she wants to wear it all the time and gives it hugs & kisses.

gwen chair serious

gwen chair silly

I recently bought a fern for my desk. I actually got a pot for it when we were at Ikea the other weekend so I figured I’d better put a plant in it before it got filled up with junk. In spite of my black thumb like having a lil green friend around, let’s just hope I can keep it alive longer than my last indoor fern, or the fern that was outside my window but shrivelled up and died during this drought.

air plant friend 1

I also bought an air plant that I put in this little glass pyramid that’s been sitting empty on my shelf for like… eight months, along with a cool crystal my MIL gave me. WHICH PLANT WILL LAST LONGER? Place your bets now. Although they were so cheap if they don’t last I can just replace them with new ferns and air plants. Ugh, what a disposable society we live in. I’m going to really try to keep them alive tho.

fern friend 2
Lil fern friend has a lil mushroom friend.

air plant friend 2

more planes

Gwen fricking loves planes. I mean, I think EVERY toddler loves anything that flies in the sky: planes, helicopters, birds. Gwen is even a fan of flying bugs, ESPECIALLY bees. She points out every flying thing she sees or hears.

Last week I took her and her lil friend down to Jack Poole Plaza at the bottom of Thurlow Street (by the Olympic Cauldron) to watch the seaplanes take off from the Harbour Air terminal. It was pretty cloudy and threatening to rain but we lucked out and got to see a few planes taking off, and Gwen was thrilled. She kept pointing and shrieking “Plane! More plane!!!!” Taylor came and met us after he finished work and she was happy to tell him all about “more plane” as well.

01gwen by the cauldron

02tall towers

03 gwen

04 planes clouds mountain

06 gwen taylor
Plane!

05 more planes
More plane!

07 tanie
what am I doing here? I thought at first I was brushing my hair back but it looks more like I’m about to punch myself in the neck? WHO CAN SAY.

08 planes takeoff

09 tanie gwen

Funny story: when Taylor got to the plaza I said to Gwen “look, it’s your dadda!” and her lil friend turned to me very seriously and was like “No. It’s like a dadda, but it’s Gwennie’s Taylor.” Poor Taylor, destined to never be called dadda again.

five things | nineteen

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This much-needed rain welcomes you to this week’s links post…

Inflatable Pegasus Pool Float If I had a pool this would be my float FOR SURE.

Anyone in the Boston area, Little Pancakes Jewelry is having a pop-up shop this weekend!

Can We Just, Like, Get Over the Way Women Talk? I will stop speaking the way in which I’m comfortable/familiar when you pry the word “like” from my cold, dead mouth.

The People Who Live On This Island Will Kill Anyone Who Tries To Come Ashore. Me if I had my own island tbh.

NEW CHVRCHES YESSSSSSS

morning clouds

01leaves & cloud

02gwen walking
When I told her to pick some clothes to wear outside she changed out of her pajamas into other pajamas.

03bee & lavender

04gwen in the garden

05weird plant

06gwen sitting
The grass in the park is so crispy.

07gwen walking with me

08birds

09gwen on the path

10stream

11lilies

The past few days have been deceptively cloudy and cool in the morning. I saw deceptively because when you go out to walk the dog you are like “wow, I think it might actually rain today!” and then by early afternoon it’s sunny and hot again. WHY EVEN BOTHER, CLOUDS?

let’s talk about: gwen sleeping

sleepythree

It’s been a couple months since Gwen’s sleeping habits went off the rails, and I’m THRILLED to report things are finally almost back to normal, at night at least. We have our routine down and most of the time it’s a success. After dinner she has her bath, then drinks her milk while we watch youtube videos either on the couch or in our bed. Then she gets her nighttime diaper and pajamas on and brushes her teeth. We read one story in her bed and then tuck her in sitting up. She hugs us and hugs the dogs and then we turn on the Sleep Sheep and turn off the light. After we leave the room she lays down and probably 95% of the time goes straight to sleep and stays asleep through the night.

A few notes:

• She has her bedtime milk in a bottle, but with a sippy lid on it. I found that the sippy lid valves tend to collapse on themselves and make it hard to drink so I leave the valves out and keep my fingers crossed that she won’t spill milk all over herself/the couch/my bed (spoiler alert: she usually does).
• Her youtube faves: Yo Gabba Gabba clips, Vet Ranch, Demolition Ranch, and Cats 101.
• Either Taylor or myself or most often both of us have to brush our teeth while she brushes her teeth.
• I bought some little light switch clips to try and stop her from turning on the light on the rare nights she doesn’t stay in her bed, but she figured out how to work them, so we actually have to loosen the bulbs in her room every night.

HOWEVER one thing we don’t have back to normal yet is naps. Gwen still needs a nap, if she doesn’t have one she is ABSOLUTELY DEMENTED by about 5 o’clock. After a few failed naps where she made assorted messes in her room (clothes, books, poop D:) and kept her lil friend awake I stopped trying to get her to sleep in her bed in the afternoons. I found that the only way I could get her to take a nap was if she fell asleep in her stroller. Every day I take her for a walk around my block, and once she’s out I pray I can get her back to the house before some loud noise (sirens, construction, garbage trucks, just loud people or dogs) wakes her. Back at the house I very carefully roll her stroller down the stairs and into the foyer. She’ll sleep in her stroller for an hour or two, then wake up all sweaty and cranky.

sleepyone

Sometimes she’s so grumpy and fussy after her nap I’d have to cuddle her on the couch for hours afterwards. I hate that she’ll only nap in the stroller because I just don’t think it’s that comfortable- she always has her head cranked way over to one side. Last week she started falling back to sleep once I moved her too the couch and napping for longer, and then yesterday she actually fell asleep on the couch before I even took her for a walk. She woke up from that nap without any fussing or crying at all, it was kind of amazing! I mean, it’d be MORE amazing if she would nap in her bed, but I’ll take what I can get.

sleepytwo

miscellaneous monday

window

Every time I am invited to a wedding I totally stress about what to wear. All my clothes are basically sweatpants/pajamas, although this year I’ve supplemented that charming combo with hippy dress as well. None of which is wedding appropriate, so last week when I realized I had a wedding to go to on Saturday morning I was like OH CRAP. Any clothes I DO have that are wedding guest appropriate pre-date my second pregnancy and don’t fit currently, so I had to get something new. Taylor also needed shoes so on Friday morning we had a semi-frantic shopping trip, lil ones in tow. I ended up spending more than I should have, although the dress I bought will also be suitable for Taylor’s Christmas party this year ie the only other event I will need to dress up for. PLUS it has pockets. Of course, when I got to the wedding there was a guy there wearing shorts with black socks so idek why I bothered? this literally happens every time I got to a wedding: I stress over what to wear and then there is someone in shorts. Or jorts! One time I went to a wedding at a country club and one of the bride’s best friends showed up in a denim overalls dress. BASICALLY next time I’m wearing the sweatpants.

While we were at the wedding I started to fill kind of cruddy, because why WOULDN’T I get sick on a weekend? As a result I spent pretty much the whole on Saturday night/all of Sunday sleeping on the couch and reading. I’ve been rereading one of my fave series: Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, AND I recently learned the author is working on a sequel trilogy, which is SO EXCITING! Of course the first book of the new series doesn’t even come out until next spring, and I will probably have a breakdown waiting for the rest of the series to come out (like I did with the original trilogy back in high school).

Anyway, being sick meant I didn’t get to do a lot of the stuff I wanted to this weekend, mainly buying more paint to start on a couple new sets of blocks. TERRIBLE I KNOW. It DIDN’T stop me from going to Ikea (right after the wedding, it was near one of the local Ikeas) to pick up a couple bits & pieces. One thing I’ve been trying to find is a little wooden bowl to put some of the blocks in (I’m obsessed ok) but everything I’ve found has been either to big, too ugly or too expensive. Ikea has these little bamboo bowls though, that are perf. Taylor thought I should get the medium size but I was adamant the small would work and I was right! I’m planning on painting a set of blocks in a woodland theme (greens and browns with a little red) and this bowl will be perfect to display them in.

My neighborhood newsletter came a couple weeks ago and the big news in it (honestly the only big news that’s ever been in it lbr) was about the little house next door. Apparently in June the owners (it’s owned by like a real estate investment group or something) submitted their horrible development plan and had their public hearing scheduled BUT two days later the city was like NEVER MIND, cancelled the hearing and returned their plan, saying they needed to completely start over. HA! In the meantime they have been renting it out as a short-term vacation property, which is actually illegal in Vancouver and is pretty annoying because there are people partying there almost every weekend. Multiple people have called the cops about it, as well as calling the city to complain, so I hope they get in lots of shit. The thing is the house was SO EXPENSIVE (over 2 million) but it’s so small that if were they to try to rent it out to an actual tenant, no one who could afford what they’d have to charge to make it worthwhile would want to rent such a tiny place. BASICALLY it’s a big fat real estate lemon and I’m cackling.

five things | eighteen

Gwen Drawing
Gwen’s amazing hair beckons you into this links post…

Perfectly Timed Photos That Make Dogs Look Like Giants Silly but good.

When You Give a Tree an Email Address. This is so good.

Hacoa Wooden USB Hub House. I’m getting rid of all the yellow accents in my office, most can be painted over but one thing I need to replace is a my usb hub. This little wooden house hub is so cute but ugh so expensive. Really, how hard would it be to make my own? (Don’t answer that.)

Catfe! Vancouver is getting a cat cafe and it’s gonna be close enough for me to walk to.

I made a cute lil printable (just 6×6″) based on my fave Gillian Anderson quote.
IDFS4M
Download the full size here!