Family of boys….Hockey boys...

I grew up in a house of all girls. I had 3 sisters. Everything was pink and frilly. 

When I got married and was expecting my first I never imagined that I would end up with four BOYS! Life really changed for me, but in a really good way. I spend my days running around with these crazy little guys watching them run around, play, wrestle, and do very boyish things that I don't understand…lol. And I spend my nights and weekends in hockey rinks. Pearly Chic is my own little getaway in these crazy days where I get to be creative and write about my interests, fashion, beauty, cooking, and home design. All the things that don't interest these boys too much.

Thanks again for reading,

Amanda <3

#2 and #4. San Jose Sharks, Joe Thornton super fan.

There's #1 and #2. #1 is a Minnesota Wild, Zach Parise super fan.

#3 and #4 (always running around). #3 is a Calgary Flames fan. This year is his first year playing.

And here they are. The boys. 

I totally get to be the princess…haha

Outfit Inspiration...Cinderella Style...

I haven't seen the new Disney Cinderella Movie yet, but I started watching Once Upon a Time on Netflix. I cannot get enough!! And now I can't wait to go see the Cinderella movie, but I'm not a big fan of going out to the movies too much. I'd rather lounge on my comfy couch and watch it. So, not sure if I'll wait for it to come out or venture out to see it this weekend. 

Now that I've been inspired by Cinderella, here's a cute set I put together. I think it would look great with a silver bag too.

Cinderella Style by amandaadduono 

H M denim tunic
47 CAD - hm.com

J Brand white high waisted skinny jeans
225 CAD - marissacollections.com

Tory Burch loafers flat
280 CAD - cusp.com

Rebecca Minkoff leather crossbody handbag
250 CAD - cusp.com

Amazing Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Ok, So I just made these peanut butter cookies from Just a Pinch. They are so good. I usually make the flourless recipe on the back of the peanut butter jar, but I thought I'd try these. I am so glad I decided to try these out. They are not chewy like the flourless ones. But they are lightly crispy on the outside and soft and yummy on the inside.

I threw in some peanut butter chips and mini chipits. The chipits really brighten them up and the kids gobbled them right up. Sorry for the poor quality Iphone pic, but it's late, it's dark, and guaranteed these won't last until daylight. Follow the link above for the recipe. 

Have a great Saturday night :)

Amanda <3

What to eat???...March 15 - March 21

How many of you out there hate meal times? Not because you don't like to eat (hehe) but because figuring out what to eat has become such a chore. Or, when you do figure out what to eat, you're missing ingredients. I hate that. So I thought, You know what? I'm going to start posting my meal plan and the links to the recipes. I'm always wondering what everyone is doing for dinner. Because I need ideas. Not that Pinterest has a shortage of ideas by any means. But too many options can be overwhelming too. I'll post for the following week so you have a chance to do weekend groceries if you see something you like.
So here it is. What we are eating next week….

Sunday March 15

Breakfast- Dutch baby pancakes with berries from Betty Crocker
Lunch- Grilled cheese sandwiches and veggie sticks
Dinner- Spaghetti & Meatball with Caersar salad (here's a homemade dressing recipe, so much better than bottled). Make extra spaghetti for lunch tomorrow.
Dessert- Angel food cake with strawberries & Whipped cream


Monday March 16

Breakfast- Fried egg sandwich with cheese
Lunch- Leftover spaghetti
Dinner- Creamy chicken enchilada's from Kevin and Amanda, & Mexican salad with lime dressing from Natasha's Kitchen


Tuesday March 17

Breakfast- yogurt with berries and a muffin
Lunch- Egg salad sandwiches and carrot sticks
Dinner- Creamy roasted red pepper and cauliflower soup with garlic bread from Closet Cooking


Wednesday March 18

Breakfast- Steel cut oats with peaches and brown sugar
Lunch- Tomato avocado melt from Taste's Better from Scratch
Dinner- Tuscan Garlic Chicken from The Recipe Critic (this looks so good!)


Thursday March 19

Breakfast- Cheerios with strawberries
Lunch- Chickpea salad sandwiches from Lauren Conrad
Dinner- Melt in your mouth pot roast from Joyously Domestic


Friday March 20

Breakfast- Cream of wheat with brown sugar and raspberries 
Lunch- Turkey sandwich and grapes
Dinner- BBQ chicken pizza from My Baking Addiction


Saturday March 21

Breakfast- Finish Pancakes (Hoito recipe) from the Food Network. The Hoito restautant is a hometown favourite and is famous for their pancakes. I'm not sure why it's only got 3 stars. I think these are great.
Lunch- Roasted vegetable paninis from The Garden Grazer
Dinner- Pulled pork sandwiches from 100 Days of Real Food

So, that's it.  Hopefully my meny for this next week has given you some meal ideas.  Now I'm off to dig through the kitchen to see what ingredients I need to pick up today. 

Happy Saturday :)

Amanda <3

Outfit Insipartion….Beach Day...

As our spring vacation inches closer, I've been looking at different beach outfits. I fell in love with this one. It's so carefree and breezy looking. 

Beach Tunic- flutter beach tunic from J.Crew $86.00

Shorts- twill midi short from AE $34.95

Sandals- Georgina studded leather sandal Rebecca Minkoff $125

Bag- Hawthorne Lane Ryan tote from Kate Spade $198

Earrings- Peach and mint earrings Etsy $26.00

Thanks for looking,

Amanda <3

Baby Gear Giveaway

I'm excited to announce my first giveaway from Pearly Chic! This giveaway is geared to the new mama's and mama's to be.

Since this is a new blog and there's not a whole lot of readers yet, the odds are in your favour!

Up for grabs is: 

A JJCole Norah Diaper bag (value $120 usd)

A Zoli Baby Ohm diaper changing mat. It rolls up like a mini yoga mat, so cute. (value $20 usd)

A Dandelion Baby Organic Busy Block toy (value $29.99 usd)

Entry rules:

All you have to do is:

Be a subscriber to Pearlychic.com (enter your email on right side of home page) this gets you one entry

For extra entries:

Like Pearly Chic on Facebook here

Follow Pearly Chic on Instagram here

Post the link to this giveaway on your Facebook wall

after you've done that, leave a comment under this post leaving me your email address.

Giveaway ends March 16th (11:59pm)

Good Luck!

My favourite baby items...

I get alot of new moms and moms to be asking me what my favourite baby products are. I used to own a baby boutique before life got to cahotic, so I have plenty of experience trying out new products. Here are a few of my favourites.

I love this diaper clutch and changing mat. So classy looking. They come in a variety of colors and can be wiped clean. Somethimes you don't need to carry around your full diaper bag, this is a great alternative. You can also toss it in your diaper bag to keep you diapers from getting grushed.

Available from Posh Play here for $49

These Aden & Anais muslin swaddles are my personal all time favourite can't live without baby item. They are available in cotton, bamboo, and a marino blend. I used them for swaddling, light blanket, car seat shade (they are super breathable and airy), burp cloth, change table cover, and nursing cover. Available in so many pretty colors and patterns here at Aden & Anais. Cotton 4 pack is $49.95, so worth it.

If you haven't heard of Freshly Picked baby moccasins you will soon. These cute little baby slipper shoes are so trendy right now. Their patterns are absolutely adorable. 

Available here from Freshly Picked for $60.

This is the best breastfeeding pillow I've tried. It holds snugly to your body so you don't have to hunch over and get that "burning" in your neck from feeding in an awkward position too long.

Available here from My Breast Friend for $44.

The Bink Link. Never lose a pacifier again. These wooden beads come in a variety of styles.

Available here from Bink Link for $14

Love these Sillispoons. They are a silicone spoon and teething toy in one. Brilliant! 

Available here from Sillykids for $9.95 

So there you have it. My favourite baby items. I've got a a fun giveaway coming up for the mommies out there. Watch for the next post for your chance to win a great prize.

Amanda <3

Top 10 Kids Beach Essentials

T minus 6 weeks until we leave this Great Canadian winter for sunny Florida…woot woot! I love heading to the beach with the kids. It's so laid back and relaxing. The kids stay busy playing in the sand and water all day long. But getting there fully prepared is a different story. It's so hectic trying to pack beach bags and trying to not forget anything. I've made a list of my top 10 favourite beach items I never want to leave without.

1. Zinka Colored nosecoat

How awesome is this sunscreen? Available in a variety of colors from California based company Zinka. This stuff is a hit with surfers, volleyball players, and beachgoers. What kid wouln't love this? The best part is that it is visible on skin, so you know what's been covered.

I'm not sure my kids would want their whole body covered in this. They'd look like gummy bears. But, I think this would be great in areas that are prone to burn (nose, cheeks, ears, ets). Or even pace painting with sunscreen.

Available here at J.Crew for only $7

2. Eco Vessel Insulated Water Bottle

Staying hydrated at the beach on a hot day is a must. These leak proof stainless steel insulated bottles are perfect for lugging around. And they come in adorable patterns too.

Available here from ecovessel.com for $23.95

3. Reusable Swim Diaper

                                             

In the past I had used disposables before I discovered these reusable swim diapers from iplay. These are amazing. For the price of 2 packages of swim diapers you have one of these reusables that you can use time and time again. Plus they're better for the environment.

Available here $20 for shorts $30 for full suit

4. Beach Towels

These big and bright beach towels from Pottery Barn Kids are amazing. I love that they are so soft, big, and colorful. A must have for the beach.

Available here at Pottery Barn Kids for $26. You can get them personalized, and….free shipping on them right now.

5. Puddle Jumpers

For the little ones who can't swim yet, these are a lifesaver. Literally. These are U.S Coastguard approved lifejackets. They come in a variety of different colors and patterns. Again, a must have.

Find them here on Amazon for about $20

6. Sunhats

Love these hats. They have a breathable mesh rim around the top to allow air flow. The UPF 50+ rating provides the protection your little one needs from the sun. 

Available here from Sundayafternoons.com in super cute boy and girl patterns for $26 (on sale now for $20.80)

7. Waterproof Shoes

These waterproof sandals from Keen are the best. They are the Keen Newport H2. I prefer to use a multipurpose sandal like this rather than just a watershoe because it's durable, great quality, and fast drying, you can wear them right out of the water. 

Available here from Keen.com for $65

8. Sand Toys 

Can't forget the sand toys. I like this bucket set because it has a nice variety of sand toys. Only $10.99

Available here from Amazon.com by Dazzling Toys.

9. Mesh Bag

As much as I love the beach, I hate the sand that follows you home. It ends up everywhere. Especially with kids. The Shake tote has a mesh bottom that allows you to place your belongings inside and then you can open a flap at the botom to dump out any sand that settles. Genius.

Available here from Quirky.com for only $20

10. Cooler Tote

A day at the beach can work up quite the appetite. Packing snacks and drinks in an insulated cooler is super handy. This oversized cooler tote is perfect.

Avaialable here on Amazon for $24.90

Now I'm really getting excited to hit the beach.

Amanda <3

Happy Friday….

 

How hilarious is this? Troll doll or toddler?

My oldest son was begging to get a piece of his hair dyed green for hockey playoffs (his team is green). I wasn't sold on the idea of permanent hair colour yet so I settled on some spray in. He was happy and it looked pretty good. He's got brown hair, so the green was a bit darker. Well, when the boys left for hockey practice I couldn't help but put a tiny bit in Chandon's hair. Now this kid's hair is super blonde. Like white….lol. I totally hit the ground laughing and couldn't help but spray his whole head. Yup this 

is what we do for fun at this house. The kids just about died when they got home and walked through the door to see this guy running over to them. Gotta keep things fun in this crazy life….lol!

Happy Friday!

Amanda <3