A Mother’s Heart

maui plantation

Aloha! We spent almost two amazing weeks in Hawaii with our cousins, and I feel so rested and refreshed. Yes, refreshed – even after travelling with the kids! We had a fantastic time in Maui, soaking up the sunshine and eating amazing food.

I think what I love most about going on vacation with my kids is simply the amount of uninterrupted time we have to spend together. Working from home can be tough. I am blessed to have a job that allows me to work from home, but it means there’s no separation between my business and home lives and my kids see all of it. Carving out time to simply be together is tricky when I’m trying to hop on a business call, shuffle a load of laundry into the dryer, and coordinate snacks for two hungry tummies all at once.

In order to start our vacations in a special way, I’ve started a little pre-trip tradition where I pick up a few cute items for the kids to wear while we’re away. Depending on where we go, it may be an outfit, a bathing suit, or a pair of shoes. Obviously, my kids don’t know or care about it too much yet, but I look forward to the day when we can go shopping to pick out something special together. It’s fun to have a special outfit waiting to be worn at your destination.  Anyone else do the same?

mother and childrenmother and childrenBefore our trip to Hawaii, I picked up a few items for myself and my kids from Joe Fresh. They’re my go-to for adorable (and affordable!) clothing. I love how you can find something for the whole family from Joe Fresh. And I totally went for a coordinated colour palette. Blues and whites to capture the easy-breezy vacation vibe. My off-the-shoulder dress is a great summer staple that’s comfortable and cute for travelling to your destination or lounging at the beach.mother and children

mother and children(How amazing is that tree!?!?!)mother and childrenAnd my mini fashionista, Lilly. Her metallic silver sandals have been popular with the locals. We’ve gotten so many compliments on them. Joe Fresh has so many cute little statement pieces for kids. And they’re durable, too. I’ve got my eye on a couple coordinating outfits that’ll be fun for Lilly and me to wear to Mother’s Day brunch.

mother daughter styleIt was a treat to close out our vacation with these photos! We stumbled upon this plantation and it was unreliable! If you’re in the Maui area make sure to stop into Olowalu Plantation House, it’s right across the street from my favourite restaurant in Maui called Leoda’s. (Get the fried brussel sprout salad!) It was all so magical despite the rain rolling in! I always love to find hidden gems and this one was a trip favourite!

mother daughtermaui plantationWhen I look back on this trip, I’ll always remember how natural and easy it was to spend time together. How much I loved getting to spend entire days with Liam and Lilly, giving them my undivided attention and making amazing memories. And how important it is to continually take those small, everyday moments and find ways to make them special for my kids. With Mother’s Day just around the corner I can’t help but think how incredibly blessed and fortunate I am to be their mom and plan all these exciting moments together. They’re so worth it and there is nothing better.

mother and children
Off Shoulder Dress | Sandals | Lillya’s Dress & Sandals | Liam’s Shirt, Shorts & Shoes |

Thank you to Joe Fresh for sponsoring this post. All comments, styling and opinions are my own.