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Author Archives: Sara

About Sara

http://www.tisthelife.com
I'm a first time mum muddling through each day - making the rules up as I go along.

{Sponsored} – Back to Work-Thanks to Target Part 2

January 30th, 2013 | Posted by Sara in Sponsored Post - (Comments Off)

I mentioned in Monday’s post that I am not a fashion blogger – nor am I particularly good at cleaning mirrors, or taking self portirates in said dirty mirrors – but regardless of that here is part 2 of my Back to Work with Target post.

This time I was aiming for a more ‘corporate’ look – proving that you don’t need an expensive label to look professional in the workplace. However I do believe that a splash of colour can add vibrance and youthfulness to the corporate environment as well. Again with these outfits I believe you can mix & match, perhaps you could use the belt from the pants on the dress for example, or the shoes can be easily interchanged to dress up or down any outfit with ease.

Before I moved to Queensland I only wore pants to work. Put simply pants help prevent any accidental falling over flashing your undies experiences!! However since living in the humidity & heat up here I have learned that dresses are my friend. Now at work I interchange between them both depending on my mood.

This first outfit is what I would call my classic work wear, easy to wear & clean pants with a splash of colour in the shoes & blouse. Of course if colourful shoes are not your cup of tea the Mykr3 Close Toe Wedge is a sensible option. The pants here are the Hot Options Woven Birdseye pant, the blouses are both Hot Options, the beautiful pink one can be found here and I have combined it with the colourful Infinity Enamal Bangle Unfortunantely I couldn’t find the fish patterned blouse, the pants or the super comfy Piping Hot shoes on the website, however I’m sure if you go to your local Target store you could find something similar.

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The second outfit goes back to the dresses-  This is the  City Dressing Birdseye Dress with belt, accompanied with the Infinity Enamal Bangle for a splash of colour and the Mykr3 Close Toe Wedge shoes. Of course for more colour add one of the MANY colourful flats that are available for about $15-$25 a pair.

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So many colours to choose from!

So many colours to choose from!

So I’ve put together 4 outfits for under $100 each.

Where do you do your ‘Back to Work” shopping? Please let me know via twitter, Facebook or the comments section

 

I was given gift vouchers to have a shopping spree at Target, however my opinions are my own and can not be brought.

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{Sponsored} Back to Work – Thanks to Target

January 29th, 2013 | Posted by Sara in Being a mum | Sponsored Post - (1 Comments)

When I think of corporate wear or Back to work fashion my thoughts immediately lead to brand names such as Table Eight, Cue, or any other similar brand with big price tags. My wardrobe selection for work is rather limited, I prefer to purchase new joggers over a pair of stilettos, and new jeans over tailored pants. After having Worm 18months ago, losing 10 kgs, and returning to work I found that my limited wardrobe was even more meager than I remembered.

I was given an amazing opportunity recently to go on a Back to Work shopping spree thanks to Target. I approached the challenge with some level of trepidation –after all as a busy working mum I like so many others don’t have lots of time to browse the stores. I am so pleased to say that my concerns were unnecessary my trip to Target was very enjoyable.

I raced over during my lunch break with a girlfriend. We quickly grabbed a handful of things each and darted into the change rooms. I was aiming to put together an outfit suitable for work for under $100 from head to toe… a tall order in other stores, but in Target it was easy! I walked out of the store having spent my budget including purchasing shoes & accessories. I was amazed –  instead of putting together 2 outfits I had enough in my hands to dress myself for a week! I could NEVER had done this in smaller boutique type stores.

Lots of options!

Lots of options!

The items I grabbed were ‘mix & matchable’, would easily take me from ‘work to dinner’ AND could even be worn on the weekend to a BBQ or party. This is the first of 2 posts brought to you by Target

I think this first outfit is rather relaxed, but still a suitable dress for work, I put a little black cardigan over it when the air conditioning got a little cool in the office. This dress is so versatile that I have worn it to meetings at Worms child care, out to a BBQ & of course its become a regular part of my work ware. This is the Geometric Print Dress, accompanied by Patent Stilettos - although I did also purchase a more sensible Closed Toe Wedge for everyday workwear.

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The second outfit for today is much more fun, perfect for moving from work to evening simply slip off the sensible work shoes & put on a pair of patent stilettos! If you’re worried about the silver belt, perhaps take it off & replace it with a black patent belt for during the day & slip it back on for the evenings. This dress is the Hot Options Belted Tulip Dress and I have again put it with the Patent Stilettos.

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Both of the above outfits I paired with a simple silver cuff. What I particularly liked about this bracelet is that I could squeeze it so that it fitted properly- too often I can’t wear cuffs as they slide right off!
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So I know I am not a fashion blogger, nor am I a very good ‘self portrait’ taker – but what do you think? Have I come up with a couple of affordable options?

Keep an eye out for part 2 of this Back to Work Thanks to Target Series.

Please let me know via twitter, Facebook or the comments section

 

I was given gift vouchers to have a shopping spree at Target, however my opinions are my own and can not be brought (unlike that beautiful dress above!)

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Australia Day Pavlova!!

January 26th, 2013 | Posted by Sara in Cooking - (1 Comments)

Today is Australia day – its a day of celebration. Celebrating what we as a country has achieved, what we aspire to for the future, celebrating friends & family & of course celebrating the Triple J Hot 100!

I was inspired by this Desire Empire post where she decorated a carrot cake with the Australian flag. I thought the concept would look great on a traditional Pavlova.

So to celebrate Australia Day I made a traditional Aussie Pav!

 

Australia Day Pavlova

Australia Day Pavlova

 

To make this I simply followed a normal Pavlova recipe, except I shaped it into a rectangle, I then used vanilla yoghurt, strawberries, banana & blueberries to top it, to be honest I needed to get a photo of the Australian flag next to me whilst dressing the pav so I got the ‘stars’ in the right place!

 

How did you celebrate Australia Day? Please let me know via twitter, Facebook or the comments section

 

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{Giveaway} – Stuck on You

January 23rd, 2013 | Posted by Sara in Giveaways | Product Review - (20 Comments)

As the school year rapidly approaches I see on twitter and Facebook a mad rush of mums and dads rapidly pulling everything they need together. Books, uniforms, pencils, school bags, shoes, hats, pencil cases, lunch boxes, sports uniforms, library bags, drink bottles. The list of requirements appears to be endless, and everything needs to be LABELLED!!

This is where Stuck On You can help!

Stuck on You are producers of personalised labels, drink bottles, clothing labels, bag tags. It was established 16 years ago by Carrie Felton – a mum of 3 boys. I’m always keen to support Australian companies, and this one is brilliant!

There is a HUGE range of products, colours and designs, and I found the ordering process so simple. They offer a ‘live preview’ of what your product will look like prior to finalisation, so there are no surprises.

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I was VERY lucky to receive a couple of personalised goodies from Stuck On You.

They sent me a personalised lunch pack featuring a lunch box and stainless steel drink bottle.

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I also received a Penny Scallan Value Pack which included 48 clothing labels, 48 name labels and a bag tag.
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I have used these for a few weeks now, putting the name labels on Worm’s drink bottles, lunch containers, and clothing. They have been through the dishwasher & washing machine and passed with flying colours. They even withstood Worm trying to pick one off her hat before it was fully cooled from the iron.
I found the instructions for application very clear and easy to use.
Their service was impeccable – I had a small issue with one of the bag tags that were sent to me, a quick email to the company and within 7 days a brand new value pack was sent out, no questions asked. Brilliant service in my book!

For discounts, product information and other goodies from the Stuck on You team you can like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, join their Google + circles or check out their Pinterest boards.

Giveaway!!

To make your back to school journey easier I am pleased to say that Stuck on You have offered readers of Tis The Life the opportunity to WIN a $50 gift voucher.
The voucher is to be used online to order anything you wish all personalised with your child’s name, perfect for going back to school or child care.

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Entry is easy –
You must like Tis The Life and Stuck On You (make sure you tell them Tis The Life sent you!) on Facebook to enter then:
Simply leave a comment below with your number 1 tip for getting organised for back to school! Make sure you leave your email address, or twitter handle in the comments so I can contact you.
Giveaway starts 9pm 23 January 2013 & finishes 9pm 31st January 2013. Winner will be chosen based on what makes me smile/think/laugh or cry & no discussion will be entered into, my decision is final. Winner will receive 1 x $50 gift voucher from Stuck on You to use on items of their choice.

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2013- The year of big plans

January 4th, 2013 | Posted by Sara in Fitness | Iron Mum Training | Life | Uncategorized - (3 Comments)

I mentioned in my last post that my goals for 2013 are fairly huge. Now I’m starting to write them down I have to admit that they scare me somewhat.

The main focus for 2013 is to continue my triathlon training. I have set myself a rather intense race & event schedule over the next 12 months:

January

27th – Frogs Tri (750/24/5)

February

10th – Frogs Tri (750/24/5)

17th – Rocky Road Run Series Race 10km

March

3rd – Frogs Tri (750/24/5)

17th – Mooloolaba Olympic Distance (1.5/40/10)

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My year on a page! More things are sure to be added.

April

14th – Frogs Tri (750/24/5)

21st – Rocky Road Run Series Race 10km

May

25th – Warwick PentahRun (42km split over 5 races during the weekend)

26th Rocky Road Run Series Race 10km (well if I do Warwick I can’t do this one)

June

TBC - Rocky River Run 21km

July

6th – Gold Coast Half Marathon (maybe – depending on finances)

August

18th – Yeppoon 70.3 Half Ironman (1.9/90/21.2)

September

22nd – Blackmores Half Marathon Sydney (maybe – depending on finances)

29th – Rocky Road Run Series Race 10km

October

27th – Pink Ribbon Fun Run

November

24th – Movember Fun Run

December

14th – Christmas Fun Run

 

So my schedule is rather busy. In addition to my training & racing I will be focusing on spending time with my family. The Farmer will be travelling a fair bit with his new job, averaging 2 weeks away per month, so those weeks will be tough unless I am adequately prepared.

I will be relying on my organisational skills to prepare easy & healthy meals in advance for Worm & I so that I don’t fall back into old habits (such as pasta for dinner every night or takeaway lunches)

I will be spending LOT’s of time in my home gym, so I will be keeping my end goal in sight so that those evenings don’t drag on. I will be accessing various training DVD’s and programs to ensure that the hours on the trainer or treadmill are effective, rather than monotonous.

I will be taking EVERY chance I get to train outside and in group situations to ensure that I don’t get cabin fever.

I will continue to work with my FABULOUS health coach Jo to ensure that I keep the balance between work/family/training/me time in check. To ensure that I am walking the right path and keeping everything in perspective.

My goals for 2013 are EPIC. I have never put them on a year in advance calendar like this before, and I have never had such a big physical challenge to train for (Yeppoon 70.3). I think that by planning the year in advance will allow my family to work around each other. When the Farmer or Worm has an event coming up we will write it on the calendar as soon as we commit to ensure that everyone’s needs are met.

The thing with planning so far in advance is that perhaps we will struggle with remaining flexible. I will focus on rolling with the punches and adapting to changes quickly.

So there it is – my plans for 2013. Do you plan in advance? Please let me know via twitter, Facebook or the comments section

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