MOM'S THE WORD | My Dream Mother's Day Brunch with Ann Taylor

1. Bandana Statement Earrings | 2. Pleated Block Print Skirt | 3. Square Fringe Scarf | 4. Foldover Straw Clutch | 5. Honor Suede Heeled Sandal | 6. Halter Midi Dress | 7. Wide Leg Marina Pant | 8. Seersucker Fluted Sleeve Top. 

I don't want anything for Mother's Day. Honestly, I don't. Oh, except for brunch. I would like brunch please. I know I'm lucky to be a mom and I wouldn't trade my littles for all of the brunches in the world. But still...when I scroll through my Insta feed every weekend and see my kidless friends drinking, laughing, eating their way through gorgeous brunch after brunch, I feel the FOMO. The more I say brunch, the more I want brunch. 

So, just now, it's been settled. Cute husband has booked us into our new local hotspot, The Walper Hotel, for Mother's Day tea. It's not brunch, because literally ALL of the brunch spots are already booked (naturally), but this is close. So now, I'm into outfit planning mode with a little help from Ann Taylor. 

The new collection is so on-point for spring and it absolutely screams 'Perfect Brunch/Tea Where Nothing Goes Wrong and Your Kids Don't Destroy the Place and You Actually Get to Finish Your Mimosa'. Doesn't it? The citrus hues (that yellow dress!) and the pretty blues will help me enjoy this Mother's Day in epic style with my favourite people in the world. In my dream, nobody is complaining and they are all wearing white with no blobs of strawberry jam in sight. Stop laughing, it's my dream. Check out Ann Taylor's lovely love letter to moms below. The days may be long but the time really is much too short. Happy Mother's Day x

MOM LOVE | Most-Wanted Mom's Day Gifts

via Hello Fashion Blog

Originally posted in The CLOSET

Moms like me don't ask for a lot. Thank-yous, pleases and R-E-S-P-E-C-T are all we moms really need. But I don't know a single mom who wouldn't love a little something'-somethin' from Sephora to really drive home that thank you. I'm not familiar with any fellow parentals who wouldn't love a new handbag (PLEEEASE??). And, of course, nothing shows true appreciation like a pair of gold Dr Dre headphones. Um, do they come in the noise-cancelling variety? Respect. 

Since my kids don't have any credit and I certainly don't want my husband to destroy our family budget on my behalf, I'm guessing that many of you moms are in the same boat. I've rounded up 40 gorgeous gifts - some expensive, most not - that are on my radar this year.  The presents on this shortlist are sure to please any mother-in-law. These picks are designed to delight any doting grandma. This guide will  help, well, guide any lost husbands out there. And if you end up with a card, some flowers, or even nothing at all, feel free to use this list to belatedly treat yoself. After all, being a mom is a 24/7, 365 kind of gig. You just never know when you might need a little pick-you-up after a particularly tantrum-filled/juice-spilled/couch-ruined/tear-out-your-hair kind of day. This is when those gold headphones really come in handy...

SEE THE GIFT GUIDE HERE...

The Fashion Girl's Guide to Mother's Day

via The Body Shop

Originally posted in The LOOK

You really can't go wrong when it comes to Mother's Day gifts. Now that I'm a mom, I understand this all too well. My kids could give me the cheesiest, tackiest thing ever and as long as they took the time to pick it out, I'd think it was the best present anyone's ever gotten. I've never been given a handmade card, an at-home 'pedicure' or a homemade breakfast from my kids that I didn't totally love.

But let's be honest here. I'm a fashion girl. And fashion people have a tendency to dream. We dream of the gifts we'd like to receive and of course, the things we plan on buying for ourselves if nobody else does. As a fashion blogger, I come across cute things every day and they continually accumulate in my head - at a certain point it becomes too much for even the most disciplined shopper to bear. 

And so I've put some of my most-wanted finds together into this Mother's Day Gift Guide. They're things I've seen on other people's Instagram accounts, pieces I can't wait to put on, and a few things I'm hoping my husband might get me this Mother's Day since my kids are still too young to shop. If not, no big deal - I'll take my hard-earned paycheque and eventually buy a few of these gifts for myself. After all, this Mother's Day, I'm really most excited about that handmade card. 

Whether she's the sporty type or simply loves to shop, these fashionable Mother's Day gifts will help her live her life beautifully. Happy (almost) Mother's Day! Oh, and if you've ever wondered how the Royals celebrate Mom's Day, don't miss the hilarious home video below...

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MOM LOVE | Our Mother's Day Gift Guide + #Win a Gorgeous Pandora Pendant

Miranda Kerr and her adorable son - via Vogue UK

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

I've always adored my mom. She was as loving, warm and supportive a mom as any daughter could ever hope to have. But I never really appreciated her until I became a mom myself. I just didn't get the sacrifice. I didn't understand all the times she made me clean my room. I didn't get why she wouldn't pack things like Twinkies and fruit roll-ups in my lunch like most of the other moms. Apples and carrots? A-GAIN?! And all of those piano lessons and pleases and thank-you's. Blech. 

Now I have two kids of my own. In fact, I just sent them off to school with sandwiches, carrots and quinoa raisin bars in their backpacks. They like them, I swear. And now, I totally get it. I get almost every little thing my mom did for us growing up, and how she felt when we didn't act the way she'd taught us to act. As a formerly laid-back person, I now take what my kids do to heart, but it's only because they take up so much of it. I might work in fashion but by far, my most important job in life is to do what I can to help my kids grow into happy, thoughtful, responsible people. And I consider myself a happy, thoughtful, (mostly) responsible adult now in large part because of my parents and all that they did for me. 

I've rounded up some lovely Mother's Day gifts - from pretty little tokens to sentimental sparklers, we've got loads of great ideas for you below. 

Now for the exciting part...

#CONTEST ALERT!

We're giving away this gorgeous Rose Silver Pendant with a Sterling Silver Chain from PANDORA (valued at $110) just in time for Mother's Day! 

SEE OUR GIFT GUIDE AND ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY HERE...

happy fri :) xx

MOM's The Word

Kate Hudson with her son for Ann Taylor Spring '14. Photo via Ann Taylor.

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

I have a confession to make: my mission this week has been to find the perfect Mother's Day gifts, but really, what I've actually done is a whole lotta personal shopping. And I don't mean personal shopping for a client but for myself, personally - finding the things that I, as a mom, would really, really love to get as a gift. 

There are very few times of the year when we moms actually focus on ourselves, after all. We go to the mall, fully intending to shop for new clothes for ourselves, but somehow, we leave 3 hours later with bags of little people shoes (they are sooo cute!), and trench coats that our daughters will grow out of in 6 months, and more pairs of pants because the ones you bought 2 weeks ago have already been decimated by the playground...

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