White Spring

This is one of the dresses I bought the other week here. It is so comfy. The skirt has its own lining so it is not see through. I added a white scarf and my new favorite necklace on top of the scarf. The necklace is also a purchase from here. I like the touch of green brown with all white. I was going to wear denim sandals but liked the neutral effect of these tan colors instead. Since it was chilly in the morning I added my utility shirt and tied at the waist.

White Maxi Uress - from Turkey

White Scarf - Boutique in San Diego

Green Stone Necklace - from Turkey

Tan Sandals - Victoria's Secret Catalog

Utility Shirt - Gap

Today's Activities: Today was some kind of worker's holiday today and since the house we are staying at is very central all the propaganda was supposed to happen where we are. So, decided to leave the neighborhood early in the morning and escape to Grandpa's house. When we left at 10 AM the street was filled with hundreds of policemen. Spent the morning at Grandpa's area, took the kids to the boardwalk by the bay. They get a kick out of watching street kitties come and go. Since we lugged to CD players and two lullaby CDs both kids took good naps there. In the afternoon we strolled his neighborhood shops. My kids get so much attention because of their super blonde hair. They definitely look totally foreign but then my son speaks perfect Turkish so people love it. Later that day after dinner I took the kids home and then came back to Grandpa's house to hang with family and my older cousin visiting from Istanbul.

Pixie Dust

So, I wrote this combo on my list as pink skirt, navy vest and misc tee. So, in search of misc tee decided to go with this Tinker Bell t-shirt I bought last Sunday from the farmer’s market. I bought it to wear during one of my disney trips. Loved the bow in the back and the ruffle sleeves. It is original disney. Bought it for 5 TL which is $3.50. It is cute with th pink skirt. And I like how the ruffles peek out of the denim vest. The betsey charm necklace adds to the whimsicalness of the whole outfit.

Denim Vest – Forever 21

Tinker Bell T-shirt – Disney

Pink Skirt – Victoria’s Secret Catalog

Denim Sandals – Steve Madden

Charm Necklace – Betsey Johnson

Today’s Activities:

Left my daughter with the housekeeper and took my son to a Turkish Children’s play. It was more geared towards older children but my son loved it. It was the perfect combination of ‘talking’ and ‘singing and music’. My son is crazy about music so he loved it. And it was an educational play too. He sat through the whole thing and we walked all the way there and back without a stroller. In the afternoon took them out for ice cream then a trip to the toy store. Than killed an hour playing on the grass by the bay. Left them home with the nanny at night so I can visit and spend time with my Grandpa.

Grey and Blue

I feel like there was an inspiration for this combo but can’t remember when and where. I got this tee couple years ago from here (Turkey) . Can you tell I like graphic girl designs on tee’s. Love that this was is grey and black with a touch of red. The coral colored belt looks red when worn this tee. Wearing this combo with light blue pants is my ‘unexpected’ factor. I think it looks cool. The pants are old so they are a bit high rise which is cool cause that is making a comeback. The only problem is they are no belt loops so the belt moved a lot during the day and I had to keep adjusting. But the nice part of that was I didn’t have to unbuckle and buckle when going to the bathroom. Just pushed it up on my waist.

Again got my hair done professionally but don’t like this style as much. They only use a round brush and blow dryer here. No curling or flat irons. So, when you want a wavey look, you get these old fashioned curls. I think it will look better tomorrow, but next time I am asking for a flat look. Or I might take my flat iron with me. It is still less hassle than blow drying myself. This time I left at 9:30 AM while my family was still at home with the kids and was back before everyone sat down to breakfast.

 Grey Tee - from Turkey

Blue Pants - Ann Taylor

Coral woven stretch belt - Anthropologie

Black Sandals - Boutique 9

Chunky silver chain necklace - Off Fifth

Today’s Activities:

Had our first playdate in this country. My mom’s friend’s daughter (who is my age) lives 2 apartments down. She has a 6 year old son and a 3.5 year old daughter. The Daughter was at day care but the son was at home due to spring break. It was nice to be inside a house that was kid friendly with LOTS and LOTS of toys. My kids were on their best behavior since we arrived. Trevor did not even want to leave.

Unfortunately her son is not used to playdates as we are so he struggled a bit sharing his toys but we managed. We are going to try to see if her daughter will make a better playdate companion next time.

In the afternoon wen to our final Dr’s appt to confirm my daughter’s ear infection and allergic reactions are gone. Then visited my Grandpa with the kids for a few hours. To make it less tiring on him had a nanny take the kids downstairs for a little while to play outside. Had dinner there and came back before bedtime. Want to continue the ‘sleeping through the night’ trend for at least a week before trying anything new.

OBSERVATIONS:
I remember now how living in the city completely wears out your shoes 10 times as fast living in San Diego. I witnessed this when I lived in NYC after college and had forgotten. These black sandals which happen to be the most worn shoes since we came are already starting to look old and they were brand new!