Sara, Author at livelovesara

What to Wear in Cambodia

October 7, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

In the last post What to Pack for Cambodia I said that you need to pack based on your itinerary because there are a vast variety of things to do in Cambodia that need very specialized packing lists. Many visitors spend time walking the jungles and depending on the time of year your packing needs would fluctuate. This packing list reflects a city and beach vacation. WHile Cambodia is very hot at any time of the year, certain months are less hot and less wet. The request for this list is for a December vacation which isn’t as hot, nor during the rainy season.

Since it is so hot the best fabrics to include are lightweight, breathable fabrics like linen. Because the sun can be very intense during afternoons I chose to include a long sleeve, light blouse to wear to keep the skin covered. A light night scarf also works well as a cover from the heat and/or for modesty while entering temples and certain buildings. It is easy to keep the shirt tied around your waist or in your purse with the scarf in case you need it. Since Cambodia can be modest I chose a one pieces swimsuit and a nice sarong cover (which doubles as a beach blanket). Most of the items are from Mango as a request because it an easy retailer to have shipped to her location. Each one of these pieces are easily procured in a variety of stores (or from your own closet).

I hope you have a great vacation, thanks for the request 🙂

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What to Pack for Cambodia Packing Light

October 6, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

Cambodia is one of those destinations that can have completely different packing requirements depending on the activities you plan on doing. This list is more for if you are staying in the cities and/or at the beach resorts. If you are going to spend a lot of time in the jungles (because Cambodia has some amazing things to see in the jungles) you will need to pack accordingly.

Pants that can zip off, in a quick dry breathable fabric is a good start, long sleeve shirts with ventilated zips, hiking/jungle footwear, and if it is the rainy season then some leech socks are a good idea, along with mosquito spray, sun/rain protection gear, and anti malarial pills.

For now I am going to focus on more of a beach style vacation. Cambodia is a little more modest than many hot weather destinations in some regards so plan accordingly. It is really hot no matter what time of year you go, but this request is for a December trip which is slightly less hot and not during the rainy season.

Lighter, breathable fabrics is important like linen. Loose, flowy styles will be more comfortable, or long sleeves/pants covering the skin from the mid-day sun . A sun hat and sarong are good beach protection and a sarong can double as a beach blanket as well. Bringing a lightweight scarf to keep in your purse can work as sun protecter, and as a shawl to cover your shoulders when entering temples or buildings that require it. It is easy to keep in your purse and throw over your shoulders if you are wearing a sundress or tank.

You could probably get away with two pairs of shoes, (a trekking sandal, and a dressier espadrille) but I decided to also include a slide because they are an easy beach footwear options. Another good style to bring instead would be a pair of flip-flops, because everyone wears them there and they are easy. I included a cardigan mainly for wearing on the plane where it can get cold. If you don’t feel you will need it just omit it. This list is for 6 days and outfit options will be in the next post.

Have you ever been to Cambodia?

*Most of the items in this list are from Mango. I was asked to include as many as I could because it is the one online store that ships to her location.

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What’s Really in my Bag – Mom Edition

October 4, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

I have meant to do this for a while so I figured I’d might as well dump everything our quickly and get a quick shot. I always see the What’s in My Bag Posts and think, “that’s not in my bag, not even close.” So I thought I would take whatever purse currently has all my stuff in it, and dump it out on my bed so you can see what really, and truly is in my bag. Anyone that is a mom also knows the random shit that you end up carrying because of your kids and this reflects that as well. I should totally do this when I use my large purse, that thing holds everything plus the kitchen sink. I can just imagine what it would hold after a week or so. I also have the tendency to not clean them out very often so I find I probably carry a lot of shit around that I don’t need. This is all from the past weekend.

Here is what is in my bag as noted in the above picture:

My sunglasses
Merle’s sunglasses (yellow)
Scent card from Bath & Body Works
Two packs of gum (because the mint is “too spicy” according to Merle)
Chestnuts from a walk
Crumpled Kleenex
Pink cat ear headband
Old lottery ticket
Rubber Angry Bird (blue thing)
Compact
Lipstick
Wallet
Loose change
Hair pin and elastic
McDonald’s coffee card
Archie comic
Starbucks gift card with barely a balance
A handful of raw sugar packets from Starbucks (apparently I don’t need to grab some the next time I am at Starbucks)

What is the most random think in your purse right now?

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What I Wore This Week

October 3, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

I figured out something that I don’t like about condo living this weekend. Certain circumstances can cause extremely long wait times for elevators. I was taking my daughter to a class which really close by so we left only 20 minutes before the class started. On a normal day we would had arrived within 5-10 minutes depending on how pokey they were walking, but this time the elevator didn’t arrive for 20 minutes before we decided to take the stairs. In which I had to carry Merle for 7 floors because she gave up and moved at a snail’s pace. We were already late so by the time we reached the bottom and speed walked there I was ready for a rest 😉 It turns out that one elevator was booked for someone moving, another someone broke the door (by trying to move without booking the moving elevator), which left two for the entire building which has 32 floors. It was ridiculous and I can’t imagine what would have happened if there was a medical emergency or a person couldn’t physically walk down the stairs. It kind of reminds me of when I lived in Peterborough. The city was really terrible at staying on top of the snow and clearing the walks. It would get so bad in the winter you literally had to climb over huge drifts in some places. It pissed me off because I don’t know how elderly people, or people in wheelchairs managed to get around during the snow season. I am thankful that I don’t have to deal with that in this city.

Aside from that fall is in full force and I actually wore a toque, beanie, knit hat (whatever you call it where you live) for the first time this weekend because it was cold, windy and rainy. I missed wearing one 🙂 I also tried to clean my closet today but success was definitely not in the stars. Maybe tomorrow, but I am predicating no 😉

How is the weather where you are?

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What to Wear on a 4 Day Fall Getaway

September 30, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

This post gives the outfit options for the What to Pack on a 4 Day Fall Getaway from last post. The list was by request for some ideas on what to wear on a 4 day fall getaway that includes a birthday and an outdoor wedding. I put together 9 regular mix and match outfits from the 8 pieces of clothing and one dressy wedding outfit. At this time of the year, wearing sweaters and a light jacket will be warm and comfortable enough for everyday wear. Two bottoms, two tops, two sweaters, two shoes, and one jacket are the pieces I picked for the main wardrobe. With the bottoms I chose one denim and one pair of waxed black pants. The wax coating gives them a leather look without the heat or expense of leather pants. You may prefer two pairs of jeans or a skirt and pants as your bottom options instead, I just find that black is easy to dress up in a pinch. Whatever works best with your style is what you should bring.

Since this wedding they will be attending is an outdoor wedding in the fall, then planning an outfit that will be warm as well as fashionable and wedding appropriate took some thought. I figured that a black dress is always acceptable and versatile, and instead of wearing a jacket, a nice wool wrap will be both chic and comfortable. I chose the leopard print flats because they accent the wrap and add a nice touch to the outfit and the colours reflect autumn. While the trip is only for 4 days you can easily go for longer with the above options.

I hope I was able to ease some of your packing woes with these suggestions. I hope you have a great time 🙂

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What to Pack for a 4 Day Fall Getaway

September 28, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

I tend to stick to a 10 day packing list on here but once in a while I get requests for shorter durations. Anywhere from a weekend getaway to a month have been the norm for me and this week it is for a 4 day getaway that includes a birthday and a fall outdoor wedding. I needed to come up with a list that included several days of seasonably fashionable outfits and one wedding outfit that will be suitable for fall weather.

Two Sweaters, a white blouse, striped long sleeve, a pair of jeans, and black pants, flats and sneakers cover the outfits. A black dress with a camel coloured wrap and leopard print shoes are for the wedding. The outerwear is the wrap and a trench, with one scarf, a regular purse, and a clutch or the wedding.

Any jewellery is easy to pack and won’t take much room. The wrap is warm, dressy and the perfect fall colour, but any kind of cape, shawl/wrap, or pashmina will work as long as it isn’t too casual looking. There is enough clothes to get at least 10 days worth of outfits so there should be plenty of options for 4 days.

I will put together a 10 outfit options list for this Friday’s post.

What do you like to wear for a fall wedding?

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