“Seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken.” – Emma.

Zach turned 5 in December. All of a sudden, he’s become this crazy consumer – every marketers dream. Anything he see’s on television is a good idea.

Which is why… taco hockey happened. Yes, I said “taco hockey”. Oh, the things we do for our kids. Continue reading →

“I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle.” – Pride and Prejudice.

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I was skyping with my family a couple of weeks ago. It was a Saturday morning and Caleb was out playing some pick-up hockey. It was me and the 4 kids.

My brother asks me, “what are you up to?”, or something along those lines, and I respond with my typical answer, “oh nothing much.” My mom laughs and says, “like taking care of 4 kids is nothing.” It was then that I realized how much the meaning of the word nothing has changed.

Doing nothing before kids:

Sleeping in until noon, staying in your pyjamas, drinking hot coffee, eating leftover pizza on the couch while watching a marathon of chick flicks.

Doing nothing after kids:

Sleeping in until 8, staying in your pyjamas, changing diapers, taking orders, making breakfast, pouring juice, giving orders, stealing a bite for yourself, sitting on the floor with the babies while watching the veggie tales episode you’ve seen 10 times before on Netflix. Oh, and the coffee is usually cold.

I had fooled myself into thinking that Saturday mornings have never changed. It was an actual revelation when I realized they have! Doing nothing now, just means putting myself last.

I’m not meaning to – put myself last that is. I’ve just been attempting to continue the tradition of Saturday morning nothing… Not realizing that tradition has long passed.

Now that I know, I’m going to strive for a different kind of Saturday morning.

It feels amazing to be freshly showered and looking good, ready for the day… I feel like I can conquer the world – and my responsibilities at home can be much more enjoyed, rather than viewed as invading on my “doing nothing” day.

It’s ok to put yourself first. It’s ok to put yourself first. It’s ok to put yourself first.

I’m going to start practicing selfishness, for the sake of my family…

If I feel good, I’ll have more fun with my kids, I’ll appreciate our time together more, I’ll be more of the mom they deserve.

As a bonus: When they see me feeling good – they notice. I’m modelling for them what it looks like to take care of yourself, something they deserve to see.

As we finish up another work week, and look forward to another Saturday morning – feel free to do nothing, just don’t forget to put yourself first… I will be – with a hot shower, hot cup of coffee, and sweatpants. Did I forget to mention that sweatpants are my new nothing?

“It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.” – Sense and Sensibility.

A New Year brings a fresh start and a lot of resolutions.

The queen of to-do lists, I would have no problem making a list of all of the things I would love to do differently this year. I could probably add to it on the daily.

Resolutions have the potential to be great – as long as we can take the resolute thoughts and words and turn them into actions.

I can say all the right things, I can think all the right things… But when it comes down to actually DOING those things, I tend to fall short. Continue reading →

“Dress is at all times a frivolous distinction,.” – Northanger Abbey.

Try telling that to a 7.5 year old. In fact, try telling that to a 27.5 year old postpartum mama. Or try telling that to anyone at all. The way we dress – more importantly, how we feel in our “dress” – plays a huge role on our feelings of self-worth and self-esteem.

What I’m really saying is… my daughter got her ears pierced. That’s right. Her ears. Continue reading →

Alberta Ballet Presents: The Nutcracker

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For me, the Nutcracker Ballet has always been an important Christmas tradition, one I look forward to every year. It’s almost impossible to believe that it all began in 1892 Russia. Spanning generations as well as continents, the Nutcracker has become a true symbol of the season. Tchaikovsky’s compositions instantly send us into the Christmas spirit, my favourite being his iconic “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”.

In Christmas’ past, watching the Nutcracker meant digging out an old rerecorded VHS tape of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Production’s version from 1986, complete with commercials to be fast-forwarded through and three white lines that would dance their way across the screen from time to time. This year, it has meant bringing Hailey out on the town to take in a live performance by the Alberta Ballet, Western Canada’s largest ballet company. Continue reading →

Counting Down to Christmas

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Advent calendars have most definitely developed into an industry of their own, a far cry from the stale and waxy chocolate I enjoyed as a child. Every major chocolatier has come out with their own version of the advent calendar – from Lindt to Kinder through to Godiva, and not to mention the toy companies. Big players like Lego, Playmobil, Barbie, and Littlest Pet Shop, in an attempt to only name a few, have all given parents a great candy-free alternative to help their children countdown to Christmas morning.   Then, for all of the do-it-yourself-ers out there, there is this wide array of gorgeous examples of handmade advent calendars all over Pinterest.

Or you have me. The mom who doesn’t even realize it’s December until the first week is over and all of those beautiful advent calendars disappear from the shelves. Continue reading →

“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.” – Jane Austen through personal correspondence.

It’s official. I’ve made it official. I am officially considered a stay-at-home mom. Continue reading →

“Time will explain.” – Persuasion

We spend a lot of our days with hope-filled hearts full of expectations for a life filled with tomorrows.

As children, we grow up, dreaming about what we want to be and where we want to go. Impatient, with the expectation that someday we will have everything we’ve ever wanted.

We get married, with the expectation that we will grow old with the person standing across from us on that altar. We expect that they will always be there as our partner in crime and we will explore life together side by side.

We have a baby, with the expectation that we will be there to guide them from their first breaths to their first steps. We expect to watch them dream throughout their childhood and be able to watch them grow impatient for their own dreams to come true. We expect to celebrate with them as they find their own partner in crime and start making their own plans and having their own babies. Continue reading →