Today Josh and I spent the morning talking to a grief counselor to set up sessions for Hunter. We figure he doesn’t need much but would love to set up a therapist for him so he has the tools and the dialogue to use when he needs it. Josh and I just don’t have any idea how to proceed with this… and a neutral person, outside of the family, to talk to may be just what Hunter needs. He tries to talk to us but it is a stunted conversation that he stops if he sees me getting too sad…
After decluttering my closet, I had a lot of t-shirts that weren’t really worthy of sending to a thrift store. I considered making rags out of them, but I have enough cleaning rags. Instead, I decided on t-shirt yarn! You can make a myriad of things with t-shirt yarn and I have an addiction to crochet, so it is the perfect choice. My heart is set on making a t-shirt yarn rug, like the ones my grandma had scattered around her house. She braided and sewed her rugs together but I am going to attempt to crochet mine. They will…
Today is the day. I say that every Monday, as I see Monday as the day of the week worthy of mini-resolutions. Far from stressing me out, it creates a sense of order and renewal within me. As soon as I have finished packing the kid’s lunches, I sit and eat breakfast, notepad by my side, planning my week every Monday morning. I don’t go too grandiose. I make a giant list of everything I can think of: from “clean out the pantry” to “make hard-boiled eggs”. Those items are amazingly different! The pantry could take me two hours whereas…
Fear. I failed because of fear. I got rid of 90% of my clothes and shopped for a brand new wardrobe. I did alright! I stuck to my budget and got a few new shirts and pants to wear. All in neutrals so that they would all go together, thinking I would add in my pieces with bursts of colour when something caught my eye later on. And jewelry! I could add in bright, beautiful scarves and jewelry as colour pops. Great, so I was ready, physically, with my list as a plan. Off I went. Mentally, a smaller wardrobe…
The other day, Josh and I sat down and made the beginnings of some very big decisions. Actually, a long time ago we did that. We made some very vague goals for our future a few years ago, did a couple of quick meetings with advisors (who gave us some vague advice) and patted ourselves on the back. We are great at being adults, we thought. We, of course, followed through on nothing and a few months later felt stuck-again. Like hamsters in a wheel, I tells ya. So we made some more decisions and some promises to each other.…
Hunter turned 6 years old on Friday, January 20th. My children turning one year older is not something I take for granted, as I used to. Hunter’s birthday was full of joy tinged with sadness. He mourned the fact that his friend B. couldn’t celebrate with him as she was so excited for his birthday this year. We talked to the moon, where she lives, and we made her an invitation and a goodie bag in case her spirit made the trip. Hunter was able to let those rituals lift his mood a little bit and was able to celebrate…
I felt crushed by clutter when I came across the Konmari Method and her book, The Magic Art of Tidying Up. I did not have a hoarder’s palace, by any means, but every time I had to go from tiny pile to another tiny pile of stuff to find what I was looking for, I felt dispirited, my energy sucked dry. Frustrated also became a common emotion; like an old friend, it would hang out in the back of my heart ready to jump out and squeeze my lungs until my frustrated, shallow breaths became a norm. I could feel…
There is an Aesop Rock song, called “Rings“, that starts out with the lyrics: “Used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw, portraiture and the human form, doodle of a two headed unicorn, it was soothing, moving his arm in a fusion of man-made tools and a muse from beyond…” (Hear the whole song here.) And even though I never used to draw, I do connect deeply with these lyrics. When we do things that feed the SOUL rather than just our pocketbooks, it is deeply satisfying and almost tribal….and very therapeutic. Whether it is art, journaling,…
Well, we made it to the end of the week! It has been freezing cold here and my kids have been going a little stir crazy. I have been distracting them with chores, playing with their new Christmas gifts and movies. Isabella has been watching the blu-ray of Anne of Green Gables that we borrowed from the library. I used to have the VHS of it (just dated myself) and I watched it until I wore it out. I was Anne growing up, from age 8 onwards, once I found my voice. I was so excited for Isabella to see…
Okay, so I have 3 key products I rely on since becoming gluten-free and thought I would share. Robin Hood Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Blend Although you can make your own blend of gluten-free flour using several ingredients, sometimes it is nice to have a pre-made blend on hand. However, if you have the ingredients, I strongly recommend Charlotte J’s GF flour blend on Food.com, which you can find here. Her mix can be used almost anywhere regular flour is called for in the same amount. If you find yourself pressed for time, or without the individual ingredients to make…