• How Grief Made Me a Better Parent

    14/10/2016 - By 

    My son’s six-year-old playmate died suddenly not long ago and we are still going through the waves of grief. I still wake up at night to check on my own kids. I believe that Hunter is just now realizing it is a forever thing….I am sure that this will affect him forever. Sometimes I find him just gazing at her photo and I am comforted by the fact that he has his own interpretation of the afterlife. I have read on countless websites that you must impress on yourself and your kids that your life must go on. It is…

  • Capsule Wardrobes

    10/10/2016 - By 

    Have you guys heard of Capsule Wardrobes? You must have! The sites touting the benefits of them is everywhere and there is major inspiration all over Pinterest. I stumbled across the idea of a Capsule Wardrobe on the blog Un-Fancy , and I instantly loved the idea. I started it, but then I got scared of taking my wardrobe in that direction, and I quit. My style now is very teen-inspired-eclectic and I thought I loved it that way. Nowadays? I crave basic staples I could mix-and-match easily and effortlessly. I also want to accessorize more but, with my current wardrobe,…

  • The Konmari Method and Saving Money

    07/10/2016 - By 

    On this cold day that feels like it will snow, I am inside doing laundry and reflecting on the state of my house, which I successfully ignored during the warmer months. It is a cluttered mess. Maybe not by some’s standards, but by mine it is. Even trying to find the right winter clothing has been painful….and, by the way, I can’t believe I have to think about that already!! My mom in Saskatchewan already has a foot of snow. Oh, Canada. So what has being stuck inside on cold days made me think about? DECLUTTERING! And saving money because…

  • A New Book Discovery and A New Parenting Strategy.

    05/10/2016 - By 

    As I sit and write this, I can hear my cat out on the open balcony, playing with leaves. He is pouncing and chasing. I can hear the patter of his feet and the rustling of the leaves as he attacks and bats at them. The fall light streams in through the window in a golden glow and the air smells of cinnamon and pine. My kids are at school and I sit hear and sip coffee, researching ideas and writing to you. If you are an aunt, a sister or brother, a lover of art, a fan of quirky…

  • Astronauts and Angels

    03/10/2016 - By 

    My son went to his very first funeral for his six-year-old peer. It is a sentence I never thought I would say and it is with a heavy heart that I write this. Hunter dressed in a homemade prince’s crown and his knight costume, as he was both to B, who passed away. Inside the Chapel was a table with post it notes where you could write a favourite memory. Every time we approached the table to write a memory of his friend, “B”, he would tear up and declare that he couldn’t think of anything. With his mouth set…

  • My Son’s Friend Died and Nothing is the Same.

    27/09/2016 - By 

    It has been a hard week. We found out that my son’s six-year-old classmate died. Yes, you read that right. We were shocked too. Shocked is not the right word, it sounds too innocent and not bulging with the feeling of what we are actually experiencing. There are no words. She was the most robust and beautiful soul. A more resilient kid couldn’t be found….her dad described her as “Teflon, both physically and emotionally”. Not that she didn’t feel stuff, but with the right support, she bounced back quickly. She was one of my son’s favourite classmates in kindergarten last…

  • The Damaging Sentence I Will Stop Saying to My Kids

    12/09/2016 - By 

    Welcome Autumn, I missed you.   Is anyone else surprised that the leaves are changing “already”. I am. This is the time of year that change in nature is physically evident and I get antsy about changing things in my own life. One of those things I want to change is the way I word things, especially when it comes to parenting. A potentially damaging sentence I say a LOT is, “What’s your problem??” Every time I say it, I cringe. But, seriously, it is the first thing that runs through my mind in a lot of situations. Hunter is…

  • Why We Have Chosen to Live on Tight Budget.

    07/09/2016 - By 

    It’s September already! The blur of summer has already passed, which may be a relief if you live in Calgary, AB, like I do, where summer was just a string of thunderstorms. The leaves are starting to change colours which always makes me want to begin change in my own life. The transformation of the natural landscape spurs me to transform too….and not just physically. I find myself reflecting on all of the ways my life could be different and I start to prioritize. This year my kids are both in full-time school. My daughter began Grade 3 and my…

  • Restless

    27/06/2016 - By 

        I am restless. My mind is restless. It’s fidgety and can’t settle. There are ideas itching at the locked box in the back of my brain. My brain is whispering at me to take a leap; to gain the confidence to leap.   But to what?     Whenever I feel this restless feeling, I know that big things are coming. A shift is about to happen to someone, possibly me, that I care about. Sometimes it’s a change outside of my control and this is my body’s warning system to be ready, so stand guard, be ready…

  • Being Sick and Parenting

    20/06/2016 - By 

    Last week I had to pretend I had super powers. Being very sick and feeling like a zombie, I lurched myself through the week in a daze. Twice I nearly fell asleep in my lunch, and Hunter had to ask me what I was doing, and if I was looking at my lunch “real close”. LOL. But I survived it and managed to be an okay mom to my kids at the same time! I also managed to drop off the fairy garden I had made for a friend in her yard (more about that next week), and I managed…