• A Betta Fish That Can Dance

    24/10/2015 - By 

    My daughter LOVES (with a capital LOVES) animals. She begged me for a pet for quite awhile. We already have two cats, so it would have to be something small and something my landlord would approve of. I considered a hedgehog but there were several factors that didn’t work for that. The landlord may not approve, the cage would be too heavy, the cats may not be okay with it, the kids may be too loud around it and it was expensive to initially set up. Plus, the care may be too much for a 7 year old, which means…

  • ‘Girl’ Does Not Have to Be A Four Letter Word

    26/09/2015 - By 

    Let’s talk about the word ‘girly’. People have attached a meaning to girly that I don’t see it as. It is synonymous, in our Western culture, with ‘airhead’, ‘weak’, ‘self-absorbed’ or ‘flaky’. This might sound a bit hardcore feminist but I feel that in our society- either subconsciously or consciously- men are seen as the strength and women are seen as vulnerable or weak. Being girly or feminine is seen as a weakness. Conversations happen all the time where a woman will say, “Well you know how I’m not girly at all, but I bought a dress! A dress! I…

  • Little House on the Prairie Memories

    05/09/2015 - By 

    When I was a child I read a lot of books about the past. I obsessed over Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables. My dresses from that time are a direct reflection of my tastes in literature. One is a brown dress with a peter pan collar and a small pattern of white flowers and small green leaves. It has long sleeves and goes well past the knee. I could have walked off the set of Little House on the Prairie or Road to Avonlea. I longed to live on a farm, washing my clothes on…

  • How To Deal with Toxic People

    22/08/2015 - By 

    Friends, we have all dealt with toxic people before. In our workplace, random strangers, our family, our friend group, our schools…. and introverts or overly sensitive and kindhearted people are the easiest targets. It’s a jungle out there, and we all are slaves to our cave-person tendencies. Toxic people are predators that can sniff out a willing victim from miles away, sometimes subconsciously. They spot out those people who are givers and intuitively know that this person will drain their own resources to make them happy. Be careful since they will never announce themselves. Toxic people know they have to…

  • Green Tea Vs Coffee

    16/05/2015 - By 

      I have been trying something new. I am hopelessly addicted to coffee but I have been trying to cut down, as I have a very sensitive system. Thank goodness for green tea! I have cut down my caffeine consumption to two cups in the morning, and the occasional third cup in the afternoon before 2pm. I try anyway. This past week I have been drinking more coffee than water and -surprise, surprise- my skin is terrible, my stomach upset and I feel irritable. But coffee, I still love you. I just need to quit you in the afternoons. After…

  • A Family That Meditates Together, Stays Together.

    28/02/2015 - By 

    So I downloaded a guided meditation app and my kids LOVE it. One day the little munchkins were little hurricanes of emotion. Hyper, angry, hyper, sad, hyper, more hyper, giggling machines, leave-me-alone! machines, hyper. At bedtime they were all over the map and even stories didn’t calm them down. My wonderful friend Shanna gave us LED rope lights and I set them up just in time. I asked the kids to grab pillows to sit on and switched on those lights. We sat in semi-darkness and I queued up our guided meditation app, Stop, Breathe & Think, then turned it…

  • Tomorrow Might as Well be a Clear Day

    29/01/2015 - By 

    A few things happened to me in the last bit that have changed my perspective on things. I feel as if I am in a better head space lately. I read an article that encouraged me to quit self-sabotaging and love myself, jiggly bits and all, and quit trying to “improve” myself. Instead, love yourself as you are and you will do things that will make you happy naturally. When you feel emotionally balanced, you will become physically balanced. Then, push yourself in healthy ways to stay balanced and motivated. Take those small risks, treat yourself well, and keep smiling.…

  • Early Resolutions

    15/12/2014 - By 

    I have already been thinking of changes I want to make in my life. My life has been so busy that I haven’t had time to sit down and give myself a moment. Sadly, meditation has also fallen by the wayside. My mind’s thoughts always seem to start with, “If I had a bit of time I would…” so I am basing my choices on this. I think if I follow through on these promises to myself I will also find myself at a healthy weight, with clear skin, and with more patience as a result.   EARLY RESOLUTIONS Make…

  • October’s Autumn Colours

    17/10/2013 - By 

    Oh Hi October. You are halfway finished already. The wind has blown most of the leaves off of the trees outside but at the beginning of the month weren’t you a celebration! A splendor of colour that lifted the spirits and was drunk up by the eyes. I love you, October. I used to dread you and the end of the hot weather. Now I love when the wind blows those cool kisses on my face and I can bundle up in creative toques and scarves. I feel embraced by the smells of autumn in you, October, as they have…

  • A Poem For My Husband

    13/09/2013 - By 

    Trying my hand at poetry again. It’s not that great but I love the sentiment and the man who inspired it so here goes. Yes, it’s a love poem- very original, hey?  It’s just that I used to write poetry in my troubled teens and writing of angst is so much easier. My Anchor You are my rock. No. No, no. My anchor. Yes. You are my anchor. You keep me grounded, You prevent me F       l        o       a          t    i          n         g Out to the sea, Eaten by sharks. Keeping my boat Tethered to the sea floor Safe from…