When I was 14 I used to write a poem or two or ten every day. I have notebook upon notebook. Just those plain black coiled notebooks. Most of it is TERRIBLE. I was never formally trained so they have no rhythm and I couldn’t tell you what type of poem any poem is- of mine or anyone else. I grew up completely enamored with Lord Alfred Tennyson and E.E. Cummings and read their poetry over and over. Growing older I realized some song lyrics are very much poetry as well; such as everything by Leonard Cohen and Hawksley Workman’s…
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As I blogged earlier, my Husband and I have a two person book club. We are both avid readers but we found, once we had two little ones running around, we have less and less time to read. My Husband works at a job where he has the drive to a client, the drive between clients during the day and the drive home to listen to music or the radio. He decided one day to use that time to finish a book on tape. I found the same book in our library and started to read while the kids ate…
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Let’s talk about things that I love. Books. I love books. Last time I wrote about the children’s books that are rocking our world lately. Now it’s my turn! I have so many graphic novels and coffee table books that I adore. Here are the ones I own that I keep going back to. 1. City of Glass: Douglas Coupland’s Vancouver. A gorgeous love letter to Vancouver. This is not, I repeat not, a guide-book but a realistic look at Vancouver’s insides. The writing is genius, of course, and the photos are gorgeous. Worth a read if you want…
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We have started to frequent the library again. The kids love the library! Both of them pick out any books they want and then check them out with their own cards. Here are three we keep going back to….. 1. We have taken this one out twice in a row and my kids don’t want to take it back. Inside this book, the Dinosaur versus everything from spaghetti to talking grown-ups to tooth-brushing. It is a really fun read and the kids love helping out with the roaring. I have even used this one to convince them to do other…
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I was on Pinterest today. There were so many pins and boards dedicated to motivating kids to do chores. A lot of the pins involved crafts to set up punch cards or checklists for chores, and at the end the child would receive a reward. I was thinking a sticker, or a family bike ride, a movie night, or something similar. I was wrong and when I started to read the comments I realized this quickly. Many of the parents posted “Oh this works so amazing. At the end of the list I give him $20 and he has to…
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We went to our friend’s wedding. They hosted it at the zoo which meant we got a free zoo pass during the day. We had fun for two hours at the zoo and then went to the reception. Best wedding ever. There was mini golf, mini games, table hockey, a bouncy house and hoops. There was great music and dancing and superhero cupcakes. The bride wore Batman and the groom wore Star Trek. My kids danced til midnight! Literally. We got home at 12:30 am. The next day was a huge yummy brunch at the Westin hotel with great food…
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My husband and I have started something interesting. I recommend it. It happened almost by accident. My Husband had downloaded a book on tape, Steig Larsson’s “The Girl Who Played With Fire” for a road trip. I finished my book while he was away and started to read the same book. When he came back it turned out we were in about the same spot in the book, but he was a bit ahead of me. Since I read at lunchtime while the kids eat, and Josh listens to his book on tape while driving to different clients all day,…
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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…
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So I grew up in Saskatchewan and during University I ended up needing a place to stay and found a townhouse with a friend. Well, really, if I’m to be honest, a frenemy. BUT she was living with this fantastic girl that was destined to become one of my bestest friends ever. And this summer we had the privilege of staying with them on their farm for part of August… which I adored. The minutes and hours and days were too quickly eaten up with laughter and fire pits and eating and talking (non-stop between Melly and I for days.…
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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…