Yes, you read that right. Thirteen. I now officially live in a home filled with four teenagers. Send wine :) Template: Cathy Zielske, CZ_StoryGuide1 Digi Paper: Maplebrook Studios Dara Element: Karla Dudley Continue reading

dateline: oakville, ontario, canada @ 9:42pm on may 22, 2013 weather outside: missing the warmth of earlier this week. but the thunderstorms are cool! mood inside: reflective and happy. drinking earl grey tea. definitely in the mood for something warm. eating lots of lentils. i am obsessed. love them! cooking on the barbeque. it's super quick to roast veggies and so easy - my favourite way to cook. listening to chloé singing in her bedroom. it's directly above the living room and it has become a routine that she sings at the top of her lungs before going to bed.... Continue reading

WEEK 25 | Swim Meet It never occurred to me that Caden would ever swim. My immediate response, when the school coach came up and asked if he would consider it, was an emphatic "no". After all, this is a kid who almost drown when he was two years old! He does not swim. This instinct to protect him warred mightily with my natural inclination to let my kids discover for themselves their own passions. It looks like he does swim after all. WEEK 26 | eBook Sacrilege Imagine! Someone with shelves lined-to-bursting with books buying an eBook! I never... Continue reading

I have decided to continue with the Cathy Zielske-inspired digital version of Project Life. I am thrilled to say that I find this process far more do-able than the paper + pen + everything else version. It has even inspired some more projects! Here is WEEK 19: LEFT SIDE: RIGHT SIDE: SPREAD: REVIEW: EXTRA: It has finally dawned on me that this is not a perpetual Week In The Life but a taste of each week to get a flavour of our lives. I think I was making the process too big. Too cumbersome and complicated. There were - are... Continue reading

jones, check. earbuds, check. lounging on the back deck. check. happy boy! hello future. the waiting is over. hello project catch up. i've been so preoccupied i've not spent much time dedicated to the clean & simple workshop. i haven't completed anything but the assignment for week #1! it's time to get some work done. hello feelings. i am not just giving thought to them, i am voicing them. with that, i hope to manifest the life i deserve - for me and my children. hello countdown. summatives and studying. that is what our next few weeks are going to... Continue reading

Like most of us, I spend plenty of time on the computer. Between blogs, Facebook, TED, Pinterest and various other sites, there is plenty to learn without ever leaving home :) For someone who is very curious, this can prove to be quite a distraction! For years now, I've received random paper clippings from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Globe & Mail from my dad. Sometimes there is a note, sometimes not. They are always something he thinks would interest me. Fortunately for me I have a Dad who knows me well enough that usually he's right... Continue reading

Claire loves all things baseball and though she manages to suffer thorough the school softball season, she's excited to head back to Little League and play her preferred sport again this summer. Even after some hitting lessons at Field House Athletics, she has decided against trying out for the "Big League" Whitecaps Team with her friends. With her busy schedule she was afraid she could not commit - and she's probably right. There'll still be lots of "spare time" spent at one diamond or another volunteering at tournaments and events throughout the season - she really enjoys announcing, expecially the... Continue reading

Mid-week last week, I sent out my order to Persnickety Prints in which included everything for my Project Life to bring me up-to-date through Week 16 (April 14-20). Not bad! A whole day was dedicated to editing, journaling and finding - and I loved all of it except for the time dedicated to it! Luckily, within my iPhoto I have all of the weeks in folders - as well as folders on my desk top. It's pretty easy to locate things, it's just the doing that takes the time and lots of focus. You see, like many mums I know,... Continue reading

The idea of the 12 of 12 is to record a regular day. Yesterday was not a regular day. It was Mother's Day - a very big day! Every year, for the last 15, we've gone to my parents home in Toronto where my kids get a chance to see all the sisters and cousins and everone else! It's a wonderful event and I really enjoy the tradition. Here is a glimpse into the day: The kids (Claire) made a lovely breakfast and served it to me in bed. I wasn't allowed out of bed and waited for them to... Continue reading

hello family. i am the eldest of five sisters and mother's day is a big deal in our world. i am so happy for what has become one of the best days of our year. hello dogwood. the only things i miss from our old house is the view of the lake and the beautiful, if flawed, dogwood in our yard. i can't do much about the view, but a new dogwood is enjoying it's first spring blooms in front of our home. hello sore feet! i had forgotten how tough it is to wear heels for hours on end.... Continue reading

I'm a bit behind as I haven't read a blog post in WEEKS! I only recently discovered a new meme over at Ali Edwards' blog who lifted the idea from her sister. As I'm also a bit behind in my Project Life, I figure this will serve as a fun little catch-up of my here-and-now. Here’s what’s on my… VANITY | Alas, my vanity is still sitting on the floor of Chloé's bedroom. I am anxious for my plumber to arrive and install everything! PERENNIAL TO DO LIST | Fold laundry, cook dinner, chauffeur kids, make plans, pay bills, schedule... Continue reading

After a concussion sustained in hockey made worse by another concussion last rugby season combined with the chronic bursitis in his shoulder, I never thought Cole would ever play any contact sport ever again. A good reminder to never say never! I forgot to take into account passion. He loves rugby. Truly loves it. Well, he still has the ball. It was quickly passed off and a try scored. As much as I flinch when there are a number of other-coloured jerseys surrounding him, I know he is playing something he loves. And he's good at it. He doesn't want... Continue reading

A couple of months ago, I received notice in my e-mail that Deepak Chopra would be coming to Toronto for a talk. I immediately ordered four tickets and then promptly forgot about it :) The day before I left for Arizona, I got a reminder on my phone set, oddly, well ahead of the event. Luckily though since I completely forgot to ask anyone to join me! I sent a note out to 10 girlfriends, expecting a bit of interest, but received an immediate reponse from 5! In the end, it all worked out and I headed off to Toronto... Continue reading

hello memories. a bit of overwhelm when the date struck me. it's been 10 years since we almost lost caden. i'll never forget the hospital. i'll never forget sars. i'll never forget bloorview. i'll never forget to hug him tight every day! hello national scrapbook day. it passed by and i barely noticed. it's funny how some things, once so important, fade away, but continue to be part of us. "what we have once enjoyed we can never lose. all that we love deeply becomes a part of us." -- helen keller (thanks for the quote, lise!) maybe next weekend?... Continue reading

Taken: 5 November 2005, Fifties Diner, Oakville, ON As I arrived in Arizona, Claire let me know her dad had left to go see his father. Grandpapa had been diagnosed with lung cancer. It was sad news indeed. Guy had, over the last 20 years, cheated death on a regular basis. We agreed to break the news to everyone else upon my return. Alas, plans are not always convenient for the universe. I returned to a quiet and sleeping house, and after three hours sleep, I woke to Cole responding to his learning on Facebook that his beloved grandfather had... Continue reading

Hello and welcome to the fourth installment of the 2013 One Little Word Blog Hop! As always, there is a great group of participants this month - I'm so happy for them to share their talent and enthusiasm for our OLW journey. As always, I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone approached their assignment for April. If you like what you see us doing, it's not too late to join in! After going through the hop, if you are interested, head on over and join the One Little Word journey with us! APRIL 2013 | CONNECT WITH PHOTOS The idea... Continue reading

Last week I found myself back in Tucson, AZ with my sister, Beth. I went to have some tests run in an effort to try to figure out the whole over-weight thing. Ugh. Frustrating! After all blood tests were run and analyzed, it turns out I am a remarkably fit heavy person. Blood pressure is low. Thyroid is fine. B12 is fine. Liver and kidney function are great. Vitamin D is in the tank. With a few tweaks things should be fine. Reluctantly, the doctor agreed that once my cortisol levels lower, my body should be more receptive to shrinking!... Continue reading

hello justin trudeau. coronation. really? just the idea of that word puts me off. never a fan of his dad, but i get it. the son? not even a shadow. hello rugby. yes, i've caved-in and both boys are playing again - though only for their school teams. cole is thrilled to be 8-man, and even happier to have scored 3 trys on his first game back. caden is happy to simply gain the respect of the older boys on his team. hello soccer. who knew i'd have a soccer player in my brood? chloé decided to play this year... Continue reading

I love my tribe! So many of you have sent notes via email and Facebook to check in on me. I can assure you, all is well and I'm almost 100% caught up and I'm feeling very zen right about now. What have I been doing this week? Other than laundry and cleaning and organizing and walking and smoothie-making? My new bathroom vanity from Restoration Hardware was delivered and the plumber organized to return at the end of the month. Chloé will be happy to have it out of the "holding area" aka her bedroom :) I checked in on... Continue reading

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