Hands down Fall is my favorite season. As a child, it was probably Summer, but in adulthood Fall represents much more. Perhaps it is partially because my birthday falls in September and with school starting, it feels like a new beginning. Plus how could you not love the beauty of the season with its cooler temperatures and vibrant colors with the leaves changing.
As the summer break comes to an end, there was one item on my bucket list that I wanted to check off before the routine of September hits. While we don’t have a huge backyard at our Vancouver rental property, the size and layout bodes well for a movie night. And not surprisingly, when I told the kids that we were going to stay up late and eat popcorn and candy, while watching a movie outside, their minds were blown.
As a busy working mom of two who also tries to find a bit of time to blog and go to yoga, there isn’t a whole lot of extra time in my days. And while I am somewhat savvy when it comes technology, I am by no means close to utilizing technology to its fullest. Case in point, I am not a person that listens to podcasts, though it is something I want to start doing, as supposedly you can listen when you are doing other things (for a multi-tasking mama, that is always important). For instance, my husband listens to sporting and political podcasts regularly when he is in the car, when he is working out or even when he is completing a mindless task at work.
Each Spring, our family participates in the RBC Race for the Kids supporting oncology and mental health initiatives at our local hospital, BC Children’s Hospital. If you have spent any time at the hospital, it is hard not to support the cause. It is home to some of the world’s best doctors and nurses, that care to deeply about making sick kids better. Of course, we have a close connection to it after spending almost a year there off and on while my son was going through this cancer treatments and regularly get to visit for check-ups. Each time I am there, I feel so blessed to live close by such a world class facility.
One thing I feel like I have mastered through my motherhood journey is self care. Whether it is just for an hour workout or overnight for a girl’s weekend, taking time away from the kids to catch my breath and focus on my own needs is so important. I feel like my whole family benefits when I come back refreshed and recharged. My self care routine sometimes includes taking the time to get pampered through massages, facials and pedicures.
For as long as I can remember, my parents have taken time to sit down on the 1st day of January and write out their goals for the year to come. They list out what they want to be, see and do over the 12 months that follow, as well as, their bigger goals for 5 and 10 years down the road. Their timely tradition also includes reviewing all they have accomplished from one year to the next.
From heartwarming to funny, I am sharing our favorite picture books that came out this past year. We definitely enjoyed reading these stories filled with wonderful lessons, sweet adventures and beautiful illustrations. I always feel books are a wonderful gift come the holiday season and this list will not disappoint.
From a young age, my son was very interested in numbers. By a year and half, he started to properly identify different figures. I always say it was the influence of Sesame Street, which was the only show he watched until he was almost four years old. That, and we lived in an apartment building when he was young, where he enjoyed finding and pressing the floor numbers in the elevator.
With a spirited three year old and a six year old under one roof, many conversations these days involve talking through our feelings. For those of you that have experience with these ages, you know with them, come a range of emotions. From happy to frustrated and sad to excited…all sometimes within a single hour!
With school out for the next couple months, I thought it would be beneficial to share some tips for keeping kids motivated to read over the summer break. While there is lots of time to spend at the pools and water parks, inevitably there is also down time to cool off and this offers up the perfect opportunity to pick up a book!