Family

The infamous potty training chart. Good times, good times. This post is for all you mammas of pre-potty-trained toddlers. This year we are celebrating a very special milestone in our parenting journey. For the first time in 12 years, we are diaper-free! Honestly, we never thought the day would arrive. Before potty training becomes a fond, distant memory, I'll share my humble thoughts about it all. While we were in the midst of it, I found it an intense, exasperating, and sometimes hopeless experience. This may sound extreme but it is, to this day, one of the hardest things I've done as a parent. And then, one day, the kid gets it. And then, another day, he goes to the toilet without you having to prod him like a broken record. Then another glorious day, he stops wetting at night! It really does seem magical. It's like learning how to read, except way messier. ...

Greetings! March has been a great month, not only because spring has finally arrived (only in name, perhaps, but I live in hope!), but also because many of our winter classes have come to a glorious end. This means that we have freed up some of our evenings and weekends to spend together as a family, playing board games and going on hikes. Ok, so we've only done one hike so far - that's a picture of my hubby and daughter enjoying precious bonding time at Pefferlaw Creek Farms. But now that the weather is warming up (it WILL happen), we look forward to many more family hikes. Here's what I've been loving this past month: ...

Photo by Ashley Bean on Unsplash This is a very personal post. Last summer I miscarried our 5th child. Baby would have been born right about this time, so in memory of him or her, I'm sharing the following post, written a few days after our loss. Over the weekend I suffered a miscarriage in the 12th week of my pregnancy. It was one of the saddest experiences of our lives. This baby came into our lives unexpectedly and left us unexpectedly. Finding out that I was pregnant was a huge shock, and it took me a while to accept the news. But now that the baby has left us, there is pain, grief and a hole in our hearts. We hope and we pray with that one day we will meet this sweet baby in Heaven. But in the meanwhile, we mourn our loss. ...

Happy New Year! Photo by Roven Images on Unsplash I have never been into making resolutions. It's probably because I have such a poor track record of accomplishing big goals that the last thing I need is a visual reminder of all the goals I'm not "crushing". Over the last year or two, however, I've felt the need to become more intentional about my life. Perhaps it's because I recently joined the 40s club, and it's given me an existential crisis - where am I, where have I been and where am I going? Or perhaps it's because my kids are getting older and I'm no longer on survival mode. Therefore I have more time to reflect and make some longer term goals. Whatever the reason, making resolutions for this new year is making sense to me. You can tell I'm new at this, for it's already the end of January and I'm still in goal setting mode. Oh well. Baby steps! So here they are - many of them are half-baked but I won't let that stop me! ...

Our glorious skiing holiday. One of the many perks of homeschooling! My family just returned from a glorious week skiing in Tremblant, Quebec. I’m currently on my 17th load of laundry and I’m praying that the washing machine gods have my back. Skiing in January has become an annual tradition for my family and extended family - 13 and counting. We all love to ski and now our kids are quickly becoming avid skiers. To those of you who just have little kids at home – hang in there! Before you know it, your kids will be able to join you in all the activities you enjoyed pre-kids. Soon after that they’ll be leaving you in the dust (or snow). It’s beyond delightful watching them grow in skill and independence. ...

Family board game night: fun for everyone. Photo by Jaciel Melnik on Unsplash This post contains affiliate links. Hello friends! Here's a list of things that I'm thoroughly enjoying this month. ...

Ceilidh scene from the series Victoria. How I love that show. Victoria, Season 2 MASTERPIECE on PBS. Shown: Nell Hudson as Skerrett. ©ITVStudios2017 I love a good dance. I especially love to dance at weddings; dancing with family and friends is my idea of a truly fun time. If only weddings didn’t happen so sporadically! When I was young and carefree, I would sometimes go clubbing. But truth be known, I never enjoyed it. The idea of mindlessly swaying to loud, non-rhythmic music never made much sense to me. I always suspected patrons would get drunk so that they would forget just how not fun the evening was. ...