Reflections

I have been away from the blog for a while; not by choice. Life has been so busy that I've hardly had time to scratch my nose. I took my diamond engagement ring off before my trip to Eastern Europe and finally found a moment this week to retreive it from the drawer and put it back on. Work is good, and life is good, but I'm struggling to make them work together!

As has become an annual tradition we spent Thanksgiving at my Uncle's cottage near Perry sound. We cooked, we chatted over glasses of wine and snuggled under big warm blankets with adult contemporary playing in the background. We went for long boat rides along the gorgeous Group of Seven-esqe shore.

But my favourite moment of all was stuffing the turkey with my daughter. It was traditionally done my Grandma, but when she passed away the responsiblity fell to me, and it is one I cherish. As my daughter knelt on the chair next to me getting dressing everywhere except in the bird, I could feel my Grandmother smiling, watching her 3 year old namesake learning her secret recipe. For a few moments time stood still and I forgot about the emails piling up on my blackberry and the exhaustion from nights on end of fitful sleep (courtesy of my son who has decided that night wakings are fun all over again).

What are your favourite traditions?

Midland

This weekend we rented a house with some friends near Midland, on Georgian Bay.

I had never been here before, and here is what 'had me at hello':
- It is shockingly close to Toronto; only about 30 minutes past Barrie
- The beach is not only gorgeous and ocean-like, but it is perfect for kids...a deep length of beach, a very mild incline, and tons of fun 'tide-pool-like-puddles' for kids to play in.
- You feel like you're away, but real grocery shopping and a decent latte is a just a short jaunt by car in Midland.

...driving 3 hours up to Muskoka is looking less glamourous.

Our weekend was fabulous:
- Communal meals
- 7 kids in a bath together
- Bike trips on country roads past idyllic animals at pasture
- Blue sky at the beach
- True small town charm....kids get free ice cream at the local corner store!

Travelling like I'm 21 all over again

Last week I was in Prague for work. It's a wonderful city, but work left me little time to see much more than my hotel. However, I did tack one extra night onto my trip to visit Krakow, Poland.

I am a frugal traveller through and through, and so I saved on accomodation by taking an overnight train and then spending a night at a hostel. ...many of my friends were a bit dumbfounded by this, with comments like "um, I think you can probably afford a hotel" and "do you need me to lend you a bit of cash?"....all humour aside, I am good at sleeping just about anywhere, and if I'm traveling on my own I don't get a lot of satisfaction from an expensive hotel...I'd rather put the money towards a special meal or some art work.

Krakow is a city full of history. It has the largest main square in all of Europe, a beautiful castle, and is situated on a lovely winding river. The old cobblestone streets are charming, and the city's centre is circumferenced in a beautiful green belt with a well-used walking path dotted with chestnut trees and benches where the locals relax and chat. Much of the city, however, was decimated by the various wars, and is now a mix of terribly depressing communist era architecture and rubble. 

I spent most of my time on my own...apparently the 20-something backpacker set can smell marriage, children, and general un-coolness on me a mile away. Wheelie suitcases don't move as smoothly on cobblestone and I packed inappropriately so was forced to wear my work blazer out at night to keep warm... I felt so old and stodgy!...but nonetheless it was luxurious to travel without goldfish crackers and soothers in my purse!

West coast blooms

Here are a few pictures from my parents' back garden (in Vancouver). Everything is so lush here; quite a difference from the Ontario drought!

Vangroovy pride

I am in Vancouver for a few weeks with the kidlets, visiting with my parents and brother. I snapped a picture of this display in a kitchen store in Kerrisdale village, near my parent's pad. It makes me want to decorate with more colour!! How fun would it be to have a set of rainbow dishes?

Cottage Life

We have just returned from two nights at my Aunt and Uncle's cottage on Crane Lake near MacTier. It was chilly, so I had lots of time to photograph all the Muskoka-esque details of their gorgeous cottage!

Grandpa's birthday suprise

Isn't suprising people fun?

Yesterday was my Dad's 65th birthday, and my mom is throwing a big party for him this weekend. I decided to fly to Vancouver for the weekend with my 9 month old son and suprise my Dad. When I arrived, I quietly put 9 month old Miles in the front hall and my Mom called my Dad up to help her with a 'special package'. Grandpa was suprised indeed to see his Grandson sitting there smiling at him!!!

I had this onzie custom made in Toronto at the "T-shirt Guys", located at Logan and Dundas. I was able to custom order it to exactly what I wanted and they turned the job around super quickly. The printing is silk screened using soy based paint and the onzie is a really soft cotton. I would highly recommend this place, and they do orders of all sizes.

So fun....okay the flight was a bit of an ordeal (I missed my original flight and then mistakingly put all my babies' food in my checked luggage....space cadet moment!!!), but being here is great!!

Horray for Target (tar-jay)

Today I headed south across the border with my Mom and my two kids. We have applied for Nexus but unfortunately we don't have our cards yet, so we had to wait in a 45 minute border line-up. Boo.

I will savour the day when Target finally arrives in Canada and I no longer have to head south to get unique kids clothes and funky furnishings at rock bottom prices! There is one slated to open at the East York Town Centre, which is a short drive from the Danforth. Bring it!

UPDATE: A few of you have emailed me wondering how to find out if you are getting a Target near you!! Here is the complete list of locations.

Spring has sprung!

I am back in Vancouver after a week at Whistler. It is amazing what a week can do...the flowers are blooming!!! It makes me think about my garden back home and all the things I want to change this season.

Communal living

Whisler, BC, image courtesy of BClimo.ca

I have been slow on blogging of late, as I am out in BC on holiday - in Vancouver visiting my parents and currently in Whistler skiing with a great group of friends.

This is our 8th annual ski trip with the same friends. We started the trip when we were all single partiers, but now we have found that the format of the trip works beautifully with kids. We rent a big chalet and each couple is assigned to cook a dinner one night during the week. We have a breakfast team and a sandwich team for lunches. The trip is planned with equal rigour. One friend researches locations and accomodations, my husband is responsible for land and ground transportation, I am responsible for food, and we have an entertainment committee. It is a logistical symphony!

We do a similar trip each year in Prince Edward County in the fall. Before our kids were born we would spend our days cycling the wineries. Now, with kids (this year we had 8 altogether!) our plans are less agressive, and we focus more on good hanging out time.

Prince Edward County, near Picton, Ontario

I have found that communal living is the best way to travel if you have kids and you suffer from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). ....you can put young kids down for naps and still hang out with all your friends. In contrast, hotel based vacations result in one parent having to sit in a dark room in the middle of the day while their children sleep...no fun.

How do you travel with your kids?

A Jackson Pollock for Grandma and Grandpa

I have been away from the blog for a few days now, and it feels like forever! My husband has been away for work (in Vegas...don't have pitty!!) and yesterday I travelled out to Vancouver alone with my two kids to visit with my parents. Trying to pack two kids for a five hour flight that left at 8am without my partner in crime around was no small feat! I am running on minimal sleep, needless to say.

In advance of our trip to Vancouver, my daughter made a piece of art for each of Grandma and Grandpa. I started with a wooden block 'canvas', which I purchased for under $5 each at Deserres. The beauty of these is that because they are made of wood, they stand on their own and do not need to be framed or hung on the wall, but are more formal and permanent than a drawing on a tattered piece of paper. They are perfect for a ledge, shelf, or table vignette.

I started by applying gesso (an artist's primer; this is not necessary. You could instead just use white paint, or you could just paint/colour directly on the wood. I just wanted a white background) to each block. Once it was dry, my plan was to have my daughter paint each block with coloured acrylic paints....but I just couldn't muster the energy for the prep and clean up. So instead, I just handed my daughter crayons with which to create her masterpiece.

I don't think she is ready for a gallery showing yet, but nonetheless Grandma and Grandpa were very touched to have special pieces of 'art'.