Monday 29 August 2011

Three


Birthdays are special, obviously to the person who celebrates them.  A person will (hopefully) have many birthdays in their lifetime.  Some will be forgotten, some will most definitely be memorable.  Some will be looked forward to, others will be dreaded (did I mention I'm turning 30 next month?  Ugh).  Some may be sad but most will be joyous events.

But as special a birthday is to any one person, and it is special as it is the day they joined this earth, I now believe that it is that much more special to the parents, and in particular, the mothers.

I can't remember every single one of my birthdays, and I probably don't care to do so, but I will never ever forget how I felt the day my children were born.  There are so many memories and emotions that come flooding back whenever one of my son's birthdays approaches.  He will never remember that day, but I will never forget it.  The pregnancy, the excitement during the days leading up to his birth, and then the day our lives changed forever.  It all replays in my head over and over.

With every passing birthday we exclaim, "How has it been __ years already?" and "I can't believe you are __ years old!".  Each year I am no less surprised.  I will still feel that way every year, the feelings will never change.  Another year older, another year of disbelief that it has all happened so quickly, and they are growing so fast.

Tristan is 3 years old today.  On his birthday we arrived nervous and excitement at St. Joseph's Hospital in Toronto, not sure what the day would bring.  Would they be able to turn him and we could have a natural birth?  Or would he refuse to budge and we would have a c-section?  I remember the waiting, the walk to the OR.  I remember the epidural, and feeling nauseous on the operating table.  I remember the version not working, and being prepped for surgery.  I remember how fast it went, and soon he was out and crying, and he was perfect.  I remember it all like it was yesterday, and now he is 3.

He is smart and funny, kind and compassionate.  He sleeps well, mostly eats well, and doesn't talk back.  He is a true angel child.  And he is 3.  He is quirky and funny and makes every day amazing.  Today he is 3, tomorrow he will be 30, and I will be no less amazed.

For the Big Guy's birthday weekend, we tried to make it about spending time with him and with family.  No big party, no wrapped boxes or bags filled with tissue.  We took him to the park so he could play with his friends.  We invited all the grandparents, aunts and uncles to spend time with him.  We let it be his weekend, free to have fun and enjoy the attention.

Of course he did get spoiled!  From Auntie Rachael and Uncle Scott he got his very own artist's easel and smocks, and from Grandma and Papa John he got some paints and chalks to use on it.  Maybe he will be an artist like Auntie Rachael.  From Grandpa Tony he got an amazing play kitchen set with some food and a shopping cart, a definite hit with both boys.  Grandma Kathy took him shopping for some new school clothes and shoes, and bought him a Cars backpack for school which he wore all day long.  What a lucky guy!  From Mommy, Daddy and F he got a really cool rain jacket to wear to school on rainy days. 

Today we have to remember to measure him on the doorstop to see how much he's grown.  I'm sure he is much taller than last time, but I know he has also grown in strength and character.  He is a charming little boy.

And so, it is a bittersweet day for this Mommy.  So happy that my Big Guy is growing up, but so sad at the same time at how fast it is happening. 

My birthdays, they come and go (from this point I'd rather not see them come anymore!).  But these boys' birthdays, they are truly special to me.

More about my pregnancy with Tristan and his birth can be found here.

Sunday 28 August 2011

On this evening in 2008.....


The crib was set up, the stroller was put together, and the carseat was installed.  Clothes were neatly folded in their drawers or hung in the closet.  All we needed was a baby boy to fill it all.

We were ready with nervous excitement. 

Getting ready to go to bed that night I was hoping a certain little breech baby would cooperate and magically turn around by morning. 

The last night with just the two of us.....

Saturday 27 August 2011

Exciting Family News


It's official.  Tyler's parents are moving to Collingwood!  They have been talking about buying a property up here for many months now and had even found one that was perfect for what they wanted.  It was just a matter of planning and lining everything up.  Now they have sold their house in Cambridge, found a place in town to rent, and as of yesterday, bought the property!

We are all so excited.  It has seemed very surreal up until now but it is becoming a reality.  The plan is to start a hops farm.  The plans are already in the works, and Tyler is involved.  Hopefully we will all be involved as a family.

This means huge things for our family.  It means our children will grow up with grandparents nearby which is so amazing for them.  It means we will have more family support.  It really affects how we will plan the rest of our lives here, in a good way.  No, a GREAT way.  It also means the boys will have an amazing property to visit and grow up on, and we have a place to grow fresh food for our family.  The positives are endless really.

There are no words really for how happy we are that they are moving here and will be close to us.  Yay!

Friday 26 August 2011

Cupcakes for Tristan


For T's past two birthdays I attempted more elaborate cakes.  It gets harder to keep up with it over time, but I will go all out again with the cakes for him in years to come.  We're keeping things pretty low-key for his birthday this year, preferring to save the money we'd spend on a big party and cake for other things, like fun family activities that he would most certainly enjoy more.  But of course I still wanted to wanted to make some cupcakes for my special guy.


As with all baked goods I make for my children, these ones are of a healthier variety, using quinoa flour and agave instead of regular flour and sugar.  I decided to make the same Fudgy Chocolate cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Icing from my Baking with Agave book that I had made for F's birthday earlier this year.  See here for recipe.


I made the cupcakes today and T was very patient watching me decorate them.  He stood and watched, wanting to eat them but he had more self-control than any other 3-year-old would have.  He managed not to touch a single one.




I let him lick a little bit of icing off one.  He is really excited and keeps saying that we are going to have a "Cupcake Party" this weekend.

Of course I had to pick up a special candle for him.


I hope he enjoys them!

Motherhood


....is cleaning the house during naptime only to have it look like you haven't lifted a finger not 15mins after they have woken from their naps....

Brilliant Meal Planning Website

So I have recently discovered the 100 Days of Real Food blog, which has some awesome ideas of how to eat healthy and avoid processed foods.  Today when I checked it out I also discovered The Fresh 20, which is a site in which you join to receive weekly meal plans which incorporate only fresh, healthy food.  I think this is a brilliant idea!  We are always struggling with our meal planning, and while we do it religiously we are constantly running out of ideas and get stuck in the same ruts.  When that happens it's so easy to fall back on less healthy choices to fill in the blanks.  For only $5/month or $49/year, this site will send you weekly meal plans which use only 20 fresh, seasonal ingredients costing around $75.  It is enough for 5 weeknight meals that will feed a family of 4.  They even have gluten-free and vegetarian options.  Almost sounds too good to be true!  I'm going to run it by Tyler tonight and see what he thinks, but I think it's genius!

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Cottage Weekend

Last weekend we had our first "official" family holiday, even though it was only 3 nights.  We rented a little cottage on Pigeon Lake, just outside of Bobcaygeon.  It was rather last minute, a few weeks ago my dad called us and offered to rent us a cottage for the weekend so we could join him and his friends on a houseboat for a day.  We eagerly accepted and were looking forward to getting away as a family.

After packing up what felt like the entire house, we left on Friday morning.  We got to Bobcaygeon around lunchtime and grabbed lunch before heading over to our cottage.

The place where we were staying was called Trail's End Lodge.  It was nestled in the woods and the cabins were right on the lakefront.  Ours was a cute little two bedroom cottage.  There was a large grassy area with lots of toys and stuff for the kids to play with, including a little treehouse and a slide.  The waterfront had a little sandy area and gazebo, and there was a dock with fishing boats to take out onto the lake.







Mike and Renee came up later Friday afternoon to join us for the weekend. 

We had a fantastic time.  The boys absolutely loved playing and exploring, and of course Tyler got in as much fishing as he could.  He was really excited to get T into fishing, and was thrilled of course when he took to it right away.  T enjoyed fishing on the dock as soon as we arrived, and caught his first little bass.  On Saturday Tyler took him out of the boat and he loved that too, and even caught his first walleye. 





On Saturday afternoon we took our little boat across the lake to meet up with my dad and his friends on a big houseboat.  It was a lot of fun.  There was yummy food, and even an ice cream boat came by!  Everyone had fun swimming in the lake, even the boys got to go in a little bit.  T really liked playing on the giant floating 'lilypad', while F hung out in his inflatable floaty tube, though he didn't enjoy the water as much.  Tyler and I tried tubing once.  I got up enough courage to go, but in all honesty it scared me and so I only went the one time.  I managed to stay on the tube though even though Tyler came off.  It's not so much the actual tubing that scares me, rather swimming in the lake freaks me out, so I was more scared of falling off!





Sunday was rainy on and off so we mostly hung around the cabin, but when it was clear we would go wander around outside.  The boys just wanted to be outside all the time, they were having so much fun.  We wanted to have a campfire but couldn't because of the rain, but we did manage to roast some  marshmallows over the bbq and make some smores.




On Monday it was time to pack up and leave, but Tyler wanted to take T fishing on the boat one last time.  He set his alarm to get up and go early, but when it went off Tyler just wanted to stay in bed where it was warm.  T had other ideas though, and dragged Daddy out of bed to go fishing.  They had so much fun out there, T didn't want to come back in!  He caught his second walleye that day.



I think one of the highlights of the trip was watching as an osprey kept trying to steal the fish Tyler and T had caught!  I watched from the dock as the giant bird kept swooping down to grab the fish, and Tyler had to shoo it away.  At one point he got the fish, but it was already on Tyler's chain and so a great tug of war ensued between man and bird of prey.  It was actually so cool to see.  Tyler said T was laughing the whole time.


We headed back into Bobcaygeon for lunch and ice cream before finally hitting the road to head back home.  What an amazing weekend!

The weekend could not have gone any better.  I think what amazed me the most is that both boys slept so well while we were there.  I figured T would sleep fine at night, but would probably resist taking a nap due to all the excitement.  I fully expected F to resist sleep at both nap and bedtime since we were in an unfamiliar place.  I was totally wrong!  They both went to sleep easily for naps and night, and they both slept all night long each night with the exception of a few brief wakings.  I can't say how shocked I was at this, but pleasantly so!

I'm so glad we got the opportunity to have this weekend, and that we got to share it with Mike and my dad too.  It's so great to know we get to do things like this as a family, and that everything went smoothly and we all had a great time.  Hopefully we will be able to get away for a cottage weekend once or twice a year.

It's nice to be home though, I missed my bed!  Back to routine, and time to get T prepared for school which starts in a few weeks.  Yikes!

Wednesday 17 August 2011

The Great Cookie Experiment

I originally got the recipe for breakfast cookies from my BW friend Karen.  I decided to tweak and add a few things to see if I can make them even healthier.  I started out with the recipe she gave me, but soon it turned into an experiment to see how much wholesome stuff I could pack into them.

So I started with putting this stuff in a bowl:
2 cups crushed cereal (I used PC Organics Ancient Grains)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Then I started to go a little nuts.  Every time I looked into our newly organized pantry I saw something else that I thought about throwing in.  So I added (approximate amounts, I wasn't even really measuring at this point)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup ground oatmeal
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup sesame seeds

In another bowl I mixed:
3 eggs (original recipe called for 2, but seeing as how I was significantly adding to the dry ingredients, I figured I'd better add another egg)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese (Karen also recommends tofu)
1/4 cup peanut butter (not in the original recipe, but I thought why not?  Next time I will use a different type like almond or cashew)
6 tbsp agave nectar (originally called for brown sugar)
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup oil (I used some melted butter and coconut oil)
1/4 cup apple butter (again, not in original recipe)

I think that's everything?

I mixed the contents of the two bowls together then assessed the consistency.  Still a little on the wet/sticky side.  So I threw in some more spelt flour to make it more cookie batter like.  What the heck, I threw in some more of the Ancient Grains cereal too, this time leaving the flakes whole instead of the crushing them.


Then I put balls of batter on a greased cookie sheet and flattened them a little. 


Stuck them in the oven and prayed they would work.  16 minutes at 400 degrees.  I got 3 dozen cookies out of it.

Success!  They were yummy, moist, and chewy.  I think you could flatten them a little more and cook for a little less to get a crunchier variation.

They were a hit with the boys for sure.  Now I won't feel so guilty when they ask for a cookie.

So, next time I'm thinking shredded apple or carrots.  I'm thinking raisins or other dried fruit.  I'm thinking chopped almonds.  I'm thinking pumpkin and sunflower seeds.  I'm thinking shredded coconut.  Really, the possibilities are endless.  Try it yourself and have fun with it.  I don't think you can mess this recipe up really, just keep adding stuff until you get the right consistency.  It was fun and easy!  And definitely better than any store bought stuff.

What should I call them?  Hmmmmm.........


Saturday 13 August 2011

Opinionated Parents


Parenting is hard.  And it seems to just keep getting harder as the kids get older.  The longer I have been a parent, the more information there is out there thrown at me.  The decisions keep getting harder, and the opinions keep getting stronger.  Sometimes I start to feel really overwhelmed.  It doesn't help that most stuff you read today is written by parents who sit in the extreme camps. 

But what if we're somewhere in between?  Hmmm, ok well, we are very health conscious and try to eat nutritious food, but sometimes my kids do get an occasional hot dog or cookie.  I am definitely all for breastfeeding, but then I also decided to vaccinate my children, so that makes me ok in some eyes but not ok in others.  I cloth diaper now but didn't in the past, and we are making a definite effort to be environmentally conscious but not everything we buy is always all natural or organic.  I do let my children watch tv, but I also make sure they are outside and active for most of the day.  I'm confused.  Where do we stand?

At times like this when I feel overwhelmed I try to take a deep breath and remember that with parenting comes so many choices, and there is always evidence supporting each one, whether it is scientific based or anecdotal.  So whichever choice we make is the right choice in some way.  Also, no two sets of parents will make exactly the same choices, and there is even difference of opinion within families.  What we choose to do for our family is what is right for us.  It may not be for someone else, but that is none of their business anyway.

I remember when F was tiny, he was hardly sleeping and I was so tired and depressed.  Everyone who saw me just knew by looking at me that I was really struggling, and I was usually holding back the tears whenever someone asked how he was sleeping at that point.  One day the receptionist at our chiropractor (who loved to ask every time we were there how he was sleeping) brought up the topic once again, this time to another mom with a baby just a few months older than F.  The nosy receptionist says to me "K (the other mom) co-sleeps and her baby sleeps all night long", and then they both just stood there looking at me as if to say "if you were co-sleeping too your baby would sleep".  I tried co-sleeping with T and quickly realized that it was not for us.  Not for us.  Fantastic that it worked for others of course, but not something that we felt worked for our family.

So I have to wonder, if not all parenting choices work for every family, why do other people care what we do?  Does it affect them in some way?  I have my opinions too, but I really don't care about the choices other people make and whether or not they are the right ones.  The only right choice is the one that is right for me and my family.

Of course we all like to meet like-minded parents.  It is important that our friends share some of our values, otherwise it might not be a very compatible friendship.  But as I am now starting to make many different mom friends, I can see the different ways that we do some things.  And that is ok.  I'd like to think though that despite some differences we have, we would still respect each other and maintain a friendship. 

I can't help but feel all defensive when people plaster their parenting opinions everywhere, pointing fingers and saying that if we do not do things the same way, then we must somehow be harming our children.  I stumbled across a blog one day where the mother openly admitted she would approach other moms at the playground to tell them what they are doing wrong with their children.  Really lady, does that make you a better mother and your children better kids than others?  I don't think so.  It only makes you feel better about yourself, but why you need to prove that to yourself I have no idea.

It seems like the people who voice their opinion the loudest are looking for validation, that they believe legions of other parents are going to jump up and down in agreement.  But I think if you are confident in your own parenting choices and ability you wouldn't need to voice it so loudly.

Reading a lot of this kind of stuff helps me do a lot of soul searching, about the kind of parent I want to be.  It also helps me build confidence in my own capabilities because I start to realize that I don't need others' opinions to help me make my decisions, that I am perfectly capable of making them on my own.  Opinions are just that - opinions.  They are not facts or set it stone.  So I am working hard on not letting them make me doubt myself.

When does it get easier and less overwhelming making choices for our children?  Well I suspect at least not until they are 18 and can start making them for themselves.  And do I think our choices are always right?  Absolutely.  They are always right for us, I can't vouch for other parents and their families.

I just wanted a place to get my thoughts out, hopefully I haven't sounded to opinionated. 

Wednesday 10 August 2011

Facebook Statuses Will Not Change the World

Facebook, ah Facebook.  What a thing it has become.

Today I had it out with a friend after commenting on her FB status that I got quite offended with.  Normally I do not take bother of the silly things people post as their status, but this one hit close to home with me because I was actually in that situation and so I took offense.  My friend (a good friend I might add and here's hoping we're still friends after this), has not been in the situation she commented so strongly on. 

And it wasn't like I felt her statement was entirely false, there is a lot of truth into it.  But I feel it was made inappropriately without considering that perhaps some situations do not fit into the category she was criticizing.

I'm not one to make a big point about things.  I have a small voice that doesn't like to be heard.  But this time I want to be heard.

Content of offending status aside, it got me thinking a lot about FB statuses in general.  I'm sure I have reposted a few of the stupid ones that go around on occasion, though not for a long time and you won't catch me reposting any strong statements even if I feel strongly about them.  Sure, it makes it known to the world how you feel about that topic, but it doesn't accomplish anything.

If you feel so strongly about something, don't talk about it, do something about it.

"Be the change you want to see in the world"

I am constantly seeing statuses about cancer awareness, other illnesses, child abuse, animal abuse, and just about any other topic in between, urging others to repost and usually with some sort of line that makes you feel guilty if you don't.  Please know that I agree with almost all of these kinds of causes.  But I feel as though my support is better off somewhere else and not pasted on my FB page.

There are ways you can put your words into action.  Volunteer at or donate to organizations who support your cause.  If you want to use your words, write to a newspaper or magazine.  Even blog.  You will reach an audience who cares that way.  Because I can assure you most of the people who read your FB status either don't care or won't take you seriously.  And you just might go offending some friends in the process.

I will confess, I have never been much of a doer.  I preferred to live in my bubble and think that whatever was going on in the outside world was not my problem.  I always used to think "Why should I donate money, I have none as it is!" or "I have no time to volunteer, I'm a busy person you know".  Well I have money to spend on coffee and time to blog and waste on FB don't I?

Then I had kids.  And the world is a much bigger place.  I have more compassion.  I want to do good, even if it is small.  I want to support families, and mothers, and people struggling with illness, and abused animals and children...somehow.  I don't always know how, but everyone has to start somewhere.  When I make a purchase I drop all my change in the box at the register now.  When I am offered to make a donation of a dollar at a store, I say yes instead of no.  I have offered to volunteer with an organization supporting cesarean awareness and VBAC support, something that is important to me.  These are small things in the long run.  I hope they will become bigger things in time.

A dear friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer this year at only 30 years old.  A young mother with young children.  I said I was going to walk to raise money, but I didn't.  I did make several donations towards cancer research which I had never done before.  So I did fail this time when it came to walking, but I didn't forget.  I will make a difference, for her, and for every other person I have loved who has or is battling cancer.  You will not catch me posting one of those cancer statuses on my FB, but you will see me walking for a cure.  I didn't make it this year, but I will make it happen.

FB statuses allow people to feel like they are making a difference when maybe they are not (maybe they are, I don't know what they do when they're not on FB, but I'm sure most of them aren't doing a damn thing since they are always on FB, like me).

If you believe in cancer awareness get out and walk.
If you believe in the humane treatment of animals, get out and volunteer.
If you believe that every child deserves food, clean water, and an education, sponsor a child or donate.
If you believe the environment is worth saving, start living green.
If you believe in any cause at all, then educate others, don't point fingers.

I have a long way to go before I would consider myself a 'good person'.  But I feel like a better person now than I was.  I feel more enlightened.  I feel some things are worth fighting for.

But you won't find me posting any of it on FB.

To my friend, if you get to read this.  You know I love you.  You know I consider you a kind hearted person who always means well.  You know I know you didn't mean to offend me or anyone else.  You have always had strong opinions and I love you for it.  And if anything, your status today was thought provoking and got me thinking about something that has bothered me for some time.  So thank you.

Monday 8 August 2011

The Reason I Write


I got a lovely compliment from a friend today.  After reading some of my blog she said that I was a great writer.  I was sincerely flattered to hear this, because I don't think of myself as a great writer.

Throughout my life, whenever I was faced with having to write something, I always mastered it.  I got plenty of compliments about my writing throughout the years from teachers.  But I lack something very important that makes one a great writer. 

I don't love it.  I am not passionate about writing.  Rather when I have to do it, I groan and get down to the task.  That is probably why, despite being told I was great at it, I never did anything with it.  You have to love what you do, and since I didn't love it, I didn't want to do it.

I took up blogging and journalling in recent months to keep track of our lives, and all the wonderful details of the boys lives that I am likely to forget.  But I am surprised with how well I have kept up with it.  I do look forward to writing things down, not because I enjoy the actual writing but because I love the memories that it will give me.  I started keeping track of events because I know that my memory is going downhill.

But writing has given me something back as of late that I didn't expect.  It is helping my memory.  I didn't realize that it was lack of any kind of writing that was turning my brain to mush.  When I was in school or working I was forced to challenge my brain in certain ways that I haven't done since becoming a mom.  NOT that what I do isn't challenging, rather it is more challenging than anything else I have done in my life.  But I was not using the same parts of my brain for putting thoughts together that I used to use academically or occasionally professionally.

So now my writing has so much more meaning for me.  It is an exercise in memory.  It is a challenge that I don't get from day to day life.  And while I still can't say that I love it, I do love the way it makes me feel, so I suppose that is something very special.  I hope I will keep it up for a long time yet.

360


This past weekend was brought to you by the letter F.  F for fun-filled, family, friends, food, and even a little fitness.  In one word, the weekend was fantastic.

I am feeling so good right now.  So good that I want to burst.  I can't get over it, I think about it all the time.

I distinctly remember last year, F was about a month old, and I sat at the kitchen table at my dad's chalet where we were staying, broken down in tears.  How could we do this to ourselves?  Why did we thinking leaving our familiar life in the city behind was a good idea?  I remember the sense of dread, the feeling that we had made the single, largest mistake of our lives, and that there was no going back.  I remember the months passing, and every time I hit a low point I would feel the same way.  The feelings of wanting to leave this place and return to where we came were almost too much for me to bear.  I remember sitting in the chiropractor's office one day, looking around and thinking, we don't belong here.  Going back to the GTA brought with it overwhelming feelings of wanting to be back there.  Even less than 6mos ago I was still having these feelings.  They were less and less, but they were still there.

At this moment in time, it is like night and day.  A complete turn around.  360.  At this moment I absolutely cannot imagine our life any different.  I cannot imagine how we would be any happier where we were than where we are now.  Life is so good.

I also remember feeling not too long ago, a sense of sadness that our lives were not what I wished they would be.  We had struggled so much financially and even though we were taking the steps to get back on track, it felt like we didn't have the funds to enjoy our lives.  Not that you should have to have money to be happy, but the little things like extracurricular activities and family outings seemed to get sacrificed because we were on such a tight budget.  I would wish things were different.  It was like I was sitting there, waiting for a the magic solution to appear.

What a difference a positive attitude makes.  We have embraced our challenges and are learning from them.  We are building the lives we want for ourselves and our family.  I remember longing for things but not knowing how to make them happen, and yet somehow we have gone and made them happen.

When I reflect on this past weekend, it is the epitome of all the things I have wished would happen for us. 

I wished we could make new friends and build new relationships, and we have.  We had some of our new friends over for dinner on Friday night, and it was a lovely, social evening. 

I wished I were more fit and lived an active lifestyle, and I have been going to the Y and taking classes (cardio on Saturday was fantastic). 

I wished we could eat healthier and look into better food options for our family.  On Saturday we drove out to a local farm to look into buying more naturally sourced and organic meats and produce (and had the most fantastic dinner that night as a result). 

I wished we got to spend more time with family.  My brother Mike and Renee came up to spend Saturday night and Sunday with us, and Tyler's sister Rachael and her fiancee Scott came up on Sunday, and we all had a wonderful day spent at the Thornbury Harbour.

I wished we could spend more quality time together as a family.  This weekend we took them to that farm where there was a petting zoo, which they loved.  After that we hung out in the backyard which was relaxing and fun at the same time.  And yesterday we got to do all sorts of fun stuff together at the harbour.  We walked and had a nice lunch, the boys got to go into the water for a bit, and there was a great park.  I know they had an amazing time.

The difference from last year to this year is unbelievable.  I can't say it enough.

So as a result I am feeling good about our lives.  We are still working on getting on track, but the future is looking very bright.  It feels like so much of what we want is achievable, and we are really enjoying planning fun things for us, not only for the immediate future, but later on down the road as well.

See, 360.

Wednesday 3 August 2011

I Heart My Clothesline

I'm not kidding.  If you were to ask me what a few of my favorite things are, my clothesline would be one of them.


I don't know why that is.  I just find hanging clothes in the sunshine to be so therapeutic.  Maybe it has something to do with feeling good about not wasting the energy running my dryer.  I can count on one hand how many times I've had to use it in weeks.  Maybe it's just the feeling of peace I get when I'm hanging clothes in the fresh air early in the morning while the kids play happily in the yard.  Maybe it's knowing that the wonderful sun is working it's magic at getting stains out of our clothes.  Who knows.  I just love it, it's such a silly thing, but I do. 

It's one of life's simple pleasures for me.

And yes, I am one of those people who will take my time hanging each piece, sorting them as I hang so that like pieces are together and that each one is hanging the same way, making sure there is equal spacing between each one, and that all the clothes pins are lined up perfectly.  I especially love doing this with our cloth diapers, grouping the different inserts and covers together.


I wonder what my neighbours would have thought if they saw me taking pictures of my drying laundry.  I took some other pictures so I didn't look like a total crazy.





I'm weird, I know.